DEVIL’S PEAK, the long-awaited screen debut for Deon Meyer’s troubled detective Benny Griessel, arrives on South African screens this weekend, with the first episode airing on Sunday, 29 October at 20:00 (SAST) on M-Net. Based on Deon Meyer’s prize-winning 2005 novel of revenge, forgiveness and suspense, the 5-part series follows Griessel as he is tasked with tracking down a vigilante killer whose crimes are causing a stir in Cape Town. Meyer’s latest novel LEO, starring Benny Griessel and his detective comrade Vaughn Cupido, is also just out in Afrikaans from Human & Rousseau in South Africa — a double treat for fans!
‘I’m absolutely delighted and so very proud to finally see Benny Griessel and his world come alive on screen, thanks to a brilliant team of local and international talent,’ says Meyer. ‘DEVIL’S PEAK was the first novel in which Benny became a protagonist, and now, it’s his debut on the box. Exciting stuff!’
Produced by Lookout Point and Expanded Media Productions, with backing by BBC Studios and Multichoice Studios, the series stars Hilton Pelser (THE KISSING BOOTH, MOFFIE) as Benny, with Sisanda Henna (who starred in previous Deon Meyer adaptation TRACKERS), Tarryn Wyngaard, Shamilla Miller, and Masasa Mbangeni. The 5 x 1-hour series is directed by Jozua Malherbe (JUSTICE SERVED, GRIEKWASTAD) and written by Matthew Orton (MOON KNIGHT, OPERATION FINALE). International distribution for the show is being handled by BBC Studios.
On behalf of M-Net, Director for Premium Channels Waldimar Pelser said ‘M-Net is proud to bring our viewers a first-class global production with deep local roots. This is a story that could only have played out in South Africa, where the dark underworld of crime pierces – on an almost daily basis – the bubble in which those who can, seek security and comfort. DEVIL’S PEAK shows the extraordinarily beautiful city of Cape Town with and without its mask. It’s the tale of iconic detective Griessel’s struggle against external and internal demons to find justice for others and redemption for himself. It’s also the story of a father willing to do anything to avenge the death of his young son. Not all deaths, the story suggests, are mourned equally. We hope DEVIL’S PEAK will be a story from which it is impossible to look away.’
DEVIL’S PEAK, the first of six novels featuring the detective as central character, sees the talented but broken Benny Griessel tracking down a righteous vigilante killer whose crimes are capturing the imagination of the city. Meanwhile, grieving father Thobela Mpayipheli seeks justice after the untimely murder of his son. Benny and Thobela are brought into the orbit of a trapped mother, Christine, who is willing to do anything to achieve a better life for herself and her daughter, and the fates of these three characters become inextricably linked. Combining gripping tension with uncompromising authenticity, DEVIL’S PEAK offers an original South African take on the investigative thriller for today.
Originally published in Afrikaans as INFANTA in 2005, DEVIL’S PEAK was awarded the ATKV Prize in South Africa and won the Svenska Oversatta Kriminalroman (Martin Beck) Award and the Readers’ Award from CritiquesLibres.com in October 2010.
The latest Benny Griessel thriller, LEO, is published in Afrikaans by Human & Rousseau in South Africa and already storming the charts. Rights are sold to Hodder in the UK and Commonwealth (with Jonathan Ball to publish in South Africa), Bruna in Holland, Aufbau in Germany and Gallimard in France, with more deals pending.
About Deon Meyer
Deon Meyer lives in Cape Town. His books are sold in 23 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. Several of his books have been filmed, broadcast and streamed and others are in development for film and television now. His latest novel is LEO (Human & Rousseau, 2023).
Praise for the novel DEVIL’S PEAK
‘It isn’t just about the action. A far, far cry from your basic ‘cops and robbers’ or blow-by-blow ‘good guys vs bad guys’, DEVIL’S PEAK is a grown-up and multi-faceted tale, tough and visceral in tone, but also rich in flawed characters and deeply redolent of both urban and rural South Africa; not just the geographic landscape, but the political and social scene as well.’ – Paul Finch
‘This is one of those entertainment fictions that teaches one more than any textbook or documentary. This thriller is a fascinating portrayal of one aspect of life in post-apartheid South Africa…winding up the tension to a gripping, shocking climax. Highly recommended.’ – Literary Review
‘Deon Meyer is…one of the sharpest and most perceptive thriller writers around…Meyer paints a wonderful picture of the dark side of the rainbow nation… Against the odds Meyer leaves us with a resolution that is both poignant and supremely satisfying. In no way is this a negative book about the new South Africa. It makes the place come alive with a breathless urgency that recalls the 1940s Los Angeles of Dashiel Hammet or Raymond Chandler: a bit mad, a bit bad, a bit dangerous, but exotically vibrant, a society in adolescence. Think of Meyer in the way that you might have regarded a bottle of Cape red a dozen years ago – dark, strong with an unusual but beguilingly moreish taste. If it can produce popular literature as good as this, the new South Africa has a lot going for it.’ – Peter Millar, The Times
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