Bad Seeds

January 9, 2017
Jade de Jong has squeaked through some scary situations, but her luck just might have run out in the explosive fifth outing for Mackenzie’s steely Johannesburg PI (after 2013’s Pale Horses). Within days of being hired by Inkomfe nuclear-plant security director Ryan Gillespie to tail AWOL consultant Carlos Botha, who Gillespie suspects is involved in a recent sabotage attempt at the plant, Jade discovers two murder victims and narrowly escapes what look to be professional hit men. She soon finds herself fleeing for her life—with Botha. Though Jade by no means trusts the mysterious Botha, she starts to suspect that Gillespie hasn’t been completely candid. And, truth be told, she isn’t totally immune to the buff Botha’s animal magnetism, especially in the wake of breaking up with her married sometime-colleague, Supt. David Patel. While this installment lacks the haunted poetry of Pale Horses, it is still a propulsive page-turner featuring distinctly South African characters and concerns. Agent: Stephany Evans, FinePrint Literary Management.