Kia Ora from Aotearoa (New Zealand)

[Craig]

Hi everyone,

I'm Craig, and I joined Good Reads last month. I've been having fun putting all the read and TBR books from my various bookshelves into the system, and adding a few reviews and quiz questions etc.

I am a New Zealander, currently based back in NZ after some world travels. I like several different kinds of books, but particular crime/thriller fiction. This began with the Hardy Boys as a kid, then Agatha Christie's Poirot and the Agatan Sax stories - before kicking on to a wide range of crime/thrillers as a teen and adult.

I review books and write author and books-based features for a variety of magazines, newspapers, and websites in New Zealand, Australia, and around the world. I have also created a crime/thriller fiction themed blog (with a strong NZ leaning) - Crime Watch - see: http://kiwicrime.blogspot.com

I'm fortunate enough to get sent lots of great crime novels for review, and to meet and interview some cool authors. It's not a bad hobby, outside my fulltime job. I'm also working on setting up some things re: NZ crime/thriller writing (we're one of the few countries not to have a crime writing association or award etc).

Look forward to chatting about crime and thriller writing.

Kia Kaha
KiwiCraig

[Hayes, Co-Moderator]

Hi Craig and welcome to the group.

I confess I have read just one book from a NZ writer, a Ngaio Marsh, so I look forward to reading through your blog. Good luck with all your projects.

[Donna, Co-Moderator]

Welcome Craig! We are indeed becoming a truly global group. I am looking forward to your suggestions for some new authors which might not be widely known here in the US - like Hayes I am only familiar with Ngaio Marsh.

[Craig]

My blog post yesterday actually mentioned that Vanda Symon, a good modern Kiwi crime writer, has her third novel available brand new on Amazon.com as of today (the first of her books readily available in the US in this way). Another modern Kiwi crime writer, Paul Cleave, has recently been picked up by a big US publisher (his book sales in Germany are approaching 1 million copies), and his fourth novel, BLOOD MEN, will be released widely-ish in the USA in July. You can also pre-order that on Amazon - so it's nice to see some Kiwi writers starting to get recognised a touch more widely.

Joan Druett's books are fairly available in the US, as she's published by St Martins/Minotaur - she writes mysteries set on colonial era sailing ships.

Vanda Symon's books focus on a fiesty policewoman, and Paul Cleave's are dark thrillers.

[Hayes, Co-Moderator]

Thanks for the tips, Craig. Will check them out... will see if anything can be found for the eReader (as in Italy and in English can be a challenge!)

[Donna, Co-Moderator]

Hi Craig, Well my TBR list just got longer again. Thanks for the recommendations.

Have you checked out our Theme Read nominations? Perhaps you can you suggest something interesting?