THE PARIS EXPRESS, RRP $38.
This work of historical fiction is by Emma Donoghue, the bestselling author of Room, who returns with a sweeping historical novel about an infamous 1895 disaster at the Paris Montparnasse train station. Based on an 1895 disaster that went down in history when it was captured in a series of surreal, extraordinary photographs, The Paris Express is a propulsive novel set on a train packed with a fascinating cast of characters who hail from as close as Brittany and as far as Russia, Ireland, Algeria, Pennsylvania, and Cambodia.
INSIDE THE WIRE: TRUE STORIES FROM A NEW ZEALAND PRISON OFFICER, RRP $38.
Author Rhonda Hapi-Smith has walked among some of this country’s most dangerous criminals. As a female prison officer and member of the Riot Squad, she met and worked with thieves, addicts, gangsters, murderers and sex offenders for nearly 20 in men’s prisons around the country. Operating within the unspoken set of codes, Hapi-Smith built a reputation as fair but firm. She dealt with everything from mass riots and inter-gang hits to attempted escapes, suicides, and segregated ‘maxi’ detainees. But alongside the twisted and the terrifying, she shares stories of unlikely friendships, ingenious prison innovations, and moments of hilarity.
