Reminder: one chance only to see Jeffery Deaver in New Zealand next Thursday

Bestselling US thriller writer Jeffery Deaver, who recently penned the new James Bond tale, CARTE BLANCHE, will be in New Zealand for one public event only, next Thursday, 21 July 2011.

The event, held in association with the Herald on Sunday newspaper, will be at the Takapuna Paper Plus on Hurstmere Road. Here are the full details:

Thursday 21 July – AUCKLAND

A Herald on Sunday event with Jeffery Deaver
Location: Takapuna Paper Plus, 20 Hurstmere Road
Time: 5.30pm for a 6pm start.
RSVP to (09) 486 7472 or email takapuna@paperplus.co.nz

For further information please contact Karen McKenzie, publicist Hachette NZ
karenm@hachette.co.nz or 09 477 5591

I was fortunate enough to interview Deaver prior to CARTE BLANCHE hitting the shelves earlier this year. I found him very personable, we had a great chat about all manner of things crime fiction etc, and I'm looking forward to meeting him in person next week. You can read my feature article for the Sunday Star-Times, based on that interview here.
 
Like many, I had a few questions, even doubts, when I heard a year or so ago that Deaver had been signed up to write a new James Bond novel. Not because of Deaver's writing - I really enjoy his psychological thrillers, and particularly his short stories in collections like TWISTED and MORE TWISTED, but just because having another writer try to pen a Bond novel seemed problematic to me (I hadn't heard great things about Sebastian Faulk's effort, and Faulks is of course a very good writer too). But as I discovered when I got my copy before interviewing Deaver, I needn't have worried.
 
As I said in a review of CARTE BLANCHE for NZLawyer magazine:
 
"Deaver delivers a thoroughly modern version of Bond, bringing 007 firmly into the 21st century while also retaining key traditions: fast cars, memorable female characters, fun gadgets, globe-trotting action, repellent villains, and plenty of peril ... At the same time, Deaver brings his own trademark touches to bear; readers are taken on a pacy roller-coaster storyline that twists in unexpected ways, not just in terms of plot but also action, characters and reader expectations and assumptions. Deaver’s Bond is a touch more sensitive and self-reflective than Fleming’s Cold War spy, but that suits our modern times, and 007 remains a man of action at heart ... In short, it’s a hell of a fun read."

You can read my full NZLawyer review of CARTE BLANCHE, along with a review by NZLawyer editor Darise Bennington of the latest Bond cocktail, created by Deaver for the new book, here.