Upcoming Kiwi crime fiction: BY ANY MEANS by Ben Sanders

As I said earlier this month, the Kiwi crime fiction tap in 2011 continues to pleasantly flow; along with the books that have already hit shelves (and e-readers) so far, there are also several welcome new releases on the near horizon from local authors whose previous work has been both popular and highly praised.

One book that I am really looking forward to (and curious to see how the New Zealand media and public will respond to) is BY ANY MEANS by young Auckland university student and crime writer Ben Sanders. I enjoyed THE FALLEN, Sanders's debut last year, and I wasn't alone. The book got some good reviews, and quickly jumped to, then maintained, the #1 spot on the NZ Adult Fiction bestseller list (a spot it held for several weeks - which is unheard of for a New Zealand crime novel in recent memory).

BY ANY MEANS sees the return of DS Sean Devereaux and his ex-cop sidekick John Hale. The book comes out in early August, but for now I can share the cover (above right) and the following blurb with you:

"Friday rush hour, Auckland city. A lone shooter fires across a packed street and kills a man. Detective Sergeant Sean Devereaux is assigned the case. He's not complaining - his Friday nights are seldom better spent. But the inquiry is not straightforward. Witness accounts are conflicting. The dead man appears to be an unintended victim, with the true target unknown.

That’s the least of Devereaux’s worries, though. His current case load includes an investigation into the deaths of the wife and daughter of a wealthy finance company director. His examination has revealed the situation is far more complex than anticipated, casting real doubt upon the division of innocence and guilt. Devereaux's former colleague, John Hale, is in no position to help. Hale is occupied with his own pursuit of darkness, made all the more sinister by a dogged senior police officer determined to engineer his ruin.

Together the two men hunt for the truth from those who pursue self-gain by any means."

It sounds interesting, and I am looking forward to see how Sanders' writing has developed since his debut novel, which was very good in of itself. Just as a heads-up for those who like good crime fiction, some of the other locally authored books I'm really looking forward to over the coming months include Paddy Richardson's TRACES OF RED (her third thriller and first since last year's #1 bestseller HUNTING BLIND), Neil Cross's LUTHER: THE CALLING (a novel featuring the divisive TV detective), the long-awaited return of Paul Thomas (Ned Kelly Award-winning author of THE IHAKA TRILOGY), and COLLECTING COOPER, the fifth dark thriller from the current king of Kiwi crime, in an internationally bestselling sense, Paul Cleave.

From the list above (plus several other novels I understand are on the way), it certainly looks like the pleasant growth in quality New Zealand crime fiction lately is set to continue in the near future.

Have you read THE FALLEN? Are you looking forward to BY ANY MEANS? Any of the other upcoming Kiwi crime novels? Who is your favourite New Zealand crime writer?