- Paperback: 288 pages
- Publisher: Faber And Faber Ltd.; New edition edition (April 1 1993)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0571166369
- ISBN-13: 978-0571166855
- Product Dimensions: 17.5 x 11.2 x 3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 181 g
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #2,348,848 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
McClure adds to his admirable South African series of police procedurals featuring Afrikaner CID lieutenant Tromp Kramer and Bantu sergeant Mickey Zondi (last seen in The Artful Egg ) with an altogether satisfying prequel, jumping back to 1962 and the case that brings the two together. Kramer is called to a backwater town in Zululand after a young white housewife of questionable repute and a respected police officer are blown to bits when dynamite explodes her isolated home. Is the killer her reportedly violent and jealous husband, or was the husband in fact the intended target? It's Kramer's job to learn the truth, hampered though he is by incompetent police and medical staff and by his constant stumbling over Zondi, on the scene to track down a killer of his own. As is characteristic of McClure's series, the novel thrives on the relationship between the acerbic Kramer and the carefully clever Zondi, as well as on its intelligently underplayed depiction of South African customs and attitudes. Mysterious Book Club selection.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Library Journal
McClure's prequel to his Kramer/Zondi series details the South African pair's initial meeting. Already hard at work on the double murder of a beautiful but notorious young lady and an efficient, middle-aged detective, the devil-may-care Kramer appropriates the intelligent black Zondi--looking for a multiple killer and cousin--as assistant. Vivid imagery, crackling prose, and the exotic surroundings of Zululand (complete with racial attitudes) create an exciting package. Series fans will surely want to read this; others may get turned on to a good thing.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Customer Reviews
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3.8 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Terrific Police Procedural/Mystery, Mar 14 2010
By NorthShoreCanary - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Song Dog (Paperback)
I recently bought this book in a thrift store along with perhaps 20 others I knew absolutely nothing about other than what was touted on their jackets. My boyfriend started The Song Dog yesterday only to put it back down at page two because it has a sexually explicit opening scene. I put down "The Almond Picker" to see why he was so disturbed and wound up reading the book in six hours. Do not be put off by this scene because that's where the 'pornography' (as he put it) ends and am I glad I didn't take his reaction as an indictment. Written nine years ago and set in 1962 South Africa, there is a lot that today would be considered politically incorrect. However, the book does not feel dated, just written with attitudes and language that are often disturbing but context appropriate. Other than to say that there is something very refreshing about this novel I can't quite put my finger on why it was so compelling. I could not stop reading The Song Dog. It's a shame that McClure has gotten buried, he has never shown up in any searches I've done here despite its being so much better than many current books in the genre, perhaps because his Kramer/Zondi series began in 1971. The Song Dog is a prequel, depicting how Lieutenant Kramer and Detective Zondi first met. I loved this book so much I just ordered all of his Kramer/Zondi books from Amazon. If you like moody, intriguing police procedurals set in interesting places with refreshing characters, you will love this book. Who knows about the others, but I will report on the rest of the series shortly. I love McClure's tough guy writing style. For me, a page turner. Be warned, though, of the startling and unapologetic attitudes that you might expect of 1962 South Africa.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best, Sep 22 2000
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Song Dog (Hardcover)
McClure writes a prequel to his Trompie Kramer/Mickey Zondi series that haunts the emotions as it satisfies the curiosity. McClure has said in an interview that he identifies with Zondi, although he "didn't realize it until someone told him." Here we see into Zondi's past at mission school as well as how both he and Kramer met their mates, Miriam and the Widow Fourie. I found the predictions of their deaths by the piestess of the Song Dog spine chilling and touching at the same time.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
intelligent mystery, Jan 5 2005
By Stuart C. Mowbray - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Song Dog (Paperback)
The books in this series are all excellent and this is one of the best.
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