THE DEALER'S HAND
Dark Justice: A South African Crime Series — Book 11 of 24

A well-known casino owner is found murdered in his private suite at Sun City — stripped, tattooed, and posed at a poker table with five blood-soaked playing cards fanned across his chest. The message is clear: he played, he lost. But what game was he in?

Detectives Thandi Mokoena and Adam Barnard are called in after local authorities quietly pass the case up the chain. Surveillance footage has been wiped, staff have been paid off, and the victim's financial records lead nowhere — except to offshore trusts, criminal fronts, and one recurring symbol: the serpent and lotus.

As Thandi and Adam chase leads through luxury resorts, old debts, and a secret gambling ring for the elite, they uncover a system where influence is the currency and lives are just collateral. Each card in the victim's hand matches a death in the investigators' past cases — but the fifth card is blank. Unassigned. Waiting.

The Circle is no longer just a shadow in the background. It's dealing from the centre of the table — and the rules are theirs alone.

The Dealer's Hand is a gripping descent into vice, power, and consequence — where justice isn't just blind, it's blindfolded and bought in chips.

Everyone's holding something. But only one walks away with the pot.