Thrilling read by SA author Karsten

FACE-OFF by Chris Karsten, published by Human & Rousseau

DELICIOUSLY creepy is about the only way to describe South African author Chris Karsten's new novel Face-off.

With a psychotic killer, an attractive detective and action aplenty the book will appeal to fans of the thriller genre.

The third book in the Abel Lotz trilogy sees killer Abel edging closer to his dream of completing the cover of his Cosmic Dreams book using tattooed human skin.

Jumping from Johannesburg to Bruges in Belgium the book does, from time to time, expect the reader to suspend reality, especially when Abel's nemesis Warrant Officer Ella Nesser finds her way to Bruges.

It's not your average South African cop that catches a killer abroad while on a sponsored, and highly well-timed, trip overseas.

The book is, however, worth suspending reality for and has a sub plot which should appeal to South Africans – one involving a corrupt home affairs official.

The official turns up dead after supplying fake documentation to terrorists – something not unheard of.

What seasoned crime journalist Karsten brings to the party is a healthy knowledge of crime scenes and human nature, something which adds depth to his novel. – Angela Daniels