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.
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
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
First-world problem
Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.
Applying intelligence to AI
I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.
Nazism rears its head
Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.
Staying ahead of the game
Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?
Grasping the nettle
Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.
Hangry? Eat breakfast
People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.
Chemical reaction
Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.
Me and my guitar
Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.
Time is on my side
Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?
The kids are not alright
Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.
