Evocative, page-turning novels.
Words — Karen McMillan, bestselling author
karenm.co.nz | nzbooklovers.co.nz
RITA VEGAS
Patricia Donovan Rita
Vegas is the central character in this page-turning novel that explores two murders five years apart. Rita is at the Serenity Centre in Cambodia when a body is discovered. She finds herself thinking of the dead body in Wellington from five years ago as she investigates this new case, convinced it’s not suicide, but something more sinister. An elegantly written novel full of intrigue.
Mary Egan Publishing, RRP $35
MISS BUMBY’S MISSION
JM Laird
This charming novel celebrates the life of Mary Bumby, who became New Zealand’s first beekeeper. In 1838, Mary travelled with her brother John from England. He focused on missionary work, and her job was to be his housekeeper. The reader follows her life as she forges a new life in a new land. The perfect blend of historical fact, compelling characters and plot.
Northern Bee Books, RRP $35
THE YEAR I TURNED THIRTY
Nikki Addison
This debut novel sees three friends living in New Zealand take an impulsive trip to America as they are about to turn thirty. Leaving their regular lives for three months, they journey across eleven states, and as they do, they take stock of their lives, emerging as stronger women by the end of the novel. A highly enjoyable road trip tale.
Kōtare Press, RRP $38
STRENGTH OF OLD SHALE
Kirsty Powell
Kirsty Powell won the NZ Booklovers Fiction Award for her first novel, and her new novel is just as brilliant. When the bones of a mother and her child, wrapped in a Shetland lace shawl, are dug up from a forgotten graveyard, two worlds collide – Ariel in the modern day, Isbell in 1861. Locations include Whangamōmona, Dunedin and the New Zealand goldfields, and the plot and characters will captivate.
Cloud Ink Press, RRP $35
