Dual-Language Prize and Chart Success for Deon Meyer in South Africa

October 15, 2026 Intern BlakeFriedmann

We are delighted to announce a double success for crime writing titan Deon Meyer in South Africa with his latest book SKORPIO: the first edition, published in Afrikaans, has taken home the ATKV-Woordveertjies awards, celebrating exceptional achievement in Afrikaans literature, in the best thriller category; while the freshly printed English-language translation, titled SCORPIO RISING, has shot straight to the top of the charts.

Deon’s success at the ATKV-Woordveertjies awards repeats the feat he achieved in 2024 for his previous novel LEO. In a statement (translated from Afrikaans), the prize committee said: ‘an internationally renowned thriller writer, Deon Meyer has proven himself to be a master of crime fiction over the past three decades. As a result, each new Meyer novel is subject to exceptionally high expectations: the challenge is no longer simply to write a good thriller, but to continue to surprise within an established and highly recognizable oeuvre (and genre). Meyer succeeds excellently in this with SKORPIO.’

‘The novel once again demonstrates Meyer's extraordinary control over the "architecture" of the suspense story: the fine dosing of information, the alternation between storylines, the manipulation of reader expectations and the gradual convergence of seemingly unrelated events. Particularly striking is the way in which Meyer complicates the moral certainties on which the traditional crime story is based in SKORPIO. The distinction between right and wrong, guilt and innocence, becomes increasingly less obvious.’

Meanwhile, his success in the charts with the new English language edition SCORPIO RISING, translated by K.L. Seegers – taking the top spot in both the Fiction and Overall bestseller lists – continues Deon’s domination of the South African charts, having claimed a 9-week end-of-year run at the top of the South African bestseller lists, including the Christmas #1 with SKORPIO. This latest achievement marks a successful debut for Deon’s new English-language publisher, Pan Macmillan, who will publish SCORPIO RISING in the UK on 11 February 2027, alongside Grove Atlantic in the US and Canada.

Rights have further sold in France (Editions Gallimard), the Netherlands (A W Bruna) and Germany (Aufbau). SKORPIO was first published last year in Afrikaans by Human and Rousseau.

Many congratulations Deon!

In SKORPIO/SCORPIO RISING, when Detective Benny Griessel is assigned the case of a private eye crushed under a BMW in his garage, it looks like a tragic accident. But Benny’s partner, Vaughn Cupido, knew the deceased, and he says it’s murder. Benny would love to have Vaughn’s help on the case, because so far it’s going nowhere. But his partner is stuck wasting his considerable talents investigating the arson of a remote shepherd’s hut.

Then a caravan explodes on a nearby farm, and the identity of the body inside drives the media into a feeding frenzy just a week before an international security forum comes to town.

Suddenly, Griessel and Cupido’s dead-end cases are burning red-hot, and the flames threaten not just their careers, but those dearest to them.

Local and international threats become perilously entwined in this tautly constructed thriller from a master of the form, as Griessel and Cupido race against time to uncover a plot that could challenge global politics at the highest level…

About Deon Meyer

Deon Meyer lives in Stellenbosch, South Africa. His books are sold in 31 countries, and have been awarded many prizes around the world: the Deutsche Krimi Prize in Germany, the ATKV Prize in South Africa, the Martin Beck Award in Sweden and Le Grand Prix de Littérature Policière and Le Prix Mystère de la Critique in France. COBRA was shortlisted for the 2015 CWA International Dagger, THIRTEEN HOURS was shortlisted for the 2010 CWA International Dagger, and HEART OF THE HUNTER, was longlisted for the 2005 IMPAC Prize and selected as one of Chicago Tribune’s ‘10 best mysteries and thrillers of 2004’. THE DARK FLOOD was longlisted for the 2023 CWA Dagger for Crime Fiction in Translation. His novels always achieve many weeks at the top of the South African bestseller lists, becoming Number One across all categories and languages.

Adaptations of Deon’s novels have recently had great success on screen: in April 2024, HEART OF THE HUNTER topped the global Netflix film charts, becoming the first African film to do so, with over 11 million views in its first two days alone. DEVIL’S PEAK was also adapted for a miniseries by Lookout Point and Expanded Media Productions, premiering on M-Net in South Africa in 2023 before reaching international audiences. In 2020, TRACKERS, produced by Three River Fiction and Scene 23, aired on Sky Atlantic in the UK and HBO in the USA and the latest thriller to hit the screens is INVISIBLE (adapted from BLOOD SAFARI) an 8-part mini-series starring Abbie Cornish which was launched on M-Net on 14 October 2026.

Praise for SKORPIO

‘Even if he writes a book where Griessel and Cupid just go on holiday without any crime to solve, I will still buy it, read it and add it to my collection… Meyer needs no introduction… I don’t even want to think what he has meant to the Afrikaans book and film industry as a whole. He showed everyone what is possible, and SKORPIO shows how everyone still listens when he speaks. In 2025, a wealth of good suspense literature was published; SKORPIO is the icing on the cake.’ – Stefan Coetzee, LitNet

‘It’s the characters, the humanity and the humour that keeps me devouring Deon Meyer’s novels.’ – Deborah Steinmair, Netwerk24

‘In terms of depth, it is Meyer’s penetrating consideration of the nature of criminality that is surprising… In Meyer we notice the necessary awareness of South Africa’s social diversity. This makes the story nuanced and credible. What is also striking is the compassion with which Meyer treats the characters. This is a novel that is marked by humanity. Even the characters and suspects do not lack the author’s compassion… Ultimately, it is the scope of the story that surprises both the detectives and the reader. The evil that is systemic corruption is strikingly exposed. With the unmistakable Deon Meyer trademark, precise and powerful, SKORPIO is prime crime fiction that captivates to the end’ – Francois Bekker, Netwerk24

Praise for Deon Meyer

‘He’s up there with the best in the world.’ – Marcel Berlins, The Times

‘I love Deon Meyer novels. It’s global storytelling at its best, with the undeniable hallmarks of gritty realism and deep character building.’ – Michael Connelly

‘Deon Meyer's name on the cover is a guarantee of crime writing at its best.’ – Tess Gerritsen

‘Deon Meyer is one of the giants of crime fiction.’ – El Mundo

‘One of the best crime writers on the planet.’ – Mail on Sunday

Visit Deon’s website

Follow Deon on Twitter

Ivan Vladislavić’s ‘elegant’ and ‘bewitching’ account of life in Johannesburg THE NEAR NORTH to be published by Batis Books

February 11, 2026 Intern BlakeFriedmann

THE NEAR NORTH, the latest book by double-Sunday Times Literary Award-winner Ivan Vladislavić, will be published by new independent publisher Batis Books. Director Nick Mulgrew acquired UK and Irish rights (excluding Audio) from Isobel Dixon, and will publish in premium trade paperback format at the end of 2026.

Originally published in South Africa by Picador Africa in March 2024, and extracted in the Yale Review, THE NEAR NORTH was longlisted for South Africa’s Sunday Times Literary Awards last year. A vivid personal account of life in Johannesburg during times of crisis, in its obsession with place- and homemaking, The Near North is in some ways a companion to Vladislavić’s earlier, award-winning PORTRAIT WITH KEYS – but it stands alone as its own achievement. This is a narrative of fine description and self-reflection by a writer with a flaneur’s spirit, even as he bumps against the sharp edges of violence against nature and people alike.

‘THE NEAR NORTH could not have found a more congenial home than Batis,’ said Ivan. ‘Nick Mulgrew is a ground-breaking publisher and I’m thrilled to be part of his new venture. I look forward very much to working with him.’

‘It is my honour to bring Ivan Vladislavić’s most recent work to the British and Irish markets,’ added Nick Mulgrew, director of Batis Books. ‘Vladislavić is one of South Africa’s great contemporary writers, and THE NEAR NORTH is a book that, patiently and powerfully, makes personal the amazing chaos of Jo’burg – a place that is at once manmade forest, securitised suburban sprawl and decaying modern city. Vladislavić gets to grips with a place that even its inhabitants can find overwhelming.’

Isobel Dixon says: “I’m delighted that Ivan and his brilliant THE NEAR NORTH will join the exciting new Batis Books list. I’ve long appreciated Nick Mulgrew’s vision and publishing acumen and it’s a great pleasure to join forces to bring Ivan’s latest work to more readers this year.’

About Ivan Vladislavić

Ivan Vladislavić was born in Pretoria in 1957 and lives in Johannesburg. His books include the novels THE DISTANCE, THE RESTLESS SUPERMARKET, THE EXPLODED VIEW and DOUBLE NEGATIVE, and the story collections 101 DETECTIVES and FLASHBACK HOTEL. In 2006, he published PORTRAIT WITH KEYS, a sequence of documentary texts on Johannesburg. He has edited books on architecture and art, and sometimes works with artists and photographers. TJ/DOUBLE NEGATIVE, a joint project with photographer David Goldblatt, received the 2011 Kraszna-Krausz Award for best photography book.

His work has also won the Sunday Times Fiction Prize, the Alan Paton Award, the University of Johannesburg Prize and Yale University’s Windham-Campbell Prize for fiction. He is a Distinguished Professor in the Creative Writing Department at Wits University.

Praise for THE NEAR NORTH

‘Some of the most moving prose ever written about this former mining town…What a chronicle of a city in perpetual crisis.’ – Jacob Dlamini (author of ASKARI)

‘Ivan Vladislavić’s hand, not unlike that of Marlene Dumas, is unshaking as it paints silent, slow and highly vivid, almost cinematic, lines on the canvas of our shared Johannesburg… A masterful form of reportage of life spent seeing… feeling.’ – Bongani Madondo

‘A bewitching meditation. A raw, literary, and heart-felt ode to life in Johannesburg.’ – Andrew Harding

‘An elegant, gentle, bitter-sweet ramble through the streets of Johannesburg with the incomparable Vladislavić.’ – Jonny Steinberg

‘Ivan is one of South Africa’s best writers… the book is filled with exquisitely observed observations of Johannesburg in all its different moods and the different way people experience the different streets of Johannesburg: absolutely exquisite writing.’ – John Maytham, CapeTalk

‘THE NEAR NORTH has the febrile, hallucinatory feel of JG Ballard’s earlier apocalyptic novels, but tempered and made gentle by a Proustian attention to the ordinary that manages to make the book both paean and threnody.’ – Chris Roper, Daily Maverick

‘Vladislavić's helpless addiction to the inexhaustible variety of the ordinary reality is what makes his books so extraordinary. THE NEAR NORTH is a delightful addition to a substantial output.’ – Michiel Heyns (translated from Afrikaans)

‘There is sadness, rage, confusion and humour in the author’s responses to things but they come together in a reassuring gentle wisdom, an acceptance of things as they are, even as he wishes they could be different. There has been no waning of the author’s observational powers, and no waxing of the author’s ego. It’s a beautiful book. A true thing.’ – Karin Schimke

Praise for Ivan Vladislavić

‘Ivan Vladislavić occupies a place all of his own in the South African literary landscape: a versatile stylist and formal innovator whose work is nevertheless firmly rooted in contemporary urban life.’ – J.M. Coetzee

‘Mysterious, lyrical and wickedly funny… Ivan Vladislavić is one of the most significant writers working in English today. Everyone should read him.’ – Katie Kitamura

‘In a country obsessed with social realism, Vladislavic has always tried to find less obvious ways to approach the world.’ – Damon Galgut

‘Vladislavić's narrative intelligence is nowhere more visible than in his way with language itself… We enter incidents in medias res – as though they were piano études – and exit them before we have overstayed our welcome.’ – Teju Cole

‘Nothing short of a great contemporary writer, he pushes at form and content to make something strangely new and profound.’ – Neel Mukherjee

Visit Ivan's website

Deon Meyer’s SKORPIO dominant at the top in South Africa after claiming the Christmas #1

January 23, 2026 Intern BlakeFriedmann

Deon Meyer’s SKORPIO – his latest Afrikaans-language thriller following Detectives Benny Griessel and Vaughn Cupido – extended its reign at the top of the South African bestseller lists, scooping the coveted Christmas #1 slot as part of a 9-week run that stretched back to its November debut. The book has now achieved the feat of exceeding 24,000 copies in its Afrikaans first-edition, and continues to reign at the top of the each of the Fiction, Afrikaans-language and South African-writers bestseller lists in South Africa.

SKORPIO was published by Human & Rousseau, an imprint of Jonathan Ball, on 31 October 2025; English-language editions (translated by K.L. Seegers) are forthcoming from Pan Macmillan in the UK, Grove Atlantic in the US and Canada, as well as translations in Germany (Aufbau), and the Netherlands (A.W. Bruna).

In SKORPIO, as an international security forum convenes in the picturesque town of Stellenbosch, detectives Benny Griessel and Vaughn Cupido race against time to uncover a plot that could shake international foundations. With the threat looming over the prestigious gathering of global leaders, the stakes couldn’t be higher.

Congratulations, Deon!

About Deon Meyer

Deon Meyer lives in Stellenbosch. His books are sold in more than 40 countries worldwide, and have been awarded many prizes around the world: the Deutsche Krimi Prize in Germany, the ATKV Prize in South Africa, the Martin Beck Award in Sweden and Le Grand Prix de Littérature Policière and Le Prix Mystère de la Critique in France. COBRA was shortlisted for the 2015 CWA International Dagger, THIRTEEN HOURS was shortlisted for the 2010 CWA International Dagger, and HEART OF THE HUNTER, was longlisted for the 2005 IMPAC Prize and selected as one of Chicago Tribune’s ‘10 best mysteries and thrillers of 2004’. THE DARK FLOOD was longlisted for the 2023 CWA Dagger for Crime Fiction in Translation, and LEO enjoyed ten weeks at the top of the South African bestseller lists, Number One in all categories, before going on to win Best Adult Fiction and Book of the Year at the 2024 SA Book Awards, and the ATKV-Woordveertjies Prize for best Afrikaans Thriller.

Adaptations of Deon’s novels have recently had great success on screen: in April 2024, HEART OF THE HUNTER topped the global Netflix film charts, becoming the first African film to do so, with over 11 million views in its first two days alone. DEVIL’S PEAK was also adapted for a miniseries by Lookout Point and Expanded Media Productions, premiering on M-Net in South Africa in 2023 before reaching international audiences. In 2020, TRACKERS, produced by Three River Fiction and Scene 23, aired on Sky Atlantic in the UK and HBO in the USA, as well as Australia and New Zealand, and across the Nordic countries and Europe. His latest adaptation, THE INVISIBLE (from the novel BLOOD SAFARI), starring Abbie Cornish and Dougray Scott is currently in production through M-Net, Scene23, Berkeley Media Group (BMG), and ITV Studios.

Praise for SKORPIO

‘It’s the characters, the humanity and the humour that keeps me devouring Deon Meyer’s novels.’ – Deborah Steinmair, Netwerk24

Praise for Deon Meyer

‘He’s up there with the best in the world.’ – Marcel Berlins, The Times

‘I love Deon Meyer novels. It’s global storytelling at its best, with the undeniable hallmarks of gritty realism and deep character building.’ – Michael Connelly

‘Deon Meyer's name on the cover is a guarantee of crime writing at its best.’ – Tess Gerritsen

‘Deon Meyer is one of the giants of crime fiction.’ – El Mundo

‘One of the best crime writers on the planet.’ – Mail on Sunday

Visit Deon’s website

Follow Deon on Twitter

Deon Meyer’s SKORPIO shoots to the top of the South African bestseller lists

November 14, 2025 Intern BlakeFriedmann

The Afrikaans edition of Deon Meyer’s SKORPIO – the latest thrilling instalment of Benny Griessel and Vaughn Cupido’s investigations – has rocketed to the top of the South African charts, across each of the Fiction, Afrikaans-language, South African-writers and Overall bestseller lists. Published by Human & Rousseau, an imprint of Jonathan Ball, on 31 October 2025, the book is set to continue Deon’s domination of the South African charts, following his over ten-week run for his previous novel LEO, across both the Afrikaans and English-language editions.

Following two seemingly minor investigations which rapidly spiral to reveal international ramifications, SKORPIO marks an exciting new chapter for Deon, with English editions (translated by K.L. Seegers) forthcoming from Pan Macmillan in the UK, Grove Atlantic in the US and Canada, Aufbau in Germany, and A.W Bruna in the Netherlands.

Congratulations on this latest success, Deon!

About Deon Meyer

Adaptations of Deon’s novels have recently had great success on screen: in April 2024, HEART OF THE HUNTER topped the global Netflix film charts, becoming the first African film to do so, with over 11 million views in its first two days alone. DEVIL’S PEAK was also adapted for a miniseries by Lookout Point and Expanded Media Productions, premiering on M-Net in South Africa in 2023 before reaching international audiences. In 2020, TRACKERS, produced by Three River Fiction and Scene 23, aired on Sky Atlantic in the UK and HBO in the USA, as well as Australia and New Zealand, and across the Nordic countries and Europe. His latest adaptation, THE INVISIBLE (from the novel BLOOD SAFARI), starring Abbie Cornish and Dougray Scott is currently in production through M-Net, Scene23, Berkeley Media Group (BMG), and ITV Studios.

Praise for SKORPIO

‘It’s the characters, the humanity and the humour that keeps me devouring Deon Meyer’s novels.’ – Deborah Steinmair, Netwerk24

Praise for Deon Meyer

‘He’s up there with the best in the world.’ – Marcel Berlins, The Times

‘I love Deon Meyer novels. It’s global storytelling at its best, with the undeniable hallmarks of gritty realism and deep character building.’ – Michael Connelly

‘Deon Meyer's name on the cover is a guarantee of crime writing at its best.’ – Tess Gerritsen

‘Deon Meyer is one of the giants of crime fiction.’ – El Mundo

‘One of the best crime writers on the planet.’ – Mail on Sunday

Visit Deon’s website

Follow Deon on Twitter

Abbie Cornish and Dougray Scott sign up to new Deon Meyer adaptation THE INVISIBLE for M-Net and ITV Studios

October 15, 2025 Intern BlakeFriedmann

THE INVISIBLE – a new eight-part miniseries adapted from internationally acclaimed bestselling author Deon Meyer’s novel BLOOD SAFARI – has just been announced, with star casting led by Australian Abbie Cornish (LIMITLESS; THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING MISSOURI) and Scottish star Dougray Scott (CRIME; ENIGMA). The series is a co-production between M-Net, Scene23, Berkeley Media Group (BMG), and ITV Studios, who will distribute internationally.

THE INVISIBLE follows Dekker – a former professional bodyguard – and Emma, an expat who returns to South Africa in search of her long-missing brother, who together get drawn into a deadly game following a spate of vigilante killings in the Kruger National Park.

The series was created by Deon himself, along with William Josef Schneider, who will lead the writing team on the adaptation. The directors are Jozua Malherbe – who also helmed previous adaptations DEVIL’S PEAK and TRACKERS – and award-winning playwright and filmmaker Amy Jephta (BARAKAT; CATCH A KILLER). Joining Cornish and Scott in the cast will be South African talent Kim Engelbrecht, Tim Theron and Tumisho Masha.

‘To say I’m proud, grateful and excited about The Invisible as a TV series is a vast understatement,’ commented Deon. ‘We’ve worked so hard for two years to put the series together, and now, it’s finally going into production with an excellent broadcast partner and executive production team, great writers, a stellar, international cast, a brilliant director and the best film crew in the world. How cool is that?’

About THE INVISIBLE

In the shadow of South Africa’s Kruger National Park, a mysterious killer begins executing local poachers. As the body count rises, local Inspector Jack Phatudi is drawn into a dangerous manhunt to unmask the vigilante.

At the same time, Dekker — a former bodyguard with a haunted past — is hired to protect Emma, a South African expat, who returns home to search for her brother who she believes is still alive, despite his disappearance 20 years ago.

When Phatudi’s investigation collides with Emma and Dekker’s quest, they uncover a buried conspiracy reaching back to the political assassination of a pivotal African leader. As powerful forces close in, all three are forced to confront the explosive truth — one that could rewrite history, and that others will kill to keep hidden.

About Deon Meyer

Adaptations of Deon’s novels have recently had great success on screen: in April 2024, HEART OF THE HUNTER topped the global Netflix film charts, becoming the first African film to do so, with over 11 million views in its first two days alone. DEVIL’S PEAK was also adapted for a miniseries by Lookout Point and Expanded Media Productions, premiering on M-Net in South Africa in 2023 before reaching audiences in the USA, New Zealand, Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg. In 2020, TRACKERS, produced by Three River Fiction and Scene 23, aired on Sky Atlantic in the UK and HBO in the USA, as well as Australia and New Zealand, and across the Nordic countries and Europe.

Praise for Deon Meyer

‘He’s up there with the best in the world.’ – Marcel Berlins, The Times

‘I love Deon Meyer novels. It’s global storytelling at its best, with the undeniable hallmarks of gritty realism and deep character building.’ – Michael Connelly

‘Deon Meyer's name on the cover is a guarantee of crime writing at its best.’ – Tess Gerritsen

‘Deon Meyer is one of the giants of crime fiction.’ – El Mundo

‘One of the best crime writers on the planet.’ – Mail on Sunday

Visit Deon’s website

Follow Deon on X