Smith's Dream


C.K. Stead - 1971
    In a right-wing coup one man, Volkner, has seized power in New Zealand and is using army and special police to maintain his government. Smith's Dream forces us to imagine such a situation and to ask ourselves: Where would you stand? How far would you go?

The Antipodeans


Greg McGee - 2015
    From Venice to the South Island of New Zealand, from the assassination of a Gestapo commander in WWII to contemporary real estate shenanigans in Auckland, from political assassination in the darkest days of the Red Brigade to the vaulting cosmology of particle physics, The Antipodeans is a novel of epic proportions where families from the opposite ends of the earth discover an intergenerational legacy of love, blood and betrayal.

True Red


Tuhoe 'Bruno' Isaac - 2007
    "Because all levels of society hated us we created a new society of hatred symbolised by the bulldog. Its ferocious habits were engraved on our hearts," Tuhoe says, "If you weren't a mobster you weren't worth knowing." He lived this way for 17 years.However, constantly living for the bash, beer, prison and the possibility of dying in a pool of blood eventually saw Tuhoe search for another way of doing life. Leaving the Mob was hard. Not only did he face the rejection of his own and the fierce judgemental prejudices of mainstream society, but with the awakening of his conscience came the realisation of a past filled with inflicting pain on others besides himself, and of a life devoid of any sense of love or hope. This led him down a path of confession, forgiveness and reconciliation.True Red is the essential biography of one man's fascinating journey from the realm of darkness into the world of light.

Mutuwhenua: The Moon Sleeps


Patricia Grace - 1978
    It is focused on the effort of Ripeka/Linda to find identity as well as love, as increasingly she commits herself to her Maori being, family and name.

Auē


Becky Manawatu - 2019
    Auē can be heard in the sound of the sea he loves and hates, and in the music he draws out of the guitar that was his father’s. It spills out of the gang violence that killed his father and sent his mother into hiding, and the shame he feels about abandoning his eight-year-old brother to a violent home.But Ārama is braver than he looks, and he has a friend and his friend has a dog, and the three of them together might just be strong enough to turn back the tide of sorrow. As long as there’s aroha to give and stories to tell and a good supply of plasters.Here is a novel that is both raw and sublime, a compelling new voice in New Zealand fiction. Haere mai, Becky Manawatu.

The Nature of Ash


Mandy Hager - 2012
    But life takes a devastating turn when two police officers knock on his door. Their news forces him to return home and impels him into a shady world of political intrigue, corruption, terrorism and lies ...so many lies. As if this isn't bad enough, the whole country is imploding. While trying to protect his brother, and strangers Travis and Jiao, Ash's fight to uncover the truth turns into a nightmare race to save their lives. The Nature of Ash is a fast-paced thriller that explores love and loss assumptions and prejudices, truth and fiction, and the many faces of 'family'.

Dead People I Have Known


Shayne Carter - 2019
    He traces an intimate history of the Dunedin Sound—that distinctive jangly indie sound that emerged in the seventies, heavily influenced by punk—and the record label Flying Nun.As well as the pop culture of the seventies, eighties and nineties, Carter writes candidly of the bleak and violent aspects of Dunedin, the city where he grew up and would later return. His childhood was shaped by violence and addiction, as well as love and music. Alongside the fellow musicians, friends and family who appear so vividly here, this book is peopled by neighbours, kids at school, people on the street, and the other passing characters who have stayed on in his memory.We also learn of the other major force in Carter’s life: sport. Harness racing, wrestling, basketball and football have provided him with a similar solace, even escape, as music.Dead People I Have Known is a frank, moving, often incredibly funny autobiography; the story of making a life as a musician over the last forty years in New Zealand, and a work of art in its own right.

The Fallen


Ben Sanders - 2010
    As he investigates the murder of a 16-year-old Epsom 'princess' in his day job, his after-hours efforts have him stumbling into the aftermath of a scam involving senior colleagues, and he is soon enmeshed in an escalating cycle of kidnapping, murder and violent mayhem. With his unconventional ex-colleague-turned-security-specialist John Hale, Devereaux slowly begins to unravel the truth as the body count climbs and the stakes become personal. As an outwardly terse, street-savvy operator, Sean Devereaux emerges as an engaging and irreverent hero, becoming the catalyst for an absorbing, strangely uneasy murder mystery, set in unnervingly familiar surroundings. A superb blend of international standard crime-writing with a strong local ambience that lures you in and delivers a strong and emotionally satisfying read. Ben Sanders, who lives on Auckland's North Shore, has been a keen writer since his early teens. His sophisticated and edgy style signals the emergence of a major new writing talent.

In a Fishbone Church


Catherine Chidgey - 1998
    But Clifford's words have too much life in them to be ignored, and start to permeate his family's world. This book tells the story of three generations of the Stilton family.

Aphrodite’s Smile


Stuart Harrison - 2004
    Gradually it seems possible that there is a link between an ancient treasure that Robert's father spent many years searching for and the tragic events surrounding Alex's grandmother during the Second World War.But the beautiful tranquillity of the island is deceptive. Suddenly Alex vanishes, and Robert is embroiled in a desperate search, for the woman and for the solution that had evaded his father. To find the truth he must come to understand his own past and learn to face the troubled relationships that have dominated his life.Atmospheric, tense and compelling, this blend of classical myth with ancient and recent history creates a memorable and thrilling novel.

Oracles and Miracles


Stevan Eldred-Grigg - 1988
    This colourful story focuses on the relationship between the girls as they grow into women and their attempt to escape their impoverished background.The story is alternatively narrated by the eloquent Fag and the sensitive Ginnie, as well sections told by an historian and industrial psychologist.

Moonlight Sonata


Eileen Merriman - 2019
    Molly is dreading having to spend time with her mother, but she is pleased her son will see his cousins and is looking forward to catching up with her brothers . . . Joe in particular.Under the summer sun, family tensions intensify, relationships become heightened and Molly and Joe will not be the only ones with secrets that must be kept hidden.'No one must ever know.'

Nothing Bad Happens Here (Miller Hatcher #1)


Nikki Crutchley - 2017
    Her last thoughts were of her mother. Would she finally care, when one day they found her body, and a policeman came knocking at her door?'The body of missing tourist Bethany Haliwell is found in the small Coromandel town of Castle Bay, where nothing bad ever happens. News crews and journalists from all over the country descend on the small seaside town as old secrets are dragged up and gossip is taken as gospel.Among them is Miller Hatcher, a journalist battling her own demons, who arrives intent on gaining a promotion by covering the grisly murder. Following an anonymous tip, Miller begins to unravel the mystery of the small town. And when another woman goes missing, Miller finds herself getting closer to the truth. But at what cost?

Gangland: New Zealand's Underworld of Organised Crime


Jared Savage - 2021
    Organised crime is about making money. It's a business. But over the past 20 years, the dealers have graduated from motorcycle gangs to Asian crime syndicates and now the most dangerous drug lords in the world - the Mexican cartels.In Gangland, award-winning investigative reporter Jared Savage shines a light into New Zealand's rising underworld of organised crime and violent gangs.The brutal execution of a husband-and-wife; the undercover cop who infiltrated a casino VIP lounge; the midnight fishing trip which led to the country's biggest cocaine bust; the gangster who shot his best friend in a motorcycle shop: these stories go behind the headlines and open the door to an invisible world - a world where millions of dollars are made, life is cheap, and allegiances change like the flick of a switch.

Flight of the Fantail


Steph Matuku - 2018
    Only a few of the teenagers survive; they find their phones don’t work, there’s no food, and they’ve only got their wits to keep them alive. There’s also something strange happening here. Why are the teenagers having nosebleeds and behaving erratically, and why is the rescue effort slow to arrive? To make it out, they have to discover what’s really going on and who or what is behind it all.