Author Archives: alysonebaker

Kealaula by Kim Cope Tait – 2019

Posted on October 14, 2020

Kealaula lives in Vermont, her father calls her Chickadee, a bird with a plaintive call, “the saddest sound I knew” but also with a “trill that sounds like excitement spiralling up a spine.” Through this novel, Kealaula learns what that … Continue reading →

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The Girl in the Mirror by Rose Carlyle – 2020

Posted on September 21, 2020

For the love of money is the root of all evil, and the proviso on Ridge Carmichael’s will leads to all kinds of evil. The first of his children to bear a child will receive one hundred million dollars, and … Continue reading →

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The Tally Stick by Carl Nixon – 2020

Posted on September 13, 2020

It is the late 1970s New Zealand, a car goes off the road into the dense forest, slipping “between the trunks like a blade”, and plummeting into the river below. Rain takes all traces away. In the car is a … Continue reading →

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The Silence of Snow by Eileen Merriman – 2020

Posted on September 9, 2020

Jodi is a new doctor, working at Nelson Hospital, feeling out of her depth: “I keep worrying I’m going to kill someone.” But helping her out is handsome Rory, the anaesthetist with an appealing accent. Jodi’s controlling fiancé, Fraser, is … Continue reading →

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The Murder Club by Nikki Crutchley – 2020

Posted on September 5, 2020

Evil “doesn’t always lurk in city centres after dark. It mows your lawns, frequents your local pub, takes its kids to school and contributes to communities.” Journalist Miller Hatcher is back, back in small town New Zealand, where: “Any ambition … Continue reading →

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Over Your Shoulder by CJ Carver – 2020

Posted on August 18, 2020

“Things were so topsy-turvy I was beginning to wonder if anyone could be taken at face value anymore”, Nick Ashdown’s world has hurtled off the rails. He was watching TV with his wife, Susie, when they saw a news item … Continue reading →

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Sprigs by Brannavan Gnanalingam – 2020

Posted on August 10, 2020

Sprigs is a thoroughly effective, and thoroughly devastating, description of privileged white males in a society created by and for them. A society where they feel entitled and where the pressure on others to fit in creates compliance and, in … Continue reading →

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Clearing of the Mist by Owen Clough – 2020

Posted on July 31, 2020

Clearing of the mist is the third part of Clough’s Whispers of the past trilogy. In the first part, best mates Bob, Shane, and Sam, get transported from 2014 to 1863 when they wander into a mist during a DOC pig-culling trip in … Continue reading →

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Fake Baby by Amy McDaid – 2020

Posted on July 11, 2020

“When you lived in the city it was strange to think that underneath you, under the immense stretch of hard tarseal and grey concrete, there lay dirt and rocks, vast networks of roots, indestructible creatures and ancient worms, and far … Continue reading →

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A Madness of Sunshine by Nalini Singh – 2019

Posted on April 15, 2020

Anahera returns to the West Coast town she escaped from eight years ago.  Her successful life in London has come crashing down, and she is hoping for some peace and quiet in Golden Cove, despite some bitter memories of the … Continue reading →

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