Random Violence

Complicated and tough and real. Boston Bibliophile A new generation of crime writers is trying to put apartheid and modern South Africa in focus ... [ Random Violence is] a thought-provoking book. Portland Oregonian Mackenzie, who has lived in South Africa from an early age, plays her hand deftly, with a page turner of a story, intriguing characters Jade is particularly memorable and a wealth of South African color, including its appalling racial history. At once brutal and beautiful, Random Violence leaves nothing to chance in hooking the reader. Richmond Times Dispatch With surprising characters and an intriguing plot, you ll be guessing right up until the very end. Tulsa Examiner Starred Review: South African writer Mackenzie has created a strong female character with amazing resilience, unusual friends, and incredible luck.... Gripping. Library Journal Beautiful and haunting... Each chapter is filled with wonders and horrors masterfully told in darkly poetic prose, with absolutely no wastage of space permitted. She has created a terrific and believable P.I. in the headstrong and somewhat intimidating Jade de Jong; a P.I. we will no doubt be seeing plenty of in the future. A host of colorful and memorable characters fill the pages, alongside Jade, making this a gripping and page-turning read, despite the bleakness of place and events via post-apartheid South Africa. New York Journal of Books Starred Review: Set in contemporary South Africa, Mackenzie's triumphant debutintroduces PI Jade de Jong.... The plot has more than its fair share of nice twists, and Mackenzie does a superb job of making the reader care for her gutsy lead while offering a glimpse at life in South Africa after apartheid. Readers will wish Jade a long fictional career. Publishers Weekly