The Water Man's Daughter

Debut author, Emma Ruby-Sach, has penned a murder mystery that takes place in South Africa. The staff at the store can attest that whenever a book arrives that is connected to the African continent in any way, I grab it before anyone else can. I am especially glad I grabbed this novel!

The story is focused around three women each of whom is conected to the violent murder of a Peter Mathews, a Canadian water executive, that takes place in a township of Johannesburg.

Claire, his daughter, arrives from Canada hoping to find the answer to why this happened. Her eyes open wider each day she spends under the African sun as she learns the truth about her father, and the company he worked for.

Zembe Afrika, an up and coming policewoman in the township, is heading the murder investigation. She has deep ties to the local community and must balance that with the demands of her police work. Shound Zembe reveal what is happening beneath the surface to her superiors or protect her friends?

Nomsulwa is a local activist, who organizes protests against the water company's privitization policies. As an "enforced" favour to Zembe, she must divert Claire from the investigation. The more time Nomsulwa spends with Claire, the more she feels drawn to her, in spite of their differences.

Emma Ruby-Sachs writes like an accomplished novelist, not a debut author. The twists and turns of the story kept me hanging on and the ending was a total surprise. I am excited to meet Emma at our event with her and Robert Rotenberg on May 17th. I think she is a talented new voice on Canada's literary scene. - Bronwyn