Tom Baragwanath – författare

**Shortlisted for Ngaio Marsh Awards 2023***Shortlisted for The Ned Kelly Awards 2023*'Tom Baragwanath's provocative first novel is riveting and shocking' The Times'[A] magnetic debut . . . breathtakingly compelling' Daily MailMasterton, New Zealand may be a small town, but its residents are certainly not united. Old resentments and the simmering tensions of race and culture divide the Maori and white inhabitants, with everyone keeping to their own patch of turf. But when local children start to go missing, vanishing between the cracks, accusations are hurled, and community relations reach boiling point.Caught in the middle is Lorraine Henry. She works as a lowly records clerk at the police station amongst towering piles of paperwork, quietly making connections and remembering things that the cops would rather forget. Solving cases is not part of her job, but when her great-nephew is the next to disappear, she must put her skills to the test as she is called in to help, all before time runs out for the children.Both a nail-biting thriller and a beautifully written, acutely observed portrait of a community in crisis, Paper Cage is the award-winning debut from young New Zealand novelist Tom Baragwanath.'An astonishing debut [with] a wonderfully flawed central character . . . Such a standout novel' James Oswald author of All That Lives'This literary thriller heralds the arrival of an exciting new voice in New Zealand storytelling' Fiona Sussman, author of The Doctor's Wife'Tom Baragwanath has mastered the craft of literary crime' Age

**Shortlisted for Ngaio Marsh Awards 2023***Shortlisted for The Ned Kelly Awards 2023*'Tom Baragwanath's provocative first novel is riveting and shocking' The Times'[A] magnetic debut . . . breathtakingly compelling' Daily MailMasterton, New Zealand may be a small town, but its residents are certainly not united. Old resentments and the simmering tensions of race and culture divide the Maori and white inhabitants, with everyone keeping to their own patch of turf. But when local children start to go missing, vanishing between the cracks, accusations are hurled, and community relations reach boiling point.Caught in the middle is Lorraine Henry. She works as a lowly records clerk at the police station amongst towering piles of paperwork, quietly making connections and remembering things that the cops would rather forget. Solving cases is not part of her job, but when her great-nephew is the next to disappear, she must put her skills to the test as she is called in to help, all before time runs out for the children.Both a nail-biting thriller and a beautifully written, acutely observed portrait of a community in crisis, Paper Cage is the award-winning debut from young New Zealand novelist Tom Baragwanath.'An astonishing debut [with] a wonderfully flawed central character . . . Such a standout novel' James Oswald author of All That Lives'This literary thriller heralds the arrival of an exciting new voice in New Zealand storytelling' Fiona Sussman, author of The Doctor's Wife'Tom Baragwanath has mastered the craft of literary crime' Age

'Tom Baragwanath is an excellent writer... a powerful, action-packed tale of "pain and malice, anger [and] hate" THE TIMESWhen brilliant young student Jessica Mowbrie is left in a coma after being abandoned in a remote patch of New Zealand bush, the local Masterton police don't have a clue what happened. Isolated and under-resourced, the detectives struggle even to begin piecing it together.Police records clerk Lorraine Henry will not accept that Jessie simply had a lucky escape. She thinks whoever hurt her needs to be hunted down, and worries that her employers are a bit hopeless.As Jessie's life hangs in the balance, it looks as if Lorraine will do the hunting. She's not getting any younger, of course. But she has all the police records at her fingertips - and as much information about who hates who as anyone in their small town. Plus, she's used to being under-estimated. And you should never under-estimate a middle-aged woman with justice in her sights . . .In this follow-up to his award-winning crime novel Paper Cage, Tom Baragwanath delivers another bone-deep exploration of life in the margins of small-town New Zealand.'Quietly devastating, with a strong sense of place, this is noir rooted in realism' ipaperPraise for Paper Cage'A protagonist who is impossible not to root for . . . breathtakingly compelling' Daily Mail'An astonishing debut with a wonderfully flawed character . . . full of heart and determination' James Oswald, author of All That Lives

When brilliant young student Jessica Mowbrie is left in a coma after being abandoned in a remote patch of New Zealand bush, the local Masterton police don't have a clue what happened. Isolated and under-resourced, the detectives struggle even to begin piecing it together.Police records clerk Lorraine Henry will not accept that Jessie simply had a lucky escape. She thinks whoever hurt her needs to be hunted down, and worries that her employers are a bit hopeless.As Jessie's life hangs in the balance, it looks as if Lorraine will do the hunting. She's not getting any younger, of course. But she has all the police records at her fingertips - and as much information about who hates who as anyone in their small town. Plus, she's used to being under-estimated. And you should never under-estimate a middle-aged woman with justice in her sights . . .In this follow-up to his award-winning crime novel Paper Cage, Tom Baragwanath delivers another bone-deep exploration of life in the margins of small-town New Zealand.Praise for Paper Cage'A protagonist who is impossible not to root for . . . breathtakingly compelling' Daily Mail'An astonishing debut with a wonderfully flawed character . . . full of heart and determination' James Oswald, author of All That Lives'A truly crackling mystery' Publishers Weekly