This is the third book in
Hardistry’s series of novels following the trials and tribulations of his
character, Claymore Straker. It’s in effect a prequel to the previous two
books, giving insight into Straker’s back story and how he came to be the man
he is today. Despite that, it can be read as a standalone if one hasn’t read
the previous two, though I would recommend reading them in order, if only
because they are all exceptionally good books.
Reconciliation for The Dead sees
Straker return to his native South Africa to give evidence to the
post-Apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission, as indeed he promised he
would at the end of Book 2, The Evolution of Fear. Most of Reconciliation of
The Dead is set in the past, when Starker was a paratrooper in the
Apartheid-era South African army, fighting in Angola in support of UNITA and
against SWAPO. Interspersed between chapters are excerpts of Straker’s evidence
in the present day to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. It’s an effective
format and the excerpts of evidence put the main narrative in context and help
drive the story on.
At the beginning of the story
Straker is very much the loyal soldier. He’s not a dyed-in-the-wool, racist,
Apartheid ideologue, rather he’s as many white South African’s must have been:
loyal to his homeland, accepting of the propaganda sold by the state that South
Africa was besieged on all fronts by communism, unthinkingly accepting of the status
quo that divided the white population from the black majority. As events
proceed however, and he is exposed to the reality of the war in Angola, he
begins to question all he has been led to believe. This process of disenchantment
proceeds with pace when he and his friend and comrade-in-arms, Eban, stumble
upon a dark conspiracy. I won’t give away spoilers, but it is enough to say
that they become witness to some of the darkest deeds the Apartheid regime was
party to.
I had the honour of meeting the
author at the book launch for Reconciliation for The Dead and he mentioned that
for research for the novel he had spent months reading the transcripts of the South
African Truth and Reconciliation Commission. As a former current affairs
journalist, I was aware of some of the story he based this novel on, but I was
stunned by the lengths the Apartheid regime went to, something which this novel
effectively demonstrates.
The thing I love about Paul
Hardistry’s work is that each book is both a page-turning and cracking read and
deeply educational. His first novel, The Abrupt Physics of Dying, had much to
say about resource depletion in the Yemen; his second, The Evolution of Fear,
spoke of the destruction of natural habitats and the dark side of the tourist
industry, while this latest outing, Reconciliation for The Dead, is a powerful
tale that shines a light on the ugliness that was Apartheid and racial politics.
As with the previous two books, Hardistry’s thorough research, coupled with a
sense of outrage at the wrongs of the world, shines through the narrative and
he’s written an extremely accomplished novel. But also like the previous
novels, Reconciliation for The Dead is not a preachy rant. In fact, that’s why
it’s so effective. Rather, it’s a thrilling, edge of the seat ride, the reader
in the company of Claymore Straker, truly a thinking man’s Jason Bourne and in
my view one of the best characters to populate thriller fiction. The two
aspects – thriller and social/moral heart – complement each other effectively and
elevate Hardistry’s work above many of his rivals. As with the previous two
books, Reconciliation for The Dead truly is an exceptional read and I can’t recommend
it enough. A definite favourite book of mine for 2017.
5 out of 5 stars
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