Part of our African Crime Reads Series
ISBN 9781946395429 | paperback | $16.95 | publication date January 2021
Ruthless underworld criminal Rocco Robano’s group of right wing fanatics, inspired by crazed evangelist Heinz Dieter, are responsible for mayhem and murder in the city of Cape Town. As they prepare to leave for their new home, Aurora, a protected community where the White Brothers, the Core, will live out their days in solidarity, they run amok in the city already cursed by xenophobia.
Employed to find a set of missing uncut diamonds, ex-addict Rae Valentine, a feisty, sexy, intrepid, newly-minted Private Investigator, falls prey to the gang of men intent to use her and destroy her for sport. Rae can’t outrun the storm of righteous fury as the vicious gang escalate their violence. As a victim of a kidnapping, she does what she can to protect herself from these depraved and barbarous men, and to save her PI partner, Vincent Saldana, from certain death.
From Cape Town to the banks of the Orange River in Namibia, the tension rises as Rae fights for her life and discovers that the missing diamonds are linked to the illicit dealings of the brutal gang without conscience.
Reviews
“Staccato prose moves the action along at a machine-gun pace reminiscent of classic hard-boiled mysteries. Rae and the cutthroat streets of Cape Town aren’t for the faint of heart, but fans of George V. Higgins and James Ellroy are sure to have a blast.” — Publishers Weekly
“[T]he tension ratchets up with each page and the plot unspools toward its rousing, raucous and stunning conclusion!” The Mysterious Book Report
“I just couldn’t put it down.” — Debi Mack, New York Times best-selling author
“Divine Justice is a no-nonsense, walloping thriller, with an intoxicating and smart protagonist in Rae Valentine. Be sure to find a comfortable spot before opening the book because once you’re taken on the ride it is hard to get off.” ―David Swinson, author of The Second Girl and Trigger
“Divine Justice is both an intriguing mystery and a brilliant character study, presenting vivid snapshots of desperate people straddling the fault lines in contemporary South Africa. A gripping narrative that rushes to a thrilling climax.” Roger Smith, author of Mixed Blood, Nowhere, Wake Up Dead, and Dust Devil.
“With vivid imagery, punchy dialogue and black humor, Divine Justice establishes Joanne Hichens as a compelling voice in the world of crime fiction.” Jassy Mackenzie, author of Bad Seeds and Pale Horses
“[A] South African crime gem….Joanne Hichens gives us multiple viewpoints—from the sexy rookie investigator Rae Valentine to her ex-boyfriend and her unreliable partner Vince to the classic villain, who has a Freudian mother fixation, and even a collective viewpoint into the police and a thuggish right wing gang. From the harrowing opening scene atop a burning Table Mountain to the nail biting finish where Rae must fight for her life, [this book] is a gritty, fast-paced thriller that pits impossibly real characters against an outrageously over-the-top plot.” Anthony Ehlers, Citizen
“Hichen’s voice flows; the story is gritty and the characters are extreme; so much so that you may be forgiven for suspecting a little tongue-in-cheek. The next Rae Valentine adventure is under the pen and it can’t come soon enough.” Mean Streets
“Hichens is a powerful writer… While there are gruesome and horrible murders throughout, some moments, especially the dénouement, are pure black comedy. Hichens has written a cracking good crime novel set in familiar landmarks in the Cape and Namibia. An excellent book to take along on holiday. It will keep you entertained even if the sun don’t shine —Janet Van Eeden Harrison, LitNet
“Joanne Hichens’s Divine Justice is a wonderfully edgy thriller that sears a path through Cape Town’s underbelly like caustic soda. Newly minted private eye Rae Valentine — and amputee ex-junkie — has morphed into one of those fortuitous fictional creations that one can only hope to see more of in future.”—William Saunderson-Meyer, Sunday Times
“Rae Valentine is a new star in South African crime writing and so is Hichens. Divine Justice is a gripping thriller that will pull you along page by page to an explosive climax with an unpredictable and surprising twist.” —Brian Joss, Cape Community Newspapers
“I have to confess that I read Divine Justice twice it is that good.”—Kerry Hammerton, Mslexia
The Author
Joanne Hichens is an author and editor living in Cape Town. She has published several novels, including Out To Score (co-authored), Sweet Paradise, and for young adults, Stained and Riding the Wave. She had edited numerous short story collections, including Bad Company, an anthology of South African crime fiction endorsed by Lee Child. Her memoir, Death and the After Parties, was released by Karavan Press in November 2020.
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