The Savage Hour - Softcover

This beautifully written book, peopled with rich characters and concerned with eternal questions about love, loyalty, living and dying, may be too leisurely to make it an excellent 'crime novel'. But as a novel whose plot happens to be based on a criminal act, it is outstanding (Literary Review)

A compelling read (Fabric Magazine)

An excellent, thoughtful book, written in a lyrical and intensely visual manner which no doubt owes something to Proctor's earlier career as a film-maker ... A superb novel that offers a fascinating picture of contemporary South Africa and a profound exploration of the human condition. I doubt that this year will bring along much to top it (Margaret von Klemperer)

The 21st century's South African To Kill a Mockingbird (Social Bookshelves)

The Savage Hour is an excellent, thoughtful book, written in a lyrical and intensely visual manner which no doubt owes something to Proctor's earlier career as a film-maker . . . This is not a crime novel, though the progress of the investigation moves the plot along, coming to a satisfying conclusion. It is a profound and deeply moving exploration of relationships, within and outside families, on and off the farm. The characters are unforgettable . . . Proctor explores them with a deft touch, presenting them as flawed but human. The Savage Hour is a superb novel that offers a fascinating picture of contemporary South Africa and a profound exploration of the human condition. I doubt that this year will bring along much to top it. (Margaret von Klemperer)

Intense and beautifully written . . . A complex and deeply satisfying meditation on the weighty matters of being human . . . Deeply moving (Boykey Sidley)