The Cut Throat Trial by S.J Fleet. I assume that the author’s name is a pseudonym as they’ve published previous books under the moniker of The Secret Barrister – I believe they’re a practising lawyer who in those books delivered some witty and interesting commentary on the state of the UK justice system. This novel is set in a courtroom, where three teenagers are on trial for the murder of an elderly man. I didn’t know this until I read the book, but a cut throat trial is where there are more than one defendant and they each try to blame the others. The three boys each have their own lawyer, and there is of course a prosecutor, a jury and an arrogant and entitled judge so it’s a pretty full court. The story unfolds beautifully as the evidence is laid before the jury, but what might seem straightforward becomes less so, and after their verdict is delivered things are not necessarily what they seem. I really loved it. 

The Vanishing Place by Zoe Rankin. It’s set on the West Coast of the South Island, where a young girl walks out of the bush one day into a very small town where local people realise that they’ve seen her before – many years ago. She has the same face as another girl who lived there 20 years before and the local policeman makes the connection, works out who she is and then secrets start to unravel. I believe this is the first book by a local author and it’s twisty, thrilling and gripping. 

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