Roadkill
Exhibit 1. A jogger attracting flies at the side of the road.
Exhibit 2. Three soon-to-be deceased middle-aged white males.
Steve and Tarryn Aldridge’s roadtrip to Kruger Park isn’t going to plan. They have a small problem: a dead body to dispose of. Easier said than done. Waiting up ahead … an unhinged cop seeking redemption, a gold-toothed life insurance salesman, a cluster of ex-security operatives, and a dog called Adolf. They’re all on a mission, they all have an agenda, and they’re all about to T-bone at a rural backwater.
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A crime caper inhabited by a cast of social misfits, Roadkill is
Herman Charles Bosman on steroids. Set in a dusty dorp where SA’s dodgy past has taken up residence in post-Apartheid small town suburbia, where the innocent have become guilty by association, the result is a fender-bender of one-part character study, one-part crime story, one-part belly-ache satirical comedy.
Reader Reviews – Roadkill
” A delightful read riddled with satirical humour interlaced within a mystery. It tells the story of a hapless South African couple whose lives inadvertently become complicated in a plot of crime and murder. Set in the New South Africa era, the tale faithfully reflects the idiosyncrasies and intimate habits of a section of society with tongue firmly in cheek. The no-holds-barred drama ends up in a bizarre climax that had me chortling with horror. “
Peter Krige
” Like a lekker boskak, Roadkill is a welcome relief from the constraints of the often stifling formalities of modern life. And just like any great boskak, you will find yourself perched in one spot, not daring to go anywhere until the job is well and truly done. Were it not for the fact that one could easily encounter such people on your travels through South Africa, Paul’s hilarious characters would be shamefully inappropriate in modern times. With perfectly placed humour, cringe-worthy grossness and eerily relatable characters, this exquisitely seasoned ‘potjie pot’ of brilliance has the flavour of a Deon Meyer crime novel if he were in a very mischievous mood. “
Stuart Palmer
” You can’t help but suspect that Paul Leger carries the weighty memory of a far off hit-and-run homicide. But then he must also be the most comprehensively prejudiced, old-world Afrikaner you could ever hope not to meet. Alternatively, he is simply a great author of fiction. Because he has a mesmerising ability to inhabit the characters he creates. He seems to be able to climb right down inside them and then convey, with selfless honesty, the world exactly as it is through their eyes. He sees into every essential detail and, like a sketch artist with a microscopic nib, produces mirror representations of what he sees. And it is these masterful representations that compose the world of Road Kill and consequently provoke in us a real, powerful emotional response. We laugh uncontrollably one moment and abjectly recoil the next. Paul Leger has a special knack for portraying the South African context, by employing, amongst other devices, his meticulous scrapbook collection of our unique phrases and idiosyncratic brand names. Whatever your powerful emotional reaction to Road Kill, you can’t dispute it’s fundamental thesis about the primal meaning of, for instance, the boskak in South African culture. “
Colin Lumb
” Paul has come through again exhibiting his raw talent in creating this highly entertaining piece of black comedy literature set in the South African highveld. The readers attention is captured from the first page with the prowling hunting scene and onto the absolute despair that Steve and Tarryn experience dealing with their conundrum on their road trip to the Kruger Park! The reader is introduced to an intertwined eccentric collection of morally questionable and despicable characters as the story unfolds. The dialogues and interactions are hilarious and the clever use of the various personalities culminates in a well thought out plot and twist. A must-read …you will never think of a potjie the same again! “
Mike Grunow
” I got totally stuck into Roadkill and really enjoyed it. The clever plot really balances the sometimes gory details! The character development was fantastic, and there are so many (lekker) nuggets for South Africans to relate to – and laugh or cringe at. I finished it over the course of a few nights, as I needed to know what would happen next! Looking forward to your next book already. “
Matthew Davey
” I read this book while on a road trip to Kruger. In fact, in one little Free State town I walked around, a massive german shepherd launched itself at a sheet metal gate of one of the houses I passed…it was right out of Road Kill, the Adolf scene. I was hooked to this book from the start. The twists, the characters and the edgy South African scenes were all to familiar. A brilliant and hilarious read, which was difficult to put down. “
Matthew Covarr
” Totally hilarious and enjoyable.Very South African with relatable characters and scenes. I believe the ex-South Africans who are living overseas, but still miss parts of this country will totally love the book. “
Jessica Stevens
” I thoroughly enjoyed this suspense plot touching on some harsh truths about this country, wrapped in just the right amount of quirk to digest it all. I was riveted from beginning to end. “
Anje Wiehl
” A crime story set in the South African bosveld, which had me laughing from beginning to end. A wonderful holiday read! “
Tania Pringle
” I thoroughly enjoyed this suspense plot touching on some harsh truths about this country, wrapped in just the right amount of quirk to digest it all. I was riveted from beginning to end. “
Anje Wiehl
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