Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Hard Rain by Irma Venter (Translator Elsa Silke)

Irma Venter is a journalist and crime fiction writer from South Africa. Only two of her thrillers have been translated into English. Hard Rain was originally published as Skoenlapper in Afrikaans in 2012. The English version was translated by Elsa Silke, another South Africa native, and published by Amazon Crossing in 2020.

Alex Derksen is on a new assignment in Tanzania, where his stories quickly make the front pages of international newspapers. He meets Ranna Abramson, a strikingly beautiful and talented photographer, and he is instantly smitten. The two meet constantly at press conferences and similar newsworthy events. He notices every man in her orbit is fascinated with her. Eventually a relationship begins. Ranna insists on keeping it private to Alex’s frustration.

Not long after Alex arrives, torrential rains begin, much worse than the usual rainy season, causing catastrophic damage. Villages are swept away by the flooding and even the buildings in Dar es Salaam are beginning to falter. Global aid pours in and Alex and Ranna document its arrival and distribution, as well as the accompanying press conferences and news releases.

They also find a body as they are walking on the beach one day. It turns out to be Janna’s former lover. The police question Janna about more than just the discovery of the victim. Alex begins to hear about the deaths of other men with whom Janna has been involved and confronts her. Acting on Janna’s story, the two stage an elaborate plan to capture a murderer.

The first item of note about this book is the excellence of the translation. I would never have suspected that it was translated by a non-native English speaker. Dialog especially is hard to move from one language to another, but it is seamless here. Second most important impression is how slowly the story unfolded. The murder and victim appeared only about a quarter of the way into the book, quite late by U.S. standards. Once the action started, though, I found it absorbing.

Vivid setting in modern Dar es Salaam. The juxtaposition of the contemporary and the traditional is striking. The background story of the publicity arc of a major disaster is intriguing. An interesting piece of contemporary African crime fiction.

 

·         Publisher: ‎ Amazon Crossing (April 16, 2020)

·         Language: ‎ English

·         Paperback: ‎ 351 pages

·         ISBN-10: ‎ 1542018005

·         ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1542018005

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2022 

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.