Devil's Peak

Deon Meyer

2 ideas

1. Thobela Mpayipheli's assegai vigilante campaign

   Thobela Mpayipheli, a Xhosa former liberation-movement operative trying to live quietly as a farmer, loses his adopted son Pakamile, killed in a botched robbery, and the killers escape custody before they can be sentenced. He takes up an assegai, a traditional spear, and begins killing men accused of abusing or murdering children who have gone unpunished. The press names the unknown killer 'Artemis'.

2. Moral crusaders become weapons for manipulators

   A vigilante who acts on accusations rather than verified guilt can be steered by anyone who controls the accusation. In the novel, Christine van Rooyen, a sex worker whose daughter is in danger, plants a false child-abuse story to aim 'Artemis' at the criminal threatening her. Righteous outrage is a predictable trigger, so it can be exploited by people with private motives.

Save and mark ideas in the app