Malla Nunn – författare

South Africa, 1953. The National Party’s rigid race laws have split the nation and a gruelling poverty grips many on the edges of its society.When former Detective Sergeant Emmanuel Cooper stumbles across the body of a child, Jolly Marks, at the Durban docks, he can little imagine what the discovery will lead him to.Soon Cooper finds himself under suspicion for not only Jolly’s murder, but others as well. The only way he can clear his name is to find out who the real killer was – and he’s got 48 hours in which to do it. His investigations will lead him into Durban’s murky underworld of pimps, prostitutes, strange and sinister preachers, and those on the wrong side of the race laws. For there is more to Jolly’s barbaric murder than Cooper could ever have realized . . .'One reads this superior sequel to an outstanding debut feeling moral outrage and genuine excitement, which makes it an unusually intense experience’ Daily Telegraph

When an Afrikaans police captain is murdered in a small South African country town, Detective Emmanuel Cooper must navigate his way through the labyrinthine racial and social divisions that split the community. And as the National Party introduces the laws to support the system of apartheid, Emmanuel struggles – much like Martin Cruz Smith’s Arkady Renko – to remain a good man in the face of astonishing power.In a considered but very commercial novel, Malla Nunn combines a compelling plot with a thoughtful and complex portrayal of a fascinating period of history, illustrating the human desires that drive us all, regardless of race, colour or creed.A Beautiful Place To Die is the first of a planned series of novels featuring Detective Emmanuel Cooper.‘A terrific page-turning debut. Clever and multi-layered in its portrayal of the people and landscape of apartheid South Africa. I loved it’ Minette Walters‘Remarkable’ Literary Review'A first crime novel of considerable power ' Sydney Morning Herald