The Quality of Mercy
by Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu

Winner, Outstanding Fiction Book Prize, National Arts Merit Awards (Zimbabwe)
Longlist, 2023 Sunday Times Literary Awards

From 2022 Windham Campbell Prize winner Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu, comes the breathtaking conclusion to her multiple award-winning City of Kings trilogy, which includes "The Theory of Flight" and "The History of Man". Afrocritik praises it as, "Perhaps the most monumental trilogy to come out of Southern Africa."

Everyone saw Emil Coetzee drive into the bush on the day the ceasefire was announced. An array of individuals witnessed it: Beatrice, who was comforting her friend Kuki over the loss of her son and marriage; Dikeledi, the unyielding postwoman; Tom, the impersonator making a living by pretending to be Emil in backroads bars; Vida de Villiers, caught in a pivotal decision; and others. However, no one saw him return.

Thus unfolds the investigation led by Spokes Moloi, the first black chief inspector in the City of Kings. On the brink of his retirement, he is handed one last case: the potential murder of Mr. Coetzee, the infamous head of the Organization of Domestic Affairs, who vanished as the country stood on the cusp of independence. The inquiry into Emil’s disappearance sets Spokes on a collision course with a diverse cast of witnesses harboring both good and bad intentions.

The landscape of the investigation is marred by corruption and public fascination with Emil. As Spokes delves deeper, he encounters individuals eager to frame guerrilla icon Golide Gumede for Emil’s murder and a populace entranced by Emil, struggling to come to terms with the newfound future.

Haunted by thoughts of his dearly beloved wife Loveness and with a nation undergoing monumental changes, Spokes finds himself journeying to the roots of the case. In the process, he unearths connections to a two-decade-old unsolved murder case that shaped both his life and the destiny of his nation. This compelling narrative offers Spokes a final opportunity to find closure, unraveling secrets that hold the key to the future of his country.