Murder-solving tannie is back

Video

GRAAFF-REINET NEWS & VIDEO - Get cosy and grab something delicious to eat, because the Karoo's favourite foodie and murder-solving agony aunt, Tannie Maria, is back in author Sally Andrews' latest novel, Death on the Limpopo.

Imagine Agatha Christie's 'whodunit' meets Nigella Lawsons's culinary skills, intertwined with themes of open-heartedness. No wonder author Deon Meyers called Death on the Limpopo "mouth-watering."

Andrews, who lives in a mud-brick house on a nature reserve outside Ladismith, visited Graaff-Reinet on Monday for a delicious breakfast book discussion at Polka Restaurant.

Andrews wore a skirt adorned with her book covers from around the world. Her previous Tannie Maria novels, Recipes for Love and Murder and Tannie Maria and the Satanic Mechanic, have been translated into fourteen languages across five continents. These languages include Italian, Dutch, Spanish, Hebrew, German and French; bon appétit!

Local bookworms will be delighted to hear Andrews' latest page-turner also features the Gem of the Karoo. "Exciting scenes take place at the local hospital and in the Camdeboo National Park," Andrews told the Advertiser.

Sally Andrews's precious Tannie Maria novels have been translated into fourteen languages across five continents. Here she shows the different book covers on her skirt.

Haven't met Tannie Maria yet? She's a 50-something plump Afrikaans auntie, who works at the Klein Karoo Gazette, together with a feisty investigative journalist and a Marry Poppins-like editor.

When Tannie Maria isn't giving advice as an agony aunt columnist or dishing out delicious recipes for people with troubles, she's an amateur detective hoping to solve murders.

In Tannie Maria's latest adventure, renowned political journalist Zabanguni Kani, known for her exposés, takes Maria (with a tin of buttermilk rusks in hand) on a journey across the Karoo to the Limpopo River. The expedition plunges Maria into pools of dangers, amid murders and Harley Davidsons.

Watch a video below:

The novel also engages with issues of corruption in South Africa and Maria's relationship with her father. Don't forget about the dashing detective Henk Kannemeyer with the chestnut moustache - will Maria ever confess her love to him?

Locals are sure to enjoy Death on the Limpopo cover-to-cover. Hopefully, we'll also see Tannie Maria on the small screen soon, as the TV and film rights for her adventures have been purchased. This project is still in the works.

You can have breakfast and eat your cake too. These delicious creations all feature in Sally Andrews' latest novel.