Review: PAPER CAGE, Tom Baragwanath

• 
  This edition an e-book from Borrowbox through my local library
  
• Published 30 August 2022, Text Publishing
• ISBN 9781922791023
• Extent 320pp 

 Synopsis (publisher)

Winner of the 2021 Michael Gifkins Prize, this thrilling debut unravels a series of mysterious child abductions in a small New Zealand town.

Masterton isn’t a big town. The community’s tight, if not always harmonious. So when a child goes missing it’s a big deal for everyone. And when a second kid disappears, the whole town’s holding their own children that little bit tighter.

Lorraine doesn’t have kids, but she has a nephew. She’s holding him a bit tighter, too, because she works for the police, and she knows they don’t have any idea.

Lo’s not a cop, she’s a records clerk. She sits out back among the piles of paper, making connections, remembering things. Working things out that the actual cops don’t want to hear about.

Until the new investigator, Hayes, arrives from Wellington, and realises Lo’s the only person there with answers to any of his questions. Which is just as well—because the clock is running down for the children of the town.

Both a nail-biting thriller and a beautifully written, acutely observed portrait of a community, Paper Cage is the prize-winning debut from young New Zealand novelist Tom Baragwanath.

My Take

Always difficult to write crime fiction set in your home town.  The community is concerned with the disappearance of three children and Lorraine knows the clock is ticking. 

Themes covered: low socio-economic effects, simmering race relations, gang-related violence and drug and alcohol-fuelled suburban culture. The abducted children are from fragmented families and haven't had the best start in life, but they are loved. Their families are bewildered by what has happened, and the police seem to think their abduction is the result of gang warfare. 

Sections of the story are narrated by different points of view, and the style and the language, particularly local idioms, were at times a challenge for the reader.

Lucky Thing by Tom Baragwanath (Text Publishing) is on the longlist for best novel 2026  Ngaio Marsh Awards.

My rating: 4.6

About the author

Tom Baragwanath is originally from Masterton, New Zealand, and now lives in Paris with his young family. His first novel, Paper Cage, was published by Text to international acclaim. 

Review: MAJOR BRICKET AND THE BODY IN THE BELL TOWER, Simon Brett

• 
  this edition from my local library
  
• published by Constable in 2026
• ISBN 978-1-40872-133-9
• 242 pages 

Synopsis (publisher) 

For Major Bricket, attending church in his village of Stunston Peveril in Suffolk is a good way to keep up with the village gossip. Having only recently retired from a career where he was privy to many international secrets, the Major likes to stay in the know.

Events take a turn one Sunday though when, after the morning service, Major Bricket notices the door to the bell tower open... and finds a body at the bottom of the stairs.

The dead man is dressed in a suit and dog collar. But who is he? And could someone in Stunston Peveril have killed him?

Perhaps predictably, most of the village residents seem more concerned with the Parish Council flower arranging rota than the mysterious corpse.

Major Bricket will have to rely on his long-nurtured detection skills, and his trusted friends Nga Luong and Rod, to solve the case.

My Take

Not quite so cozy as the first in the series: a little more violence occurs when Major Bricket is hunted down by an old Eastern European opponent. Bricket's partnership with local restaurant owner Nga Luong and teenager Rod Enright is developing nicely as are the local characters added into the story. This is a series you will need to read from the beginning. I am enjoying the quirky nature of the story.

My rating: 4.4

I've also read

BLOOD AT THE BOOKIES
THE POISONING IN THE PUB
4.4, THE SHOOTING IN THE SHOP
4.3, SO MUCH BLOOD
4.2, A DECENT INTERVAL
4.5, BONES UNDER THE BEACH HUT
4.2, GUNS IN THE GALLERY
4.6, THE CORPSE ON THE COURT
4.3, THE STRANGLING ON THE STAGE
4.2, THE CINDERELLA KILLER
4.5, THE TOMB IN TURKEY
4.4, CHARLES PARIS: MURDER UNPROMPTED
4.2, CHARLES PARIS: CORPORATE BODIES
4.4, THE KILLING IN THE CAFE
4.4, THE LIAR IN THE LIBRARY

Major Bricket series

• 4.4, MAJOR BRICKET AND THE CIRCUS CORPSE -#1 

Review: MAJOR BRICKET AND THE CIRCUS CORPSE, Simon Brett

• 
  this edition supplied by my local library
  
• published Constable 2025
• ISBN 978-1-40872-130-8
• 232 pages
• #1 Major Bricket Mystery

Synopsis (publisher) 

Introducing a new, but not-so-amateur, sleuth from another peaceful English village with an alarmingly high death rate! The first mystery in a new cosy series from one of the world's favourite crime writers - perfect for fans of Richard Osman, Janice Hallett, Robert Thorogood and M. C. Beaton.
_______________________

Meet Major Bricket, an infrequent resident of Highfield House in Stunston Peveril, Suffolk. In the past the Major's work assignments, frequently in foreign countries, have prevented him from spending much time there and a result, there is an air of mystery around him while everyone in the village speculates on the nature of his occupation.

But now the Major has retired and has come home for good in his open-topped little red sports car... and what a homecoming it is, for lying spreadeagled on his lawn in the summer sunshine is the corpse of a clown.

The circus is in Stunston Peveril for the annual village fair, yet none of their quota of clowns is missing - or at least, nobody is saying. Could the body be that of an unfortunate early guest at the village's highlight of the social calendar, the Fincham Abbey Costume Ball?

Fortunately Major Bricket's past clandestine career means that he is now very well placed to solve the mystery of the dead clown on his camomile lawn . . . 

My Take

The beginning of a new series of cozies, with a couple of characters who have had a history in espionage, but are now apparently retired. As always with Simon Brett: interesting characters, and mysteries that are sufficiently engaging without being over the top or too noir, plus slightly quirky humour.

Not as good in my books as the Fethering Mysteries, but it is early days yet. 

My rating: 4.4

BLOOD AT THE BOOKIES
THE POISONING IN THE PUB
4.4, THE SHOOTING IN THE SHOP
4.3, SO MUCH BLOOD
4.2, A DECENT INTERVAL
4.5, BONES UNDER THE BEACH HUT
4.2, GUNS IN THE GALLERY
4.6, THE CORPSE ON THE COURT
4.3, THE STRANGLING ON THE STAGE
4.2, THE CINDERELLA KILLER
4.5, THE TOMB IN TURKEY
4.4, CHARLES PARIS: MURDER UNPROMPTED
4.2, CHARLES PARIS: CORPORATE BODIES
4.4, THE KILLING IN THE CAFE
4.4, THE LIAR IN THE LIBRARY 

Review: EVIL IN HIGH PLACES, Rory Clements

• 
  This edition read as an e-book on BorrowBox through my local library 
  
• Published: 25 November 2025, by Viking Fiction
• ISBN: 9780241728178
•  Pages: 416  

Synopsis (Publisher)

THE CLOSER YOU GET, THE FURTHER YOU HAVE TO FALL.

Munich, 1936. All eyes are on the Bavarian capital for the upcoming Olympic games. As athletes fight for gold and the Nazis fight for power, Detective Sebastian Wolff faces a battle of his own.

A famous actress has disappeared and Wolff has been ordered to find her, fast. But Elena Lang is no ordinary film-star: she is the mistress of Joseph Goebbels - Hitler's right-hand-man in the party that Wolff despises.

But corruption runs deep in Munich and Elena is just the first to go missing. In a search that will take him from high society to the city's darkest corners, Wolff is about to learn just how easily the hunter becomes the hunted: this is a city on the brink of war, and some enemies are better left alone.

Walking the tightrope between justice and jeopardy, Evil in High Places is the gripping new historical thriller from the million-copy-bestseller, Rory Clements.

My Take

An excellent historical crime fiction set in 1936, Munich, in the lead up to and during the Olympics. Hitler has given orders that nothing is to detract from the image that Germany is attempting to display to the world of the success of Nazism: no violence, and particularly no crime  or murders.

So Detective Seb Wolff is faced with problems when first of all a famous actress goes missing, and then a body is discovered, brutally murdered in the nearby forest. His superiors re-iterate that no-one can learn of either events: nothing must contravene Hitler's orders.

There is a mixture of real and fictional characters, real and fictional events, but we come away with the feeling that we better understand how things were in 1936.

My rating: 4.8

About the author
Rory Clements writes full time in a quiet corner of Norfolk. He was raised all over the world while his father served in the Royal Navy, an experience that went on to inspire Rory's beloved historical thrillers.

Previously a journalist for various papers, he is now a Sunday Times bestselling author, two-time winner and three-time nominee of the CWA Historical Dagger Award. His books have sold over 1 million copies to date. 

Review: COLD RIVER, Margaret Hickey

• 
  this edition from my local library
  
• published by Penguin Random House Australia 2026
• ISBN 978-1-76135-111-2
• 353 pages

Synopsis (publisher)

Deep in the mountains, secrets grow deadly . . .

Senior Constable Sally White knows how easily hikers can go missing in Victoria’s High Country. But there’s something about the disappearance of Louis Taylor, a young man lost up Mount Viking, that’s not sitting right with her.

Louis was an aspiring journalist, researching the illegal tobacco trade – also known as chop chop – that was once so prevalent in the area. And the last person he interviewed before his hike has just met a gruesome end . . .

But with no other leads, and with the search winding down, Sally is forced to accept the young man died in a tragic accident.

Until she learns of another missing persons case that bears striking similarities. Astrid Marlowe, a young lawyer, vanished in the same mountains two years earlier.

Were Louis and Astrid simply unlucky hikers lost in the treacherous terrain? Or did they both stumble into something – or someone – they shouldn’t have? 

My Take

This author was a "discovery" just four years ago and now her books are in the "not to be missed" category. This book is a stand-alone, set in the Victorian High Country, and I wouldn't be surprised if it eventually becomes the first in the series.

It hits on themes seen elsewhere: corruption in the Victorian police, the drug trade, and the close-connectedness of rural communities.

Sally White comes to rural policing with something that should be an advantage: her stepfather is the Assistant Commissioner, and a distinct disadvantage: her father is a criminal who has done time. But she loses on all fronts. 

Sally is young, impetuous, and enthusiastic and she loves her job.That often gets her into trouble. Her bosses think she needs watching.

Highly recommended. If you get a chance to hear Margaret talk, make sure you take it. 

My rating: 4.5

I've also read

4.7, CUTTER'S END - Mark Ariti #1

4.6, STONE TOWN - Mark Ariti #2

4.5, BROKEN BAY - Mark Ariti #3 

4.8, CREEPER

4.6, AN ILL WIND 

4.4, RURAL DREAMS - short stories 

Review: HOW TO SOLVE YOUR OWN MURDER, Kristen Perrin

• 
  this edition a paperback published in 2024 by Quercus
• borrowed from my local library
  
• ISBN 978-1-52943-006-6
• 376 pages  

 Synopsis (publisher)

FRANCES ALWAYS SAID SHE’D BE MURDERED.
SHE WAS RIGHT.

In 1965, Frances Adams was told by a fortune teller that one day she’d be murdered. Frances spent the next sixty years trying to prevent the crime that would be her eventual demise. Of course, no one took her seriously – until she was dead.

For Frances, being the village busybody was a form of insurance. She’d spent a lifetime compiling dirt on every person she met, just in case they might turn out to be her killer. In the heart of her sprawling country estate lies an eccentric library of detective work, where the right person could step in and use her findings to solve her murder.

When her great-niece Annie arrives from London and discovers that Frances’ worst fear has come true, Annie is thrust into her great-aunt’s last act of revenge against her sceptical friends and family. Frances’ will stipulates that the person who solves her murder will inherit her millions.

Can Annie unravel the mystery and find justice for Frances, or will digging up the past lead her into the path of the killer?

My Take

Set in two time frames, one of them narrated in diary format, this was a challenging novel for the author to pull off well. In my opinion, it could have done with much stricter editing. There were far too many characters for the reader to keep track of, and too many red herrings.

The two time frames are 60 years apart. In the first, in 1965, at the Castle Knoll Country Fair, Frances Adams has her fortune told and we are informed that the fortune will dictate the rest of her life. Sixty years later she calls some of her family together to reveal how her estate will be disposed of. Before they come together she is dead. Her will sets her inheritors against each other in a race to solve her murder.

Sixty years earlier a baby was born, and one of her friends disappeared. In the intervening period some of her contemporaries have of course died and other families have been augmented. This introduces an incredible level of complexity. Annie, her great-niece, does not know who to trust, and neither does the reader. 

My rating: 4.0 

About the author

Kristen Perrin is originally from Seattle, Washington, where she spent several years working as a bookseller before moving to the UK to do a master’s and a PhD. She lives with her family in Surrey, where she can be found poking around vintage bookstores, stomping in the mud with her two kids, and collecting too many plants. How To Solve Your Own Murder is her debut adult novel.  

Review: BAD NEIGHBOURS, Joanna Jenkins

• 
  this edition published 2026 by Allen & Unwin
• ISBN 978-1-76147-401-9
  
• 384 pages

Synopsis (publisher) 

From the bestselling author of How to Kill a Client and The Bluff comes a page-turning thriller of fraud and lies, murder and greed.

Ruth Dawson finds her ideal living space in an Art Deco building in Potts Point, The Lumen. A twenty-minute walk from her office in the city, the apartment boasts parquetry flooring, a wall of books and Harbour Bridge views from the sofa.

It's perfect until Ben, the homeless guy, dies under the corrugated iron lean-to in the garden where he lived.

The residents of The Lumen do little to hide their relief. They can cease their half-hearted attempts to find an acceptable solution to 'the Ben problem', and return to more important issues.

They're not happy when Ruth brings in a detective. But she's certain Ben was poisoned, and one of her neighbours knows it too.

My Take

I thoroughly enjoyed this thriller, a murder mystery with a touch of satirical humour. Ruth Dawson makes an interesting if reluctant sleuth, and the variety of characters who inhabit The Lumen keep the brain engaged with possible solutions.

I will certainly be reading more by this author. 

My Rating: 4.7

About the author

Joanna Jenkins grew up on a small farm in country Queensland. After graduating from the University of Queensland with degrees in English Literature and Law, she practised as a solicitor, including for many years as a partner of an international law firm. She now writes full-time. Married with three sons, Joanna lives in Brisbane. Her debut novel, How to Kill a Client, was published in 2023. The Bluff, her second novel, was published in 2025.