The Meanness of Things

By SJ Sibisi

A marked man. A boy. A mystery no one wants solved.

In Johannesburg, an orphan boy comes across a dead body, the word traitor carved into its chest. Desperate for food, he salvages what he can in order to sell it and tells no one.

In London, Derrick Murdoch, a high-profile banker and anti-corruption champion, vanishes while on a business trip to Johannesburg, leaving no witnesses and no trace as to his whereabouts. Charlie Tate, a journalist haunted by the unsolved murder of her family, gets the scoop. At first, it's not clear why anyone would have wanted to harm Murdoch. Then she discovers that not only was he taken, but those closest to him initially tried to keep his disappearance quiet.

Meanwhile, his bank starts its own investigation into Murdoch, dead set on finding any damaging information before it gets out. The probe is led by John Hilary, a man with his own reasons for wanting Murdoch gone. A race ensues, with one party determined to expose the truth and the other to bury it.

When Charlie learns that she has stumbled into a web of lies, greed and international corruption, things start to unravel. Relationships crumble, allegiances break and Hilary becomes increasingly desperate, forcing Charlie to face the ultimate test. Whether to turn her back on justice or lose everything to achieve it.

And all the while, on the other side of the world, a boy holds the key to it all.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0D8WHV15D
• ISBN13: 9798322204114
• Release Date: July 2024
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 312 Pages
• Weight: 1.01 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"