Germany’s “Time” Magazine Puts Mike Nicol, Helon Habila on its Top Ten Krimis of 2012 List
Alert! Germany’s Die Zeit Magazine – which, in that land, is similar to Time, whose name translates back to “Zeit”, as in Zeitgeist, as in the “defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history as shown by the ideas and beliefs of the time” (cf Google), as, in turn, in Zeitgeist Coffee, which is a place that Your Correspondent aspires to sip a cuppa in some day, because, in addition to serving a fab decaf latte (I need to drink more decaf), it also continues “to push the envelope of what people consider ‘art’“, just as crime novelists in South Africa continue to push the envelope of what people consider literature, and doesn’t that make for a neat segue back to my original point – has named krimis by Mike Nicol and Helon Habila in its round up of the top ten thrillers of 2012.
Nicol’s Payback – the first book in his Revenge Trilogy – hit number eight on the list, while Habila’s Oil on Water made it all the way up to number two, pipped to the first spot only by Fred Vargas’ The Night of Rage. (The Night of Rage… really?).
Congratulations to both! Now, amuse yourselves with the Google translations of the blurbs of their books:
2 Helon Habila: Oil on Water
From the English by Thomas Brückner, The Wunderhorn, 240 pp., € 24.80 Port Harcourt / Niger Delta. Everyday life in the Delta: Engineer woman kidnapped, ransom paid, “insurgents” killed, oil continues to flow. Helplessly journalists Rufus and Zaq, unaware dying participating observer. Travel – not the heart of darkness, sources of profit for the shell. Powerlessness, anger. Relentlessly sad.8 Mike Nicol: Payback
From English by Mechthild Barth, btb, 574 pp., € 9.99 Cape Town / Luanda. The liberation struggle were Mace and Pylon arms dealer, now, in a democracy, they earn money peaceful. Old debts to them will be presented. The kidnapping of Mace’s daughter is just the beginning. First volume of “revenge trilogy”. Relentlessly harsh wind from South Africa. Mercilessly well.
Book details
- Payback by Mike Nicol
Book homepage
EAN: 9781415200469
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- Oil on Water by Helon Habila
EAN: 9780393339642
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