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As crime and thriller writing has evolved from puzzle-like mysteries to modern novels delving deeply into people and place, it has continued to intrigue readers around the world. What makes it so captivating?
The Ngaio Marsh Awards, in association with Warkworth Library and Auckland Libraries, invites booklovers to a thrilling evening of criminally good conversation in 'Brokenwood', featuring five talented Kiwi crime, mystery, and thriller storytellers.
Whangaparāoa writer Stephen Ross will chair past Ngaio Marsh Award finalists Chris Blake and Sherryl Clark, ‘Matakana mysteries’ author Madeleine Eskedahl, and world champion sailor and debut novelist Joshua McKenzie-Brown in a fun and fascinating korero.
WHEN: Wednesday, 13 May 2025
WHERE: Old Masonic Hall, 3 Baxter Street, Warkworth
WHEN: 5.30pm doors open, 6pm panel
Free entry. Enquiries to [email protected].
Chris is an Auckland author who joined the New Zealand Police in 2006 and served for many years as a Detective. He previously self-published a thriller debut under a pseudonym, THE SOUND OF HER VOICE, which became a Ngaio Marsh Awards finalist for both Best First Novel and Best Novel, leading to it being published internationally. Chris was a story boarder for Season 2 of local crime drama The Gulf. His second Matt Buchanan thriller, SOFTLY CALLS THE DEVIL, was published in Australasia in late 2025.
Sherryl is the award-winning author of more than 70 children's and YA books, including picture books, verse novels and middle grade/YA novels. She wrote a trilogy of adult crime novels starring foster parent and pub worker Judi Westerholme which were longlisted for the Ngaio Marsh Awards and the CWA Daggers in the UK. Her thriller WOMAN MISSING was a 2025 Ngaios finalist, and its sequel, FOR ALL THE DEAD, will be published in June 2026.
Madeleine is the bestselling author of the Matakana Series of mysteries starring Sergeant Bill Granger and Constable Niko Sopoaga. Born and raised in Sweden on the beautiful island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea. Madeleine was a voracious reader from an early age, with a fondness for mystery and convinced she’d become a Private Detective or a Spy when she grew up. Her debut BLOOD ON VINES was voted onto the Whitcoulls Top 100. The third novel in her series, ANGELS OF CLAY, came out in 2025.
Joshua is a world champion sailor, marine advocate and journalist, and debut crime writer whose work exposes the hidden economies operating beneath the surface of the world's oceans. He blends real-world science, law, and geopolitics into his fiction, which is set across the Pacific Ocean, a place to which he has deep personal connection. Joshua's debut novel, SOUTH PACIFIC CUT was published in late 2025 and kickstarts an interconnected eco-crime series. A percentage of royalties from every book in his series will be donated towards ocean conservation charities.
Stephen is a Whangaparaoa writer whose short stories have been published in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, several Mystery Writers of America anthologies, and nominated for an Edgar Award, a Derringer Award, and a Thriller Award. Stephen was a contributor to the DARK DEEDS DOWN UNDER anthology and Agatha Award-winning non-fiction book HOW TO WRITE A MYSTERY. His first YA novel, THE BRIDE MUST BE STOPPED! was published in 2025.
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Event Venue
Warkworth Masonic hall, 14 Baxter St, Warkworth 0910, New Zealand, Leigh
Tickets
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