Nobody’s Fool by Harlan Coben. A former detective turned private investigator is stunned when the woman he thought had died 22 years ago suddenly appears in the back of a lecture he’s giving, and as soon as they make eye contact, disappears. Her death has haunted him all these years but the possibility she could still be alive has never occurred to him – and now he needs to track her down and find out the truth. From the pen (or the keyboard!) of a terrific and well established thriller writer.

Northbound by Naomi Arnold. Naomi is a local journalist who decided to walk the entire length of the Te Araroa trail on her own. There have been books from other people about taking on that challenge, but hers is a really gritty, no holds barred account of the slog of it – the mud, the fear, the loneliness and the exhilaration of achieving something so momentous, all by herself. It’s clear there’s a very caring network on the trail even though the walkers pass one another like ships in the night. There’s also a lot of kindness from people around who keep an eye out on them and offer food and support. This book is a lovesong to the trail and the NZ outdoors; and to the power of communities. 

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