Just Arrived…

These are some of the books our books editor received recently. They may be reviewed later

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XO

by Jeffery Deaver (Hodder & Stoughton, R195)

Kayleigh Towne is a successful singer-songwriter, and Edwin Sharp is her biggest fan.

When she replies to one of his fan letters with “XO”, he is convinced she loves him and that her latest hit Your Shadow is written for him.

Nothing she or her lawyers do can convince him this just isn’t the case.

Then Kayleigh gets an anonymous phone call: it’s the first verse of her song playing. Soon after, one of her crew is murdered.

Kayleigh’s friend Kathryn Dance, a special agent with the California Bureau of Investigation, knows this is a stalking crime. She also knows that stalking crimes are not one-off occurrences.

On cue: more verses of the song are played as warnings of more deaths to follow.

For Kathryn, it becomes a race against time to find the killer before more people die.

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The Great Agony and Pure Laughter of the Gods

by Jamala Safari (Umuzi, R170)

This debut novel by Jamala Safari tracks a teenager’s epic journey of more than 2 000km from war-torn Congo to Mozambique.

In the Congo, 15-year-old Risto Mahuno’s cousin is killed and his sweetheart Néné is claimed by a warlord.

He is forced to become a soldier, but then takes on the dangerous journey of many African refugees searching for refuge in unknown countries.

Risto’s story is based on real experiences.

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Prince William: Born to be King

by Penny Junor (Hodder & Stoughton)

Prince William is recognised the world over and his story is well known.

But what is Prince William really like? Many would like to know.

William has endured much in his young life – the very public, very messy breakup of his parents’ fairy tale marriage, his father’s new love, and his mother’s gruesome and untimely death – all of it played out in the international media as well.

William’s childhood was a recipe for disaster, yet he is a well-balanced young man who is determined to serve his country as successfully as his grandmother has done.

In the past 30 years, Penny Junor has written extensively about both Diana and Prince Charles, and William’s extended family.

With the trust built up over that time, she has been able to learn the answers to the questions surrounding this young prince – where do his qualities come from? Who stopped him going off the rails? And many more.

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Bitch, Please! I’m Khanyi Mbau

by Lesley Mofokeng (Tafelberg, R165)

Gold digger, attention whore – Khanyi Mbau has been called this and a whole lot more.

While her flamboyant lifestyle has made this actress a media darling, her flashy lifestyle and relationships with older (often married) men have made her one of South Africa’s most talked about women.

This is her tragic story – it’s a story of a young starlet who let sudden fame go straight to her head.

It is the story of a woman who was seduced by the fast cars and rooms full of shoes. Khanyi candidly tells of her abusive marriage to Mandla Mthembu with whom she has a daughter. She tells how her life reached an all-time low when her marriage broke up and she was left destitute. She then became involved in a sordid affair with a married man, Theunis Crous. It is only when she decides to turn her life around that she has the courage to end their destructive relationship.

In this book the Queen of Bling bares her soul and reveals the hard lessons she’s had to learn. - Meneesha Govender