Their former boss at the Serious and Violent Crimes Unit, Mbali Kaleni, manages to lessen their punishment after confronting General Mandala Khaba.

[1] While on leave, Warrant Officers Griesel and Cupido receive several mysterious notes from an unknown source, revealing pictures of General Khaba, a provincial commander, who holds a confiscated illegal weapon, specifically an S & W 500 revolver.

Captain Rowan Geneke gives them their first assignment, which is a missing persons case for a college student named Calvyn “Callie” Wilhelm de Bruin.

[1][4] They conduct a serious investigation, checking license plates, interviewing tenants of his dorm, viewing security footage, and putting out inquiries.

She pursues several leads to sell the property, but ultimately finds success through Mareli Volster, a lawyer representing a wealthy client.

Next door, she sees Callie de Bruin and anonymously tips the police off, holding civic duty over personal preservation.

Boonstra's lawyer, Meinhardt Sarazin, tries to inhibit the investigation while his wife, Lettie, helps Sandra, who she saw commit the crime on camera.

The man in the hoodie was a gang member who stole the computer hard drive to prevent Callie's data-bomb reveal of the conspiracy, which would have happened regardless.

This includes usage of the Afrikaans words to best convey the setting and culture [6] The novel is broken into two main perspectives, with the omniscient narrator divulging events with Sandra Steenberg and the detective duo Griessel and Cupido.

[7] A wide selection of criminal activities, such as theft, cybercrime, and corruption of the state & police are included in The Dark Flood.

[4][9] Meyer's portrayal of police officers and their investigation techniques in The Dark Flood and his other novels is described as “outstanding,” characteristic of that genre.

[11] State corruption has produced crashes in local real-estate markets, in reference to Sandra Steenberg's financial troubles and is the reason for Griessel and Cupido's demotion.

"[citation needed] State capture was prevalent under the Jacob Zuma administration in South Africa and remains a problem in the modern day.

[editorializing] Milo April had learned, as Callie de Bruin did, that police corruption had resulted in officers selling confiscated weapons to gangs.

[6] The financial crisis in Stellenbosch is akin to the scandal of Steinhoff International by Markus Jooste, whose fraud pocketed people's retirement funds.

[15] The transition into democracy forced these issues into the limelight, especially when crime statistics were posted representing all groups, but sexual harassment and rape have been receiving a growing cyber presence in recent years.

High levels of rape are reported that have generally remained unchanged over the years according to official statistics released by the SAPS.

His unpleasant disposition and his attempt to evade Warrant Officers Cupido and Griessel is partially due to his race and the unfair treatment and prejudice against minorities in the South African society and the justice system.

[citation needed] In a post-apartheid world, whites in South Africa disapprove apartheid while perpetuating internalized superiority against colored people.

[citation needed] Disproportionately, alcoholism affects police officers compared to the rest of the population, with the stress and trauma of the job along with the social aspect of drinking being contributing factors.

Times UK notes that Meyer roots his novels on the socio-political issues of the day and there is no shortage of critique against South African politics, to the point that it is considered “biting.” [4] Despite the serious issues that are brought up, The Dark Flood is still considered humorous by many and delves into personal conflicts and relationships between characters at the same time of the investigations to create a satisfying novel.

[3][5] Meyer's short chapters and frequent uses of nicknames and Afrikaans words interrupt the flow of reading make some lose focus of the general plot.