**The Bloodline Code** is the first book in *Bloodlines of Power*, a gripping South African political thriller series that explores inheritance, identity, and the fight to dismantle systems built on secrecy. When investigative journalist **Zara Mokoena** receives an encrypted ledger tied to the Brandt family's mining empire, she knows it's a story that could topple political dynasties. The key to unlocking its secrets lies with **Lucas Brandt** - estranged heir to a fortune built on corruption, and the only one who truly understands how deep the rot goes. Following the sudden death of his father, **Anton Brandt**, Lucas is drawn back into a world he tried to escape - boardrooms where decisions topple governments, networks of influence stretching from Sandton to the Limpopo border, and the private deals that keep them intact. Standing against him are those who have most to lose: **Helena Brandt**, a matriarch with an iron grip on the family legacy; **Darren Katz**, a calculating strategist who runs Katz Distribution; and powerful allies in the shadows, including the newly appointed ethics advisor to the Brandt Foundation, **Dr. Naledi Langa**. Working alongside Zara, Lucas must decide whether exposing the truth is worth destroying what remains of his family - and himself. Detective **Sipho Mahlangu** and editor **Banele "Ben" Radebe** become reluctant allies, while whistleblower **Grace Mdluli** and Zara's brother, **Victor Mokoena**, risk their lives to bring buried crimes to light. Every revelation pushes Lucas closer to a final choice: sever ties with the Brandt empire or inherit its power, knowing it will cost him everything. Gripping, intelligent, and steeped in the moral ambiguities of post-apartheid South Africa, *The Bloodline Code* blends noir-inflected prose with a thriller's relentless pace. Perfect for readers of John le Carré, Greg Iles, and Deon Meyer, it launches the *Bloodlines of Power* series - a saga of betrayal, ambition, and the dangerous pursuit of truth in a nation still reckoning with its past.