The Last Hunt
Book Review
“Meyer grabs you by the throat and never let’s go.” Those are not my words, Wilbur Smith said that. From one of the best crime writers of our time, Deon Meyer’s The Last Hunt follows 2 stories, but 1. 2 different investigations but the same. Confused? Let me explain. So Johnson Johnson (yes, that’s his real name) is found dead by the railway. The police👮♂️ prove pointless, so Benny Griessel and Vaughn Cupido of the SAPS Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, aka the Hawks, have to investigate. But meanwhile, all the way in Bordeaux, Daniel Darret is sucked into his old life when an old comrade✊🏾shows up and asks him to do one last hit🔫. Everything unravels from there with complex investigations, people trying to do cover-ups, suspicious murders, and all the while Benny is battling with his own personal struggle; should he ask his girlfriend to marry him?
The characters: Benny and Cupido are, as usual, well written, individually, and as a duo, they’re just great. Daniel just wants to live his cozy, dramaless life. Cupido wants his girlfriend’s son to like him, so he really needs to prove that the Hawks are not captured and corrupt like other police organisations. Benny simply wants to marry his girlfriend, but with both of them being former alcoholics and Alexa being richer than him, he’s not sure about a lot.
The investigation🔎: the police procedures are more accurate than most crime thrillers, you’d think Meyer was a cop once upon a time (that’s something to look into🤔).
Meyer expertly sucks you into this crazy world of corruption and shady activities. All the while keeping things personal, grounded, and well-rounded.
However, the novel has two unfortunate downfalls:
- The character switching between Benny and Daniel can at times feel a bit offish, because you can have Benny in the middle of a high pressure investigation and then Daniel comes in with the slow pacing of his life.
- The ending was rushed. Ironically, not long ago, I watched a video where the author/ youtuber was explaining how many chapters are recommended for books of different lengths. The final chapter became a bit of a telling rather than showing, and that’s sad. Not only that, but it’s left me wondering why Cupido did what he did (which I can’t tell you because that would ruin the book for those who want to read it).
In conclusion: The Last Hunt offers a fascinating investigative approach to the effects of corruption and state capture in a post Struggle South Africa. Crime and thriller fans would enjoy the unique premise of the story.
★★★★☆
Thank You For Reading!!