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2023: In a small town, a kidnapping is everyone’s business
2023: In a small town, a kidnapping is everyone’s business
Masterton, 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 not. 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.
Masterton
A small community in the novel and a very interesting place in real life. Many of the places in the novel are real or based on real places. There’s might not be a coffee shop in Queen street with the exact name as in the book but it’s fun finding one like it.
It’s the remoteness and sense of space that gets you in this book. Anyone could disappear here. The Tararua Range of Mountains acts as a fascinating backdrop to the whole story and what goes on in this one small town.
You will want to explore Masterton for real after this.
Destination: New Zealand ( Masterton) Author/guide: Tom Baragwanath Departure Time: 2023
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