Heart of the Hunter by Deon Meyer is a suspense thriller. Suspense because it's packed with twists and turns and you're not sure who's showing their true colors and who's not what they seem. Thriller because it's non-stop action. 
 Mpayipheli, despite his past, is the character I rooted for. Despite his past, he is the hero. But because of his past, he is not just delivering a package, he is being ruthlessly hunted. 
 When I first started reading Heart of the Hunter, I had difficulty with the names. A great many of them are names that I didn't know how to pronounce: "Mpayipheli" for one. But once I assigned them names in my head (for Mpayipheli, I dropped the M), I got into the story, even though I have no idea if that's the way it is correctly pronounced. 
 As a reader, you are primarily in Mpayipheli's head, which is a very interesting place to be since he is quite fascinating. I started reading to learn more about him and to find out if he would get the package where it needed to be in time to save his friend. I kept reading to find out if he would survive the trip when he is being hunted via land and air. I finished it to find out if Mpayipheli would revert to the man he used to be or grow into the man whom the woman who loves him believes him to be. 
 There is nothing ordinary about this man or the trip he takes. 
 I give Heart of the Hunter by Deon Meyer a rating of Hel-of-a-Protagonist.