An American fugitive hides out in Cape Town'”one of the world's most beautiful and violent cities'”in this riveting debut thriller that asks: Can you ever outrun your past? Reluctant bank robber Jack Burn is on the run after a heist in the United States that left $3 million missing and one cop dead. Hiding out in Cape Town, South Africa, he is desperate to build a new life for his pregnant wife and young son. But on a tranquil evening in their new suburban neighborhood they are the victims of a random gangland assault that changes everything. Benny Mongrel, an ex-con night watchman guarding a building site next to Burn's home, is another man desperate to escape his past. After years in the ghetto gangs of Cape Town he knows who went into Burn's house. And what the American did to them. He also knows his only chance to save his own brown skin is to forget what he saw. Burn's actions on that night trap them both in a cat-and-mouse game with Rudi "Gatsby" Barnard'”a corrupt Afrikaner cop who loves killing almost as much as he loves Jesus Christ'”and Disaster Zondi, a fastidious Zulu detective who wishes to settle an old score. Once Gatsby smells those missing American millions, the four men are drawn into a web of murder and vengeance that builds to an unforgettable conclusion.

Roger Smith is an accomplished screenwriter, director, and producer. He is at work on a second stand-alone thriller set in and around Cape Town, where he currently lives.

"With its shattering sense of place and satisfying plot twists, this book will grip you from page one."--Chelsea Cain, author of Sweetheart and Evil at Heart

"Almost impossible to put down, offering the rewards of a literary thriller combined with the zip of a powerful movie."--The Florida Times Union

"Like Pelecanos, Smith captures the humanity burning in lives trapped by poverty and prejudice."--Booklist

"Smith's Cape Town is almost Dickensian in its presentation of thugs and murderers [and] an especially wonderful villain."--Richmond Times-Dispatch

"Mixed Blood is an unnerving thrill ride that kept me on edge from beginning to end. The set-up is terrific and the bad guy is really bad - but so are the good guys. Mixed Blood is a top notch debut thriller and I'm looking forward to Roger Smith's next book."—Phillip Margolin, author of Executive Privilege

"Smith does an outstanding job of bringing Cape Town to life, taking us through the twists and turns of the local criminal world and the confusing labyrinth of racial identity in post-apartheid South Africa. His prose is crisp and efficient … [with a] fascinating and vividly conjured location."—Kirkus Reviews

"A gripping thriller that follows believable (if sometimes grotesque) characters along a desperate rush to ruin. Highly recommended."—Library Journal

"Smith offers a gritty tale of corruption and vengeance set in South Africa in his absorbing debut … Smith’s taut prose bodes well for future thrillers from his pen."—Publishers Weekly

"[A] well-told, brutal tale…. Riveting."—The Roanoke Times

"Startling, vivid, frightening. A first-rate debut from an up-and-coming talent."—Eric Van Lustbader, author of First Daughter and The Bourne Sanction

"Smith's characters fight for their lives against a Cape Town heavy with heat, grime, corruption, and gang violence. With its shattering sense of place and satisfying plot twists, this book will grip you from page one."—Chelsea Cain, author of Heartsick and Sweetheart

Supplemental Materials

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.