The shortlist for the 2012 CWA International
Dagger was announced this week at Crimefest and Deon Meyer has again
been shortlisted with his novel TRACKERS, translated by KL Seegers. The
Dagger is a competition for crime, thriller, suspense or spy fiction
novels which have been translated into English from their original
language, for UK publication. The other five books in contention for the
Dagger this year are: The Potter's Field by Andrea Camilleri,
translated by Stephen Sartarelli, I will have Vengeance by Maurizio de
Giovanni, translated by Anne Milano Appel, Until Thy Wrath Be Past by
Åsa Larsson, translated by Laurie Thompson, Phantom by Jo Nesbø,
translated by Don Bartlett, The Dark Valley by Valerio Varesi,
translated by Joseph Farrell.
The judging panel consists of:
Janet Laurence, non-voting chair, who has written two series of crime
novels and the first of a new series: Deadly Inheritance, has just been
published by The Mystery Press. She is also the author of Writing Crime
Fiction - Making Crime Pay and chaired the CWA in 1998-99; Karen Meek is
a library assistant and founder of the Euro Crime website:
www.eurocrime.co.uk; Ruth Morse teaches English Literature at the
University of Paris. She is a frequent contributor to the Times Literary
Supplement; John Murray-Browne is a bookseller.
The judges described TRACKERS as 'Meyer at his best'.
The
CWA Daggers have been synonymous with quality crime writing for over
fifty years. The winners of six CWA Daggers - the International, Ellis
Peters, Non-Fiction, Short Story, Library and Debut Daggers - are
announced at an awards ceremony held in July at a prestigious London
venue.
The translator, K.L. Seegers lives in the Eastern Cape,
South Africa, where she and her husband breed endurance horses and Nguni
cattle. She has translated several novels from Afrikaans, and has been
Deon Meyer's translator for several years.
Praise for TRACKERS:
One of The Sunday Times' Best Crime Novels of 2011
Best Crime & Thrillers 2011, The Independent
Named one of the best thrillers of 2011 by Kirkus.
'A cut way above the rest... a top-class thriller...' -- The Bookseller
'Meyer is the leading chronicler of South Africa, and his latest novel shows off his technical skill.' -- Joan Smith, The Sunday Times
'Splendid… Astutely drawn… Trackers is a sprawling, invigorating and socially committed crime novel.' -- Barry Forshaw, The Independent (UK)
'In
his seventh novel, the king of South African crime fiction outdoes
himself, packing in enough plot to power three separate novels. … Aside
from masterfully juggling intricate plot details and ripping off some
bloodcurdling action scenes, Meyer lays bare more ruthlessly than ever
before the chaos that lurks beneath South Africa's new identity as a
playground for terrorists. And he throws into the bargain a chilling
assessment of the average citizen's hopelessly myopic worldview. Meyer
has few equals when it comes to combining biting social critique and
riveting action scenes.' -- Joanne Wilkinson, Booklist (starred review)
'South
African mystery maven Meyer returns with a complex tale of intrigue and
mayhem most satisfying. …Meyer's carefully plotted narrative is
multilayered and rich in detail, and it's to his credit that he is able
to pull these separate, seemingly unrelated threads into an a-ha
conclusion. In the end, it's about smuggling, killing, and other crimes,
but also about the quotidian sins of racism, fear, aloofness,
self-interest and mistreatment of others-in short, the ordinary human
failings as well as their spectacular transgressions. A first-rate
thriller.' -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Praise for Deon Meyer:
'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
'Deon Meyer is becoming a national treasure.' -- Chris van der Merwe, Rapport
'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
