Thirteen Hours (edit title/settings)

Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit

Write a ridiculously simplified synopsis.

Characters/People edit see section history

• Benny Griessel: A mere inspector detective at the beginning, this veteran of the Capetown Police will be promoted to Captain because his superiors recognize that his skills and intuition make him the man most qualified to lead the investigations, solve the crimes, save the girl from certain death and avoid international disgrace. He is a father of two, Fritz and Carla. Fritz is in high school and Carla has just graduated. He is an abstaining alcoholic and considers himself a great bargain hunter.
• Rachel Anderson: A young American tourist who is running for her life from a gang of vicious criminals.
• Fransman Dekker (Inspector): He is one of the detectives that Benny is to mentor for the next year and he has been assigned a murder case. He is a tall, athletic, coloured (not black or white – African term) man, broad-shouldered and strong, with a face from a cigarette advertisement, handsome in a rugged way. Wears a crew cut and angular face; serious, focused, voice deep and intense. He makes women weak at the knees.
• Adam Barnard: Deceased. Owner of the music label AfriSound. A the age of fifty-two he was a tall, strong man. Black hair cut in the seventies style over the ears and collar, graying at the temples. He was a womanizer.
• Vusumuzi (Vusi) Ndabeni (Inspector): He is one of the detectives that Benny is to mentor for the next year and he has been assigned a murder case. He has a quiet manner about him and takes impeccable care of himself. He is about the same height as Benny but seems smaller because he is lean. He has peppercorn hair cut short and shaved in sharp angles, and sports a goatee.
• John Afrika: District Commissioner: Detective Services and Criminal Intelligence. Not as tall as others, but he has presence, an energy that makes him a dominant force to be around. He is Benny’s boss.
• Willie Mouton: Business partner of the deceased Adam Barnard. He is loud and rude and doesn’t think very much of the police.
• Melinda Geyser: Josh Geyser’s wife and singing partner.
• Tinkie Kellerman: Representative of SAPS Social Services. She is small and referred to as delicate with large eyes.
• Josh Geyser: Currently a famous gospel singer. Before, a muscle man that participated on the show Gladiators.
• Mbali Kaleni (Inspector): She has a very high IQ, is clever and thorough, and has no patience for anyone. She comes from the Bellville state and has been loaned to Benny as a help in solving parts of the cases. Described as short, very fat with an unattractive face, severe as the sphinx.
• Mat Joubert: He is Benny’s former commanding officer. Benny asks him to help coordinate the situation as the Piet van der Lingen's house when the case becomes too large for one person to oversee.
• Anna Griessel: Benny’s wife.
• Jimmy: He works in forensics. He is tall and skinny. He is referred to as “thin” of the forensics duo.
• Wouter Steenkamp: The account of the music business AfriSound owned by Adam Barnard.
• Regardt Groenewald: Willie Mouton’s lawyer. He is a calm man. He is lean and combs his hair to the side.
• Erin Russel: Deceased. Rachel’s best friend and travel companion. She had the face of a nymph, with blonde hair cut short, a small nose and big green eyes.
• Jason M. de Klerk: A tour guide for African Overland Adventure. Owner of a Land Rover Defender that the police are looking for. He is a short man, early thirties, angular face with heavy eyebrows. Along with thick-rimmed glasses and short hair and a two-day growth of black stubble on his chin.
• Arnold: He works in forensics. He is short and heavy set. He is referred to as “thick” of the forensics duo.
• Alexandra Barnard (Sandra/Alexia): Adam’s wife, an alcoholic who cannot remember anything after about two pm each day. She is a famous singer who has not sung in years. She is forty-seven, blond hair, and pale complexion with dark circles under her eyes. She started drinking to calm her anxiety before performing.
• Barry Smith: A tour guide.
• Cloete: The SAPS media liaison officer. He smokes so much that his fingers are stained. He had permanent shadows under his eyes and has endless patience and calm.
• Bill Anderson: Rachel’s father.
• Carla Griessel: Benny’s daughter who recently moved to London after school to ‘sort her head out’. She currently works at Gloucester Terrace Hotel.
• Natasha Abader: Adam Barnard’s and Willie Mouton’s PA (personal assistant).
• Professor Phil Pagel: The chief pathologist for the state. A tall, fit and exceptionally handsome flamboyant dresser for someone in their fifties. He has been practicing so long that he can determine most accurately when the death occurred within thirty minutes.
• Jeremy Oerson: His title is Senior Inspector and he is station with the Metro police. He is not a good person.
• Jack Fischer: Owner of Jack Fischer and Associates. They are private investigators hired by Adam Barnard.
• Oliver (Ollie) Sands: He is nineteen years old. He is slightly overweight, red hair, pale skin and wears glasses. He is from Phoenix Arizona and is on the eight day of the African Overland Adventure with Rachel Anderson and Erin Russel. He has fallen in love with Rachel.
• Ivan Nell: Singer. Was one of Adam Bernard’s former clients.
• Thanduxolo Nyathi: A Sergeant at Caledon Square. She took the report from Sybil Gravett regarding a young woman who stated that there were people chasing and were going to kill her.
• Sybil Gravett: Called Caledon Square to report that she was met by a young woman who asked her to call and tell them that she was being hunted and that they were going to kill her. Sybil saw the boys a few minutes later; she said there were five or six.
• Mavis: Unsure. Appears to be a secretary in the department where Benny works.
• Crystal Dekker: Fransman’s wife. She is beautiful, sexy and smart.
• Charmaine Watson-Smith: In her late seventies, lives near Benny and is everyone’s “grandma” in the area.
• Bella van Breda: Charmaine is her aunt. Bella is in her early twenties, is pretty with short blonde hair and glasses. Works with computers and has a fling with Benny.
• Sylvia Buys: The domestic help for the Barnard’s.
• Doctor Victor Barkhuizen: He is a doctor in his seventies and is an abstaining alcoholic. He is Benny’s AA sponsor.
• Tiffany October: A pathologist that works for Professor Phil Pagel. She is unsure of herself and soft spoken. Small in stature, wears glasses and still has acne that she hides under makeup.
• Steven Chitsinga: A tour guide.
• Eben Etlinger: A tour guide.
• Bobby Vester: A tour guide.
• Hettie Brink: Alexandra’s grandmother. She started Alexia down the path to becoming the famous singer.
• Dave Burmeister: Had the first band the Alexandra joined and sang with.
• Mr. Connelly: He is Bill’s lawyer.
• Superintendent Cliffie Mketsu: Section commander of Bellville.
• Galia Federova: Night manager of the Van Hunks club.
• Vaughn Cupido: Member of the SAPS Organized Crime Task Force in Bellville South. Vusi reaches out to him for information on Gennady.
• Gennady (Genna) Demidov: He is Russian and they call him Semi-dof, like semi-stupid. He owns the city’s illegal business, prostitution, drugs (selling and importing), trafficking, blackmail, money laundering, cigarettes. He owns the Van Hunks club.
• Dan Burton: The US Consul General in Cape Town.
• Piet van der Lingen: An older man in his seventies. He offers Rachel food and shelter.
• Evelyn Waugh: Saw the attack at Piet van der Lingen’s house and told the police about it.
• Frederik Willem de Jager: Deceased. Owner of the Peugeot Boxer panel van.
• Saartjie de Jager: Wife of Federik Willem de Jager.
• Michele Malherbe: She is the publicist for AfriSound. She is small with blond hair cut short in her late fifties or early sixties.
• Duncan Blake (Mr. B): Owns African Overland Adventure. He was once part of the Rhodesian Special Air Force. Lost his farm to the leader of the Veterans’ Movement, Chenjerai ‘Hitler’ Hunzvi in Mashonaland-West and is a bitter man.
• Mary-Anne Blake: Duncan’s sister. A surgeon and the director of AtlantiCare Hospital.
• Fritz Griessel: Benny’s son is still in school. He wants to leave because his band Wet & Orde just booked the opening for another band on tour.

Setting & Locations edit see section history

• Long Street
• Cape Town
• Caledon Square
• South Africa
• Afrikaans
• Bloemfontein
• West Lafayette
• London
• America
• Indiana
• Bellville
• Parklands
• Oranjezicht
• Lion’s Head
• Main Road
• Table Mountain
• Upper Orange
• Montrose

First Sentence edit see section history

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

1. Deon Meyer (Author)

Other Contributors:

1. K L Seegers (Translator)

Awards edit see section history

• Macavity Awards (2011: Best Mystery Novel)
• Barry Award (2011: Best Thriller, nominee)

Classification edit see section history

• Library of Congress: Add the Library of Congress Classification.
• Dewey: 839.3636

Subjects edit see section history

• Books › Mystery & Thrillers › Mystery