GROWING up in apartheid-era South Africa, Eben Beukes experienced first hand the turbulent transition of a country to a modern democracy.
In later years, the now Mount Gambier resident worked as a surgeon in South Africa and Saudi Arabia, before serving as a senior surgeon at the Armed Forces Hospital in Kuwait City, the base hospital at the start of the Iraq War.
His experiences have inspired a range of novels ranging from political thrillers set against the background of a newly democratic South Africa to a noir detective novel.
Mr Beukes will release two new novels – Devil’s Tumble and Winter’s Day – at the Mount Gambier Library on Sunday at 11am.
Devil’s Tumble is Mr Beukes’ eighth book and the sequel to The Mask of Louka, a crime novel set in the Middle East.
The story follows protagonist and Kuwaiti homicide detective Riad al Ajmi and his attempt to find a killer dressed in the uniform of a ranking American officer.
“Winter’s Day is a completely different novel, it is set in World War II and features two German identical twin brothers who were joined at the hip,” Mr Beukes said.
“It is a completely different book with a lot of twists and turns and will appeal to a different audience.”
This weekend’s free launch is open to the public.
