deonmeyer.

Where there's smoke ...

A day after they get reinstated as captains, Benny Griessel gets the Idas Valley case. A private eye, crushed under a BMW in his garage. Looks a lot like suicide. Vaughn Cupido knew the deceased. He's saying, it's murder, and he want in on the investigation.

Benny would love to have his help, because the case is going nowhere. But Vaughn is stuck with minor arson - a shepherd's hut burnt down high in the Bottelary Hills. Surely, it's a frustrating waste of his considerable talents?

Until a caravan explodes on a nearby farm. And the identity of the body drives the media into a feeding frenzy of majestic proportions. Just a week before the statesmen of the BRICS alliance comes to town.

That's when the flames in both cases start burning like crazy.

And it might just consume more than their careers.

Bottelary Hills: This is the view Vaughn Cupido would have had at the first arson scene..

Devon Valley: Scene of the second big arson case, Devon Valley's history is centered around its role as a viticultural area with 18th-century roots in winemaking, and the development of the Devon Valley Hotel. The original hotel building, constructed from Canadian cedarwood, was built in 1947 and became a landmark after its renaming in the early 1960s. Today, the valley continues its agricultural tradition with established vineyards and a focus on producing premium red wines.

Bull Pen: The HQ of the SAPS detectives in Stellenbosch, where Benny and Vaughn have an office.

Idas Valley: The Stellenbosch suburb when Brandon 'Skinny Maarman lived an died.

Boom: The real farm in Devon Valley that inspired the wine estate in the book where the caravan exploded.

Consulting Engineer: The Stellenbosch University building of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. It forms part of the Faculty of Engineering. Doctor Khalil Cassiem's office is on the second floor to the left.

Russian enclave:The real country estate near Franschhoek that inspired Viktor Sokolov's lair in the book.