“If you could take a snapshot of current real-life New Zealand the The Call captures in in all its shades…”
Not since I read Fiona Sussman’s debut novel The Last Time We spoke (2017) have I been able to read a book that is so honest and provides all the context of the dark side of a city that clashes with the innocent community.
New Zealand writer producer, Gavin Strawhan casts his eyes wide and brings together an array of characters that are a clash of the social classes, of police and criminals and the dark underworld of Auckland. The Call peels back the layers of a city that is playing by a new set of rules now the new, more sinister gangs of 501 deportees have arrived.
We witness the generational bondage to gangs and how futile it can be to escape their insidious grip.
It is all laid bare in this tense, pulsing debut thriller and author Gavin Strawhan’s strength of his writing lays in unleashing reality rather than a soft, saccharine narrative.
Detective Sergeant Honey Chalmers strays too far into the 501 Australian Deportees gang The Reapers and breaks the policing rules that protect her. With catastrophic consequences, Honey retreats to her old home town to heal, but can her wits stay sharp enough to see it all?
Welcome to the literary stage Detective Sergeant Honey Chalmers – I eagerly anticipate future sequels featuring your character!
If you’re a fan of Carl Nixon, Fiona Sussman or Emily Perkins’ The Lioness then you’ll find The Call a most satisfying and strong comparison.