Blue Hotel — Chad Taylor

In 1980s Auckland a tourist disappears in the night. The woman has apparently come to life from a photograph: a year later she reappears, only to die again. The mystery draws a reporter into an urban underworld where art is the only truth.Blue Hotel was named in the New Zealand Listener's Best Books of 2022 and Best Novel finalist in the 2023 Ngaio Marsh Awards.Dark and funny – Mark Broatch, New Zealand ListenerBlue Hotel is darkest crime noir. It takes place in old fashioned newsrooms, questionable newsagencies, seedy bars, S&M clubs and cars. It's as New Zealand-as, but it's not. – Karen Chisholm, AustCrimeFictionFull of depth, striking characters, sparkling writing, and a rich sense of time and place – Craig Sisterson, CrimeWatch