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Wie Met Vuur Speel

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By ’n boekeveiling sien Ragel Bergh vir Dirk Buchner raak. Na ’n naweek op Houwhoek weet sy sy is nog nooit so volledig bemin nie. Weens populere aanvraag, die heruitgawe van Deon Meyer se heel eerste spanningsroman!

When Ragel Bergh meets Dirk Buchner, her life changes overnight, and irrevocably – it is the most passionate she has ever felt about anybody. But then Ragel and Dirk find themselves in an extremely dangerous situation, and are forced to call upon the services of the enigmatic Ivan Malan, master of disguise, manipulation and other sinister activities. When danger calls, his arsenal – known as the “cabinet of death” – lies at the ready, hidden underneath his inconspicuous West Coast home.

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

72 people are currently reading
333 people want to read

About the author

Deon Meyer

59 books1,234 followers
Deon Meyer was born in the South African town of Paarl in the winelands of the Western Cape in 1958, and grew up in Klerksdorp, in the gold mining region of Northwest Province.

After military duty and studying at the Potchefstroom University, he joined Die Volksblad, a daily newspaper in Bloemfontein as a reporter. Since then, he has worked as press liaison, advertising copywriter, creative director, web manager, Internet strategist, and brand consultant.

Deon wrote his first book when he was 14 years old, and bribed and blackmailed his two brothers into reading it. They were not impressed (hey, everybody is a critic ...)
Deon Meyer

Heeding their wisdom, he did not write fiction again until he was in his early thirties, when he started publishing short stories in South African magazines.

"I still believe that is the best way to learn the craft of writing. Short stories teach you a lot about story structure - and you have limited space to develop character and plot," says Deon.

In 1994 he published his first Afrikaans novel, which has not been translated, "simply because it was not good enough to compete on the international market. However, it was a wonderful learning experience".

All later novels have been translated into several languages, including English, French, German, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Russian, Finnish, Czech, Romanian, Slovakian and Bulgarian.

Deon lives in Melkbosstrand on the South African West Coast with his wife, Anita, and they have four children to keep them busy: Lida, Liam, Johan and Konstanz.

Other than his family, his big passions are motorcycling, music (he is a Mozart fanatic, but loves rock 'n roll too), reading, cooking and rugby (he unconditionally supports the national Springbok team and the Free State Cheetahs provincial team).

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Community Reviews

5 stars
226 (37%)
4 stars
238 (39%)
3 stars
108 (17%)
2 stars
27 (4%)
1 star
7 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
Profile Image for Arne.
293 reviews
February 13, 2020
Ek wil vir Deon 'n bier koop, twee biere. En sommer vir Ivan Malan en Zatopek Smit ook.
:)

Hy is wereld-klas maar mens kan so half sien dat hierdie sy eerste boek was, die intriege is nie so kompleks nie en die karakters effens cliche maar ek het letterlik Ragel Bergh se hartseer erfaar met die bedrieging. Uitstekend.

Eks al klaar met Feniks, nou vir Orion...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Leon.
4 reviews2 followers
September 20, 2012
Sy vroulike protagonis se karakter is ongeloofbaar... hoekom bel sy die 'bad guy'?

Profile Image for Mariaan.
93 reviews
January 15, 2015
My eerste Deon Meyer ... dit was bietjie predictable .. Defnitief baie goed nagevors.
Profile Image for Christina Rothfusz.
970 reviews26 followers
November 3, 2019
Ragel Bergh is die slagoffer van 'n slenter. Een wat mens deesdae baie hoor. Skielike liefde met 'n nuwe perfekte man, en dan het hy geld nodig. Net sy kan hom help. En dan is hy weg. Die Polisie kan nie veel doen nie en in desperaatheid soek Ragel ander hulp. Die misterieuse Ivan Malan en Smittie kom in haar lewe om te help om haar geld te herwin.

Hierdie is Deon Meyer se eerste Roman en jy kom wel gou agter dat dit nie so geslyp soos sy latere boeke is nie.

Daar is BAIE romanse in, baie storm en drang soen en seks tonele en diie dialoog is nie so glad soos in sy latere Griesel werke nie.

As jy nog nie van sy boeke gelees het nie sal ek nie voorstel jy begin met die een nie. Vir 'n geharde aanhanger soos ek was die 'n lekker lees, maar nie die beste van sy werk nie.
Profile Image for Werner.
25 reviews1 follower
January 9, 2021
Ek het al baie van Deon Meyer se ander boeke gelees voordat ek hierdie boek gelees het. Dit is 'n uitstekende boek. Dit het 'n ligter atmosfeer, maar daar is ook spanning wat op bou totdat dit 'n klimaks bereik.

Die karakters is geloofwaardig en die storie lyn is baie goed. Ek het hierdie boek baie geniet.
Profile Image for David George.
42 reviews7 followers
May 5, 2012
This was his first full length novel. Deon Meyer, the perfectionist, never considered it good enough to be translated from the original Afrikaans. Luckily I am fluent in the language. Have read almost all Meyer's fantastic books in Afrikaans.
Profile Image for Ilze.
641 reviews29 followers
March 13, 2023
Met 'n titel soos dié, kan mens raai dat Deel I die antagonis se vinger in die vuur uitbeeld ... en aanvanklik weet mens werklik nie wie hierdie persoon is nie. Dis eers heelwat later dat 'n mens uitvind wat hierdie man se naam is. Soos met al Deon Meyer se boeke is die taalgebruik uitmuntend - selfs al hou jy glad nie van die gebeure nie, moet jy bloot die boek lees om die lekker Afrikaans te geniet! Die bonus is dat die spanning en intrige van die verhaal jou meesleur nog voor jy besef jy's weer amper klaar met die boek!
Ragel Bergh besit 'n boekwinkel in die Kaap, maar vergryp haar eendag by 'n veiling, waar sy veels te veel geld op 'n seker eerste uitgawe bie. Dit is waar jy haar vingers verbrand, want die persoon teen wie sy gebie het, is 'n skurk van formaat. Dis nie al nie: Die persoon wat haar uit hierdie penarie help, is die einste dief met wie die leser in Deel I kennis maak. Meyer maak seker dat elke los draadjie sy maat kry en die pret is veels te vinnig verby vir iemand wat die bladsye so vinnig soos ek verorber het!
Profile Image for Wayne Jordaan.
286 reviews14 followers
May 11, 2019
Lekker leestof, wonder net of al Meneer Meyer se helde en boewe gevaarlike bokkers is wat wat PTSV onder lede het. Maar dit is 'n wenresep...moord, doodslag, roof en seks in die nuwe Suid-Afrika. Grensvegter gemoderniseerd. Ek laaik
Profile Image for Gerhard.
214 reviews13 followers
June 15, 2020
Another story full of intrigue drama and violence... masterful as is expected from Deon.
Profile Image for Christine Visser.
2 reviews1 follower
May 5, 2021
Honestly surprised, expected to not like it, but loved it! Not a masterpiece, but thoroughly entertaining. Will definitely read more of his books.
Profile Image for Karin Strydom.
51 reviews
May 4, 2024
Deon stel weereens nie teleur nie. Waar een mens sóveel goeie idees vir boeke vandaan kry is verbysterend maar ek kla beslis nie en sien uit na die volgende een!
Profile Image for Stefanie Botha.
10 reviews
November 16, 2024
Baie predictable, die Ragel karakter is ‘n joke. Skryf styl is goed maar ek verkies ‘n boek waar die vroue in die boek sterk karakters het en nie net ‘n man nodig het om hulle probleme op te los nie.
Profile Image for Elke Woll.
142 reviews7 followers
March 6, 2015
One of the most exasperating books I've ever read. So many holes in the plot, unbelievable character development, predictable story.

Besides the unbelievably stupid female lead the whole set-up of Ivan Malan and his sidekick Smittie is implausible. So, Malan was trained in a structure half Vlakplaas half MI6 - and one of best friends is a former Umkhonto operative. One of his teachers is a good-humoured philantropist who abhors violence - and he is supposed to have upheld apartheid with criminal methods? Malan's upbringing and training made him into not only a soul-less killer but also a social incompetent yet he is ostensibly able to play any kind of person in order to deceive anybody. He lives more or less in hiding, unable to be found by dangerous people he has wronged and he allows a little known femal client to visit him at home? ... I could go on with these inconsistencies.

Ragel is a pain in the neck. I have screamed with frustration more than once at her actions! And then Meyer is not ashamed to excuse her in Malan's eyes with "female wiles and talents" and after tending to his injuries, waiting for the final showdown which seems unlikely to go in their favour, she not only prepares for him a homecooked meal but cleans his kitchen, stocks his larder and doesn't even forget to pick flowers and place them on the table!

I've enjoyed after a long absence from South Africa to read a book in Afrikaans, amazed at myself at how seldom I had to check up on a word or expression. I also enjoyed the description of the South African set-up which to me felt more like the 80ies then the 90ies but still conjured up memories. But this enjoyment did not warrant the frustration that came with the rest of the book. I would warn anybody to read this as the first book of Deon Meyer - it will probably turn you off his next publications. And they are supposed to be superior. I'm not sure at the moment if I want to find out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Stan.
418 reviews7 followers
November 18, 2008
It was his first book, and it is a little uneven. Exciting start, then a little dragging, then exciting dénouement, with kind of unsatisfying finish. A good read though.
Profile Image for Danita.
163 reviews37 followers
September 6, 2015
Another typical not-put-downable Deon Meyer book!!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews

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