Longlisted for the CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger.

Siphiwe, a nineteen-year-old orphan, is haunted by memories of the senseless death of his elder brother. When a woman selling mangoes is stabbed on the street in front of him, Siphiwe rushes to her aid, desperate to stop history repeating itself, but in doing so unwittingly crosses the paths of two very dangerous men set on revenge and betrayal.

As the violence on the streets intensifies, and the danger to those he loves most increases, Siphiwe soon has no choice but to seek help amongst criminals and police alike.

Prizes

Long-listed for CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger for First Novels 2013 (UK),Long-listed for Waverton Good Read Award 2014 (UK)

Terrific...The city’s vibrant, exciting, dangerous atmosphere is superbly portrayed -- Marcel Berlins * The Times *
Johannesburg is fertile ground for a crime writer… Strong and vivid, City of Blood is the coming-of-age story of both Siphiwe and the slightly older Progress… There is plenty of action, but also, amid the chaos and carnage, a sense of redemption * Guardian *
Explosive and emotional, a journey to the dark side you won't forget -- Dreda Say Mitchell
Shows how a simple act of kindness can have catastrophic consequences... Villiers gives an urgent desperation to the mounting danger as her tale heads towards its grand-scale showdown * Metro *
MD. Villiers' remarkable debut novel is a coming-of-age story, fast-moving, thrilling and thought-provoking. Her plot is well-developed, her prose lively, occasionally lyrical but always clear and direct...[she] writes a mean action scene. Her characters too, are a joy * CrimeTime *
A quite stunning first novel... weaving together of so many scams, double-crosses, crimes and betrayals committed by a large and fluid cast of characters, that at times I thought Elmore Leonard was directing the plot. It is that good..a superior piece of work -- Mike Ripley * Shots Mag *
Set in the dangerous and violent streets of Johannesburg. A debut with a stunning evocation of place and an original, engaging hero. Fast-moving and vivid, this thought-provoking thriller is a story of coming of age, revenge and redemption -- CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger judges
A human drama in which the crime element sits alongside a coming-of-age story and an exploration of what life’s like for those at the bottom of the pile in the city * CrimeFictionLover *

MD Villiers was born in Johannesburg and studied psychology at the University of Pretoria. Her passion for the country she grew up in provides her with a backdrop for her fiction in which she explores life in a country always on the brink of change.She was shortlisted for the CWA Debut Dagger for unpublished writers in 2007 and is now based in London, but often visits South Africa, where her family still lives.

City of Blood is her debut novel.