The Fallen

By Jassy Mackenzie

When P.I. Jade de Jong invites Superintendent David Patel on a scuba diving holiday in St. Lucia, she hopes the time away will rebuild their conflicted relationship. Jade’s dreams are soon shattered when David calls off their affair, forcing her into the arms of environmentalist Craig Niewoudt. But the next morning, romantic issues are put aside when a scuba diving instructor, Amanda Bolton, is found brutally stabbed to death.

Amanda is a most unlikely candidate for murder—a quiet and intelligent woman who until a few months ago pursued a high-powered career as an air traffic controller. She had few acquaintances and no lovers. The only loose end is a postcard in her room from Jo’burg-based Themba Msamaya, asking how she is doing “after 813 and The Fallen.” Jade and David put their differences aside and start the deadly hunt.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Apr 10, 2012
• ISBN: 9781616950668

Jassy Mackenzie

Jassy Mackenzie was born in Rhodesia and moved to South Africa when she was eight years old. She is the author of three previous Jade de Jong novels: Random Violence, Stolen Lives, and The Fallen. Mackenzie writes and edits for the annual publication Best of South Africa.

Reviews for The Fallen

[bibliofile55 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I like this series by Jassy Mackenzie and recommend that the books be read in order to give a better understanding of the protaganist. I also enjoy reading and learning about present day South Africa. Looking forward the 4th book.

[tadad_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Mackenzie seems to have achieved some sort of balance between law-upholding and vigilantism with Jade. Much better in that regard that than the first two. Unlike previous books in the series, it had an entirely unnecessary and completely stupid cliff-hanger ending. Seriously, whether a minor character lives or dies needs to be left in doubt? That alone diminishes its rating for me.Mystery/thriller readers should enjoy this but I'm a mite irritated. Still, I'll read #4.

[cathyskye · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

First Line: Themba Msamaya didn't suspect a thing on the morning he opened his door to death.Private investigator Jade de Jong invites her lover, Police Superintendent David Patel, on a scuba diving holiday in hopes that it will solidify their troubled relationship. Instead, Jade discovers that she hates scuba diving, and David puts an end to their affair. However, the next morning, all differences are put aside when one of the resort's diving instructors is found stabbed to death in her room.Amanda Bolton is a most unlikely murder victim. She was a quiet, intelligent woman who, until a few months ago, was an air traffic controller. She had few acquaintances. The only loose end is a postcard Jade finds in her room that contains a mysterious message. There's no doubt about it: relationship woes or not, Jade and David are going to have to work together in order to solve this murder.I've long been intending to read one of Jassy Mackenzie's Jade de Jong mysteries, and I'm glad that I finally made the time. The Fallen is a well-plotted, fast-paced book that kept me guessing until the end and vowing to add this South African author's books to my Must Read List. If you're wondering how well I handled reading the third book in the series first, wonder no more. I had no problem at all. Mackenzie provides just enough back story to ensure that the storyline isn't confusing while tantalizing me into feeling that I need to read the previous books in the series.Of course the reason why I feel that I have to read the first and second books is private investigator Jade de Jong herself. She is a fascinating character who is a natural when it comes to having a gun in her hand-- and at the same time she's a very compassionate woman to the people around her. She and Superintendent David Patel are well-suited to working together. They both have the same style: they think on their feet, and their feet are usually running. Not for either of them is the focus groups and endless committee meetings type of decision-making.The pace is almost non-stop as the investigation proves to have more than one focus, but even in the midst of all the seriousness and the relentless determination of Jade de Jong, Mackenzie knows just when to add touches of humor-- as she does with an emergency medical technician that keeps appearing on the scene.If you're in the mood for a fast-paced, intriguing mystery with a strong female lead, let me suggest picking up a Jade de Jong book by Jassy Mackenzie. I wouldn't be at all surprised if you decided to read the other books in the series as well!

[samsattler · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Once again, I find myself showing up late for a series of novels featuring several recurring characters. Thankfully, as is the case with Jassy Mackenzie’s Jade de Long series, that is not always a bad thing. The Fallen, Mackenzie’s third Jade de Long novel, works so well as a standalone novel, in fact, that I now want to go back and read her two previous ones featuring this feisty South African private investigator. Jade de Long is taking scuba lessons in St. Lucia while she waits for her boyfriend, police superintendent David Patel, to join her for the romantic holiday she has planned for them. Still fighting the panic attacks that make it impossible for her to remain underwater for any length of time, Jade is grateful for the kind and patient attention she is receiving from dive instructor Amanda Bolton. She genuinely likes the young instructor and is intrigued when she learns that only a few months earlier Amanda had been working as an air traffic controller. Things begin to go bad when David arrives with news about a personal matter that will adversely affect their relationship. Jade, reacting badly to David’s revelation and not wanting to return to the cabin she shares with him, winds up spending the night in another man’s bed. Then, before she can confront David about whether they still have future together, she discovers that Amanda Bolton has been stabbed to death. David offers to help the undermanned local police department with the murder investigation, and Jade, feeling some personal loyalty to Amanda, works with him every step of the way. As Jade and David pick away at the few clues they start with, they learn just how complicated the situation they have stumbled into really is. Each thread they pull on leads them in a new direction, adds suspects to their list, and puts their own lives at greater risk.Jassy Mackenzie certainly has a winner in the fearless Jade de Long character, but the greater strength of The Fallen is how she blends her characters into the fabric of contemporary South African culture. The book offers enlightening looks at the dangerously high crime rates of the country’s major cities, everyday interaction between the races, and the environmental issues that threaten that part of the world. All of this is so seamlessly integrated into her storyline that it is absorbed as just another element of a Jade de Long mystery.The Fallen is not scheduled for publication until April 2012, so there is still time to read the first two books in the series, Random Violence (2008) and Stolen Lives (2010), before this new one hits the shelves.Rated at: 4.0