Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

A well written, engaging and entertaining book.
I loved the plot, the fleshed out cast of characters and the unusual setting.
The mystery was ok and it kept me guessing till the end.
It was the first book I read by this author and it won't be the last.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book, all opinions are mine.

From Good Reads:
People should read more Deon Meyer - they really should - always well plotted, fast paced with characters to appreciate.
This didn't disappoint.
A novella which made it perfect for a wet afternoon, a pot of tea and a (few) biscuit.
A well thought out plot that fits perfectly with the novella length, Benny doesn't disappoint as the main detective and the quest for an engagement ring a welcome sideshow.
Lovely

A new Deon Meyer book is always reason to celebrate, and although the fact this is a novella rather than a full length novel gave me a moment's pause, I needn't have worried. The Woman In The Blue Cloak is as expertly woven a thriller as the rest of the Benny Griesel series and the plot doesn't lack for anything in a novella format. I've long been a loud and tireless advocate of Meyer, feeling that he is criminally under-appreciated outside of his native South Africa, and if you're looking for an introduction to his work then you won't go far wrong with this book, which contains all his trademark dry wit, wry insights into South African life, and well-plotted mystery.

I enjoyed The Woman In The Blue Cloak. It’s a well done police procedural with an excellent backdrop of modern-day South Africa.

This novella is the latest in a series featuring Captain Benny Greisel. I hadn’t read the previous ones, but it works very well as a stand-alone book. It’s a good mystery beginning with the discovery of a body covered in bleach by the side of a country road and leads to a story of Old Masters and greed. I liked the quiet tone of the prose, which gives the book a sense of reality, as does the excellent picture of South Africa today as a very convincing but never intrusive backdrop. Meyer’s characters are well painted and the story, while perhaps not entirely plausible in the end, held me and kept me reading.

This is a brief book, and all the better for it, I think. It’s an enjoyable read and I’m encouraged to look out previous Benny Griesel novels. Recommended.

(My thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for an ARC via NetGalley.)

I am fond of whodunnits like this one, a story that is about the detectives involved in the investigation, about the murder victim: who she was and what she did on the day she died.
As opposed to those over the top crime novels with multiple serial killers, fat too complicated details when it comes to forensics, et cetera.

I enjoyed reading The Woman in the Blue Cloak: a well balanced story with interesting characters. And being an art historian from the Netherlands, I appreciated the plot involving Rembrandt's pupil Fabritius.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.

Wonderful introduction to what seems to be a book series; set in south Africa, the pair of top detectives work on a case just as their love lives are getting serious. Talk of a missing painting, and a dead woman's body start to link up... the team are smart and witty interrogators. Excellent local color to. Terrific fun .. hard to put down. I will now look for others in the series!

A painting; a dead American and an engagement ring. These are the main features of the novella The Woman in the Blue Cloak by Deon Meyer which is a nice enjoyable easy read

This is a short novella by Deon Meyer in his marvellous Captain Benny Griessel series set in Cape Town, South Africa. Benny is a Hawk, a detective working in the Directorate of Priority Crimes Investigations under Mbali Kaleni, the head of his unit. His personal life is currently in a good place, his relationship with Alexa, the well known singer, makes him happy, and he wants to marry her. Both have been through challenging times, they are both ex-alcoholics and Benny has been married before. He is looking to buy an engagement ring, much to the disgust of his long term police partner, the commitment phobic Vaughn Cupido, who feels Benny's marriage plans put pressure on his relationship. The ring is going to be expensive, Benny wants Alexa to have a ring she can proudly show in public so he heads for a pawnshop run by long term reputable friend of his. However, despite being a long term and reliable customer of his bank, they are reluctant to advance him the loan he needs for the engagement ring.

Griessel and Cupido find themselves involved in a mystery that goes back in time to the 17th century to an explosion in Delft, a town in the Netherlands and the possession of a piece of art in a South African family that goes back centuries to Gysbert van Reenen. In the present day, a woman's naked body is found prominently displayed as if it was a work of art. The police are left bewildered as to her identity and there is little scope to gather evidence as the body has been bleached. When her identity is finally revealed, she turns out to have been an American residing in Britain who had retired from her work as an Art Recoveries expert. This is not a death that can be ignored with its international repercussions. Benny's investigations lead to encounters with a retired professor, a corrupt ex-cop turned private investigator, and a farming family residing in Villiersdorp. I really enjoyed reading this and my only complaint is that I would loved it to have been longer. This novella is a great addition to the series, it gives a picture of modern day South Africa with a wonderful protagonist in Benny Griessel, with both his police career and his personal life. Many thanks to Hodder and Stoughton for an ARC.