Caterpillar Cop, The Kramer and Zondi Mysteries

The author of The Steam Pig delivers a “powerful picture of South African society . . . The pace is fast, the solution ingenious” (The New York Times Book Review).

When a twelve-year-old boy named Boetie is found strangled to death with multiple stab wounds, his killer is assumed to be a pedophile. Lt. Tromp Kramer and his sidekick, Bantu Det. Sergeant Mickey Zondi, begin to investigate and soon learn that the boy had been involved in a detective club that encouraged children to spy and snitch on people—and no one likes a snitch. Whom was Boetie spying on? As the two men look into possible leads on the case, they must also navigate increasing tensions surrounding racism in the seventies in South Africa, and Kramer finds himself on the receiving end of much of the hatred himself.

“McClure’s first novel, The Steam Pig, was one of the most memorable books in the genre last year . . . The Caterpillar Cop may prove to be even better.” —Newsday

“The Caterpillar Cop . . . unusually enough—is just as good, if not better, than its predecessor.” —St. Louis Post Dispatch

“The integrated South African police team of Lt. Tromp Kramer and Sgt. Zondi did a good job in McClure’s The Steam Pig. They’re even better this time . . . The gathering of clues is described with McClure’s special blend of humor, cheerfully sexy scenes and startling realism. Good to see a second novel come out so well.” —San Francisco Examiner & Chronicle