One of seven titles to be awarded the maximum five star rating, 13 HOURS was voted by a jury headed by Frits van Exter as Vrij Nederland Thriller of the Year in their Thriller and Detective Guide - the reference book for lovers of the genre in the Netherlands.

The King of South African Crime Fiction beat off the likes of RJ Ellory, Jo Nesbo and Stephen King to take the crown.

The honour is another accolade added to the already extensive list 13 HOURS has built up internationally, including winning the Barry Award Best Thriller 2011 and being shortlisted for the Macavity Award and CWA International Dagger in 2010.

For more info, click here. (Dutch)

Praise for 13 HOURS:
Winner of The Barry Award in the Best Thriller category 2011
Shortlisted for the Macavity Award in the Best Mystery Novel category 2011.
Shortlisted for the CWA International Dagger 2010.
Shortlisted for the Boeke Prize 2011.
Winner of the ATKV prize for suspense fiction 2009
Shortlisted for the Svenska Oversatta Kriminalroman (Martin Beck) Award 2011

'Deon Meyer has written six novels and THIRTEEN HOURS is probably the best (not taking anything away from its predecessors). It is taut, moving and deeply memorable, and is highly recommended.' -- Theodore Feit, Crimespree and Spinetingler Magazines

'Superbly accomplished chase thriller by a South African writer now gaining deserved international recognition.' -- Financial Times

'Meyer's powerful work, set in a violent, post-apartheid South Africa combines edge-of-seat suspense with memorable characters and plot.' -- The Sunday Times

'This terrific, action-packed thriller has superbly drawn characters and an enthralling setting. Deon Meyer is one of the best crime writers on the planet.' -- Mail on Sunday

'Deon Meyer's novel is one of the most exciting thrillers I've read for a long time. Take it on a journey which may involve delays, but you won't even notice them as THIRTEEN HOURS, as it were, passes in a flash...You get insight into the political situation quite apart from an exceptional narrative...I shall look out for Deon Meyer in future, and meanwhile, the tapestry that is South Africa has gained in richness for me.' -- Antonia Fraser, The Lady

'THIRTEEN HOURS has breathtaking suspense, psychological understanding, and one of the most inspiring detectives ever. Deon Meyer deserves his international reputation.' -- Thomas Perry

'Try picking up THIRTEEN HOURS and setting it down. Try. You can't do it. I'm a pro, and I couldn't do it.' -- Don Winslow, author of THE POWER OF THE DOG and SAVAGES

Praise for Deon:
'Deon Meyer is one of the best crime writers on the planet.' -- Mail on Sunday

'Deon Meyer's novels...are absolutely worthy of Hammett and Chandler, the great North American Masters of the Thirties and the Forties' -- Carmen Méndez, Expansión

'Deon Meyer is one of the giants of crime fiction.' -- Emma Rodriguez, El Mundo

'Without a doubt, Deon Meyer is one of the greatest contemporary crime novelists.' -- Alexandre Fillion, Livres Hebdo

'In his native South Africa…Meyer is a bigger hitter than his namesake TWILIGHT author…His books regularly slay the vampire romances in the charts, with their gritty realisations of the seamier side of South African life.' -- Catherine Neilan, The Bookseller Blog

'Deon Meyer is the best of the best.' -- The Mail & Guardian

'I've been reading a new book by Deon Meyer, a South African, writer of crime fiction, set in his homeland. I love crime fiction and I'm always on the lookout for a new talent and Mr Meyer certainly fits the bill.' -- Michael Parkinson