The 20th century has just begun. Harry Cave is married, personable, sophisticated. He’s inherited a substantial fortune from a father who died of boredom.

There's an eerie, existential quality about Melanie Finn's new novel, Shame. What tiny, mundane choices determine our fate? Why does life cut one way, not another?

A new biography of the master of suspense uncovers the life behind the persona, says Duncan White.

Those of us for whom the Great Outdoors is the walk from front door to car door need to read Christopher McDougall.

Rosaleen Madigan loves her four adult children but, it has to be said, she has a pretty funny way of showing it.

Award-winning Auckland writers Linda Olsson and Thomas Sainsbury tell Craig Sisterson why they’re collaborating on a thriller trilogy.

Six of the best in stories starring oddballs and good sorts.

In her new novel we encounter Julian in a state of profound grief for his lover, Julia, and their daughter, Mira.

Parisian feel-good tale amuses despite its implausible plot.

Karen Attwood meets first-time novelist Kate Hamer, whose 21st-century Little Red Riding Hood is tipped to be a best-seller.

Nigerian author Ben Okri uncovers the dark side of Arcadia in his latest novel. Stephen Jewell chats to the writer.

Success has given Tim Winton, one of Australia’s best-loved authors, the luxury of time to craft his books into their ideal form, writes David Larsen.

A debut novel has readers curious about how they’ll be remembered when they die.

Australian writer Kate Grenville’s new book is a homage to her mother Nance, an ‘ordinary’ woman who decided she wasn’t going to follow in her own mother’s footsteps. She talks to Linda Herrick.

I really like the actress Celia Imrie, one of the stars of the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel movies. So I wanted to like her debut novel, but I struggled at times.

There's nothing like a little local knowledge - someone who can point a visitor in the direction of the best pub or offer the inside word on where to find the least crowded beach spot and how to get a good price on tickets for the museum or gallery.

Indian novels tend to be sprawling, colourful and chaotic affairs. Em and the Big Hoom is some of those things but not all.

Never mind the name, Kazuo Ishiguro is one of the best British writers in the business, and his dazzling latest novel, The Buried Giant, may just be his best yet.

Sometimes, as a reviewer, it pays to wait a few days after finishing a book before beginning the review.

You can buy a deluxe edition of this new, independent New Zealand publisher's handsome production, with "Yulong cream paper ... Woodfree real leather ... foil stamping".

Known as an actor in TV satire The Thick Of It and as a comedy writer for Veep, Will Smith has written a mystery thriller set in the Channel Islands. It’s John le Carre meets Middlemarch, he tells Alice Jones.