Seven Days — Deon Meyer

In Thirteen Hours, the 2011 Barry Award winner for Best Thriller, South African homicide detective Benny Griessel struggled to solve the murder of an American girl, and find her missing friend, all in a single day. In Seven Days, Griessel is given another nearly impossible task. Two police officers have been shot, and the department has received an e-mail from the shooter alleging a cover up in a cold case. He quotes Bible verses and threatens more violence unless the case is immediately solved.

The case in question is the murder of Hanneke Sloet, an ambitious lawyer stabbed to death in her luxury apartment. There's no apparent motive, no sign of a struggle, no useful forensic evidence, and no leads, just a set of seductive photographs and an ex-boyfriend with a rock-solid alibi. Then more policemen are shot and the pressure mounts. Can Benny solve the case and stay sober? Seven Days is another gripping novel from one of the world's best crime writers.