The Butcher and the Wren

Alaina Urquhart

Penguin

It’s present-day Louisiana, and forensic pathologist Wren Muller is hot on the case of a serial killer obsessed with medical experimentation. Known as ‘The Bayou Butcher’, he has proven elusive, but Muller is determined to track him down as bodies continue to mount up. Always one step ahead, the killer torments his pursuers, and reveals something so shocking that Wren begins to fear for her life. The chapters neatly alternate between two perspectives – Jeremy (the killer) and Dr Muller, who is aided by a team of police detectives. Not for the faint of heart, this chilling thriller is a quick and riveting read. BO

Paper Plus Ashburton Top Read

The Orphans 

Fiona McIntosh

Michael Joseph

The Orphans tells the story of Fleur Appleby who is adopted by a loving family in Adelaide. Her father is an undertaker and as she grows older Fleur helps him with the business. However, 1930s society isn’t ready to accept a woman in this male-dominated business.

Tom Catchpole lives on a remote station in the outback with his parents and has dreams of becoming a wool classer. Tom basically looks after himself. Tom and Fleur meet as children and neither forget the experience. 

The two stories of Tom and Fleur are told beautifully from childhood to adulthood. Of course there’s a villain who wants to keep them apart, but will true love prevail? A fantastic book. NG

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

Gabrielle Zevin

Chatto & Windus

It’s 1987 and 12-year-old Sam Mazer is recovering in hospital from a horrific car crash. He meets enigmatic Sadie Green who is visiting her sister, and they form a unique friendship as they pass the time in the hospital gaming room before parting ways. When they bump into each other eight years later, their friendship sparks to life as their shared passion sees them creating a highly successful video game. They form a strong bond as they navigate both a fictional world and the real world filled with success and failure, fame and disappointment, loss and triumph. As well as a stunning cover, this beautifully written novel has complex characters, lyrical language and an entirely original plot. BO

Daisy Darker

Alice Feeney

Macmillan

Darkness runs in the family … or so it seems. Daisy’s grandmother has invited her family to celebrate her 80th birthday at her crumbling Cornish home perched on the rocks on a private island. It’s been over a decade since the Darker family were together, and when the tide comes in they’re stuck on the island for eight hours – not ideal when it becomes apparent that one of them is a killer. From the eccentric clock-hoarding grandmother to Daisy’s dysfunctional siblings and estranged concert pianist father, the characters are fascinatingly flawed. The novel smoothly jumps from past to present, giving glimpses into who could be the killer. Dark, compelling and unpredictable, this was a real page-turner! BO

Indigo Moon

Eileen Merriman

Penguin

There are two rules in the world of 17-year-old Indigo Moon: no ‘shifting’ in public places, and no time travelling – ever. But Indigo is bored, and when she shifts back to ’90s London, she falls for Billy who is wild, wealthy and full of adventure. She is in too deep when she discovers his dark side, and her only saviour is her childhood friend Rigel, who has his own battles to fight.

Merriman is a master at portraying an authentic teenage voice in this fast-paced, gripping and remarkably unique dystopian novel. This is Book 1 of the Eternity Loop series by the talented Kiwi author of the Young Adult Black Spiral Trilogy. BO

The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue 

V.E. Schwab 

Titan Books 

Published in 2020 this is not a new release, but it was the best book I read in 2022 and too good not to share. I will admit to being dubious when I was given it. It didn’t sound like something I would normally read or enjoy, but I loved it. And so has everyone else I have passed it onto. 

When Addie La Rue makes a pact with the devil in the 18th century, she is forced to flee her tiny hometown, beginning a journey that will take her across the world, learning to live a life where no one remembers her. Her only mark on the world is that of a muse for artists throughout history – until one day, 300 years since she was forgotten, she meets someone who remembers her. 

A simply captivating read. LD