Author Archives: alysonebaker

The Imaginary Lives of James Pōneke by Tina Makereti – 2018

Posted on September 22, 2018

“Wanderer, freak, sailor, philosopher, Native boy in English costume, English boy in native costume. Exhibitionist, lover, clown, Maori boy, Man of the world.” – Hemi (James) Pōneke is recuperating in a house in Victorian London – and recording his story … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Review, Historical | 1 Comment

Death Actually by Rosy Fenwicke – 2018

Posted on September 20, 2018

Maggie Potter is an independent funeral director in picturesque tourist village Queenstown.  Her life is not what she had dreamed for herself, but she does have her son, her recently-returned-from-the-UK daughter, and her firm circle of female friends.  But when … Continue reading →

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Eye of the Songbird by Michael Munro – 2018

Posted on August 25, 2018

Sadie Rosenberg is hanging down a crevasse in Antarctica, refusing to cut free her friend Bill who is hanging beneath her, making it impossible for another friend, Sean Tomasin, to haul her to safety.  Sadie and Sean, and a large … Continue reading →

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The Floating Basin by Carolyn Hawes – 2016

Posted on August 16, 2018

WELCOME TO MY SECOND POST IN THE NGAIO MARSH AWARDS BLOG TOUR 2018 A man’s body is discovered in the floating basin; a murky tidal estuary on the West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island. Ru Clements, a local detective, … Continue reading →

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The Quaker by Liam McIlvanney – 2018

Posted on August 12, 2018

‘The Quaker’ is the nickname given to a serial killer who has taken three female lives, ruined families, stymied the police, and terrorised a city.  The city in question is the “disintegrating city” of Glasgow in the late 1960s, and … Continue reading →

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All Our Secrets by Jennifer Lane – 2017

Posted on August 9, 2018

WELCOME TO THE NGAIO MARSH AWARDS BLOG TOUR 2018 All was going pretty OK in the small town of Coongahoola, NSW, but then Gracie’s Dad moved out, the Believers arrived, and one by one the River Children started disappearing. Coongahoola … Continue reading →

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Overkill by Vanda Symon – 2018 (originally published 2007)

Posted on August 4, 2018

I had read a few of Vanda Symon’s Sam Shephard novels, but not the first.  So, when Overkill was re-published this year for the European market I read it – and I am so glad I did – it is … Continue reading →

Posted in #yeahnoir, Book Review | 1 Comment