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Dup Departs: A Time To Go
Arnold Du Preez has lived in South Africa his whole life. But the time has come - and one thing he's certain of, it's time to get out.
An action packed roller coaster ride from the slums of Lagos and the backstreets of Warsaw to glittering nights of beautiful women and crazy parties, behind the scenes at the first ever Miss World Pageant at Sun City South Africa.
...Then an actress dies from a drug overdose, the cops try push the deed onto a Nigerian movie mogul - while Ivan Baczkowzki, the bloodthirsty Polish crime syndicate kingpin will let nothing come between him and his plans for a new cocaine pipeline into Australia.
...And with Louanne, the hot as hell stripper in his back corner, Dup tries desperately to play all sides - to keep his family alive.
Sometimes when you are caught in the middle, there is nothing you can do but go with the flow and pray you make it to the end...
An action packed roller coaster ride from the slums of Lagos and the backstreets of Warsaw to glittering nights of beautiful women and crazy parties, behind the scenes at the first ever Miss World Pageant at Sun City South Africa.
...Then an actress dies from a drug overdose, the cops try push the deed onto a Nigerian movie mogul - while Ivan Baczkowzki, the bloodthirsty Polish crime syndicate kingpin will let nothing come between him and his plans for a new cocaine pipeline into Australia.
...And with Louanne, the hot as hell stripper in his back corner, Dup tries desperately to play all sides - to keep his family alive.
Sometimes when you are caught in the middle, there is nothing you can do but go with the flow and pray you make it to the end...
270 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 1, 2016
1 person is currently reading
4 people want to read
About the author
Gavin Mills
12Ìýbooks34ÌýfollowersGavin Mills was born in the little town of Springs in South Africa where he attended school at St Brendan’s Christian Brother’s College. After school he had no clear idea what he wanted to do with his life. Engineering sounded good, so he applied and was accepted by the University of the Witwatersrand to study Chemical Engineering. When that didn’t work out, he did two years military service becoming a 2nd lieutenant and serving as transport officer for 52 Battalion out of Ogongo in Namibia in the late â€�70s.
Coming out of the army, he went into computers as a programmer and later a systems analyst before giving up corporate to become a professional dancer, performing first in SA and later in London, Paris, Spain and Portugal - some of the highlights being principal dancer in Moulin Rouge Paris, Scala in Spain and Canary Islands, and Estoril Casino in Lisbon.
On returning to South Africa, he performed in the first Miss World Pageant at Sun City in 1992, falling in love with Miss Hungary, who would return to South Africa two years later to become his wife. They have been together ever since, have two sons and live in Johannesburg. Whenever not writing or working, Gavin gets his kicks enjoying quality time with close friends and those most precious to him, his family.
Coming out of the army, he went into computers as a programmer and later a systems analyst before giving up corporate to become a professional dancer, performing first in SA and later in London, Paris, Spain and Portugal - some of the highlights being principal dancer in Moulin Rouge Paris, Scala in Spain and Canary Islands, and Estoril Casino in Lisbon.
On returning to South Africa, he performed in the first Miss World Pageant at Sun City in 1992, falling in love with Miss Hungary, who would return to South Africa two years later to become his wife. They have been together ever since, have two sons and live in Johannesburg. Whenever not writing or working, Gavin gets his kicks enjoying quality time with close friends and those most precious to him, his family.
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February 8, 2017
Embellishing the Jozi Underworld: A cracker of a novel
A review of Dup Departs: A Time To Go, by Gavin Mills
Dup Departs: A Time to Go sees a likeable, middle-aged, soft but resourceful suburbanite thrown into a maelstrom of drug warfare, police-corruption and murder. With the bank barking at his heels and depressed about the modesty of his achievements as a filmmaker, Dup is ready for a big score. It will be his family’s ticket out of South Africa.
When his enigmatic stripper friend, Louanne, introduces him to a shady nightclub boss offering good money to make lame porn, Dup jumps at the chance. But he did not bargain on shady becoming sociopathic. Dup is swept into a plot populated by seriously menacing hardmen; Ivan Bazkaowzki, a sadistic Polish Don,Ìýgoons on Harleys, loathsome detectives up to their elbows in dirty money and a Nigerian crime kingpin gone straight (or maybe not). Along the way fists fly, evidence is planted, women are kidnapped and huge shipments of cocaine moved across the country.
To survive, Dup must draw on psychological reserves never used before, keep his panicked family safe, dissemble and lie and make crazy alliances. It’s a suspenseful ride through an underworld neighbourhood with a hero totally unequal to the task. And yet � there may just be a way out, if only Dup can hold his nerve.
Although set largely in South Africa, author Gavin Mills escapes the insularity of so many writers in that country. For international readers, the novel’s Johannesburg, Sun City and Durban scenes will be exotic as opposed to obscure. This will widen Dup Departs� appeal as an airport buy at any terminal. For locals though, the book offers recognizable backdrops especially the half-built apartment overlooking the City of Gold from the back of Yeoville. Here Dup meets an alluring woman in circumstances provoking pure envy in this reviewer.
Books have a feel just as much as they have a plot. This one is slightly noir, it has the ‘adamant realism� of an but with some creatively risqué Millian quips thrown in.
Here are a few of my favourites.
Summing up the character of show-offs in a bar, Dup notes that “nothing added inches to a penis faster than a Harley Davidson � and Alex, Max and Rob had added the whole nine yards.� I snorted into my coffee cup.
Dup reflects on the type of man who uses wealth to get pretty young things back to his yacht: “Irrespective of the country, this breed was all the same: slimy as a greased eel and as smooth as custard over rippled shit�. I’m stealing the part about custard.
Speeding through Johannesburg on a superbike with Louanne at the back, Dup’s attention is diverted: “The back of her hands rested easy against the tank, cupping his balls but not quite touching�. I thoroughly enjoyed the implied sexual yearning between Dup and Louanne. It is one of the things that contributed to the book’s strong pickupability, by which I mean the strength of the urge to dip back into Dup’s adventures after putting the novel down to do needful things.
A few, a tiny few, notes landed skew on my ear. Amidst the many vivid passages, I feel some phrases could be retired should Dup Ride Again. Things going ‘pear-shaped� feels old. And a character having his ‘hackles raised� appeared once too often. It risks becoming a go-to description for looming danger that loses impact.
And, without being a pedantic one myself, Mills should probably settle on the spelling of the word ‘arsehole / asshole�.
I think it is immature for a reviewer to mark a book down merely because they do not identify with the politics or ideology implicit in it. It also often betrays a conflation of narrator and author. Writers like and suffer from sanctimonious reviewers slating their work for supporting child-abuse or being pessimistic about race relations because that was the theme of their book. I am also by no means a third-wave feminist, in word or deed. Having said that, I think Mills� male characters would have greater depth and relatability if they did not tend towards a similar chauvinism in their interior dialogue. I say this noting that most characters share the same underworld milieu. But still � their gazes at women fell a little monotonously on tits and tight asses.
As a visual metaphor showing how decadent and untouchable the super-rich have become, a Viagra-induced orgy with nubile women at a mansion is great. But the scene where a police-chief hosts such an party for withered politicians and crime bosses didn’t work for me. It’s not that politicians are not sexual predators or that they do not consort most scandalously with criminals. As a South African, Mills has much fodder for this theme on the public record. But these liaisons are less flamboyant and more mundane. This scene was very filmic but, for me, it affected the plausibility of the plot a little.
It could also be, of course, that I hardly party in which case this point should be considered a reflection on my own cloistered life.
Before knowing more about Gavin Mills, I intended questioning whether Dup, a former dancer, was likely to have the skills set (and license) to suddenly drive a huge truck 600 km, performing rather precise parking when he got there. This is a key part of the plot. Then I realized that Mills himself has led a life easily combining these diverse abilities. He was, once upon a time, a professional dancer and an officer in military transport during a war.
For the book as a whole, the comments above are but quibbles. There is not enough space to list all the things Mills, in my estimation, gets right. Fantastic names, good pacing, cleverly introduced backstories, subversion of a pernicious stereotype about wealthy Nigerians and an audacious alliance of the good guys to that has you rooting till the end. Mills has written a cracker of a book and it explodes with vivid characters and blasts of action.
Towards the satisfying finale, a character learns a valuable lesson: “Use your newfound fortune to embellish your world, not change it�. This echoes but also contradicts the novel’s subtitle. Maybe, for the survivors of the mayhem, a Time To Go has become a Time to Stay Differently.
A review of Dup Departs: A Time To Go, by Gavin Mills
Dup Departs: A Time to Go sees a likeable, middle-aged, soft but resourceful suburbanite thrown into a maelstrom of drug warfare, police-corruption and murder. With the bank barking at his heels and depressed about the modesty of his achievements as a filmmaker, Dup is ready for a big score. It will be his family’s ticket out of South Africa.
When his enigmatic stripper friend, Louanne, introduces him to a shady nightclub boss offering good money to make lame porn, Dup jumps at the chance. But he did not bargain on shady becoming sociopathic. Dup is swept into a plot populated by seriously menacing hardmen; Ivan Bazkaowzki, a sadistic Polish Don,Ìýgoons on Harleys, loathsome detectives up to their elbows in dirty money and a Nigerian crime kingpin gone straight (or maybe not). Along the way fists fly, evidence is planted, women are kidnapped and huge shipments of cocaine moved across the country.
To survive, Dup must draw on psychological reserves never used before, keep his panicked family safe, dissemble and lie and make crazy alliances. It’s a suspenseful ride through an underworld neighbourhood with a hero totally unequal to the task. And yet � there may just be a way out, if only Dup can hold his nerve.
Although set largely in South Africa, author Gavin Mills escapes the insularity of so many writers in that country. For international readers, the novel’s Johannesburg, Sun City and Durban scenes will be exotic as opposed to obscure. This will widen Dup Departs� appeal as an airport buy at any terminal. For locals though, the book offers recognizable backdrops especially the half-built apartment overlooking the City of Gold from the back of Yeoville. Here Dup meets an alluring woman in circumstances provoking pure envy in this reviewer.
Books have a feel just as much as they have a plot. This one is slightly noir, it has the ‘adamant realism� of an but with some creatively risqué Millian quips thrown in.
Here are a few of my favourites.
Summing up the character of show-offs in a bar, Dup notes that “nothing added inches to a penis faster than a Harley Davidson � and Alex, Max and Rob had added the whole nine yards.� I snorted into my coffee cup.
Dup reflects on the type of man who uses wealth to get pretty young things back to his yacht: “Irrespective of the country, this breed was all the same: slimy as a greased eel and as smooth as custard over rippled shit�. I’m stealing the part about custard.
Speeding through Johannesburg on a superbike with Louanne at the back, Dup’s attention is diverted: “The back of her hands rested easy against the tank, cupping his balls but not quite touching�. I thoroughly enjoyed the implied sexual yearning between Dup and Louanne. It is one of the things that contributed to the book’s strong pickupability, by which I mean the strength of the urge to dip back into Dup’s adventures after putting the novel down to do needful things.
A few, a tiny few, notes landed skew on my ear. Amidst the many vivid passages, I feel some phrases could be retired should Dup Ride Again. Things going ‘pear-shaped� feels old. And a character having his ‘hackles raised� appeared once too often. It risks becoming a go-to description for looming danger that loses impact.
And, without being a pedantic one myself, Mills should probably settle on the spelling of the word ‘arsehole / asshole�.
I think it is immature for a reviewer to mark a book down merely because they do not identify with the politics or ideology implicit in it. It also often betrays a conflation of narrator and author. Writers like and suffer from sanctimonious reviewers slating their work for supporting child-abuse or being pessimistic about race relations because that was the theme of their book. I am also by no means a third-wave feminist, in word or deed. Having said that, I think Mills� male characters would have greater depth and relatability if they did not tend towards a similar chauvinism in their interior dialogue. I say this noting that most characters share the same underworld milieu. But still � their gazes at women fell a little monotonously on tits and tight asses.
As a visual metaphor showing how decadent and untouchable the super-rich have become, a Viagra-induced orgy with nubile women at a mansion is great. But the scene where a police-chief hosts such an party for withered politicians and crime bosses didn’t work for me. It’s not that politicians are not sexual predators or that they do not consort most scandalously with criminals. As a South African, Mills has much fodder for this theme on the public record. But these liaisons are less flamboyant and more mundane. This scene was very filmic but, for me, it affected the plausibility of the plot a little.
It could also be, of course, that I hardly party in which case this point should be considered a reflection on my own cloistered life.
Before knowing more about Gavin Mills, I intended questioning whether Dup, a former dancer, was likely to have the skills set (and license) to suddenly drive a huge truck 600 km, performing rather precise parking when he got there. This is a key part of the plot. Then I realized that Mills himself has led a life easily combining these diverse abilities. He was, once upon a time, a professional dancer and an officer in military transport during a war.
For the book as a whole, the comments above are but quibbles. There is not enough space to list all the things Mills, in my estimation, gets right. Fantastic names, good pacing, cleverly introduced backstories, subversion of a pernicious stereotype about wealthy Nigerians and an audacious alliance of the good guys to that has you rooting till the end. Mills has written a cracker of a book and it explodes with vivid characters and blasts of action.
Towards the satisfying finale, a character learns a valuable lesson: “Use your newfound fortune to embellish your world, not change it�. This echoes but also contradicts the novel’s subtitle. Maybe, for the survivors of the mayhem, a Time To Go has become a Time to Stay Differently.
July 20, 2017
The Book
Meet Dup, he is like most South Africans, tired of struggling and desperate for an opportunity to relieve the financial strain his family is currently under. Work is scarce and frustrations are building when his bad ass biker friend Louanne offers an out. What neither Dup nor Louanne realise is that they are rushing head first into one of the most life threatening situations they will ever encounter. Drugs, gangsters, strippers and dirty cops are the norm in the underworld to which Dup has barely yet step foot into, but is now desperate to escape from.
My Thoughts
I liked
1. Dup and his wife. This pairing of characters was interesting for me, because I found myself thinking how I’d react in Sarah’s (Dup’s wife) position. I kid you not � I consider her a saint for putting up with Dup’s antics, if that were me� yeah my hubby wouldn’t be that lucky.
But what I appreciated was seeing how determined these two people were in providing their kids with an opportunity for a better life, and how, when things did go pear-shaped � their support for one another never wavered and there was a commitment to just make it work. A sickly sentimental little observation, I know, but I found myself relating to them and their� situation, very easily.
2. Again this is one of our #localislekker books. gives you the raw, uncut look at South Africa. There are no subtle hints at the bad side of our country, you get it all, and it’s in your face. I appreciated this; I can’t say why because we deal with it on a daily basis, perhaps it’s that despite all the bad, there was a good ending, but it was real, authentic and genuine and I loved it.
3. Besides Dup, there are a number of key players which are introduced throughout the book, what I appreciated here was that this was not done all at once, but there was a gradual progression through the various ranks of command that made it easy to follow who was in charge. Often time’s writers will throw in Mr. Big Shot and all 15 of his sidekicks at once and I seldom am able to fully follow the story from there. Not this time. Thank goodness.
Also, these characters are all realistically portrayed � I’m fairly certain you can ask any South African to describe the average gangsta and they’d give you a rundown that’d mirror the concept provided by Gavin.
4. The action towards the end was insane! I mean, my heart was pounding, I was tense, and I even had clammy palms as I followed the last few chapters of Dup’s journey. I knew to expect a big bang but damn Gavin � It was like reading the scene from a movie. It was great!
5. It is RAW. Jeepers is it raw. And I LOVE that. I appreciate an author who is not afraid to embrace the stereotypes and who goes against political correctness. This may not be a book for you if you do not like swearing, sexism and un-PC approaches
I disliked
1. The one disappointment for me was the ending, while it concluded the book well, I felt it to be a little too movie-esque. It’s the typical “And they lived happily ever after� ending which is great for the characters, but didn’t seem to fit with the writing and technique I’d become accustomed to
Conclusion
is self-published and while there are a few errors here and there, I was able to overlook them because it’s just such a good book. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good ol� crime story, it’s got the twists and turns which’ll leave you captivated and desperate for answers, cheering for the good guys and hoping that justice will be served on a nice silver platter for the baddies. Fast paced, action packed and thrilling it is a must read.
Meet Dup, he is like most South Africans, tired of struggling and desperate for an opportunity to relieve the financial strain his family is currently under. Work is scarce and frustrations are building when his bad ass biker friend Louanne offers an out. What neither Dup nor Louanne realise is that they are rushing head first into one of the most life threatening situations they will ever encounter. Drugs, gangsters, strippers and dirty cops are the norm in the underworld to which Dup has barely yet step foot into, but is now desperate to escape from.
My Thoughts
I liked
1. Dup and his wife. This pairing of characters was interesting for me, because I found myself thinking how I’d react in Sarah’s (Dup’s wife) position. I kid you not � I consider her a saint for putting up with Dup’s antics, if that were me� yeah my hubby wouldn’t be that lucky.
But what I appreciated was seeing how determined these two people were in providing their kids with an opportunity for a better life, and how, when things did go pear-shaped � their support for one another never wavered and there was a commitment to just make it work. A sickly sentimental little observation, I know, but I found myself relating to them and their� situation, very easily.
2. Again this is one of our #localislekker books. gives you the raw, uncut look at South Africa. There are no subtle hints at the bad side of our country, you get it all, and it’s in your face. I appreciated this; I can’t say why because we deal with it on a daily basis, perhaps it’s that despite all the bad, there was a good ending, but it was real, authentic and genuine and I loved it.
3. Besides Dup, there are a number of key players which are introduced throughout the book, what I appreciated here was that this was not done all at once, but there was a gradual progression through the various ranks of command that made it easy to follow who was in charge. Often time’s writers will throw in Mr. Big Shot and all 15 of his sidekicks at once and I seldom am able to fully follow the story from there. Not this time. Thank goodness.
Also, these characters are all realistically portrayed � I’m fairly certain you can ask any South African to describe the average gangsta and they’d give you a rundown that’d mirror the concept provided by Gavin.
4. The action towards the end was insane! I mean, my heart was pounding, I was tense, and I even had clammy palms as I followed the last few chapters of Dup’s journey. I knew to expect a big bang but damn Gavin � It was like reading the scene from a movie. It was great!
5. It is RAW. Jeepers is it raw. And I LOVE that. I appreciate an author who is not afraid to embrace the stereotypes and who goes against political correctness. This may not be a book for you if you do not like swearing, sexism and un-PC approaches
I disliked
1. The one disappointment for me was the ending, while it concluded the book well, I felt it to be a little too movie-esque. It’s the typical “And they lived happily ever after� ending which is great for the characters, but didn’t seem to fit with the writing and technique I’d become accustomed to
Conclusion
is self-published and while there are a few errors here and there, I was able to overlook them because it’s just such a good book. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good ol� crime story, it’s got the twists and turns which’ll leave you captivated and desperate for answers, cheering for the good guys and hoping that justice will be served on a nice silver platter for the baddies. Fast paced, action packed and thrilling it is a must read.
January 25, 2017
Embellishing the Jozi Underworld: A cracker of a novel
A review of Dup Departs: A Time To Go, by Gavin Mills
Dup Departs: A Time to Go sees a likeable, middle-aged, soft but resourceful suburbanite thrown into a maelstrom of drug warfare, police-corruption and murder. With the bank barking at his heels and depressed about the modesty of his achievements as a filmmaker, Dup is ready for a big score. It will be his family’s ticket out of South Africa.
When his enigmatic stripper friend, Louanne, introduces him to a shady nightclub boss offering good money to make lame porn, Dup jumps at the chance. But he did not bargain on shady becoming sociopathic. Dup is swept into a plot populated by seriously menacing hardmen; Ivan Bazkaowzki, a sadistic Polish Don,Ìýgoons on Harleys, loathsome detectives up to their elbows in dirty money and a Nigerian crime kingpin gone straight (or maybe not). Along the way fists fly, evidence is planted, women are kidnapped and huge shipments of cocaine moved across the country.
To survive, Dup must draw on psychological reserves never used before, keep his panicked family safe, dissemble and lie and make crazy alliances. It’s a suspenseful ride through an underworld neighbourhood with a hero totally unequal to the task. And yet � there may just be a way out, if only Dup can hold his nerve.
Although set largely in South Africa, author Gavin Mills escapes the insularity of so many writers in that country. For international readers, the novel’s Johannesburg, Sun City and Durban scenes will be exotic as opposed to obscure. This will widen Dup Departs� appeal as an airport buy at any terminal. For locals though, the book offers recognizable backdrops especially the half-built apartment overlooking the City of Gold from the back of Yeoville. Here Dup meets an alluring woman in circumstances provoking pure envy in this reviewer.
Books have a feel just as much as they have a plot. This one is slightly noir, it has the ‘adamant realism� of an but with some creatively risqué Millian quips thrown in.
Here are a few of my favourites.
Summing up the character of show-offs in a bar, Dup notes that “nothing added inches to a penis faster than a Harley Davidson � and Alex, Max and Rob had added the whole nine yards.� I snorted into my coffee cup.
Dup reflects on the type of man who uses wealth to get pretty young things back to his yacht: “Irrespective of the country, this breed was all the same: slimy as a greased eel and as smooth as custard over rippled shit�. I’m stealing the part about custard.
Speeding through Johannesburg on a superbike with Louanne at the back, Dup’s attention is diverted: “The back of her hands rested easy against the tank, cupping his balls but not quite touching�. I thoroughly enjoyed the implied sexual yearning between Dup and Louanne. It is one of the things that contributed to the book’s strong pickupability, by which I mean the strength of the urge to dip back into Dup’s adventures after putting the novel down to do needful things.
A few, a tiny few, notes landed skew on my ear. Amidst the many vivid passages, I feel some phrases could be retired should Dup Ride Again. Things going ‘pear-shaped� feels old. And a character having his ‘hackles raised� appeared once too often. It risks becoming a go-to description for looming danger that loses impact.
And, without being a pedantic one myself, Mills should probably settle on the spelling of the word ‘arsehole / asshole�.
I think it is immature for a reviewer to mark a book down merely because they do not identify with the politics or ideology implicit in it. It also often betrays a conflation of narrator and author. Writers like and suffer from sanctimonious reviewers slating their work for supporting child-abuse or being pessimistic about race relations because that was the theme of their book. I am also by no means a third-wave feminist, in word or deed. Having said that, I think Mills� male characters would have greater depth and relatability if they did not tend towards a similar chauvinism in their interior dialogue. I say this noting that most characters share the same underworld milieu. But still � their gazes at women fell a little monotonously on tits and tight asses.
As a visual metaphor showing how decadent and untouchable the super-rich have become, a Viagra-induced orgy with nubile women at a mansion is great. But the scene where a police-chief hosts such an party for withered politicians and crime bosses didn’t work for me. It’s not that politicians are not sexual predators or that they do not consort most scandalously with criminals. As a South African, Mills has much fodder for this theme on the public record. But these liaisons are less flamboyant and more mundane. This scene was very filmic but, for me, it affected the plausibility of the plot a little.
It could also be, of course, that I hardly party in which case this point should be considered a reflection on my own cloistered life.
Before knowing more about Gavin Mills, I intended questioning whether Dup, a former dancer, was likely to have the skills set (and license) to suddenly drive a huge truck 600 km, performing rather precise parking when he got there. This is a key part of the plot. Then I realized that Mills himself has led a life easily combining these diverse abilities. He was, once upon a time, a professional dancer and an officer in military transport during a war.
For the book as a whole, the comments above are but quibbles. There is not enough space to list all the things Mills, in my estimation, gets right. Fantastic names, good pacing, cleverly introduced backstories, subversion of a pernicious stereotype about wealthy Nigerians and an audacious alliance of the good guys to that has you rooting till the end. Mills has written a cracker of a book and it explodes with vivid characters and blasts of action.
Towards the satisfying finale, a character learns a valuable lesson: “Use your newfound fortune to embellish your world, not change it�. This echoes but also contradicts the novel’s subtitle. Maybe, for the survivors of the mayhem, a Time To Go has become a Time to Stay Differently.
A review of Dup Departs: A Time To Go, by Gavin Mills
Dup Departs: A Time to Go sees a likeable, middle-aged, soft but resourceful suburbanite thrown into a maelstrom of drug warfare, police-corruption and murder. With the bank barking at his heels and depressed about the modesty of his achievements as a filmmaker, Dup is ready for a big score. It will be his family’s ticket out of South Africa.
When his enigmatic stripper friend, Louanne, introduces him to a shady nightclub boss offering good money to make lame porn, Dup jumps at the chance. But he did not bargain on shady becoming sociopathic. Dup is swept into a plot populated by seriously menacing hardmen; Ivan Bazkaowzki, a sadistic Polish Don,Ìýgoons on Harleys, loathsome detectives up to their elbows in dirty money and a Nigerian crime kingpin gone straight (or maybe not). Along the way fists fly, evidence is planted, women are kidnapped and huge shipments of cocaine moved across the country.
To survive, Dup must draw on psychological reserves never used before, keep his panicked family safe, dissemble and lie and make crazy alliances. It’s a suspenseful ride through an underworld neighbourhood with a hero totally unequal to the task. And yet � there may just be a way out, if only Dup can hold his nerve.
Although set largely in South Africa, author Gavin Mills escapes the insularity of so many writers in that country. For international readers, the novel’s Johannesburg, Sun City and Durban scenes will be exotic as opposed to obscure. This will widen Dup Departs� appeal as an airport buy at any terminal. For locals though, the book offers recognizable backdrops especially the half-built apartment overlooking the City of Gold from the back of Yeoville. Here Dup meets an alluring woman in circumstances provoking pure envy in this reviewer.
Books have a feel just as much as they have a plot. This one is slightly noir, it has the ‘adamant realism� of an but with some creatively risqué Millian quips thrown in.
Here are a few of my favourites.
Summing up the character of show-offs in a bar, Dup notes that “nothing added inches to a penis faster than a Harley Davidson � and Alex, Max and Rob had added the whole nine yards.� I snorted into my coffee cup.
Dup reflects on the type of man who uses wealth to get pretty young things back to his yacht: “Irrespective of the country, this breed was all the same: slimy as a greased eel and as smooth as custard over rippled shit�. I’m stealing the part about custard.
Speeding through Johannesburg on a superbike with Louanne at the back, Dup’s attention is diverted: “The back of her hands rested easy against the tank, cupping his balls but not quite touching�. I thoroughly enjoyed the implied sexual yearning between Dup and Louanne. It is one of the things that contributed to the book’s strong pickupability, by which I mean the strength of the urge to dip back into Dup’s adventures after putting the novel down to do needful things.
A few, a tiny few, notes landed skew on my ear. Amidst the many vivid passages, I feel some phrases could be retired should Dup Ride Again. Things going ‘pear-shaped� feels old. And a character having his ‘hackles raised� appeared once too often. It risks becoming a go-to description for looming danger that loses impact.
And, without being a pedantic one myself, Mills should probably settle on the spelling of the word ‘arsehole / asshole�.
I think it is immature for a reviewer to mark a book down merely because they do not identify with the politics or ideology implicit in it. It also often betrays a conflation of narrator and author. Writers like and suffer from sanctimonious reviewers slating their work for supporting child-abuse or being pessimistic about race relations because that was the theme of their book. I am also by no means a third-wave feminist, in word or deed. Having said that, I think Mills� male characters would have greater depth and relatability if they did not tend towards a similar chauvinism in their interior dialogue. I say this noting that most characters share the same underworld milieu. But still � their gazes at women fell a little monotonously on tits and tight asses.
As a visual metaphor showing how decadent and untouchable the super-rich have become, a Viagra-induced orgy with nubile women at a mansion is great. But the scene where a police-chief hosts such an party for withered politicians and crime bosses didn’t work for me. It’s not that politicians are not sexual predators or that they do not consort most scandalously with criminals. As a South African, Mills has much fodder for this theme on the public record. But these liaisons are less flamboyant and more mundane. This scene was very filmic but, for me, it affected the plausibility of the plot a little.
It could also be, of course, that I hardly party in which case this point should be considered a reflection on my own cloistered life.
Before knowing more about Gavin Mills, I intended questioning whether Dup, a former dancer, was likely to have the skills set (and license) to suddenly drive a huge truck 600 km, performing rather precise parking when he got there. This is a key part of the plot. Then I realized that Mills himself has led a life easily combining these diverse abilities. He was, once upon a time, a professional dancer and an officer in military transport during a war.
For the book as a whole, the comments above are but quibbles. There is not enough space to list all the things Mills, in my estimation, gets right. Fantastic names, good pacing, cleverly introduced backstories, subversion of a pernicious stereotype about wealthy Nigerians and an audacious alliance of the good guys to that has you rooting till the end. Mills has written a cracker of a book and it explodes with vivid characters and blasts of action.
Towards the satisfying finale, a character learns a valuable lesson: “Use your newfound fortune to embellish your world, not change it�. This echoes but also contradicts the novel’s subtitle. Maybe, for the survivors of the mayhem, a Time To Go has become a Time to Stay Differently.
November 11, 2016
I was recommended this book by a friend and thoroughy enjoyed it; it is a strict genre crime thriller, fast-moving and gritty. I won't bother to detail the plot...you need to read it to find out! Suffice to say that it involves a multinational cast of characters and copious quanities of illegal substances. Gavin Mills has a very distinctive 'voice' which comes out throughout the book and never flags. The story is largely set in South Africa which makes it a little different from the run-of-the-mill crime thriller and the setting is well described and completely authentic. In terms of style, I'd describe his writing as 'Elmore Leonard without the laughs'. The cast is large but never overwhelming and the story is mostly set in real time with a few flashbacks to add some additional background to the characters. I suppose I should point out that you should not expect political correctness in this genre and those who don't like to see swear words in print should steer clear. I believe that this is a self-published novel and the writer should be congratulated on the fact that the formatting is superb and so is the attention to detail; far too often, these aspects get overlooked. Overall, expect a roller-coaster ride and you'll reach the last words feeling that you've been in a bit of a fight! Recommended!
November 11, 2017
First book I have read by Gavin, and after living in South Africa for 30 years was looking forward to reading this book.
WASN'T disappointed , read it in 3nights really didnt want to put it down...has everything in it , full of interesting characters the main one being Dup (bit of a naughty lad) and Genghis who I thought was interesting and a bit of an enigma....looking forward to following more adventures....well worth the read
WASN'T disappointed , read it in 3nights really didnt want to put it down...has everything in it , full of interesting characters the main one being Dup (bit of a naughty lad) and Genghis who I thought was interesting and a bit of an enigma....looking forward to following more adventures....well worth the read
December 19, 2017
Dup is a good looking, down on his luck, tough guy. Taking place in South Africa, Dup uses local slang along with descriptive vulgarity that sets the mood for the thriller this story is. And it is quite a thriller.
What would you do to take care of your family. Dup has a wife and kids. No income. Dup makes movies but he was pushed out by the competition. Life gets ruff. He has a great friend who helps set him up for a new future. There is hope.
Life, the other four letter word, rarely works out so smoothly. Stuck in a bad situation trading down to a worse situation Dup uses his professional movie skills to survive and hopefully thrive.
This is a dark thriller. The illegal happenings going on in South Africa surround this story. Louanne, another amazing main character, is a stripper with the connections Dup needs to get out from under. So it seems.
Dup Departs is the first of a two book series. The beginning of the book is harsh in many ways. This is the mood of the book. The reader is suddenly immersed in a fast moving, edge of your seat story. I own the second book, Dup Up In Arms: A Prequel To Dup Departs. I can not wait to read this prequel. This is a refreshingly different realistic thriller.
What would you do to take care of your family. Dup has a wife and kids. No income. Dup makes movies but he was pushed out by the competition. Life gets ruff. He has a great friend who helps set him up for a new future. There is hope.
Life, the other four letter word, rarely works out so smoothly. Stuck in a bad situation trading down to a worse situation Dup uses his professional movie skills to survive and hopefully thrive.
This is a dark thriller. The illegal happenings going on in South Africa surround this story. Louanne, another amazing main character, is a stripper with the connections Dup needs to get out from under. So it seems.
Dup Departs is the first of a two book series. The beginning of the book is harsh in many ways. This is the mood of the book. The reader is suddenly immersed in a fast moving, edge of your seat story. I own the second book, Dup Up In Arms: A Prequel To Dup Departs. I can not wait to read this prequel. This is a refreshingly different realistic thriller.
February 5, 2017
If you like thrillers involving gangsters, guns, drugs, corruption and action this book is for you.
Author Gavin Mills is a name to look out for. His novel, Dup Departs, thrilled me no end after a rather slow first three or four chapters. It became pacier by the minute and the characters came alive leaving vivid impressions in my head.
The cast list was quite large but not overwhelming and kudos to Mr. Mills for juggling them all as the story pans out.
This was different for me: a novel set in South Africa, a country I have never been to. He is a native of that country and I am sure the settings were all authentic. The backdrop was an education for me as the author was not afraid to use some social comment in the telling of the story. At times political correctness was absent but it added some "fire and brimstone" to the backdrop and it was an aid to understanding the characters involved.
Ahh - back to the characters. I loved them all. Even the psychopath gangsters, not that they were lovable. They were realistic. There were scenes involving Ivan, the Polish gangster, that chilled me to the bone thanks to the quality of the writing.
I was easily able to identify with Dup, his dilemma and weaknesses. Louanne was another character I loved: a sexy "biker chick" with a heart of gold who knew all the seedy joints and undesirables in town. I hope she returns in a future work from the same author.
If you like thrillers involving gangsters, guns, drugs, corruption and action this book is for you.
In many ways this book warranted five stars but I have to deduct one because of two things. It seemed evident early in the book that the author over cooked his use of metaphor. Not only were they over done but some were not worthy of him. He is an excellent writer and has no need to resort to crude metaphors. As the tale progressed, the metaphors and writing in general became more polished. That brings me to my second "constructive gripe." I urge the author to find a better editor. A good editor would undoubtedly have polished the early part of the book. In addition s/he would also have tidied up the odd spelling and punctuation mistakes. Hopefully, s/he would have also corrected the use of "council" instead of the proper form of "counsel" when referring to a lawyer.
These instances did not spoil the book at all. The author's story-telling abilities conquered all minor flaws. Thoroughly recommended and I look forward to reading more of Mr. Mills' work in future.
Author Gavin Mills is a name to look out for. His novel, Dup Departs, thrilled me no end after a rather slow first three or four chapters. It became pacier by the minute and the characters came alive leaving vivid impressions in my head.
The cast list was quite large but not overwhelming and kudos to Mr. Mills for juggling them all as the story pans out.
This was different for me: a novel set in South Africa, a country I have never been to. He is a native of that country and I am sure the settings were all authentic. The backdrop was an education for me as the author was not afraid to use some social comment in the telling of the story. At times political correctness was absent but it added some "fire and brimstone" to the backdrop and it was an aid to understanding the characters involved.
Ahh - back to the characters. I loved them all. Even the psychopath gangsters, not that they were lovable. They were realistic. There were scenes involving Ivan, the Polish gangster, that chilled me to the bone thanks to the quality of the writing.
I was easily able to identify with Dup, his dilemma and weaknesses. Louanne was another character I loved: a sexy "biker chick" with a heart of gold who knew all the seedy joints and undesirables in town. I hope she returns in a future work from the same author.
If you like thrillers involving gangsters, guns, drugs, corruption and action this book is for you.
In many ways this book warranted five stars but I have to deduct one because of two things. It seemed evident early in the book that the author over cooked his use of metaphor. Not only were they over done but some were not worthy of him. He is an excellent writer and has no need to resort to crude metaphors. As the tale progressed, the metaphors and writing in general became more polished. That brings me to my second "constructive gripe." I urge the author to find a better editor. A good editor would undoubtedly have polished the early part of the book. In addition s/he would also have tidied up the odd spelling and punctuation mistakes. Hopefully, s/he would have also corrected the use of "council" instead of the proper form of "counsel" when referring to a lawyer.
These instances did not spoil the book at all. The author's story-telling abilities conquered all minor flaws. Thoroughly recommended and I look forward to reading more of Mr. Mills' work in future.
February 22, 2017
Arnold Du Preez had had enough. It is time to get out. But how and where to? Then Louanne, the hot stripper has a plan - and connections. But there is a price. ...There is always a price. From the ghettos of Warsaw to the slums of Lagos to behind the scenes glitz and glamour of the first Miss World Pageant at the spectacular Palace of the Lost City, Sun City. A rollercoaster ride of violence and deception, kidnap and subversion as Ivan Bazkaowzki the Polish underlord will risk everything to protect his business interests, Genghis Kahn the massive Nigerian movie mogul will do just about anything to clear his name, and Dup will do absolutely anything to keep his family alive. Sometimes when the cards are down, all one can do is just keep moving forward...
This book was a bit out of my genre to be honest but it was quite a good read. Being South African; it was easy to relate to both the people and the environment they were in. Dup is certainly a character that I could place among my circle of friends and that adds to the book for me. Although this book is based in South Africa; I feel that anyone from any country could relate to the characters and plot in this story. I specifically like how Mills has created characters that turn out differently from how someone would generally “box� them.
An excellent example of this is with Mr Khan; a Nigerian movie maker; who turned out to not be what I expected at all. The excellent attention to detail regarding the characters and the plot just shows what an excellent author Mills is. The plot progresses well and realistically without delving so deep into the story that it becomes boring and without skimming over the story making it feel rushed.
This book was enjoyable because it is not your typical bad-guy-good-guy book and certainly shows that there is duality in all people. We are not all good or all bad. We are both and sometimes good people make bad decisions and bad people make good decisions. Overall though the book held me in an excellent amount of suspense and excitement and even at times I had to dab at the tears forming in my eyes for the characters I connected with.
The only thing that I would say that I didn’t like about the book is that I did feel it was a bit short and that perhaps Mills could have given a bit more thought to the backstories of some of the characters and play the plot out a bit more.
This book was a bit out of my genre to be honest but it was quite a good read. Being South African; it was easy to relate to both the people and the environment they were in. Dup is certainly a character that I could place among my circle of friends and that adds to the book for me. Although this book is based in South Africa; I feel that anyone from any country could relate to the characters and plot in this story. I specifically like how Mills has created characters that turn out differently from how someone would generally “box� them.
An excellent example of this is with Mr Khan; a Nigerian movie maker; who turned out to not be what I expected at all. The excellent attention to detail regarding the characters and the plot just shows what an excellent author Mills is. The plot progresses well and realistically without delving so deep into the story that it becomes boring and without skimming over the story making it feel rushed.
This book was enjoyable because it is not your typical bad-guy-good-guy book and certainly shows that there is duality in all people. We are not all good or all bad. We are both and sometimes good people make bad decisions and bad people make good decisions. Overall though the book held me in an excellent amount of suspense and excitement and even at times I had to dab at the tears forming in my eyes for the characters I connected with.
The only thing that I would say that I didn’t like about the book is that I did feel it was a bit short and that perhaps Mills could have given a bit more thought to the backstories of some of the characters and play the plot out a bit more.
November 29, 2016
REVIEW
A hard hitting tell it like it is story of a family man, drawn into the dark underworld of drug lords, police corruption and greed. Coming from South Africa myself and being involved with some unscrupulous characters, I totally relate to this story and time when the end of Apartheid and the change of government opened up the flood gates to the South African drug trade, bringing with it international criminals of which South Africa nor the police had ever seen before. Great read. Recommended.
Cliff Simon
Author of 'Paris Nights My Year at the Moulin Rouge'
A hard hitting tell it like it is story of a family man, drawn into the dark underworld of drug lords, police corruption and greed. Coming from South Africa myself and being involved with some unscrupulous characters, I totally relate to this story and time when the end of Apartheid and the change of government opened up the flood gates to the South African drug trade, bringing with it international criminals of which South Africa nor the police had ever seen before. Great read. Recommended.
Cliff Simon
Author of 'Paris Nights My Year at the Moulin Rouge'
November 19, 2016
Firstly I must make mention that I have never been one for much reading. Not because I never wanted to but simply because I would find myself bored with the story line within it's initial chapters. Inevitably I'd find myself putting it down long before and not even close to having reached the end of it.
Well this was certainly not the case here. This book blew my mind. It is absolutely outstanding. It had me pinned to my seat. You'll enjoy it so very much. I certainly did.
November 30, 2016
A hard hitting tell it like it is story of a family man, drawn into the dark underworld of drug lords, police corruption and greed. Coming from South Africa myself and being involved with some unscrupulous characters, I totally relate to this story and time when the end of Apartheid and the change of government opened up the flood gates to the South African drug trade, bringing with it international criminals of which South Africa nor the police had ever seen before. Great read. Recommended.
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