Paper Cage

It’s unusual to begin a review with the two words ‘It’s superb’, but Tom Baragwanath’s Paper Cage is an exceptional case. It really is superb. It’s the author’s debut novel, and what a way to begin. Add to that, the fact that its earlier publication in Australia and New Zealand has already garnered accolades [Shortlisted for Ngaio Marsh Awards 2023 and for The Ned Kelly Awards 2023], makes this book a must for crime fiction readers.

Set in a small town in New Zealand, Paper Cage plunges the reader into the heart of the town’s everyday life with its strengths and conflicts between its Maori and white communities. Told in the first person by middle aged feisty Lorraine, the plot seems at first on a well-travelled track when two Maori children are kidnapped. Take nothing for granted in this novel, however. Lorraine, long widowed, has two sources of strength in her life, the first her neighbour Patty, there to help at the slightest sign that Lorraine needs help, and the second, on which the plot centres, her niece Sheena. Sheena has one child, Bradley, whom Lorraine adores and fears may be the next child to disappear. Bradley’s father is the formidable Keith Mäkara, with whom Lorraine does not see eye to eye.

Lorraine is not a stay-at-home lady. She works with the records of the local constabulary but when community relations reach boiling point over the missing children Detective Hayes is brought in to take over the case. When the worst happens, and Bradley is also kidnapped, Hayes calls Lorraine in to help as the community explodes. From then on, put on your seatbelts; it’s going to be a stormy ride, as Lorraine and Hayes set about their mission. The publishers’ blurb calls Paper Cage a nail-biting thriller – and they are right.

Powering this thriller is another outstanding plus: its writing is first-class. From the very beginning, the characters spring to life and don’t let go their hold on you until well after you’ve read the last page of this extraordinary novel.