Seven years ago in Cape Town three young white South African schoolboys were abducted in broad daylight on three consecutive days. They were never heard of again.
Now, a new case for the unpredictable Colonel Vaughn de Vries casts a light on the original enquiry; for him, a personal failure which has haunted him for those seven years and has cost him his marriage and peace of mind.
A former British government agent, friend to De Vries, provides intelligence on this new case, but is any of it admissible? Struggling in a mire of departmental and racial rivalry, De Vries seeks the whole truth and unravels a complex history of abuse, deception and murder. Challenging friends, colleagues and enemies, De Vries comes to realise he doesn't know who is which.
Set against the background of Cape Town and the endless, rolling South African veld, this chilling thriller reveals layer after layer of abuse - physical, political and psychological.
Shortlisted for the Crime Writer's Association Gold Dagger 2014 (Crime Novel of the Year)
Praise for Paul Mendelson:
'An excellent, uncompromising crime thriller made even better by its setting ... the story is two journeys in one, and I'm glad I took both'
Lee Child
'A jaw-droppingly brilliant crime thriller. Imagine
The Killing
moved to Cape Town and into the landscape of the hot and dusty African veld'
Philip Glenister
'The First Rule of Survival
is an incredibly atmospheric, complex and dazzling debut from a thrilling and authentic new voice in crime fiction'
Brian McGilloway
'An impressive debut'
The Times