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The Steam Pig (1971)

by James McClure(Favorite Author)

3.67 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

0060128968 (ISBN13: 9780060128968)

languge

English

genre

Mystery & Thriller

publisher

HarperCollins Publishers

series

Kramer and Zondi Mystery

review 1: Published in 1971 and winner of the CWA Gold Dagger, The Steam Pig is a police procedural set in South Africa. The book is noted for its depiction of apartheid in South Africa in three respects. First, its matter of fact depiction of how apartheid was expressed on a daily basis and how it structured social relations and led to distinct geographies. Second, the complex relationship between Afrikaans ‘Tromp’ Kramer and his Bantu Sergeant Mickey Zondi, which is infused with asymmetrical power relations but also friendship and respect. Third, its complex plot that mixes polite white society with Bantu gangs, Indian shopkeepers, and colored families. Indeed, McClure doesn’t pull any punches in a book that interestingly can be read in different ways -- as an anti-apar... moretheid tale and as an affirmation of the status quo (hence its popularity in South Africa). The result is an absorbing book with respect to the setting, politics and social relations, and the case that Kramer and Zondi are trying to solve. A big plus in its telling is the somewhat ambiguous relationship between Kramer and Zondi and their interaction. That said, due to the focus on the plot, neither character is that well developed and their back stories are barely explored. Moreover, the story stuttered at certain points and the end of the tale seemed overly rushed and little over-dramatic and it would have benefitted from an epilogue or a little more explication as to the fallout. Overall, a fascinating and entertaining tale of South Africa in the early 1970s.
review 2: The book is the first in a series of mystery novels about a Afrikaaner detective and his Zulu partner during Apartheid in South Africa in the 1970s. I really wanted to love the book so I would have a new mystery series in a foreign setting like Jo Nesbo or Henning Mankell. However, I found the pace of the story slow and the twists and turns somewhat predictable. I could tolerate a slow plot if the characters were well defined and interesting. But I must confess that it is hard to get enthused about immersing myself in the Neanderthal social situation that apartheid was, when what I want is a good mystery to solve. I may try another in the series to see if the stories of these characters become more interesting with more exposure. less

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