When the naked body of a young woman is found drifting in Stellenbosch’s Eerste River early one morning, Detective Inspector Eberard Februarie is called in to investigate.

It doesn’t help matters that young Melanie Du Preez was the daughter of a prominent local citizen. Dawid du Preez is a lecturer in the University’s Faculty of Law, and a conservative activist in the defence of the Afrikaans culture.

Februarie's enquiries reveal a sinister underworld running beneath the whitewashed houses and old oak trees of the university town, and what initially seems like an open and shut rape and murder case soon unravels in a mesh of deception and depravity, as Februarie discovers all is not as initially appeared.

And Februarie must battle his own demons too — years of fighting crime has left him with an alcohol addiction, a broken marriage and in mandatory counselling for a drug habit picked up while in the narcotics squad. Could this be the case that finally breaks him?

Juxtaposed with this is, and interwoven with the main plot, is a story from the early days of the town, centring on Martin ven der Keesel, a Dutch viticulturalist tasked to plant vines in the valleys above the small town. A cruel and brutal man, he's not above extorting favours from young slave girls who take his fancy.

Meanwhile back in modern day Stellenbosch, Februarie discovers a scrapbook of lullabies that Melanie had collected over the years, it's a clue that could unlock the case for him, if only he could figure out what he is he's looking for…

This is the second novel from Andrew Brown, a practising lawyer and a police reservist, who clearly draws on his experiences to colour a book that is deeply South African, and yet not overly parochial or earnest.

The parallel tales are cleverly woven into each other, segueing easily between the centuries and exploring corresponding themes and experiences.

Brown uses the lullabies as a pivot around which to develop both narratives, interspersing the chapters with them, to be read as poetry. Without their childish melodies they take on an ominous tone, the soothing cadences giving way to chilling tales of tragedy and dark longing.

And it's these lullabies, together with the themes of oppression and redemption. that make this much more than a simple thriller. Brown manages to work in social commentary and historical reflections that, despite their intensity, rarely weigh too heavily on the reader.

But if there is a single reason to read this book, it's Brown’s extraordinary talent for description. The opening passage is masterful, one to read and reread: a meticulous, almost loving description of a corpse floating down the river that is as tender as it is chilling.

Not that the style is at all ponderous — this is a book to curl up with and devour way past bedtime, the rhythm of the plot well weighted, and always moving at a steady clip.

Characters jump from the pages, and while a few of the exchanges may seem contrived, as a whole this is a confident and thrilling second novel from an exciting talent on the local literary scene.

Title: Coldsleep Lullaby
Author: Andrew Brown
Publisher: Zebra Press
ISBN: 1770071059