Tag: nz crime fiction
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A Phenomenally Tense Thriller in Zoe Rankin’s The Vanishing Place
New Zealand crime thriller fiction is a genre that is alive and well, unlike some of the characters in the many stories at our fingertips, and I can think of no better example of such literary brilliance as Zoe Rankin’s The Vanishing Place. To think she is only a debut author with this exceptional novel…
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A Touching Exploration of Identity in Jeffrey Buchanan’s The Birds Began to Sing
Jeffrey Buchanan’s Gifkins Award-winning novel, The Birds Began to Sing, is precious, tender, and sombre. Exploring many queer themes like homosexuality, transexuality, internalised homophobia, identity, and living in a world where homosexuality is a crime, this novel is full of many heartfelt moments, revelations, and complexities that make it not only a standout novel, but…
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Michael Bennet’s Carved in Blood is An Addictive 5 Star Read
The Hana Westerman Thriller series continues to deliver and Carved in Blood may just be my favourite! Following the stellar beginnings in Better the Blood and the tense action of Return to Blood, Carved in Blood goes for the jugular and presents a compelling, addictive, engrossing read that you will not be able to let…
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More Delicious Mysteries in Gareth and Louise Ward’s The Bookshop Detectives: Tea and Cake and Death
Gareth and Louise Ward are back with another witty, exciting, tense read. The Bookshop Detectives: Tea and Cake and Death is just as enjoyable as their first novel, The Bookshop Detectives: Dead Girl Gone, only this time the novel contains more delectable treats and dangerous poisons than before. When we opened Sherlock Tomes people warned…
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DI Nyree Bradshaw is Back in Catherine Lea’s Better Left Dead
New Zealand crime fiction is really scratching an itch of mine at the moment, and Catherine Lea’s Better Left Dead does a fantastic job at it. With heavy subject matters, complex characters, challenging conflicts and an action-packed plot that will hook you in for the ride, it is such an easy read to get through…
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Maori Crime Fiction Returns in Michael Bennett’s Return to Blood
Return to Blood by Michael Bennett proves that Better the Blood was no fluke, and it may have set the Hana Westerman thriller series as a favourite of mine among crime thrillers, not only as a New Zealand read, but on an international scale. There is something so engrossing and sharp in these stories that…
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My New Zealand Book Recs
What better way to wrap up my New Zealand book discussions than with a book recommendations list. Unfortunately, I can not add every novel, short story, poem, or collection written by a New Zealander to this list as there would be far to many to note. Instead, I have listed the ones I have read…
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Before You Knew My Name by Jacquiline Bublitz – A Unique Twist on the Whodunit?
Jacquiline Bublitz’s debut novel, Before You Knew My Name, has been on my tbr for years. Praised for its unique reinterpretation of the whodunit crime novel, Before You Knew My Name tells the story of the life of the deceased and the lead up to her death, introducing the reader to the life of the…
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New Zealand Authors and Their Accomplishments
Aotearoa New Zealand maybe a small nation, but we are not short of incredible literary powerhouses and role models. In this post, I will introduce you to some (there are so many that I am struggling to choose who to mention). Knowing that, I hope you do some of your own research into New Zealand…
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Michael Bennett’s Better the Blood is an Addictive, Intense Read
Better the Blood has been on my radar for a while now, and finally, after months – probably a year at this point – I have finally picked it up. The first thing I need to say is this: I am sorry Michael Bennett, for taking this long to read your immersive, incredible, and inspirational…
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