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**Shortlisted for Ngaio Marsh Awards 2023**
*Shortlisted for The Ned Kelly Awards 2023*

‘Tom Baragwanath’s provocative first novel is riveting and shocking’ The Times

‘[A] magnetic debut . . . breathtakingly compelling’ Daily Mail

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.

Both a nail-biting thriller and a beautifully written, acutely observed portrait of a community in crisis, Paper Cage is the award-winning debut from young New Zealand novelist Tom Baragwanath.

‘An astonishing debut [with] a wonderfully flawed central character . . . Such a standout novel’ James Oswald author of All That Lives

‘This literary thriller heralds the arrival of an exciting new voice in New Zealand storytelling’ Fiona Sussman, author of The Doctor’s Wife

‘Tom Baragwanath has mastered the craft of literary crime’ Age

Publisher Review

An astonishing debut [with] a wonderfully flawed central character . . . full of heart and determination. Excellently constructed . . . and all wrapped up in wonderfully flowing prose. Such a standout novel -- James Oswald, author of ALL THAT LIVES A stylishly written missing kids mystery, a compelling window on a fractured community, and a cast of characters I was fully invested in. Paper Cage is an impressive debut -- Emma Styles, author of NO COUNTRY FOR GIRLS Set in the provincial town of Masterton, Baragwanath's debut is both social novel and thriller, spinning the tensions between the white and Maori populations, the chokehold of street gangs, and the toll of drug addiction on young families into a suspenseful crime drama . . . Just the kind of dark, disturbing, gritty, and unusual treat thriller lovers are looking for * Kirkus * In weaving together a lived-in portrait of small-town New Zealand with a truly crackling mystery, Baragwanath proves himself a writer to watch * Publishers Weekly * Tom Baragwanath has mastered the craft of literary crime: this is well-paced and vividly written detective fiction with a Chandleresque grittiness to its depiction of a community in crisis * Age * A perfectly pitched and plotted cracker of a debut . . . The author's observations are as clear-eyed and intelligent as his endearingly down-to-earth [protagonist] Lorraine * New Zealand Listener * A tightly written, slow burning thriller . . . Baragwanath reveals a tight-knit community alive with prejudice, where patronising attitudes towards race bubble just below the surface * Kete * Expansive in its reach, and stunningly singular in its detail, this literary thriller heralds the arrival of an exciting new voice in New Zealand storytelling -- Fiona Sussman, author of THE DOCTOR'S WIFE I really enjoyed Paper Cage. Its world feels real and its characters and relationships drew me in. Lorraine Henry is a refreshingly different crime fiction protagonist -- Shelley Burr, author of WAKE Paper Cage has all the sharp points of a great crime story and all the tragedy of ordinary lives hit hard. I couldn't put it down -- Gigi Fenster, author of A GOOD WINTER Thrilling . . . Lorraine is a perfect heroine: she's tough, unflinching and gets the job done . . . A gritty crime novel that has all the fun literary techniques of a thriller with an added layer of feminist commentary -- Danielle Bagnato * Books + Publishing * Aotearoa/New Zealand . . . has a rich history of crime writing, with huge names such as Ngaio Marsh, Alan Carter and Paul Thomas producing some fabulous reads over the last century. To this stable we can add newcomer Tom Baragwanath * Readings Monthly * A thrilling, deep dive into community and what it means. Loved this new voice * Great Escape Books * This novel does what great crime fiction does - brings a community, with all of its complexities, to life - and while doing so deals with entrenched and persistent issues of colonialism, sexism and ageing in a way that is both absorbing and thought-provoking -- Robert Goodman * Pile by the Bed * A compelling crime thriller * Canberra Times * An ambitious mystery that uses the form to make some trenchant statements about contemporary society . . . All the essential elements of the genre are here and turned to use in exploring the bigger issues * North & South * A twisty thriller which provides us with a window into a riven community in small-town New Zealand where racial and cultural loyalties divide as much as they unite. Dark, gritty and beautifully written, Paper Cage is a triumph from first to last -- Mark Wightman, author of CHASING THE DRAGON A gripping and hauntingly beautiful exploration of a small town in crisis, offering deep insight into the human condition. A superb read -- Natalie Marlow, author of NEEDLESS ALLEY