Category Archives: #yeahnoir

Notorious by Olivia Hayfield – 2022

Posted on May 21, 2022 by alysonebaker

Should Emma Snow persist with Rowan Bosworth, a dark and troubled Heathcliff, living a reclusive life on the Yorkshire moors? Or should she stay with Henry Theodore, a clean-cut Bingley, “a fully signed up member of the rich and powerful”. … Continue reading →

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Waking the Tiger by Mark Wightman – 2021

Posted on May 14, 2022 by alysonebaker

Set in hot and humid Singapore in the 1930s, Waking the tiger is a murder mystery that stalks around the colonialism and rising fascism of the era, and it also introduces a great new fictional detective: Inspector Maximo Betancourt. Betancourt … Continue reading →

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Polaroid Nights by Lizzie Harwood – 2021

Posted on May 10, 2022 by alysonebaker

The Auckland hospo scene in the mid 1990’s – late nights in smoke-clogged cocktail bars after shifts are done, drinking high-end high-alcohol drinks, trying to save enough tips from the night’s work to pay the rent. Betty Asphalt often fails … Continue reading →

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The Darkest Sin by D.V. Bishop – 2022

Posted on May 8, 2022 by alysonebaker

“After all, how much trouble could a convent full of nuns be?” Cesare Aldo, an officer of Florence’s criminal court, is at first dismissive in his approach to the women of Santa Maria Magdalena. However, he soon realises they are … Continue reading →

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Remember Me by Charity Norman – 2022

Posted on April 24, 2022 by alysonebaker

Emily Kirkland never felt close to her father, Dr Felix Kirkland. So, when his neighbour calls her from Aotearoa to say her father is struggling on his own and can she return to help, she thinks it would be “easier … Continue reading →

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Exit .45 by Ben Sanders – 2022

Posted on April 21, 2022 by alysonebaker

Marshall Grade is living in New York, passing his time solving really hard Jackson Pollock jigsaw puzzles, when an old buddy from his Brooklyn South, NYPD days, Ray Vialoux, asks to meet him. Ray is deep in gambling debt, and … Continue reading →

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Both Feet in Paradise by Andy Southall – 2021

Posted on April 7, 2022 by alysonebaker

A woman is waiting at Auckland International Airport for her parents to arrive. She thinks of them impatiently: “Dad off on his walks, and Mum busy with her cousins, her friends, her legions of family.” Adam is on an island … Continue reading →

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To Kill a Conman by Kevin Berry – 2021

Posted on April 3, 2022 by alysonebaker

Stuart Baker might not want to work for money, but he certainly puts his all into running his multiple cons. They range from extortion to giving less to beggars than he takes from them, and they cover every type of … Continue reading →

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The Final Call by Jen Shieff – 2021

Posted on April 1, 2022 by alysonebaker

Carmel is approaching her 40th birthday. She is noticing the odd wrinkle, and she occasionally feels unattractive. She is torn between her job at the Grand Palais – and her relationship with Rita, the madam – and the possibility of … Continue reading →

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A Good Winter by Gigi Fenster – 2021

Posted on March 29, 2022 by alysonebaker

It is a good winter for Olga, she has befriended Lara, and is spending most days helping her look after her daughter Sophie, and Sophie’s son Michael. Sophie is experiencing post-natal depression and finding it hard to care for her … Continue reading →

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