Red Ink

When public relations consultant and ex-journalist Lucy Khambule – young, beautiful and ambitious – receives an unexpected call from Napoleon Dingiswayo – a convicted serial killer, nicknamed The Butcher by the media – her life takes a dramatic turn. Dingiswayo wants Lucy to tell his story. Intrigued by Dingiswayo’s approach, Lucy decides to take this opportunity to fulfil her life-long dream of writing a book, but it comes at a cost she could never have imagined. After their initial contact, Dingiswayo becomes an all-too-obliging subject and Lucy soon discovers that her choice of topic is not for the faint-hearted. Soon after meeting him in Pretoria’s notorious C-Max Prison, Lucy’s world is turned upside down by a series of violent and disturbing events.

Angela Makholwa lives and works in Johannesburg. Red Ink was her debut novel, first published in 2007. This was followed by the entertaining escapades and sexual misadventures of modern women in The 30th Candle (2009). Her third novel, Black Widow Society (2013), marked a return to a thrilling, crimeridden world. Then came the bestsellers The Blessed Girl (2017) and Critical But, Stable (2020), characterised by Makholwa’s trademark dark humour and astute social commentary.