Staff Picks 2024 Fiction

Recommended reads from the staff at Puke Ariki, the Community Libraries and Museum

Updated February 26, 2025
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Bird
Collins, Courtney.
Paper Book
'You walk and the harvest moon casts the clearest of shadows. You are nervous. With a moon like that, it is not a night for escaping. It is a night made better for hunting runaway girls.'Himalayas: Unknown Year'Ten thousand strands of trouble,' is what Bird's father says, watching as...
Hagstone
Gleeson, Sinéad
Paper Book
THE INSTANT TOP 5 IRISH BESTSELLER 'Wild, singular...gripped me from the start' DOUGLAS STUART 'Passionate, wild, hugely atmospheric' DAVID NICHOLLS 'Intelligent, probing' MAGGIE O'FARRELL 'A gorgeous, mysterious read' AISLING BEA 'I adored it' LOUISE KENNEDY<...
Broken light
Harris, Joanne
Paper Book
'Chilling, enchanting and thought-provoking' IAN RANKIN'Moving and brilliant' DAILY MAIL'Blazes with anger and sorrow' MARIAN KEYES Have you ever felt invisible? Bernie Moon has given her life to other people: her husband, her son, her friends (who are...
Lola in the mirror
Dalton, Trent
Paper Book
Bighearted, gritty, magical and moving, Lola in the Mirror is the irresistible new novel from international bestselling author of Boy Swallows Universe and All Our Shimmering Skies, Trent Dalton. WINNER 2024 ABIA BOOK LITERARY FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR SHORTLISTED FOR 2023 DYMOCKS...
Sorrow and bliss
Mason, Meg
Paper Book
Spiky, sharp, intriguingly dark and tender, full of pathos, fury and wit, Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason is a dazzling, distinctive novel from a boldly talented writer - now an instant Sunday Times bestseller and shortlisted for the Women''s Prize. ''Sorrow and Bliss is a...
Here One Moment
Moriarty, Liane.
Paper Book
If you knew when you were going to die, what would you do differently? It all begins on a flight from Hobart to Sydney. The flight will be smooth. It will land safely. Everyone who gets on the plane will get off the plane. But almost all of them will be changed forever.Because on this ordinary...
The Bee Sting
Murray, Paul.
Paper Book
The Barnes family is in trouble. Dickie's once-lucrative car business is going under - but rather than face the music, he's spending his days in the woods, building an apocalypse-proof bunker with a renegade handyman. His exasperated wife Imelda is selling off her jewellery on eBay and half...
The Coast Road: 'A perfect book club read' Sunday Times
Murrin, Alan.
Paper Book
WINNER OF THE AN POST IRISH BOOK AWARDS: NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR 2024 A WOMEN & HOME and NB. MAGAZINE BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024 'A perfect book club read ... Assured and powerful' SUNDAY TIMES ...
The unfinished business of Eadie Browne
North, Freya
Paper Book
'A delightful dose of nostalgia' HEAT 'A beautifully written tale about growing up, letting go and moving on' SUN 'Get ready to fall in love with Eadie Browne, the eponymous and eccentric heroine of this tender-hearted, steeped-in-nostalgia...
Enlightenment
Perry, Sarah
Paper Book
**LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2024** A story of love and astronomy told over the course of twenty years through the lives of two improbable best friends 'Gorgeous... Ethereal' GUARDIAN 'A book with cosmic reach' FINANCIAL TIMES 'A...
Bear
Phillips, Julia
Paper Book
They were sisters and they would last past the end of time. Sam and her sister, Elena, dream of another life. On the island off the coast of Washington where they were born and raised, they and their mother struggle to survive. Sam works long days on the ferry that delivers wealthy...
Long Island
Tóibín, Colm
Paper Book
* OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK * INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * * NAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2024 BY TIME MAGAZINE, THE NEW YORKER, WASHINGTON POST, VULTURE, GLAMOUR, FRESH AIR, NPR, THE GUARDIAN, THE ECONOMIST, THE TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT, THE TIMES ...
Juice
Winton, Tim.
Paper Book
'A masterful story for the ages . . . a book to hold close in the whip of hot wind, to commiserate with, to sing with. To read and weep.' TARA JUNE WINCH, GUARDIAN 'A hold-your-breath adventure set in an utterly plausible, sun-hammered future, JUICE will stab your...
Leave the girls behind / Jacqueline Bublitz
Paper Book
The acclaimed author of Before You Knew My Name returns with another taut suspense thriller overlaid with a moving exploration of the ways in which violent crime ricochets through the lives of those left behind.
Birnam Wood
Catton, Eleanor
Paper Book
Pet
Chidgey, Catherine
Paper Book
Like every other girl in her class, twelve-year-old Justine is drawn to her glamorous, charismatic new teacher, and longs to be her pet. However, when a thief begins to target the school, Justine's sense that something isn't quite right grows ever stronger. With each twist of the plot, this gripping...
Lioness
Perkins, Emily
Paper Book
** AN INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER & WINNER OF THE OCKHAM NZ BOOK AWARDS** 'The most exciting novel I've read in ages... I gulped it down, so readable, so EXCELLENT about people. Read it' Marian Keyes 'This novel is perfection' Glamour
Good material
Alderton, Dolly
Paper Book
Every relationship has one beginning. This one has two endings. Andy loves Jen. Jen loved Andy. And he can't work out why she stopped. Now he is. . . 1. Without a home 2. Waiting for his stand-up career to take off 3. Wondering...
The Italian daughter
Lane, Soraya
Paper Book
"Estee, I bought this ring the day after I saw you on stage at La Scala, all those years ago. You're the only woman I've ever loved." Estee wanted to see it so badly, but instead she reached for Felix's hand and gently closed it over the box. "No," she whispered. "I want you to propose only...
Mrs Winterbottom takes a gap year
Nell, Joanna
Paper Book
'Her latest novel is her best yet . . . a wonderful read about growing older and grabbing hold of life' Weekend Australian'Heartwarming, tender and oh-so-funny' ALI LOWE'Charming, funny and wise exploration of the pleasures and perils of retirement. If you want a laugh-out-loud...
Marry Me in Italy
Pellegrino, Nicky.
Paper Book
It's the chance of a lifetime . . .Skye has just discovered that her long-time love is cheating on her, so the last thing she's thinking about is a wedding! But when her husband Tim tells her that he's won an all-expenses paid wedding in idyllic Montenello, she can't help...
Summer At The Santorini Bookshop
Raisin, Rebecca.
Paper Book
Don't miss the new novel from the Kindle bestselling author of The Little Venice Bookshop! *** ☀️A Greek island holiday. A fake-dating pact. A chance at true love?☀️ After losing her job as a book scout, hopeless romantic Evie needs...
The last summer
Swan, Karen (Writer)
Paper Book
Summer on St Kilda - a wild, remote Scottish island.Two strangers from drastically different worlds meet . . .Wild-spirited Effie Gillies has lived all her life on the small island of St Kilda but when Lord Sholto, heir to the Earl of Dumfries, visits, the attraction between them is instant. For one...
The stolen hours
Swan, Karen (Writer)
Paper Book
A reluctant bride. A forbidden romance. An island full of secrets . . .It's the summer of 1929 and Mhairi MacKinnon is in need of a husband. As the eldest girl among nine children, her father has made it clear he can't support her past the coming winter. On the small, Scottish island of St Kilda,...
The Lost Lover: An epic romantic tale of lovers reunited
Swan, Karen.
Paper Book
'A gripping new series . . . beautifully told by one of our most prolific and talented writers' - Santa Montefiore on The Last SummerYoung Flora MacQueen has always dreamed of more than life on the small Scottish island of St Kilda. And when she catches the eye of visiting adventurer and wealthy...
The Ministry of Time
Bradley, Kaliane.
Paper Book
A 2024 literary highlight in the Sunday Times, BBC, Grazia, Dazed, Sunday Express, GQ, i-D, Stylist, Bookseller and Literary Friction'Outrageously brilliant' ELEANOR CATTON'Make room on your bookshelves for a new...
The book of doors
Brown, Gareth (Novelist)
Paper Book
The spell-binding, mind-bending, heart-pounding fantasy adventure and instant Sunday Times bestseller, perfect for fans of The Binding, The Midnight Library and A Discovery of Witches. **ONE OF GOODREADS' TOP 6 MOST-READ DEBUTS OF 2024** *...
Stories of your life and others
Chiang, Ted
Paper Book
From the author of Exhalation, an award-winning short story collection that blends "absorbing storytelling with meditations on the universe, being, time and space ... raises questions about the nature of reality and what it is to be human" (The New York Times). ...
Briefly Very Beautiful
Dineen, Roz.
Paper Book
A startlingly beautiful story of a family's survival, and an unforgettable dystopian vision of a familiar world in flames Longlisted for the Climate Fiction Prize 2024A Spectator Book of the Year 2024 'Impossible to put down' Daily...
The Black Witch
Forest, Laurie
Paper Book
Some echo of her dark power courses through my veins...waiting to be released.As Night slays Day, and Day slays Night, so also shall another Black Witch rise...her powers vast beyond imagining. A Great Winged One will soon arise and cast his fearsome shadow upon the land. And just...
The bright sword
Grossman, Lev
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * A New York Times Editors' Choice * The #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Magicians Trilogy returns with a triumphant reimagining of the King Arthur legend for the new millennium NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK TIMES,...
Dragon rider
Matharu, Taran
Paper Book
FROM THE ASHES OF AN EMPIRE, A HERO WILL RISE... THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'A dazzlingly epic and richly complex world of dragons, magic, and rebellion' Amélie Wen Zhao, New York Times bestselling author of Song of Silver, Flame Like Night 'Dragons...
Circe
Miller, Madeline
Paper Book
This #1 New York Times bestseller is a "bold and subversive retelling of the goddess's story" that brilliantly reimagines the life of Circe, formidable sorceress of The Odyssey (Alexandra Alter, TheNew York Times). In the house of Helios,...
The book of form and emptiness
Ozeki, Ruth
Paper Book
Winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction "No one writes like Ruth Ozeki--a triumph." --Matt Haig, New York Times bestselling author of The Midnight Library "Inventive, vivid, and propelled by a sense of wonder." --TIME "If you've lost your...
Inheritance
Roberts, Nora
Paper Book
Inheritance is the first in The Lost Bride Trilogy by #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts--a tale of tragedies, loves found and lost, and a family haunted for generations. 1806: Astrid Poole sits in her bridal clothes, overwhelmed with happiness....
The invisible life of Addie LaRue
Schwab, Victoria
Paper Book
In the vein of The Time Traveler's Wife and Life After Life, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is New York Times bestselling author V. E. Schwab's genre-defying tour de force. A Life No One Will Remember. A Story You Will Never Forget. France, 1714: in a...
Project Hail Mary
Weir, Andy
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING RYAN GOSLING AND DIRECTED BY CHRISTOPHER LORD AND PHIL MILLER From the author of The Martian, a lone astronaut must save the earth from disaster in this "propulsive" (Entertainment...
Her perfect twin
Bonner, Sarah
Paper Book
HER PERFECT TWIN. YOUR NEW OBSESSION. 'Sarah Bonner's debut novel made my jaw drop. There are so many twists in this story, I never knew what was coming next. You won't want to miss this one!' Samantha Downing, author of My Lovely Wife 'A...
The next girl
Jean, Emiko
Paper Book
'Magnetic. I couldn't put it down.' STEPHEN KING'Immersive, gripping and wish a twist you won't see coming' ELLERY LLOYD'The very definition of a page-turner' CLARE MACKINTOSH'Truly compelling. Emiko Jean . . . will soon be a household name' DAILY MAIL...
Going zero
McCarten, Anthony
Paper Book
TWO HOURS TO VANISH. ONE CHANCE TO ESCAPE. ZERO ALTERNATIVES. Ten Americans have been carefully selected to Beta test a ground-breaking piece of spyware. FUSION can track anyone on earth. But does it work? For one contestant, an unassuming Boston librarian named...
The housemaid
McFadden, Freida
Paper Book
Over 2 Million Copies Sold and Soon to Be a Major Motion Picture Starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried! Don't miss the #1 New York Times and USA Today bestseller and addictive psychological thriller with a jaw-dropping twist that's burning...
The Guest
Paris, B. A.
Paper Book
THE TENSION-FILLED NEW NOVEL FROM THE AUTHOR OF NUMBER ONE DIGITAL BESTSELLER THE PRISONER .'Expertly plotted and compellingly told - a cautionary tale that will put you off ever having anyone to stay with you again. I raced through it!' HARRIET TYCE'A mesmeric, tense and...
The truth about the Devlins
Scottoline, Lisa
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER USA Today Bestseller Lisa Scottoline, the #1 bestselling author of What Happened to the Bennetts, presents another pulse-pounding domestic thriller about family, justice, and the lies that tear us apart. TJ...
The next Mrs. Parrish
Constantine, Liv
Paper Book
Amber Patterson Parrish has come a long way. Hard work and immaculate planning turned her from invisible wallflower to prominent socialite, but there have been bumps along the way. Less than a year after her husband Jackson's tax-evasion scandal, Amber reigns supreme over the Bishops Harbor...
The midnight feast
Foley, Lucy (Novelist)
Paper Book
🔥 TAKE YOUR PLACE AT THE TABLE FOR THE THRILLER OF THE YEAR🔥 __________________________________________________________ Midsummer, the Dorset coast In the shadows of an ancient wood, guests gather for the opening weekend of The Manor: a...
The spy coast
Gerritsen, Tess
Paper Book
A retired CIA operative in small-town Maine tackles the ghosts of her past in this fresh take on the spy thriller from New York Times bestselling author Tess Gerritsen. Former spy Maggie Bird came to the seaside village of Purity, Maine, eager to put the past behind her after...
The blue hour
Hawkins, Paula
Paper Book
A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK "The best Paula Hawkins yet - by a tense and haunting mile." - Lee Child "An atmospheric, stylish puzzle box of a thriller... truly exceptional." - Liz Moore, New York Times bestselling author of The God of the Woods "A masterful...
The frozen river
Lawhon, Ariel
Paper Book
From New York Times bestselling author of I Was Anastasia and Code Name Helene comes a gripping historical mystery based on the real-life diary entries of Martha Ballard, an 18th-century midwife who found herself at the center of a murder trial. Maine, 1789:...
Prophet Song
Lynch, Paul.
Paper Book
First Wife's Shadow
Parks, Adele
Paper Book
'Had me in a chokehold from beginning to end... A true five star read' Lisa Jewell 'Devious and dizzying, with twist after twist after twist - I loved it' Louise Candlish 'Wonderfully dark and sinister' The Sun 'Skilfully written and gripping' Lynda La Plante * * *...
Home Is Where The Bodies Are
Rose, Jeneva
Paper Book
From the multi-million-copy bestselling author of The Perfect Marriage comes a chilling family thriller about the (sometimes literal) skeletons in the closet. Beth's life hasn't worked out the way she planned. After her father walked out on their family with a note...
The Secret Keepers
Bagshawe, Tilly.
Paper Book
The past can't be locked away forever... _________________________________________________________________ *Perfect for fans of Kate Morton, Eve Chase & Lucinda Riley* Sweeping from the French Riviera to the wind-blown Cornish cliffs, lose yourself in...
James
Everett, Percival
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER * A brilliant, action-packed reimagining of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, both harrowing and darkly humorous, told from the enslaved Jim's point of view NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FINALIST * ONE OF...
The dressmaker and the hidden soldier
Gold, Doug
Paper Book
A prisoner of war's daring escape from a speeding train . . . a Greek resistance heroine's fateful decision to harbour the fugitive . . . and a young dressmaker's curiosity spark a chain of events that has consequences none of them could ever have imagined.The Dressmaker & the Hidden Soldier is...
The women
Hannah, Kristin
Paper Book
An instant Sunday Times bestseller and soon to be a major motion picture! 'Astonishing. Compelling. Powerful' - Delia Owens, bestselling author of Where the Crawdads Sing 'Stuns with sacrifice. Uplifts with heroism' - Bonnie Garmus,...
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store : a novel
McBride, James
Paper Book
In 1972, when workers in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, were digging the foundations for a new development, the last thing they expected to find was a skeleton at the bottom of a well. Who the skeleton was and how it got there were two of the long-held secrets kept by the residents of Chicken Hill, the...
Patea Boys
Ngarewa, Airana.
Paper Book
From the bestselling author of The Bone Tree comes a lively and playful bilingual collection of stories about growing up in Pātea. Interlinked and full of recurring characters, these stories are about growing up in small-town Aotearoa - sneaking away during cross country,...
Lady Tan's circle of women
See, Lisa
Paper Book
*NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!* From "one of those special writers capable of delivering both poetry and plot" (The New York Times Book Review) an immersive historical novel inspired by the true story of a woman physician in 15th-century China--perfect for fans of...
There are rivers in the sky
Shafak, Elif
Paper Book
THE TOP FIVE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER This is the story of one lost poem, two great rivers, and three remarkable lives - all connected by a single drop of water. ***** In the ruins of Nineveh, that ancient city of Mesopotamia,...
The Gallows Bird
Sumner, Barbara.
Paper Book
The players
Walters, Minette
Paper Book
A gripping tale of compassion, imposture, trickery and surprising alliances set against the backdrop of The Bloody Assizes, from the bestselling author of The Last Hours and The Swift and the Harrier.
Martyr!
Akbar, Kaveh
Paper Book
Discover the life-affirming debut novel from acclaimed poet Kaveh Akbar: a love letter to the world and our search for meaning - in faith, art, ourselves and those we care for. 'Dazzling' Ann Patchett 'Profoundly moving' Elif Shafak 'Gorgeous'...
The death watcher
Carter, Chris
Paper Book
The 13th adrenaline-packed Robert Hunter thriller and Top Ten Sunday Times bestseller. 'Gruesome but utterly riveting - and all the more so for being at least partly true' Daily Mail 'Dark, chilling and full of clever little plot kinks designed...
Raven black
Cleeves, Ann
Paper Book
Introducing Inspector Jimmy Perez. Raven Black is the first book in Ann Cleeves' bestselling Shetland series - a major BBC One drama, starring Douglas Henshall. A remote community with a killer in their midst . . .On New Year's Day Shetland lies buried beneath a deep layer of snow. Trudging home,...
The seventh son
Faulks, Sebastian
Paper Book
THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'A genuinely thought-provoking piece of fiction' THE TIMES 'Extraordinary' WILLIAM BOYD 'Profoundly moving . . . a wonderful and life-affirming love story' JAMES HOLLAND 'His greatest novel yet<...
If Something Happens to Me
Finlay, Alex.
Paper Book
A USA Today Bestseller! From "one of the genre's most exciting voices" (E! News) comes one of the year's most-anticipated thrillers. For the past five years, Ryan Richardson has relived that terrible night. The car door ripping open. The crushing blow to the...
The list of suspicious things
Godfrey, Jennie
Paper Book
***THE NUMBER 3 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER*** HAPPY PLACE BOOK CLUB FOR APRIL A BEST DEBUT OF 2024 BY BBC, RED, GOOD HOUSEKEEPING 'Such a fresh and interesting voice. You'll cry and you won't be able to stop reading' ...
Black wolf
Gómez-Jurado, Juan
Paper Book
Antonia Scott is not afraid of anything. Only herself. But there is someone more dangerous than her. Someone who could beat her. The black wolf is getting closer. And Antonia, for the first time, is scared.In southern Spain, in the Costa del Sol, a key mafia figure is found brutally murdered in his...
Slow horses
Herron, Mick
Paper Book
*Pre-order Clown Town, the ninth novel in Mick Herron's Slough House series, now* *Now an award-winning Apple TV+ series starring Gary Oldman, Kristin Scott Thomas and Jack Lowden* 'To have been lucky enough to play Smiley in one's...
A good girl's guide to murder
Jackson, Holly
Paper Book
THE MUST-READ MULTIMILLION BESTSELLING MYSTERY SERIES--NOW ON NETFLIX! * This is the story about an investigation turned obsession, full of twists and turns and with an ending you'll never expect. Everyone in Fairview knows the story. Pretty and popular high...
All fours
July, Miranda
Paper Book
LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2025THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERNATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALISTA BBC TWO BETWEEN THE COVERS PICKA BEST SUMMER READING PICK FOR THE TIMES, THE DAILY MAIL, THE FT AND THE GUARDIANA 2024 BOOK OF THE YEAR PICK FOR BBC R4 OPEN BOOK, THE OBSERVER, THE GUARDIAN, THE...
Midnight Creed
Kava, Alex
Paper Book
The last devil to die
Osman, Richard
Paper Book
A new mystery is afoot in the fourth book in the Thursday Murder Club series from million-copy bestselling author Richard Osman It's rarely a quiet day for the Thursday Murder Club. Shocking news reaches them--an old friend has been killed, and a dangerous...
Deadly animals
Tierney, Marie
Paper Book
A thirteen-year-old girl with a dark obsession is on the hunt for a serial killer in this mesmerising British crime debut.
The Bookshop Detectives: Dead Girl Gone
Ward, Gareth and Louise.
Paper Book
"When we opened Sherlock Tomes people warned us that we'd made a terrible mistake. People warned us that e-readers were taking over. People warned us that we'd never compete with Amazon. The one thing they didn't warn us about was the murders..." Introducing...the Bookshop...
All the Colours of the Dark
Whitaker, Chris.
Paper Book
A missing persons mystery, a serial killer thriller, and an epic love story - with a unique twist on each...* * * * *Late one summer, the town of Monta Clare is shattered by the abduction of local teenager Joseph 'Patch' Macauley. Nobody more so than Saint Brown, who is broken...

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