I'd previously read The First Rule Of Survival, a strong police story set in modern South Africa. Now author Paul Mendelson looks back in the life of his main character Vaughn deVries in THE SERPENTINE ROAD. The story is told in present tense, but it's so well written that we barely notice.

In January 1994, terrorist atrocities kill people of all colours in Cape Town. The end of minority rule has been approaching for three years, especially since the release of political prisoner Nelson Mandela. But for some, the process is not moving fast enough, and they have turned to violence. DeVries is a Captain in the police, and it's his job to help hunt down the terrorists. The country has been suffering from outside sanctions which are now being lifted; the police use outdated, worn-down equipment. Men are angry and resentful among the police too; they fear change, and want to defend their families from a new and perhaps unfriendly regime. Scared men make mistakes.

In April 2015, deVries is now Colonel in the Special Crimes Unit. Veldt fires are frequent during summer and many police officers are black. But some things don't change; a murder has occurred on Serpentine Road below Table Mountain. DeVries and his constable Don February examine the scene where a wealthy woman has been shot in her home. Taryn Holt owned an art gallery, which currently hosts a controversial display by a woman artist who depicts exploited women in Africa. Does this supply a motive for the planned murder, or is wealth at the bottom of the matter? And separately, do the roots of the deaths of former police officers lie further back in time, in 1994?

While murder is never pleasant, deVries currently has nothing else in his life. This is no doubt an accurate portrayal of men who keep going because of their job, and have no family life. However it saves the author from having to portray a more rounded character with personal relationships. DeVries has come far enough since his divorce that he's now getting to know women again, but with today's morality, they don't seem to want much from him.

While the first book was all about men, this complex crime story is initially about women, though the police are all male apart from one pathologist and a new constable. The atmosphere is again richly drawn; smoked warthog ribs are on the menu and rich smells from communal barbecues or braies fills the hot, dusty evening air. In South Africa, now as in the past, politics are never far from everyday life, and Paul Mendelson vividly recreates the many tensions and characters for his eager readers. THE SERPENTINE ROAD is a gritty thriller and procedural in one, well worth reading and a fine second instalment in this series.