Phantom Pass

Murder spawns a hunt through a tangled web of drug gangs, political intrigue, and old apartheid mysteries that criss-crosses the southern tip of Africa.
A mutilated body is found floating in a small row boat on tranquil waters of the scenic Knysna estuary on South Africa's southern tip. A high profile victim. Captain Josh Holland, a trainee detective with a background in law, is thrown into the deep end of a major murder investigation, under the wing of the experienced and respected Colonel Gavin Whitall of the SAPS Serious Crimes Unit in George. The pair pursue this elusive murderer, across the country and beyond the borders of South Africa, realizing that to find their quarry, they need to solve a 35-year-old mystery. The chase leads them into the seedy gangland of drug lords and violent criminals that span the rocky tip of Africa, the corrupting tendrils and tantalizing clues reaching back into the African National Congress's armed struggle in the turbulent 1980s. As they track down a ruthless killer, the body count stacks up in this relentless tale of greed, violence and revenge.

After unsuccessfully reaching rock star fame as a guitarist, A.M. Louw qualified as an attorney in 2000 and received a PhD in Law in 2010. He has taught at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and currently teaches at Stellenbosch University. Through his fascination with corruption and love of reading crime fiction comes his first novel Phantom Pass. A.M. Louw currently lives in Villiersdorp, South Africa with his partner and their teenage son.