Category Archives: Book Review

Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent – 2023

Posted on March 15, 2023 by alysonebaker

Sally Diamond lives on the outskirts of the village of Carricksheedy, Ireland. Peter Geary is living in Rotorua, Aotearoa New Zealand. Sally is in her 40s, she has been living with her father since her mother died when Sally was … Continue reading →

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A Respectable Veneer by Rachel Doré – 2023

Posted on March 11, 2023 by alysonebaker

“When she and Edie had stepped out of the railway station, she’d stepped into a different country. Palmerston North seemed an innocent, shallow place.” Ruby has fled Auckland with her ten-year-old daughter, hoping to start afresh. But with little money … Continue reading →

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Expectant by Vanda Symon – 2023

Posted on March 2, 2023 by alysonebaker

When an atrocious murder of a pregnant woman is committed in Dunedin, Detective Sam Shephard’s boss wants her off the investigation – he doesn’t believe “because of your own advanced state of pregnancy, that you would be able to remain … Continue reading →

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Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton – 2023

Posted on February 24, 2023 by alysonebaker

Birnam Wood starts with mellifluous prose revealing the motivations, attitudes, and self-doubts of three characters who started the gardening co-op that gives the novel its name. Birnam Wood was Mira Bunting’s idea, using unused land to grow vegetables, sometimes without … Continue reading →

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Mrs Jewell and the Wreck of the General Grant by Cristina Sanders – 2022

Posted on February 11, 2023 by alysonebaker

The General Grant was sailing to Britain from Melbourne in 1866, carrying a large quantity of gold, and miners who had had enough of the fields. Among them was a young newly married couple: Joseph from the gold fields, working … Continue reading →

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Paper Cage by Tom Baragwanath – 2022

Posted on January 31, 2023 by alysonebaker

Lorraine Henry is living in Masterton with a dicky hip and the memories she shared with her husband Frank, a cop who died through misadventure on the job. She works as a file clerk at the local police station, and … Continue reading →

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In Her Blood by Nikki Crutchley – 2022

Posted on December 21, 2022 by alysonebaker

Hotels are great thriller/mystery/horror settings – lots of corridors with lots of rooms, lots of creaky staircases, lots of people passing through over many years leaving stories and ghosts, and lots of places to hide bodies! In Her Blood uses … Continue reading →

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The Axeman’s Carnival by Catherine Chidgey – 2022

Posted on November 23, 2022 by alysonebaker

Set on a remote Central Otago sheep station, The Axeman’s Carnival is a dark tale of violence and cruelty. The story unfolds in a menacing way – with the reader knowing bad things are coming and wishing they could get … Continue reading →

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The Doctor’s Wife by Fiona Sussman – 2022

Posted on November 15, 2022 by alysonebaker

Tibbie, Carmen, and Austin have been friends for years. Tibbie and Austin partnered up, and when Carmen married Stan, he eventually blended into the group. Then Carmen and Stan had twin boys, who Austin and Tibbie dote on. The four … Continue reading →

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The Pain Tourist by Paul Cleave – 2022

Posted on November 4, 2022 by alysonebaker

A small mistake leads to two people lying dead and their eleven-year-old son in a coma. The investigation eventually dwindles with the only suspect having a strong alibi, one provided by the cops who were arresting him the other end … Continue reading →

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