Let the Dead Lie: An Emmanuel Cooper Mystery

by Malla Nunn

Book Overview

The second in a crime series set in 1950's South Africa when apartheid laws were first introduced, Detective Emmanuel Cooper now returns to face murder, passion, and corrupt South African politics.

Emmanuel Cooper's life has an "ex" through it: ex-soldier, ex-detective sergeant, and ex-white man. He now works undercover surveillance on the seedy Durban docks to make a living, documenting police corruption for his old boss. All of that...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416586229
• ISBN13: 9781416586227
• Release Date: April 2010
• Publisher: Atria Books
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 0.78 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.5" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

4.5 Stars: 2nd book in a most promising series

Second in the Emmanuel Cooper series, LET THE DEAD LIE opens in 1953 in Durban, South Africa after a brief prologue in set in 1945 Paris which casts a framework defining Cooper's career and determined search for justice. The National Party's apartheid laws are in effect. The port town of Durban with its diverse racial groups and tribes does not easily fit into a black and white view of race. After his case in the first book, A BEAUTIFUL PLACE TO DIE, now former detective and ex-soldier Emmanuel Cooper, does surveillance work of corrupt policemen on the seedy docks of Durban, a place frequented by prostitutes, thieves and other low life activities. When Cooper discovers the dead body of a young errand boy, he cannot let the crime go. As he becomes a suspect in the crime, Cooper races against the clock to solve the murder. Several complications and interwoven connections expose several layers of corruption and danger. In LET THE DEAD LIE, Malla Nunn, Swaziland born filmmaker and author, creates a murder mystery rich in detail that takes the reader to the heart 1950s South African culture. Every gesture or word between characters carries with it the social construct of apartheid. As in her first novel, Malla Nunn instills a keen sense of place and history into the mystery. Against this rich background, LET THE DEAD LIE creates complex characters in which various types of corruption, overt and those hidden beneath surface appearances come into play. Cooper's investigation takes the reader beyond the stereotypes created by apartheid, while exposing the unintended consequences of the apartheid laws. The preparations for Queen Elizabeth's coronation in the background provide a stark contrast to life around the Durban dockyards and the other places where Cooper's investigation leads while also placing the mystery within a larger historical framework. As in the first book, Malla Nunn digs deeper behind the surface to reveal those human connections and passions that seethe below the surface of the society and the individual. Like her debut mystery, A BEAUTIFUL PLACE TO DIE, LET THE DEAD LIE is a riveting mystery where clues and carefully laid twists and turns make for a fast page turner and also a rich work of fiction to satisfy a deeper longing within the reader for depth in setting, characterization and history. The second novel can be read as a stand alone although I would encourage first time readers to read both books in order. The second novel will be all the richer in the context of the first when a reader already knows the history of many secondary characters, particularly the Scottish voice of the phantom staff sergeant that reappears from time to time, which is likely to be more confusing to first time readers. This voice, however, give insights into Cooper's past and his internal thoughts. The framing of the mystery as a deal quickens the pace and yet, somehow, feels unbelievable. Nevertheless, once one suspends belief and foll

Let the Dead Lie

Awesome read. Very engaging, unable to put down. Well wrtiiten with an immense amount of intrigue. I also read "A Beautiful Place to Die" by Nunn and would give it 5 stars. Read it first to be able to enjoy the full impact of "Let the Dead Lie"

Durban dockside detective story lets no corpse lie undiscovered

This suspenseful novel from award-winning author Malla Nunn is taut and tightly paced. Set in 1953 in South Africa, a country that surrounds Nunn's country of birth, Swaziland, the detective novel masterfully blends all elements that are required in such a text. Whether it is read as a sequel to Nunn's impressive debut novel, A Beautiful Place to Die, or by itself matters little, but that it is most definitely worth reading by anyone interested in the detective genre is a cert. The action in Let the Dead Lie centers around the deductive work of a former detective sergeant, Emmanuel Cooper. Emmanuel was earlier forced to buy his release from the police force on pain of otherwise being dishonorably discharged for an action that, under a more just system than the reigning apartheid regime, would not have been necessary. Within 48 hours, Emmanuel has to solve a crime without the backup of the resources that would have been available to him as a matter of course if he had been part of the conventional police force. Not only does Emmanuel have to cope with the thugs and criminals that formed part of the underworld of the time, but he also finds himself up against those who would, prior to his disgrace, have been his colleagues. With the threat of a jail sentence hanging over his head if he does not solve the crime, involving the murder of a young white boy, which rapidly escalates into the murder of three victims, in time, Emmanuel has no time to waste. Each page is more gripping than the first, as Emmanuel's deadline looms ever closer. In addition to those striving to outwit or outrun him, Emmanuel also has his own inner demons with which to contend. As a demobbed soldier who has survived the burned out battlefields of Western Europe, Emmanuel is constantly besieged by ever-present imaginary figures, such as a brutal and callous Scottish sergeant major, who appear to him in the form of pounding migraines, from whom he can only escape by resorting to taking whatever drugs are at hand. The description of the low-life types that frequent the Durban docklands are fascinating, as are the range of prostitutes that tread these pages. The social inequalities of the time, which were entrenched in the National Party's legislative approach to the governance of multiracial South Africa, are revealed in full. The use of such a background is an effective means of keeping alive the memory of the horrendous deeds that were perpetrated by the apartheid state. However, at no stage does Nunn dictate what the response of the reader should be to such inequity and violation of basic human rights. Her primary intent is to tell a first rate story, peopled by three dimensional, credible characters, and this she achieves to the full. Let the Dead Lie is a well rounded, believable novel that should gain a wide audience, as well as being a work in which contemporary historians and those affected by post-traumatic stress disorder should take an interest. [Reviewer for [...]]

The second Nunn novel - as good as the first

Having thoroughly enjoyed the first novel by the same author, I was looking forward to this one, and I wasn't disappointed. As a matter of fact, this one was easier to read because I had already learned so much about the race classifications for this era in South Africa from the first novel. The main character, Emmanuel, is wonderful, and such a good guy that it is easy to get caught up in the solving of the mystery. The plot takes so many twists and turns that it isn't possible to guess the outcome, even though it makes perfect sense. I love that the ending alluded to another novel to come, where we may learn more of the background on Emmanuel, who is still surrounded by much mystery himself.

Meet the next great detective novel.

By now you've probably heard of Stieg Larsson's best-selling novel, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. It's a fast-paced thriller set in Sweden, the first in a trilogy of books featuring Lisbeth Sanders, a quirky investigator/computer hacker and the "Girl" in the title. In this particular story, she teams up with Mikhail Blomkvist, a once-respected journalist who has fallen on hard times, to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a young girl forty years ago. I could hardly put it down. So I was thrilled to receive an email from my friends at Simon & Schuster recently that read, "If you love Steig Larsson's Mikael Blomkvist you will certainly fall in love with Malla Nunn's enigmatic Emmanuel Cooper." They were referring to the main character in Nunn's second novel, Let the Dead Lie, and I was sold. I requested an advance review copy and devoured it. This book is actually a sequel to Nunn's debut novel, A Beautiful Place to Die (now also on my reading list). Both stories feature Emmanuel Cooper, a former soldier and police detective sergeant who is indeed as crafty and tough as Larsson's Blomkvist. And like Blomkvist, the actions of his past haunt his present. Let the Dead Lie is set in 1950s South Africa, specifically, in the port town of Durban - a melting pot of Indians, Afrikaners, Zulus, English, Russians, Jews, and Greeks - that at this point in history is still subject to the racial separation system of apartheid. The area of focus is the Victory Shipyards, which turn into a hotbed of violence, prostitution, and thievery at night. Cooper is now working undercover on the docks of Durban Harbor to document police corruption, when he stumbles upon the slain body of an 11-year-old English slum kid that ran errands in the shipyard. Cooper, who grew up in a mixed-race family in the slums of Johannesburg, identifies with the boy. Rather than "letting the dead lie," he gets entangled in the crime scene and becomes the prime suspect in the murder, only to become a pawn in a much larger game of international intrigue. If you like detective stories, this is a must-read; it's as fast-paced and engaging (with equally colorful characters) as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but also an easier read. Also fascinating is the historic and cultural aspects of the story; Nunn was born in Swaziland, South Africa, and her parents actually grew up in Durban, but later moved the family to Australia to escape the race restrictions imposed on them in their home land. Her fiction is inspired by real people and stories from her relatives, combined with diligent research and good dose of imagination. It's a great murder mystery that will have you reading into the wee hours of the night.