BOOK BITES | Gareth Crocker, Zukiswa Wanner, Michael Robotham

Now You Suffer ★★★★
Gareth Crocker
Penguin

Detective Ruben Ellis has just one thing on his mind, to avenge the kidnapping and murder of his seven-year-old daughter. He wants to die, but the former special forces tough guy will not rest until he kills the man who abducted Kayla and set fire to a building with her inside.  Driven by manic energy, Ruben and his partner Zander, are working on cases of other children abducted in Joburg, whose ransom was paid but they wound up dead anyway. Zander realises Ruben is on the brink, possibly with suicide on his mind, and encourages him to attend therapy sponsored by the police force. Begrudgingly he meets Melissa, an unconventional therapist who quickly sums up his anger and profound sense of loss and wants to help him, despite his resistance. A case comes up of a girl who was taken three years before by the mother's new boyfriend, a conspiracy theorist who moved into their house but had no name, no ID, no bank account, no history and who had burnt off his fingerprints. He has just one clue: the man has a pacemaker with a specific number. What drives men to commit such unspeakable acts on innocent girls? Crocker's writing is brilliant, fast-paced, action-packed and utterly absorbing. This is a must-read. — Gabriella Bekes

Love Marry Kill ★★★★
Zukiswa Wanner
Kwela

Owami marries the first and only guy she’s ever been with. Three children later she finds out that her husband has rekindled a relationship with an ex-girlfriend. She goes to stay with her parents, but intervention from her in-laws and her mother leads her to return to her marital home. Things aren’t the same though; she doesn’t trust nor love him. Akani falls in love with an exotic dancer who breaks his heart; he spends a long time trying to find someone who can fill that void, until he meets Tumelo. They fall in love and get married, start a family. But when he quits his job to start a company and his wife becomes the main breadwinner, he notices that he has become a junior partner in what used to be a relationship of equals. Unable to deal with this state of affairs, he leaves home. On a rainy day in Johannesburg, Owami meets Akani in a parking lot, they have a steamy affair and fall in love, but their spouses find out. Their spouses hire a hit man to kill them. This is a story of love, heartbreak, healing, losing yet finding oneself in love. — Busisiwe Ntsamba

Storm Child ★★★★
Michael Robotham
Sphere

Oh happy day — that unusual pair of forensic psychiatrist Cyrus Haven and the mercurial, mysterious, self-destructive human lie detector Evie Cormac are back! The two, still living in the rambling old house Cyrus inherited from his grandfather, make their return in book four of the Cyrus Haven series. And this one does not disappoint. This time round, in their continued efforts to uncover Evie's deeply buried memories about her traumatic past, the two become involved in the investigation of illegal boat trafficking of refugees and the gangs led by a mythical bogeyman called the Ferryman. As Evie recovers from a massive trauma followed by the complicated medical diagnosis it uncovered, Cyrus remains adamant about destroying the barriers in Evie's mind that are blocking her memories and preventing her from healing. As they embark on a road trip to find the dark connections of Evie's past, the two encounter politically powerful and connected individuals linked to a people smuggling empire. Four years of this unfolding saga and I cannot get enough of this series. I can't wait for the fifth instalment that promises to further explore the strange and special bond between two very broken souls holding each other together as they heal. — Gill Gifford