The Eighth Man

When Frankie Opperman - surfer, rugby captain, and Helderkloof High's golden boy - is found drowned in the school pool, Jake Mulligan is called to investigate. He finds himself at the heart of a school in crisis, yet no one seems willing to help. Why the baffling silence from Frankie's former friends? Is the cool barrier put up by Frankie's recently-dumped girlfriend just her nature? When Jake turns to the flirtatious Diana Polesky, who seems to be courting expulsion, and then to the eccentric but much-loved English teacher, the investigations take an unexpected twist. Michael Williams's latest novel tells a tense and brilliantly choreographed story that weaves its way through school rivalry and racism, loyalty, betrayal, and initiation into young adulthood with extraordinary insight and realism.