Dark Country

South African author Snyman (the Night Weaver series) starts more strongly than she finishes with this series debut; the unusual lead will hook readers and the contemporary South Africa setting is enriched by the author’s personal experience, but the climax doesn’t pay off on the opening’s intensity. Occult crime expert Esmé Snyder regularly consults with the Pretoria police. She lands a complex inquiry when a killer dubbed the Pretoria Slasher by the press abducts and kills several people, leaving ravaged corpses for the police to find. Among the victims are newlywed Valentine Sikelo, who vanishes from a busy street in the middle of the day, and politician Abraham Amin, who’s kidnapped from an embassy before being strung up in a traffic tunnel. Snyman alternates perspectives between her capable lead and a sadistic killer (readers will need strong stomachs for the gory scenes) who, predictably, ends up targeting Esmé herself. Unfortunately, a subplot about Esmé’s love life saps some of the tension, even as scenes of an unknown demon at work make it clear that the mystery here is a supernatural one. It’s a somewhat rocky start, but readers will be excited to see where the series goes. (Aug.)