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Lorraine Henry #2
Lucky Thing
In this follow-up to his award-winning debut Paper Cage, Tom Baragwanath delivers another bone-deep exploration of life in the margins of small-town New Zealand.
'The nights aren't too cold yet, lucky thing. Otherwise we'd be having a different conversation.'
Jessica Mowbrie, beaten and dumped in the bush like a sack of garbage and lying comatose in a hospital bed – lucky to be alive.
Lorraine Henry doesn't think Jess is so lucky. She thinks whoever hurt her needs to be hunted down. But the Masterton police are isolated and underresourced, and to be honest, even though Lorraine works for them, she thinks they're a bit hopeless.
So it might be up to Lorraine to do the hunting. She's not getting any younger, of course. But she has all the police records at her fingertips – and as much information about who hates who as anyone in Masterton. Plus, she's used to being underestimated. And you should never underestimate a middle-aged woman with justice in her sights.
'The nights aren't too cold yet, lucky thing. Otherwise we'd be having a different conversation.'
Jessica Mowbrie, beaten and dumped in the bush like a sack of garbage and lying comatose in a hospital bed – lucky to be alive.
Lorraine Henry doesn't think Jess is so lucky. She thinks whoever hurt her needs to be hunted down. But the Masterton police are isolated and underresourced, and to be honest, even though Lorraine works for them, she thinks they're a bit hopeless.
So it might be up to Lorraine to do the hunting. She's not getting any younger, of course. But she has all the police records at her fingertips – and as much information about who hates who as anyone in Masterton. Plus, she's used to being underestimated. And you should never underestimate a middle-aged woman with justice in her sights.
10 pages, Audiobook
Published September 2, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
October 29, 2025
Two hikers find the body of a young girl in the bush outside the small New Zealand town of Masterton. She is identified as a promising student and she is still alive after being hit on the head. For Police Records Officer Lorraine Henry this is personal, she knows the family and she is concerned that the investigation is being driven by prejudice, the victim from the wrong side of town. As she digs deeper she finds that there are links between the family of the victim and events going back many years.
I really enjoyed this book. Not only is the setting unusual but the protagonist is someone that is relatable, older and overlooked. The actual themes are very traditional, class and family loyalties, but they are put into a different setting that really works. I also liked the writing, deep and intense without being over written, lots to fill in for teh reader like the best puzzles.
I really enjoyed this book. Not only is the setting unusual but the protagonist is someone that is relatable, older and overlooked. The actual themes are very traditional, class and family loyalties, but they are put into a different setting that really works. I also liked the writing, deep and intense without being over written, lots to fill in for teh reader like the best puzzles.
Did Not Finish
May 25, 2026Couldn’t get into this book
November 11, 2025
A Barry Award nominee earlier this year for his excellent mystery debut Paper CagePaper Cage – which was also shortlisted for awards in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand - fresh storytelling talent Tom Baragwanath may live among the urban buzz of Paris, but he ‘returns home’ once again to the rural landscapes of the Wairarapa region of New Zealand’s north island with Lucky Thing. And to intrepid smalltown police station records clerk Lorraine Henry, an unlikely yet highly engaging sleuth.
Lorraine is still feeling the effects of the events in Paper Cage, as are others in Masterton and surrounds, but her days are brightened by regular horse rides, and her niece Sheena expecting baby #2. Then some visiting hikers stumble across badly beaten local girl Jessica Mowbrie in a remote patch of the Tararua mountain range. She’s lucky to be alive.
But how did she get way up there, and with who? The victim can’t tell the police anything; she’s in a coma.
As the under-resourced local police struggle to make any semblance of what happened, whispers fuel long-simmering tensions between locals whose families have lived and worked the fertile region for decades. Loraine knows many of the players, several who are entwined in her own potted family history, and tries to uncover threads that’ll lead to a culprit. Then another teenager goes missing…
Baragwanath deftly draws readers into the lives, connections, and divisions of Lorraine’s neighbours. Nothing is neat or easy. Investigations, questions; all carry weight and consequences in a place like this. Secrets, desires, half-truths, and lies. Lucky Thing is very well-written crime fiction that goes beyond procedure or standard plotlines. In a growing sea of rural noir, it still stands out. I’m really looking forward to more from Baragwanath.
Lorraine is still feeling the effects of the events in Paper Cage, as are others in Masterton and surrounds, but her days are brightened by regular horse rides, and her niece Sheena expecting baby #2. Then some visiting hikers stumble across badly beaten local girl Jessica Mowbrie in a remote patch of the Tararua mountain range. She’s lucky to be alive.
But how did she get way up there, and with who? The victim can’t tell the police anything; she’s in a coma.
As the under-resourced local police struggle to make any semblance of what happened, whispers fuel long-simmering tensions between locals whose families have lived and worked the fertile region for decades. Loraine knows many of the players, several who are entwined in her own potted family history, and tries to uncover threads that’ll lead to a culprit. Then another teenager goes missing…
Baragwanath deftly draws readers into the lives, connections, and divisions of Lorraine’s neighbours. Nothing is neat or easy. Investigations, questions; all carry weight and consequences in a place like this. Secrets, desires, half-truths, and lies. Lucky Thing is very well-written crime fiction that goes beyond procedure or standard plotlines. In a growing sea of rural noir, it still stands out. I’m really looking forward to more from Baragwanath.
September 14, 2025
New Zealand author Tom Baragwanath burst onto the crime fiction scene with his award winning debut Paper Cage. That book used a crime procedural, led by an unusual protagonist to explore the legacy of colonialism in New Zealand. The protagonist was Lorraine Henry, filing clerk in the police station of the small New Zealand community of Masterton. Baragwanath brings Henry, her police colleagues and the town of Masterton back into focus in his follow up Lucky Thing.
Lucky Thing opens with the discovery of a girl in the bush. Jess Mowbrie was left in the bush, bashed and in a coma. It turns out that she had been at a party being thrown by Stu Kelsons, the son of one of the local landholders. Jess and her family are seen as coming from the wrong side of the tracks while the Kelsons are local royalty. Lorraine, who knows Jess’s family (she knows everyone), and has a historical connection to the Kelsons, cannot help but get herself involved in the investigation, particularly when the chief is injured. And it is one that will expose long held fault lines in the town.
Lucky Thing is another resonant and engaging work of crime fiction from Baragwanath once again anchored by an unlikely protagonist. Lorraine is no Miss Marple but she does fall into that mould of the elderly lady in town who is underestimated and underappreciated by those around her. While Lucky thing does not quite have the thematic depth of Paper Cage it does still deal with some wider issues of class and money and cements Baragwanath as a crime writer to watch.
Lucky Thing opens with the discovery of a girl in the bush. Jess Mowbrie was left in the bush, bashed and in a coma. It turns out that she had been at a party being thrown by Stu Kelsons, the son of one of the local landholders. Jess and her family are seen as coming from the wrong side of the tracks while the Kelsons are local royalty. Lorraine, who knows Jess’s family (she knows everyone), and has a historical connection to the Kelsons, cannot help but get herself involved in the investigation, particularly when the chief is injured. And it is one that will expose long held fault lines in the town.
Lucky Thing is another resonant and engaging work of crime fiction from Baragwanath once again anchored by an unlikely protagonist. Lorraine is no Miss Marple but she does fall into that mould of the elderly lady in town who is underestimated and underappreciated by those around her. While Lucky thing does not quite have the thematic depth of Paper Cage it does still deal with some wider issues of class and money and cements Baragwanath as a crime writer to watch.
October 8, 2025
Tom Baragwanath’s Lucky Thing is a quietly gripping tale that tiptoes into your psyche and lingers long after the final page. Set against the backdrop of a seemingly ordinary life, the novel unspools a story of secrets, subtle menace, and the fragile threads that hold relationships together.
Baragwanath’s prose is understated but razor-sharp—he doesn’t shout, he whispers, and somehow that makes the tension all the more unsettling. The characters feel lived-in, flawed, and achingly real. You don’t just read about them; you sit beside them, eavesdrop on their silences, and feel the weight of their choices.
What makes Lucky Thing stand out isn’t just its plot (which is quietly suspenseful), but its emotional intelligence. It’s a novel that understands people—how they deceive, protect, and unravel. If you’re drawn to stories that simmer rather than boil, that explore the shadows behind everyday smiles, this one’s a gem.
Perfect for fans of slow-burning psychological fiction with a literary edge.
With thanks to Tom Baragwanath, the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.
Baragwanath’s prose is understated but razor-sharp—he doesn’t shout, he whispers, and somehow that makes the tension all the more unsettling. The characters feel lived-in, flawed, and achingly real. You don’t just read about them; you sit beside them, eavesdrop on their silences, and feel the weight of their choices.
What makes Lucky Thing stand out isn’t just its plot (which is quietly suspenseful), but its emotional intelligence. It’s a novel that understands people—how they deceive, protect, and unravel. If you’re drawn to stories that simmer rather than boil, that explore the shadows behind everyday smiles, this one’s a gem.
Perfect for fans of slow-burning psychological fiction with a literary edge.
With thanks to Tom Baragwanath, the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.
October 10, 2025
When a young female student is found in a comatose state in the New Zealand outback, the police response seems ineffectual. Indeed, the strongest imperative for action seems to lie with a middle aged police clerk, who feels a sense of responsibility - not least at the inadequate response of her colleagues - to find out what really happened to put Jessica Mowbrie in such an awful condition...
Compelling and well written, this story holds the reader's interest throughout, and the setting itself is almost a separate character.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Compelling and well written, this story holds the reader's interest throughout, and the setting itself is almost a separate character.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
August 31, 2025
I enjoyed coming back to Lorraine and her small town New Zealand crime drama in this second book from Baragwanath. Whilst this one didn't grip me in quite the same way as the first, it was still very engaging and readable. I was occasionally confused with so many characters to keep track of, but I really like Lorraine, and I enjoyed seeing her determination to figure out what on earth was going on. There are dark moments in the story, but there is also humour and hope there too, so I feel that gives a good balanced read overall.
With thanks to Net Galley & the publisher for my copy.
With thanks to Net Galley & the publisher for my copy.
January 2, 2026
4.5 up to a 5 for the great writing. What a good book to start my 2026 reading journey. Again Lorraine shows the guys how to do things, albeit with a bit more respect and support this time around. Tom Baragwanath perfectly depicts small town west coast south island NZ! the us/them mentality that is ingrained, slight thaws smashed by the slightest word or deed. I particularly like that there are no italics for Maori words, if you don't understand look it up. His writing expresses New Zealand, or a part of NZ, so well.
October 6, 2025
This is a very good thriller, set in the rural bush town of Masterton and featuring Lorraine Henry, a filing clerk in the small police station. I really liked her character description, she is very engaging and determined to find the truth when a local girl is found in the bush. Although this is not as good as Paper Cage, it is still worth reading and I did enjoy it. The pace could have been a bit faster but a good crime fiction story which I would recommend. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.
February 4, 2026
A well written drama and “who done it” set in New Zealand. I listened to this as an audio book and the narration with the NZ accent really made the characters come alive. I really liked the character of Lorraine . She had a very gentle nature but could be steely when necessary. I found it hard to reconcile with her role as a station clerk and yet she seemed to have more authority than her police colleagues. I really think she’d been better portrayed as a detective.
September 23, 2025
Having previously read and enjoyed Tom Baragwanath's first book featuring police records clerk Lorraine Henry (Paper Cage) I looked forward to this one. I wasn't disappointed. There are a goodly amount of characters (and more than a few NZ colloquialisms) to keep track of but I did enjoy the book. Thank you to netgalley, the publisher and author for an early reading copy of 'Lucky Thing'.
December 17, 2025
Great writing, once again. There are links to book one , where Lorraine and others were really damaged by events. In this book, family, property, jealousy, all play a part in something very bad happening. Two things stand out for me : NZ , its language, flora and fauna, landscapes, history all blend into making the story unique. Then Lorraine , she’s such a nuanced character. From her interactions with the very few colleagues available, to figures she knows from growing up in the small town, from her thoughts and mental processes , we’re led through an impactful plot. Hugely entertaining.
January 6, 2026
Once again, Tom B nails it!
Determined not to give any spoilers but this novel has you feeling for all the characters - with maybe one exception! 😉
Following up Paper Cage was always going to be a challenge, but the author has done it in style!
Determined not to give any spoilers but this novel has you feeling for all the characters - with maybe one exception! 😉
Following up Paper Cage was always going to be a challenge, but the author has done it in style!
October 5, 2025
A great story told in good, solid writing - the only tiny thing slightly out of place for me was the use of the word "Chief" to describe Ambrose, a title not used by New Zealand police, making it feel a little "Americanised" - overall, though, a very enjoyable read.
October 16, 2025
Only issue is that it wasn’t longer!! Lorraine from Masterton is one of my favourite characters ever. She is the people’s aunty for real
November 22, 2025
Perfectly fine and, in the end, not altogether surprising.
April 4, 2026
I enjoyed reading this book. It had a good story to it. I liked the variety of characters in it. It was a well written book.
May 28, 2026
I tried twice. Persisted for half of the book the second time, based on the reviews. But I just can't get it. Ditched.
June 3, 2026
Good pace to start, dragged towards the end. Predictable.
September 24, 2025
nowhere near as good as 'Paper Cage' for me - no tension or intrigue!
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November 18, 2025The following book reviews have been shared by Text Publishing, publisher of Lucky Thing.
‘Tom Baragwanath is an excellent writer… Once again, he has produced a powerful, action-packed tale…’
Times
'Baragwanath writes superior literary detective fiction with a faultless command of plotting and structure.’
Age
‘Wonderful, emotional storytelling with a fine protagonist—an Antipodean Miss Marple, but fiercer—makes this too good to miss.’
Daily Mail UK
‘Lucky Thing is another resonant and engaging work of crime fiction…cements Baragwanath as a crime writer to watch.’
Pile by the Bed
‘Baragwanath’s follow-up to his award-winning debut Paper Cage probes crime, community and corruption in small-town New Zealand. Quietly devastating, with a strong sense of place, this is noir rooted in realism.’
I Paper
‘Tom Baragwanath is an excellent writer… Once again, he has produced a powerful, action-packed tale…’
Times
'Baragwanath writes superior literary detective fiction with a faultless command of plotting and structure.’
Age
‘Wonderful, emotional storytelling with a fine protagonist—an Antipodean Miss Marple, but fiercer—makes this too good to miss.’
Daily Mail UK
‘Lucky Thing is another resonant and engaging work of crime fiction…cements Baragwanath as a crime writer to watch.’
Pile by the Bed
‘Baragwanath’s follow-up to his award-winning debut Paper Cage probes crime, community and corruption in small-town New Zealand. Quietly devastating, with a strong sense of place, this is noir rooted in realism.’
I Paper
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews