G.B. Ralph's Blog, page 5

The real-life Milverton Park is 100 years old

A local park with a name that may sound familiar to my readers is about to celebrate its centenary!

October this year marks 100 years since the Palmerston North Borough Council received notification of a gift of 4 acres, 3 roods and 28 perches of land from William Milverton, land that would become the site of Milverton Park.

Manawatū Standard article “Back Issues: Milverton Park 100 years young” posted 6 September 2025

Milverton Park circa 1939 (Source: Manawatū Heritage)

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Pre-order your Spooky Showcase tickets today

Addison, Jake, Mabel, and Mayor Ferguson have their tickets sorted – do you?

I hear it’s going to be a killer of a show…

Pre-order Fright on Stage Right and you’ll get it the moment it’s released on 23 September 2025: Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon CA, Amazon DE, or Amazon AU (NZ).

Or, jump on my free mailing list to find out when the paperback is due out and keep up to date with all my other writerly goings-on.

3 weeks until opening night

Do you have your ticket? Grab one now to nab a front-row seat alongside Addison, Jake, Mabel, and Mayor Ferguson. Word on the street in Milverton is the show’s going to be a real killer…

Pre-order Fright on Stage Right and you’ll get it the moment it’s released on 23 September 2025: Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon CA, Amazon DE, or Amazon AU (NZ).

Or, jump on my free mailing list to find out when the paperback is due out and keep up to date with all my other writerly goings-on.

Reminder: Mysterious Murders short story entries due this September

You have just one month left to submit your murder mystery with a fun twist for the Mysterious Murders Short Story Competition.

It’s free to enter and open worldwide for original work of up to 3,000 words written in English, with a top prize of £3,000. Entries are due by the end of September, so it’s time to put pen to paper, fingers to keyboards, and have some fun!

All the details are on the competition website, mysteriousmurders.com, so be sure to investigate for yourself and share w...

A cracking evening of clues, crime and craft at Wardini Books

It was a full house at Wardini Books in Napier for our ‘Clues, Crime & Craft’ event last night! Bing Turkby and The Bookshop Detectives‘ Louise Ward warmed everyone up with a musical performance before Riley Chance and I joined the panel for a fun and free-flowing chat.

Gareth Ward, Louise Ward, Bing Turkby, Riley Chance, and G. B. Ralph at Wardini Books in Napier

We discussed how we each started writing; the many, varied, and quite unlikely sources of our ideas and inspiration; the myster...

Books to read after The Thursday Murder Club

With the movie about to drop on Netflix, it’s reminded me of Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim, and Ron’s antics at Coopers Chase. Did you enjoy The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman and are now looking for a book recommendation or two? I’ve got you covered!

The Thursday Murder Club sequels

Of course, you can jump right into the sequels: The Man Who Died Twice, The Bullet That Missed, The Last Devil to Die, and the upcoming release The Impossible Fortune.

Other books with similar vibes

O...

Early draft feedback on Fright on Stage Right

It’s just one month until the release of Fright on Stage Right – the fourth of the Milverton Mysteries – so I decided to have a little look at the feedback that helped get us here.

My wonderful, clever, insightful beta readers gave feedback on an earlier draft of Fright on Stage Right, picking up all the things that were missing, confusing, or didn’t quite land, but also some of the highlights, the aspects they loved!

After a serious round of edits, I’ve addressed all the issues so – finge...

Meet (the super cute versions of) the Milverton crew

Addison, Jake, Mabel, and Keith have never looked so adorable! I’ve always had a strong impression of their appearance in my head while writing The Milverton Mysteries and I periodically describe them on page but this is the first time we’ve had a visual representation.

I had great fun working with illustrator Surya Dexter on this character art commission. Didn’t he capture them so well? Have a look for yourself:

Addison Harper

Our main man looks like he’s about to do something emba...

Napier book event next week: Clues, Crime and Craft

We’re going inter-regional! Hawke’s Bay friends and whānau, come along next week to see what we’re plotting and scheming! We’ll be chatting books, writing, mystery, crime fiction, where the bodies are buried, and whatever else intrigues us on the night.

Who’s coming? You are! Who else?

Louise Ward, bookseller and co-author of The Bookshop DetectivesBing Turkby, author of the Guitar Store MysteriesG. B. Ralph, author of The Milverton MysteriesRiley Chance, author of the Grace M...

Clues, Crime and Craft: An evening of mystery fiction in Napier

Palmerston North authors Bing Turkby, G.B. Ralph, and Riley Chance pop over to Napier to chat with the marvellous Louise Ward, bookseller and co-author of The Bookshop Detectives.

Come along for a fun evening of murder most mysterious, a modicum of mayhem, and maybe even some music!

Event detailsWhat? Clues, Crime and Craft: An evening of mystery fictionWhen? 6:30pm, Thursday 28 August 2025Where? Wardini Books, 46 Hastings St, Napier South, NapierHow much? Free entry...