By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Pan Macmillan South Africa has announced the nationwide publication of Scorpio Rising, the translated English edition of Deon Meyer’s #1 Afrikaans bestseller, Skorpio.
Available from 1 October 2026 in trade paperback and ebook formats, Scorpio Rising brings back detectives Benny Griessel and Vaughn Cupido for their most complex and high-stakes investigation to date.
South African readers will get exclusive first access to the English edition ahead of its UK release in early 2027.
When Detective Benny Griessel is handed what appears to be the routine suicide of a private investigator in his garage, his partner Vaughn Cupido suspects murder.
As Cupido is sidelined investigating an arson attack on a remote shepherd’s hut, a caravan explosion on a nearby farm drives the media into a frenzy just one week before an international security summit convenes in Stellenbosch.
Griessel and Cupido soon discover their dead-end cases are perilously intertwined, uncovering a conspiracy that threatens global politics at the highest level.
Scorpio Rising marks the 10th book in the beloved Benny Griessel series. For Meyer, the story was over a decade and a half in the making:
“The original concept for Scorpio Rising dates back to the 2010 Soccer World Cup in South Africa, when so many international luminaries visited our shores,” says Deon Meyer. “Back then, I just could not find the right combination of technology, motives and political environments to make it work. But a lot can change in sixteen years.”
Meyer notes that Scorpio Rising required some of the most stringent research of his career. “Forensic toxicology and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry testing have developed dramatically in the recent past. Similarly, drone technology and AI. Both the good guys and the bad guys now have a lot of new aces up their sleeves.”
Upcoming author events
Meyer will be embarking on a launch tour across Cape Town and Johannesburg to discuss Scorpio Rising, meet readers, and sign copies. Confirmed public events include:
- 14 October 2026 (Cape Town): Exclusive Books Constantia launch in conversation with Mohale Mashigo.
- 3 November 2026 (Cape Town): The Book Lounge evening author event with guest discussant Mike Nicol.
- 5 November 2026 (Johannesburg): Exclusive Books Hyde Park launch event.
About the Author
Deon Meyer is a No. 1 bestselling crime fiction author based in Stellenbosch. He is the author of numerous internationally bestselling novels and short story collections, translated into 28 languages across more than 40 countries worldwide.
His accolades include Best Adult Fiction and Book of the Year at the SA Book Awards for Leo (2024), Le Grand Prix de Littérature Policière, Le Prix Mystère de la Critique, the Deutsche Krimi Preis, the Swedish Martin Beck Award, and the Barry Award for Best Thriller in the USA. He has also written television series and feature film screenplays, and directed films in Afrikaans.