THRILLS & CHILLS
The Call (A&U), a deft and accomplished debut novel from NZ screenwriter Gavin Strawhan, has an eye to current issues and a magnetic detective lead. DSS Hana Westerman is back in Return to Blood (S&S), Michael Bennett's confident sequel to the bestselling Better the Blood, which welcomes new characters and has an unexpected ending. In JP Pomare's 17 Years Later (Hachette), out on July 31, a prison psychologist and true-crime podcaster try to find out who really killed the wealthy Primrose family. How far do you go to save your family is canvassed in Home Truths (A&U) by Kiwi Charity Norman, out on July 30, which features former probation officer Livia Denby, who is on trial for attempted murder. Everybody Knows (Faber) by Jordan Harper is a top-notch thriller that journeys into the sordid, moneyed world of Hollywood and its fixers after an apparently random killing of a PR boss. Don Winslow's City in Ruins (HarperCollins), a fitting swansong to his Danny Ryan trilogy and probably his writing career, is an ambitious tale that weaves together a clutch of storylines. In Devil's Kitchen (Bantam), Candice Fox has conjured an action-packed tale of a female undercover agent infiltrating a deadly gang of New York firefighters and thieves. James Lee Burke's Clete (Orion) brings Clete Purcel, sidekick to Burke's Cajun investigator Dave Robicheaux, to centre stage in a gripping story of dogged sleuthing. You Like It Darker (Hachette) is a first-rate compilation of short stories from master of horror Stephen King, some new and some older but uncollected.
SUNDAY AFTERNOON READS
This story is from the July 6-12 2024 edition of New Zealand Listener.
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This story is from the July 6-12 2024 edition of New Zealand Listener.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Ewes know it
'It has been my life's work,\" I announced grandly and quite possibly pompously the other day to Greg, no other audience being available, \"to advocate for the advancement of sheep.\" He pointed out that this was patently untrue. If it was true, he said annoyingly, although quite possibly reasonably, I'd have started my life's work a bit earlier, given that I had taken up this selfless work only seven years ago, the length of time we have been at Lush Places.
A moral panic
America's top doctor wants smoking-style warning labels for social media platforms.
Give and take
We're likely to reciprocate if someone's nice to us unexpectedly.
Culture club
Whether you make yoghurt at home with your own starter or buy a commercial brand, the health benefits remain roughly the same.
Now for the news
How will Stuff's take on broadcast news match up to its polished predecessor?
Time to rewind
A leaner NZ International Film Festival programme still offers promising local debuts and some art cinema classics.
Come dancing
Albums from Anna Coddington and Peggy Gou are smart and sassy. Bonny Light Horseman leans on heartache.
Calling on the muse
Kiwi journalist Garth Cartwright recalls his audience with the late Françoise Hardy in Paris.
Artist of high standing
Waiheke Island sculptor Anton Forde talks about creating the largest contemporary pou installation of his career.
'You were salvation'
A repurposed supply vessel provides a lifeline to migrants who risk their lives to cross the Mediterranean in a desperate bid for a new life.
