[2013] Sacrifices

Just another killing in a country where murder is a national pastime . . .****
Wealth insulates Michael Lane and his family from South Africa's violent crime epidemic until trouble comes from within the high walls of their Cape Town mansion one night when his teenage son commits an act of unspeakable savagery. Lane, joining his wife in a desperate lie to protect their boy--a lie involving the sacrifice of an innocent--encounters no opposition from cops and courts burdened by chaos and corruption, but he sets in motion a bloody train of revenge and retribution that threatens to destroy him and everything he loves.**
Praise for Sacrifices**
"Smith is the crime genre's greatest tragedian and Sacrifices might just be his masterpiece. The downfall of these characters is especially Shakespearean." Spinetingler Magazine
"Perceptive, bloody and gut-wrenching. Another brilliantly crafted piece of noir from Smith." CrimeFictionLover.com
"Brilliant writing. A fascinating, very sophisticated and very dark story." Radio 702
"Violent and brilliant! It's Crime and Punishment in South Africa." Le Monde (France)
"A frightening thriller. Machiavellian until the very last line." Le Figaro (France)
"A whirlwind of death and vengeance." Advantages (France)
"A mercilessly moralimageof South African society. Purgatory with sea views. This thriller bites like a pitbull." Kolnische Rundschau (Germany)
"One's own sense ofinjusticeisput to the test. Smith blurs theboundaries betweengood and eviland shatters thestereotypesofrich and poor." Aachener Zeitung
(Germany)
"A thriller that is both brutal and subtle." Sonntagszeitung (Switzerland) Crime Novel of the Month
"An excellent, violent crime thriller with real depth." Der Standard
(Austria)
"Smith's a master of suspense,setting the reader on a trip so shocking that you're afraid to put the book down." Sunday Times
"Smith writes coolly and with grace about unspeakable horror." Cape Argus
"In the South Africa of today this is a shockingly credible scenario." The Citizen
"So satisfying drawn, a tragedy in which we watch,compelled, the destruction of lives that crash amidst deception and guilt." Cape Times
"Compulsive reading. Smith plots his tale with a master's hand." The Gamblers Blog
"Smith's bleakest, most twisted and very best novel yet." Dead End Follies**