Hilton Pelser plays Detective Benny Griessel. Photo credit: BBC Studios
Benny Griessel – the hero of Deon Meyer’s South African crime series – is being brought to life on screen for the first time as filming gets underway in South Africa on the TV adaptation of DEVIL’S PEAK. Produced by Lookout Point and backed by BBC Studios, the series stars Hilton Pelser (Moffie, Glasshouse, Kissing Booth) as Benny, with Sisanda Henna (Trackers, Rogue), Tarryn Wyngaard (Raised By Wolves, Stam, The Watch), Shamilla Miller (Blood & Water, Troy: Fall of a City), and Masasa Mbangeni (The Republic, Scandal).
The 5 x 1 hour series is directed by Jozua Malherbe (Griekwastad, Justice Served), and written by Matthew Orton (Operation Finale, Moon Knight).
Deon Meyer says: “Benny Griessel started his fictitious life as a humble once-off cameo character, and never in my wildest dreams did I think he would one day be part of an international TV series. I am absolutely thrilled that this brilliant team of cast and crew will bring him and his story to life.”
DEVIL’S PEAK, the first of six novels featuring the detective, sees the talented but broken Benny Griessel tracking down a righteous vigilante killer whose crimes are capturing the imagination of the city. Meanwhile grieving father Thobela Mpayipheli seeks justice after the untimely murder of his son. Benny and Thobela are brought into the orbit of a trapped mother, Christine, who is willing to do anything to achieve a better life for herself and her daughter, and the fates of these three characters become inextricably linked. Combining gripping tension with uncompromising authenticity, DEVIL’S PEAK offers an original South African take on the investigative thriller for today.
About Deon Meyer
Deon Meyer lives in Cape Town. His books are sold in 23 countries, and have been awarded many prizes around the world: the Deutsche Krimi Prize in Germany, the ATKV Prize in South Africa, and Le Grand Prix de Littérature Policière and Le Prix Mystère de la Critique in France. COBRA was shortlisted for the 2015 CWA International Dagger, THIRTEEN HOURS was shortlisted for the 2010 CWA International Dagger, and HEART OF THE HUNTER, was longlisted for the 2005 IMPAC Prize and selected as one of Chicago Tribune’s ‘10 best mysteries and thrillers of 2004’.
Praise for the novel DEVIL’S PEAK
Winner ATKV Award (South Africa)
Shortlisted for the M-Net Prize 2005
A Peter Millar Times Christmas choice, 2007.
Winner of Svenska Oversatta Kriminalroman (Martin Beck) Award 2010
Winner of the Readers’ Award from CritiquesLibres.com in the category Crime Novel or Thriller in October 2010.
‘One of the most startling things about this crime masterwork from South African author, Deon Meyer, is that it was originally penned in Afrikaans. All the more credit, then, to translater KL Seegers for producing such a beautifully written and yet blood-pumpingly readable English language version. But it isn’t just about the action. A far, far cry from your basic ‘cops and robbers’ or blow-by-blow ‘good guys v bad guys’, DEVIL’S PEAK is a grown-up and multi-faceted tale, tough and visceral in tone, but also rich in flawed characters and deeply redolent of both urban and rural South Africa; not just the geographic landscape, but the political and social scene as well.’ – Paul Finch
‘This is one of those entertainment fictions that teaches one more than any textbook or documentary. This thriller is a fascinating portrayal of one aspect of life in post-apartheid South Africa…winding up the tension to a gripping, shocking climax. Highly recommended.’ – Literary Review
‘Deon Meyer is…one of the sharpest and most perceptive thriller writers around…Meyer paints a wonderful picture of the dark side of the rainbow nation… Against the odds Meyer leaves us with a resolution that is both poignant and supremely satisfying. In no way is this a negative book about the new South Africa. It makes the place come alive with a breathless urgency that recalls the 1940s Los Angeles of Dashiel Hammet or Raymond Chandler: a bit mad, a bit bad, a bit dangerous, but exotically vibrant, a society in adolescence. Think of Meyer in the way that you might have regarded a bottle of Cape red a dozen years ago – dark, strong with an unusual but beguilingly moreish taste. If it can produce popular literature as good as this, the new South Africa has a lot going for it.’ – Peter Millar, The Times
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