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.

I absolutely love Deon Meyer's books, and once again this one didn't disappoint. The way he describes crimes, and the solving of them is done so well, you tend to think he was involved in one himself! The detectives are always depicted as human beings, with human problems, and that makes them more relatable. The book was very well written, and I can't wait for more by this very very talented author. Highly recommended.

Ex-cop Johnson Johnson’s body is found in the wilderness, beside a railway line days after he disappears from the world’s most luxurious train. Captains Benny Griessel and Vaughn Cupido, stars of South African police’s elite Hawks unit are assigned what is essentially a cold case. Their investigation leads them to two old men, men who – according to the records – do not exist. As they dig, they rattle cages better left undisturbed, and are ultimately told to bury the case: write it off as a suicide and walk away. Johnson Johnson has crossed the wrong people, people with the power to direct the investigations of the South African police. Griessel and Cupido can smell the corruption, but there’s little they can do about it. And so they move onto the next case: an old man who looks to have shot himself while sitting at his kitchen table. But there’s something not quite right about this case either.

I’m a late comer to the phenomenon that is Deon Meyer. I discovered him when I read his post-apocalyptic novel, Fever, a kind of South African The Stand that is an excellent addition to the genre. But, with the exception of 2018’s novella, The Woman in the Blue Dress, I had yet to become acquainted with Meyer’s series character, Captain Benny Griessel, or his partner, the irrepressible Vaughn Cupido. Somewhat daunted by the missed history, I took a chance on Meyer’s latest, The Last Hunt, the sixth full-length adventure featuring the Hawks captains, and immediately fell in love; with the characters, the settings, and with the sheer joy of Meyer’s approach to storytelling.

The Last Hunt opens on two very distinct strands which, at first, seem completely unrelated: first, the investigation into the death of Johnson Johnson, an ex-policeman travelling on the world’s most luxurious train, Rovos Rail running between Cape Town and Pretoria, and providing bodyguard services for an elderly Dutchwoman on holiday. The second strand introduces us to Daniel Darret, a man living in Bordeaux and obviously hiding from a colourful and storied past.

As the two strands progress, it becomes clear that they’re very closely related, and tied to corruption at the highest levels of South Africa’s post-apartheid government. Daniel is an assassin, a man who hails from South Africa, and who finds himself drawn in to one final mission when an old friend suddenly appears in Bordeaux. Griessel and Cupido, meanwhile, find themselves stymied at every turn, their investigations blocked by someone much higher up the chain of command, the cases they have been assigned obviously much more dangerous than anyone could possibly imagine.

Meyer presents a clear-eyed examination of some of the issues facing modern day South Africa, yet does so with a light touch that draws the reader in through the friendship that has obviously developed over the course of the series between the two central detectives. These are serious and often heavy themes, yet Meyer avoids the traditional noirish or hardboiled detectives and introduces us to two characters not through their ability to solve crimes – which is almost incidental – but through their very human traits. Griessel, an alcoholic, spends much of the book worrying about how he is going to propose to his long-time girlfriend and about how she might react, while Cupido – something of a ladies’ man – finds himself trying to impress the son of his latest girlfriend, while playing cheerleader to his partner and – it would seem – best friend. It’s a light-hearted approach that jars considerably with the crimes that the two men find themselves investigating, and with the wider themes that the book explores, serving to remind us of the very human cost of these events.

The Last Hunt is an engaging and entertaining read that is like no other crime novel you’ve ever encountered. There’s a warm heart at the centre of the book that, no doubt, runs throughout the series, and characters with whom the reader will immediately bond, regardless of how much of their history we have encountered. It’s a cleverly plotted series of interlinked stories that gradually moves toward a satisfying an thought-provoking solution, a solution that the reader reaches in step with the starring detectives. And all the while, we find ourselves cheering on these broken men who are doing their best for their country, and for the people around them.

Deon Meyer is a master of his craft, and The Last Hunt is the perfect read for anyone looking for smart, thought-provoking and – probably most important – upbeat crime fiction. It’s not a bad jumping on spot, a book that requires very little knowledge of what has come before. For me, it’s the nudge I needed to go back to the start of Meyer’s back catalogue and work my way forward. Whether a long-time fan or a new reader, The Last Hunt is one of the best crime novels you’ll read this year.

I was drawn right in to the thriller.This is number six in the series ,first for me I had no trouble catching up, Excited to of discovered new author whose books I will be grabbing.#netgalley#hodderstoughton

The Last Hunt is the first novel by Deon Meyer that I have read and I found it was a good solid crime novel.

It is the sixth book in a series but I had no issues with reading it as a stand-alone as there is sufficient backstory for a new reader to fully follow.

Overall a good read

A new Deon Meyer book = celebration time in my house. I think Meyer is criminally underread outside his native South Africa (although on a recent visit to friends in the Netherlands, I discovered he's popular translated into Dutch) and have been known to physically force copies of his books onto readers of my acquaintance. So hopes were high for The Last Hunt, and it did not disappoint. As in the recent Benny Griessel novella, The Woman In Blue, the action here is spread across continents, and international conspiracy plays a central role. Meyer's trademark dry wit, high stakes tension, and incisive commentary on contemporary Cape Town life are all present and correct, too. A superb thriller, very highly recommended.

Stonking book!

I've followed Deon Meyer since I read Cobra, some years ago, regulalrly checking for his latest novel. I was genuinely delighted with this one, which has been worth waiting for

The plotting is excellent and I just love the way this book starts slow and then moves up the gears to tense and explosive finale. He pulls no punches about institutional corrruption in South Africa and the way that the Police service has become degraded and ineffective as a civic body.

There's also the personal angle - will Alexa agree to marry Benny? How will Cupido cope with Desiree's obnoxious son? Will Cupido be inspired by Colonel Kaleni's weight loss regime to get his own waistline under control? Yes, the characters are so real!

The only disappointment now is the wait for Meyer's next Benny Griessel novel - or perhaps I'll check out a couple of early Meyer novels that I've not read yet...?

I thought The Last Hunt was excellent. I have enjoyed Deon Meyer’s books in the past and I think think is one of his best.

Benny Griessel (now sober and living with Alexa) and Vaughn Cupido are sent to investigate a dodgy death on a luxury train and immediately come up against secretive obstruction from other agencies. Meanwhile we also get a seemingly unrelated narrative of Daniel Darret in Bordeaux who turns out to be an ex-fighter for The Struggle, trying to make a new, peaceful life for himself. What follows is a beautifully paced and completely gripping mix of excellent police procedural and a sort of Day Of The Jackal story, all of which I found believable and involving.

The great strength of the book is its characters in Daniel and, of course, in Vaughn and especially Benny, who is at his most human as he tries to raise the courage to ask Alexa to marry him. The other fine aspect is the picture of South Africa under Jacob Zuma and the frightful extent of corruption and “state capture” by Zuma and the Gupta family who are never named but often referred to. The writing and translation (by K.L. Seegers) are excellent and I was wholly absorbed from start to finish.

Even if you haven’t read any of the previous books in this series, this is a very fine novel and a great read. Very warmly recommended.

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

Deon Mayer returns us to drought ridden Cape Town in South Africa with his brilliant series featuring traumatised and recovering alcoholic Captain Benny Griessel and his partner, Vaughn Cupido of the elite Serious and Violent Crimes Unit, its members known as the Hawks. This is a thrilling and complex addition from Meyer, reflecting the dire political state of South Africa, the corruption, kleptocracy, betrayal, treachery, and greed infecting every institution, with the rot emanating right from the top with the President, one of the many old ANC warriors who have shifted to the dark side, selling out the country and its people. Unsurprisingly, this scenario has been viewed with horror, particularly by those who fought in the struggle with their vision of a fairer, more equitable and diverse democracy and now seeing that dream disintegrate. Those with integrity, honest and are incorruptible, dissidents who challenge and question this state of affairs face smear campaigns, death threats, trumped up charges, fake news articles, isolation, exclusion, loss of employment, labelled traitors and much worse.

It is amidst this troubling background that Benny and Vaughn are handed the investigation of the death of an ex-cop turned bodyguard, Johnson Johnson, thrown out of a luxury train. The trail has grown cold, with the case docket they receive sparse in details and no leads whatsoever. It is clear the local police made mistakes and the crime scene was contaminated. As it becomes clear that the victim was not a suicide but a murder, the police face political interference and cover up. The head of the Hawks, Lieutenant Colonel Kaleni, normally a woman who does everything by the book, is unprepared to let this go with the damage it does to their reputation, so authorises a below the radar investigation. After a life of fighting for the struggle and personal tragedy, Daniel Durret has settled for the quiet life in Bordeaux, France, finally finding a precious measure of peace. However, the past and old comrades refuse to let him rest and Daniel finds himself unable to let go of old loyalties.

The two storylines remain separate for most of the book and it is only late on that the connection of Benny and Vaughn's case in Cape Town with that of Daniel in France becomes clear. Meyer writes a gripping and riveting novel, intricately plotted, with his terrific central protagonist in Benny, here worried about how he should propose to fellow recovering alcoholi, Alexa Bernard, a dilemma that often occupies his mind during the case, terrified that she will turn him down. This is a superb series with its pulse on the complicated and turbulent state of South Africa, providing insights and information for the reader, all of which is integral to the smart crime fiction that Meyer gives us. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Hodder and Stoughton for an ARC.

The Last Hunt is the sixth novel featuring Cape Town Captain Benny Griessel, but it’s my first book in this series and by this author. I had no problem following the story as it can easily be read as a stand-alone and, if you’ll enjoy it as much as I did, you’ll soon be reading even the previous five novels. The protagonist of the series, Captain Benny Griessel, is part of the Hawks, an elite unit of the police of Cape Town and, together with his partner Vaughan Cupido, he is called to investigate the murder of an ex bodyguard, Johnson Johnson, who disappeared during a job and whose body was found a few days later. The case is weeks old, assigned to the Hawks unit when it is clear that the local police isn’t able to solve the murder. Their job is not made easy by some powerful forces who want to stop them from finding out the truth…

In the meantime, in Bordeaux, France, Daniel Darret is leading a quiet life after leaving behind his life as a professional hit-man. However, someone from his past has found him and they need his help to save his country. From Europe to South Africa, the author takes us in a world of political corruption, blackmail, and murder that kept me completely captivated.

The Last Hunt is quite a rollercoaster of a read. With a fast-paced and gripping storyline, it is a bit spy-story a bit thriller and I loved how the detectives’ personal lives mixed with the story. Will Benny find the courage to propose to his girlfriend? Will Daniel have the quiet life he dreams of? With the tension high from the first to the last page and fantastic and engaging characters, The Last Hunt is a thriller not to miss!!!

I have a little (well okay a massive) confession to make. Yes yet another one. Although I have several of Deon's books on my every increasing 'to be read' pile, I haven't actually read one...………...until now that is. I was invited to take part in the blog tour for 'The Last Hunt' and I thought that it would be an ideal opportunity to acquaint myself with Deon's work. Now I am rather annoyed at myself that I left it this long to discover how brilliant an author Deon is. I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'The Last Hunt' but more about that in a bit.
It took me a little while to get into 'The Last Hunt' but that has more to do with the fact that I was getting used to a whole new set of characters and to a different sort of writing style and shouldn't be taken as a criticism of the book or the storylines. Once I got into the story then that was it, I couldn't get enough of the story. Every opportunity I got to read the book, I took. I would pick the book up only intending to read a couple of chapters and read for half an hour but that intention soon flew out of the window because I was enjoying the book so much that I just couldn't bear to stop reading. I managed to binge read the book over the course of a couple of days, which is pretty good going for me at the moment. I seemed to race through the latter half of the book as my desperation to find out how the story concluded steadily grew and grew. I didn't really want to get to the end of the book because it meant that I would be saying goodbye to the character of Benny Griessel but I soon cheered up because I then realised that I had another 5 books in the series to catch up with.
'The Last Hunt' is brilliantly written. The author grabs your attention from the start and he keeps that attention for the duration of the book by keeping the characters interesting, the story intriguing and by keeping you guessing. That's how I felt at any rate. The author uses such powerful and vivid descriptions that I really did feel as though I was part of the story myself. The story takes place in two continents and whilst I was reading the book, if I closed my eyes I could easily imagine that I was in the country that I was reading about at that particular moment in time. I found 'The Last Hunt' to be gripping stuff, which kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat throughout.
When I agreed to take part in the blog tour for 'The Last Hunt' I didn't realise that it was actually the sixth book in the series featuring Benny Griessel. This book works perfectly well as a standalone but as I am a bit OCD with book series', I will definitely be reading the Griessel series in order and from the beginning to get the full lowdown on the legend that is Benny Griessel.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'The Last Hunt' and I would definitely recommend it to other readers. I will be reading more of Deon's work in the future and I fully intend to catch up on the rest of the Benny Griessel series just as soon as I can. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.