Devil's Peak is a

detective novel Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around the same time as specu ...

by South African novelist

Deon Meyer Deon Godfrey Meyer is a South African thriller novelist, writing primarily in Afrikaans. His works have been translated into 28 languages. He has also written numerous scripts for television and film. Early life and education Deon Meyer was ...

, first published in Afrikaans under the title ''Infanta'' in 2004. The English translation by K. L. Seeger was published under the title ''Devil's Peak'' in 2007, and it has since been translated into a number of other languages. This novel begins a series of seven detective novels featuring Inspector Benny Griessel.

Plot summary

Thobela Mpayipheli is a former

Umkhonto we Sizwe uMkhonto weSizwe (; abbreviated MK; ) was the paramilitary wing of the African National Congress (ANC), founded by Nelson Mandela in the wake of the Sharpeville massacre. Its mission was to fight against the South African government to brin ...

soldier and KGB assassin, who hangs up his boots to take care of his adopted son Pakamile. When Pakamile is killed in a random shooting by armed robbers, Thobela has only one thing on his mind: to do justice and hunt down child abusers across the country. He becomes a vigilante. Inspector Griessel, an alcoholic, takes charge of the investigation but he must also deal with his family problems. Intertwined with this is the story of Christine, a prostitute who becomes involved with a Colombian drug dealer and fears for her child.

Adaptations

'' Devil's Peak'' was adapted as a five-episode TV series for

M-Net M-Net (an abbreviation of Electronic Media Network) is a South African pay television channel established by Naspers in 1986. The channel broadcasts both local and international programming, including general entertainment, children's series, ...

, with

Hilton Pelser Hilton Pelser is a South African actor. He is known for his roles in the Starz series '' Dangerous Liaisons'' (2022) and the ''Kissing Booth'' trilogy, as well as the films '' Moffie'' (2019) and '' Glasshouse'' (2021). Early life and educati ...

starring as Benny Griessel. Written by Matthew Orton in consultation with Meyer, the series was directed by Jozua Malherbe and filmed in Cape Town. It also stars Shamilla Miller, Sisanda Henna, Gérard Rudolf, Masasa Mbangeni, and others. The series aired on M-Net from 29 October 2023, with

BBC Studios BBC Studios Limited is a British content company. It is a commercial subsidiary of the BBC that was formed in April 2018 through the merger of the BBC's commercial production arm and the BBC's commercial international distribution arm, BBC Wor ...

handling international distribution rights.

References

Novels by Deon Meyer South African crime novels 2007 novels Novels adapted into television shows Novels set in Cape Town {{SouthAfrica-novel-stub