Cape Town, City of Crime in South African Fiction

Since the demise of apartheid, South African literature can boast an increasing number of publications of crime fiction including thrillers that have also entered the international book market successfully. A majority of these novels is set in the major cities of South Africa such as Johannesburg, Durban or Cape Town. Durban and Cape Town are popular tourist destinations for South Africans and foreigners, and Cape Town is internationally renowned for its beautiful landscape. In crime fiction, however, these cities, in particular Cape Town, take on a completely different image. In this article I will examine how Cape Town is used as a locale in the novels by Deon Meyer, Mike Nicol and Roger Smith. I will also examine the theoretical concept of urbanity and will position Cape Town within this theoretical framework.