Category: Reviews

Getting into this book was like watching the launch of a space ship. For a while there was plenty of smoke and fire, but no momentum – like an army marching time – and then the afterburners kicked in and the spectacular lift-off followed. Peter Cleary methodically sets the scene in the early chapters and…

IT’S no secret that I am an admirer of Peter Cleary and of his writings. ‘For the Love of Frances’ is his ninth offering, and I have had the pleasure of reviewing all he has penned to date. In all previous appraisals, there was much to praise and precious little to criticise – constructively or otherwise. But…

With a storyline as uncompromising as the harsh terrain in which it is set, ‘Death on the Kunene’ is by far the best book yet from the pen of Peter Cleary – and that’s saying something. There’s not a dull page or an implausible character and once again, the historical and geographical references are impeccable.…

It seems appropriate that this book makes its entry into the literary world at a time when South Africans are celebrating 20 years of democracy. Peter Cleary’s latest offering is as much a documentary on the apartheid era as it is a block-buster novel. Full of intrigue, passion and indeed the entire range of human…

Yet Evil Remains could not be more South African if the cover was made of biltong and it came with a free six pack and season tickets for Kings Park. When Peter Cleary turned his astute business brain to the ‘business’ of book writing, he met with immediate success – chalking up a string of…

Chameleon Mountain is not just a good Peter Cleary novel. It is good by any standard of authorship. If there is a formula for writing entertaining, credible and interesting fact-based fiction, Cleary has found it and is increasingly perfecting its implementation. Few can master his skilful ability to weave history and geography into a compelling…

“A rough and rugged ride”. Caleb is local author Peter Cleary’s third foray into the realm of fiction writing – although the authenticity of geographic, historic, cultural and other detail and description in the narrative leads you into thinking this is a true story. As with all Cleary’s books, the pace is swift, the action…

Peter Cleary, beter bekend as mnr Inyanga Motors het sy hand op papier gewaag. Hoewel hierdie nie sy eerste boek is nie, is dit sy eerste fiksie skrywe en ‘n heel aangename ervaring vir my as leser. In Second Chance ontvou ‘n aksie belaaide, speurverhaal met vele intriges. Liefde oor die kleurgrens wat afspeel gedurende…

“A trail of adventure” An eight year-old boy witnesses a farm attack so brutal that he pushes it into the furthest corner of his subconscious, to the point that he no longer remembers the vile incident. But it remembers him, shaping his future behaviour, surfacing at random times in explosions of anger and violence that…

“A proudly Zululand product” For this, his first foray into fiction, Zululander Peter Cleary can be more than proud of his effort. ‘Second Chance’ is an all-action book that races along, covering a period of two weeks of cloak-and-dagger action. Like Cleary, the main characters all have strong personalities. This includes the macho main role…