2011 Citizen Book Prize Longlist Features Two Novels by Zim Writer

Pan Macmillan South Africa has announced the 2011 Citizen Book Prize longlist. According to a report by Books Live, "The Citizen Book Prize is the only South African literary award voted for by the people. The winner gets R 10 000 from the Citizen and, either publication by Pan Macmillan SA or a spot on a top SA creative writing course."

Out of the longlist of novels, the jury has shortlisted ten carefully-selected synopses. Two of these are by emerging writer Mbonisi Mbotse Ncube, who is also featured on the shortlist of the 2011 Intswasa Short Story contest. Another story of his is going to appear in the 2011 edition of African Roar: An Anthology of African Fiction.

The winning book for the Citizen Prize is determined by online voting on the Books Live website.

Below are the synopsis for Mbonisi Ncube's entries:

The Nocturnal Life Of Mrs Smith by Mbonisi P Ncube
SENIOR detective Miles Ncube and his rookie partner, Morrison, have a mind boggling case on their hands.

A serial killer stalks the dark streets of Bulawayo at night.

He has killed three women, all prostitutes, and his modus operandi is bizarre – the killer ritually stuffs his victims with odd numbered pages from books he leaves lying on their bodies after killing them. He leaves no other clues at his crime scenes.

Morrison and Ncube begin a tedious investigation, searching for the murderer, code-named the Page Killer.

They know that it is not a case of if someone will get killed, but rather when the killer will pounce on his next victim. But the Page Killer is always a step ahead of them.

Cunning, efficient and intelligent, and driven by revenge, the killer will not stop until his hunger to kill is sated, and until the ultimate number of his victims is reached.


The Munhumutapa Candidate by Mbonisi P Ncube
WHEN an undercover detective is found murdered in his office at night, the only clues that could possibly lead to the killer are found written on the tiled floor next to him – in his own blood. With this message from the other side of the grave, the two detectives arriving at the scene of the crime must try and figure out who the killer is, before he pounces again. But they are not alone…

Another group of rogue agents from the notorious Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) also seem intent on getting their hands on the killer, before the police detectives do.

Who is the killer? And what information did the dead man pass on to him? Racing against time, a cat-and-mouse game ensues, and the detectives must use wit and experience to stay on top of their game, and to try and unravel the trail of clues left by the dead man and his assassin. At the same time, they must stay ahead of the omnipresent CIO agents, who will stop at nothing to lay their hands on the fugitive and silence him , before he goes public with a state secret that has been kept hidden from everyone. This information could implicate the President, and suck him into a huge scandal, shaking the political foundations of the country."

Read the other synopses here, where you can cast your vote for your favorite entry.