"Paper Cage" by New Zealand writer, Tom Baragwanath, was a well-written and intriguing read. The plot follows the life of Lorraine Henry. She is a records clerk at the Masterton police department. Lorraine does her job and seems satisfied with her job, even though sexism runs deep within the department. As children start disappearing in Masterton, the police department and community become more ill at ease. There have always been racial and cultural tensions, which are now at an all-time high. When Lorraine's great-nephew becomes one of the missing children, she is asked by detective Hayes to become part of the investigation, to the disappointment of the Masterton Police Chief and the police officers. Lorraine is assigned the task of meeting with the Maori families (who are already distrusting and suspicious of the police) to obtain possible leads in the investigation. This novel provides a great insight to the lives of New Zealanders and the indigenous people that live there. I recommend adding this novel to your tbr list! ( )

My review of Paper Cage by Tom Baragwanath has just been posted at Newtown Review of Books:

https://newtownreviewofbooks.com.au/tom-baragwanath-paper-cage-reviewed-by-karen...

A finalist in the Ngaio Awards for Best First Crime Novel, Paper Cage is the story of a divided community and a string of missing children. ( )