Read an excerpt from Jackie Phamotse’s new novel The Advocate – a tale of power, corruption and the impossible choices love demands
More about the book!

Penguin Random House has shared an excerpt from Jackie Phamotse’s new novel The Advocate – the gripping follow-up to the The Tea Merchant!

Secrets, lies and betrayals ignite as the Coal dynasty teeters on the edge of collapse.

With enemies tightening their grip and family loyalties pushed to breaking point, one advocate must fight for justice before everything crumbles …

About the book

How far can you distance yourself from your enemy without losing sight of the threat they pose – or without becoming an enemy yourself?

In the shadow of a flawless facade, the Coal family’s dynasty teeters on the brink of collapse. Luna Parks’ marriage balances on a powder keg of secrets and lies, and results in the presence of an unwelcome guest on the Coal farm, which is the spark that sets it ablaze.

With the Fletchers’ sinister grip tightening on the town of Clanwilliam, the advocate emerges as the last line of defence against the forces of destruction, and Cameron Coal is forced to confront an impossible choice: will love be the salvation or the downfall of the rooibos farm, a legacy forged in blood and sweat? And will Luna’s devotion be enough to bring the family together? With every twist and turn, the stakes get higher, and the truth threatens to rip everyone apart.

Against the backdrop of South Africa’s tumultuous rural landscape, this gripping tale exposes the intricate dance between power, corruption and the human condition. Can the advocate untangle the web of deceit, or will the pursuit of justice and truth be sacrificed at the altar of money and influence?

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Rean an excerpt:

Prologue

If the ocean could speak, the waves would scream louder.

In the darkness of the night, only two remained facing the churning, wild water. This should never have happened – it could have been someone else, but it was him.
His hand stuck out slightly above the water, too far to see and too cold to stay under. He was trying to reach out, to seek help. All he could think about were his girls. His life was not supposed to end like this; he could feel his soul leaving his almost frozen body. Flashbacks to all the years he had spent in these waters that were now claiming his last breath. So many years spent out here; surely, he could still save himself? But he couldn’t fight any longer; something was dragging him down …

With every scream, the icy water pulled him down further. His toes were turning blue and his body sinking like a heavy trunk.

There she was, just staring right back at him.

Her eyes searched around for a moment and the touch of the screaming child brought her back.

‘I can hear it. The waters. It’s dark! He is in there!’ the little girl called out, her voice breaking with every word.

Yet, she stayed silent.

‘Please!’ The little girl tried pulling the woman closer to the water.

‘Hush!’ the woman said harshly.

They watched him being swallowed, the ocean unsympathetic and rough; the night had come to take what it was owed. The darkness hovered over them like a thick blanket. The little girl was in a panic, tortured by the echoes of the waves and the wind. She had never felt like this before; she was an unwelcome visitor. Death was roaming around her. Mia called out for her father, not knowing where he was. Desperate pleas as she screamed from her belly. Screams that could tear down mountains. She wanted to see his face, but that hope was taken by the firm hand of the one who stood beside her, motionless.

Hands stretched out into the wind. Her body trembling with fear. The overwhelming feeling of terror. Mia couldn’t feel his hot breath anymore. All she could hear was his voice in the distance, slowly fading with the waves. She knew Luna was right there, but she was saying nothing. Mia begged her, but the woman didn’t move. The sand was covering Mia’s feet, pulling her back. She wanted to run to him, but she didn’t know where to go. She fell onto the sand and tried searching for direction with her hands, but it was like searching for sugar among broken glass.

The waves were now a violent roar. Her father was being consumed by them, turning into a mannequin. It was as if time had stopped, waves eating at her from all sides; she, too, could be taken by them. She had no thoughts other than the deep desire to save him. Yet his dear wife just looked on.

‘Help him!’ she cried out. ‘Why don’t you help him? Find him, Miss Parks!’

But the woman did nothing. It was as if she was waiting for his demise. She stood there as if she were watching the sunset and not her drowning husband.

‘Please! Please help him!’

Cam had called for her, but his pleas went unanswered. His last breath was captured by the waves as they took all that he was. The ocean wanted him, to consume him, to pull him under.

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