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Shadow Over Edmund Street
Edwina’s death is brutal, a swift and silent killer who leaves no clues. Her murder seems unsolvable until a casual comment sends Inspector Alex Cameron and his seasoned team trawling through the dead woman’s childhood.
232 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 21, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
September 9, 2022
Released in 2021, Shadow Over Edmund Street by Suzanne Frankham is her debut crime fiction novel. Detective Alex Cameron and his team investigate the brutal killing of Edwina, who had undergone a metamorphosis recently and ends up dead in a park she would never have gone to. As the police frantically examine Edwina’s life, friends and past to identify any likely killer, they struggle to get any leads or possible motive. Capturing the atmosphere of wet and windy Auckland, with its interesting characters and the possibility of an unlikely serial killer, makes this a most enjoyable tale. A slow burn of a police procedural with its seeming insolvable murder that has a four star rating. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own and freely given, without fear or favour.
November 18, 2022
Shadow Over Edmund Street is a fascinating murder mystery set in Auckland, New Zealand. It’s the debut novel by Suzanne Frankham and introduces Detective Alex Cameron and his team of homicide detectives.
Edwina Biggs was a woman who led a quiet and extremely ordered life. She was an introvert who worked at the local fruit and veg shop, she hadn’t changed her hairstyle since childhood and still lived in the house she grew up in.
All of that had changed over a period of months. She found a new job, joined a gym, updated her hairstyle, learned to drive and even sold the family home and moved into a new house on Edmund Street. She appeared to be a new woman with a changed outlook on life.
This was all discovered by Detective Alex Cameron during the investigation into her murder. She was found strangled to death in her car next to a park, miles from her home. Even taking the recent transformation into account, her presence at the park at 1am is too out of character to accept.
Alex and his fellow detectives work the case together like a well-drilled team. Although Alex is the lead we quickly find out that each member of the team brings specialist skills to the investigation. They also appear to have the strong bond of co-workers who trust and respect each other, complete with a healthy injection of humour into everything they do. In short order they pick apart Edwina’s life and identify a recent friend, Rose Jones, as a potentially valuable source of information.
And it’s through Rose that Alex works, picking up vital snippets of information that helps to slowly understand Edwina from her early life through to more recent times.
A little bit of patience is required through the early stages of the investigation. This is a classic police procedural crime novel through the first half with a gradual construction of a case that starts with little to no momentum. From there, rest assured, it builds into something far greater than could ever have been imagined. Far more dangerous too.
Through dogged police work based initially on conjecture we find ourselves riding a juggernaut that feels as though is hurtling out of control.
Pleasingly, the book is strengthened by great attention given to the characters and their personal lives, ensuring we are well acquainted with each of them. The depth of the backstories of Alex, Rose, Edwina and another delightfully wrought character, Mr Chan, ensures that we are fully on board with their success.
Just a quick word on Mr Chan. He is one of those bit-part characters who seems to brighten every scene he is involved in and offers a vast array of possible contributions. If there is to be a sequel (and there should be) I hope Mr Chan features again.
Shadow Over Edmund Street is a very enjoyable police procedural with a strong lead character and a very cleverly devised plot. It’s a well-told story that left me well satisfied. It richly deserved its shortlisted status for both the Ned Kelly Award and the Davitt Award for Best Debut Crime Novel in 2022.
Edwina Biggs was a woman who led a quiet and extremely ordered life. She was an introvert who worked at the local fruit and veg shop, she hadn’t changed her hairstyle since childhood and still lived in the house she grew up in.
All of that had changed over a period of months. She found a new job, joined a gym, updated her hairstyle, learned to drive and even sold the family home and moved into a new house on Edmund Street. She appeared to be a new woman with a changed outlook on life.
This was all discovered by Detective Alex Cameron during the investigation into her murder. She was found strangled to death in her car next to a park, miles from her home. Even taking the recent transformation into account, her presence at the park at 1am is too out of character to accept.
Alex and his fellow detectives work the case together like a well-drilled team. Although Alex is the lead we quickly find out that each member of the team brings specialist skills to the investigation. They also appear to have the strong bond of co-workers who trust and respect each other, complete with a healthy injection of humour into everything they do. In short order they pick apart Edwina’s life and identify a recent friend, Rose Jones, as a potentially valuable source of information.
And it’s through Rose that Alex works, picking up vital snippets of information that helps to slowly understand Edwina from her early life through to more recent times.
A little bit of patience is required through the early stages of the investigation. This is a classic police procedural crime novel through the first half with a gradual construction of a case that starts with little to no momentum. From there, rest assured, it builds into something far greater than could ever have been imagined. Far more dangerous too.
Through dogged police work based initially on conjecture we find ourselves riding a juggernaut that feels as though is hurtling out of control.
Pleasingly, the book is strengthened by great attention given to the characters and their personal lives, ensuring we are well acquainted with each of them. The depth of the backstories of Alex, Rose, Edwina and another delightfully wrought character, Mr Chan, ensures that we are fully on board with their success.
Just a quick word on Mr Chan. He is one of those bit-part characters who seems to brighten every scene he is involved in and offers a vast array of possible contributions. If there is to be a sequel (and there should be) I hope Mr Chan features again.
Shadow Over Edmund Street is a very enjoyable police procedural with a strong lead character and a very cleverly devised plot. It’s a well-told story that left me well satisfied. It richly deserved its shortlisted status for both the Ned Kelly Award and the Davitt Award for Best Debut Crime Novel in 2022.
August 19, 2022
Edwina Biggs has lead a quiet life, battling to make ends meet, working a mundane job with antisocial hours, living a restrained life in a contained neighbourhood. Things were changing at last though as she'd recently swapped the big family home for a small cottage on Edmund Street, learnt to drive, and bought herself a car and some freedom. For a long time though, she's been a blurry character to all around her, one of those myriad of quiet women, living unremarkable lives. Until she died on a wet, blustery, cold Sunday morning, in her recently acquired car, at the foot of a cliff, on the top of which sits some of the most premium Auckland real-estate.
The catastrophic neck wound that killed her is obviously not self-inflicted but who would have a reason to kill a middle-aged woman, with such a non-descript life, seemingly leaving little in the wake of her death but random recollections, men who had loved and left, and distant children.
SHADOW OVER EDMUND STREET is author Suzanne Frankham's debut novel, structured as part classic police investigation - with Detective Alex Cameron and his team somewhat bamboozled by the lack of anything around Edwina Biggs. What little might have been gleaned from the crime scene is washed away by the weather; potential motives, means or opportunity can't be gleaned from a life so restrained; and potential witness testimony is as vague and odd as the life the victim lived. Apart from the testimony of a friend, Rose Jones, who seems to be the only person with a glimpse behind the scenes.
It's a fascinating setup - the idea that no matter how good the investigating team is, if the victim is a closed book, and the scene is a dead loss, what or where do they turn. The option of banging a few heads together to create a bit of tension seems a perfectly reasonable approach given what they are up against, and this is a team that can step up to that mark quite well. Until suddenly, about half way through the book - the team, and the reader realise that this going nowhere, and it kind of feels like it may never do so. Which makes you wonder with some delicious anticipation, where this is all heading.
At this point Frankham has a red hot go at tipping crime fiction norms on their head, and there's a shift in style and tone, a major reveal is chucked into the mix, a villain mostly outs themselves, and we tip right into black comedy territory, which I have to admit I did not see coming, and struggled a bit to get my head around, a shapeshift that read like there was some heavy duty wrestling underway to keep it on track and charging towards the resolution.
What I particularly liked about this novel was the depiction of Edwina Biggs and the way her life was so bounded by geography and community. The coincidence of her change in circumstance and the gentrification of inner-city Auckland was really fascinating, as was the way that women, in particular women of a certain age and social ranking are under-considered, under-noticed and basically under-appreciated. There's also a lot being said here about the way that gentrification might improve properties, but destroys communities.
As a police procedural in the main, the central investigator - Alex Cameron - feels like a character with real potential to be the lead in an ongoing series, one that's a bit less conflicted and bitter and twisted than some contemporaries which is, in and of itself, a welcome change.
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/revi...
The catastrophic neck wound that killed her is obviously not self-inflicted but who would have a reason to kill a middle-aged woman, with such a non-descript life, seemingly leaving little in the wake of her death but random recollections, men who had loved and left, and distant children.
SHADOW OVER EDMUND STREET is author Suzanne Frankham's debut novel, structured as part classic police investigation - with Detective Alex Cameron and his team somewhat bamboozled by the lack of anything around Edwina Biggs. What little might have been gleaned from the crime scene is washed away by the weather; potential motives, means or opportunity can't be gleaned from a life so restrained; and potential witness testimony is as vague and odd as the life the victim lived. Apart from the testimony of a friend, Rose Jones, who seems to be the only person with a glimpse behind the scenes.
It's a fascinating setup - the idea that no matter how good the investigating team is, if the victim is a closed book, and the scene is a dead loss, what or where do they turn. The option of banging a few heads together to create a bit of tension seems a perfectly reasonable approach given what they are up against, and this is a team that can step up to that mark quite well. Until suddenly, about half way through the book - the team, and the reader realise that this going nowhere, and it kind of feels like it may never do so. Which makes you wonder with some delicious anticipation, where this is all heading.
At this point Frankham has a red hot go at tipping crime fiction norms on their head, and there's a shift in style and tone, a major reveal is chucked into the mix, a villain mostly outs themselves, and we tip right into black comedy territory, which I have to admit I did not see coming, and struggled a bit to get my head around, a shapeshift that read like there was some heavy duty wrestling underway to keep it on track and charging towards the resolution.
What I particularly liked about this novel was the depiction of Edwina Biggs and the way her life was so bounded by geography and community. The coincidence of her change in circumstance and the gentrification of inner-city Auckland was really fascinating, as was the way that women, in particular women of a certain age and social ranking are under-considered, under-noticed and basically under-appreciated. There's also a lot being said here about the way that gentrification might improve properties, but destroys communities.
As a police procedural in the main, the central investigator - Alex Cameron - feels like a character with real potential to be the lead in an ongoing series, one that's a bit less conflicted and bitter and twisted than some contemporaries which is, in and of itself, a welcome change.
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/revi...
October 22, 2021
Thanks to Sisters in Crime (Australia) for my complimentary copy.
Suzanne Frankham’s debut mystery does not disappoint. A suspenseful psychological thriller, blended into a police procedural – with a stack of red herrings, twists and turns thrown into the mix.
We follow the investigation of the murder of Edwina Biggs, an Auckland based ‘battler’ who, until recently had led a rather humdrum life. After winning a raffle of classes at the local gym, she had started to turn her life around. And even made a new friend in Rose, who was also re-establishing herself and her family in the city of her youth, after having been widowed in Scotland.
The full cast of characters are well developed, and their interconnecting is seamlessly achieved. My favourite was Alex Cameron, the detective who is central to the story. I was completely invested in him – his attention to detail, his introspection, and his banter and professional dealings with colleagues. I enjoyed reading his backstory that was peppered throughout, and would actually be happy to see another novel featuring him(!) His interactions with all the other characters – suspects or otherwise - provided valuable insights. His perseverance and tenacity in getting to the bottom of what appears to be an unsolvable case are impressive, and he is rewarded with the evidence of ‘whodunnit’ and the potential methods and motives as a result.
This is an engaging and compelling novel that crept up on me. A ‘slow burn’, with short, sharp passages and dialogue that kept moving the story forward. Before I knew it, I was halfway through and keen to see how it would end.
Childhood experiences are never far from our past; they forever bubble just beneath the surface and can be the source of gripping motives and intriguing plots. This is clearly evident in this novel. Frankham combines this with the mixed realities of everyday life – relationships, family, friends, work, and so on - and successfully draws the reader into the mystery, leaving them eagerly wanting to know what happens next.
Suzanne Frankham’s debut mystery does not disappoint. A suspenseful psychological thriller, blended into a police procedural – with a stack of red herrings, twists and turns thrown into the mix.
We follow the investigation of the murder of Edwina Biggs, an Auckland based ‘battler’ who, until recently had led a rather humdrum life. After winning a raffle of classes at the local gym, she had started to turn her life around. And even made a new friend in Rose, who was also re-establishing herself and her family in the city of her youth, after having been widowed in Scotland.
The full cast of characters are well developed, and their interconnecting is seamlessly achieved. My favourite was Alex Cameron, the detective who is central to the story. I was completely invested in him – his attention to detail, his introspection, and his banter and professional dealings with colleagues. I enjoyed reading his backstory that was peppered throughout, and would actually be happy to see another novel featuring him(!) His interactions with all the other characters – suspects or otherwise - provided valuable insights. His perseverance and tenacity in getting to the bottom of what appears to be an unsolvable case are impressive, and he is rewarded with the evidence of ‘whodunnit’ and the potential methods and motives as a result.
This is an engaging and compelling novel that crept up on me. A ‘slow burn’, with short, sharp passages and dialogue that kept moving the story forward. Before I knew it, I was halfway through and keen to see how it would end.
Childhood experiences are never far from our past; they forever bubble just beneath the surface and can be the source of gripping motives and intriguing plots. This is clearly evident in this novel. Frankham combines this with the mixed realities of everyday life – relationships, family, friends, work, and so on - and successfully draws the reader into the mystery, leaving them eagerly wanting to know what happens next.
July 8, 2021
Shadow Over Edmund Street, a debut novel by Suzanne Frankham, was a great slow burn crime novel set in Auckland.
Following the murder of the awkward Edwina Biggs, Inspector Alex Cameron sets out to solve her perplexing and seemingly unsolvable murder. With the support of his team, and an amazingly supportive and interesting neighbour, Alex Cameron must go back to Edwina's childhood to solve the case. This debut novel starts well and keeps building, it had me needing to keep reading to see how the investigation ended. An easy read that I smashed out in a day, and I enjoyed the journey, told in parts from 3 peoples POV.
I am hoping that the author, Suzanne Frankham gives us more of this great inspector, but more importantly, more stories with and about Mr Chan!
Giving this one ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5).
Following the murder of the awkward Edwina Biggs, Inspector Alex Cameron sets out to solve her perplexing and seemingly unsolvable murder. With the support of his team, and an amazingly supportive and interesting neighbour, Alex Cameron must go back to Edwina's childhood to solve the case. This debut novel starts well and keeps building, it had me needing to keep reading to see how the investigation ended. An easy read that I smashed out in a day, and I enjoyed the journey, told in parts from 3 peoples POV.
I am hoping that the author, Suzanne Frankham gives us more of this great inspector, but more importantly, more stories with and about Mr Chan!
Giving this one ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5).
February 2, 2025
Best aspect was the Auckland city setting. A murder starts the story off, with detailed follow though of police procedures. Main character Alex and his team are well developed. I enjoyed reading this, although it seemed a bit slow to come to a very dramatic conclusion.
March 24, 2023
A doctor, walking his dog early one morning, finds a strangled woman's body sitting in her car. Although the police throw everything at the case in the first few days, it seems there is absolutely no one in her sheltered life who could want to harm her. They note with interest the radical changes she made to her appearance and her efforts to train to do a new job over the last few years, but there are no leads to be found.
I'm hoping that this will be the first in a series for Alex Cameron and his team. The homicide unit are all interesting characters and they work so well together.
I loved Alex's home life with his fractured family and adopted dog. Also his connections to the Chans , a sprawling immigrant family running a chain of high-end Chinese restaurants in Auckland, but who have a network of relatives in all walks of life who are willing to help Alex in order to pay a debt to the head of the family.
It's a wonderfully slow burning literary crime novel with a great ending. Please, let's have more of Alex and the Chans?
I'm hoping that this will be the first in a series for Alex Cameron and his team. The homicide unit are all interesting characters and they work so well together.
I loved Alex's home life with his fractured family and adopted dog. Also his connections to the Chans , a sprawling immigrant family running a chain of high-end Chinese restaurants in Auckland, but who have a network of relatives in all walks of life who are willing to help Alex in order to pay a debt to the head of the family.
It's a wonderfully slow burning literary crime novel with a great ending. Please, let's have more of Alex and the Chans?
April 11, 2021
Edwina Biggs is the last person you would expect to turn up dead. This unassuming middle-aged woman lived such a quiet life, who could possibly want her gone? World-weary Detective Cameron must find out in time to save the next victim. But with so little to go on, can he catch the killer in time?
Suzanne Frankham’s debut novel is an absolute ripper. It kept me up at night and had me gasping as I read it on the train the next morning. With an engaging array of characters ranging from one end of the social spectrum to the other, this novel moves along at a cracking pace, and kept me guessing all the way.
If you love stories about everyday people drawn into unimaginable situations, unfinished business arising from the past and action-packed whodunnits, then you are going to love “Shadow Over Edmund Street.” It is addictive reading at its best and I look forward to reading more from this brilliant new storyteller.
Suzanne Frankham’s debut novel is an absolute ripper. It kept me up at night and had me gasping as I read it on the train the next morning. With an engaging array of characters ranging from one end of the social spectrum to the other, this novel moves along at a cracking pace, and kept me guessing all the way.
If you love stories about everyday people drawn into unimaginable situations, unfinished business arising from the past and action-packed whodunnits, then you are going to love “Shadow Over Edmund Street.” It is addictive reading at its best and I look forward to reading more from this brilliant new storyteller.
July 26, 2022
✍️This crime mystery is set in New Zealand and starts off with the suspicious murder of Edwina Biggs. Inspector Alex Cameron and his team set out to solve the murder along with the help of friends and community.
This debut novel by @suzannedfrankham was recently twice shortlisted for the Davitt and Ned Kelly Awards which is easy to see. The story was filled with heartache, grief and emotion throughout. I was riveted from start to finish by the graceful writing style as well as the intelligently constructed plot and well formed characters. I enjoyed the correlations within the plot.
It was a little bit of a slow burn at the beginning which I don't specifically enjoy sometimes but nonetheless in this case I didn't have any objections as I was kept fascinated by the storyline, various anecdotes and the comprehensive escalation of the investigation. I was hooked! Highly recommend!
This debut novel by @suzannedfrankham was recently twice shortlisted for the Davitt and Ned Kelly Awards which is easy to see. The story was filled with heartache, grief and emotion throughout. I was riveted from start to finish by the graceful writing style as well as the intelligently constructed plot and well formed characters. I enjoyed the correlations within the plot.
It was a little bit of a slow burn at the beginning which I don't specifically enjoy sometimes but nonetheless in this case I didn't have any objections as I was kept fascinated by the storyline, various anecdotes and the comprehensive escalation of the investigation. I was hooked! Highly recommend!
May 20, 2023
This unassuming thriller had me in the edge of my seat! At a little over 250 pages, I was expecting parts of the story to be rushed or for the characters to be one dimensional. My worry was for nothing - the plot was brilliantly paced, the story didn’t skip a beat, and the characters were fully fleshed out. We never meet Edwina before she is murdered, but her presence is felt throughout the book, bringing people together to solve her murder when they would have never met otherwise. The slow-burn on this was fantastic, and the building anticipation as the investigation takes off had me eagerly flipping the pages to see what was going to happen.
I hope Suzanne Frankham writes more stories set in this world - the characters are wonderful & I love reading thrillers set in New Zealand written by New Zealanders.
I hope Suzanne Frankham writes more stories set in this world - the characters are wonderful & I love reading thrillers set in New Zealand written by New Zealanders.
May 4, 2021
The further I got into the story the more I got hooked on the judge and the dynamics of the past going’s on in Edmund Street. I loved that the author made me feel that I new all the characters, I felt like it could have happened in any street in any city. An easy, intriguing read that kept me guessing until the end. (less)
June 24, 2021
I didn't expect to enjoy this as much as I did since I have a fraught relationship with Kiwi novels/novels set in New Zealand, but no: This was entirely readable and enjoyable.
Not sure where the author- who grew up in Ponsonby- got the idea that Auckland ever gets 'Antarctic' winds though. I don't even think they get frosts up there
Not sure where the author- who grew up in Ponsonby- got the idea that Auckland ever gets 'Antarctic' winds though. I don't even think they get frosts up there
October 17, 2024
A great piece of NZ fiction. This whodunit murder mystery takes place in Auckland, following Inspector Alex Cameron as he struggles to solve the puzzling murder of lifelong Ponsonby resident, Edwina Biggs. The characters were great, Alex had a great support team around him. A little touch of romance towards the end, too.
November 19, 2025
3 generous stars.
I couldnt see past the name Edwina especially once there was an Edward introduced.
I loved how all these strangers became interconnected but the change in pov was at times hard to follow given this was in 3rd person and no chapters per se its structured in parts.
The book didnt muck around diving straight into the crime, I was eager to see it play out.
I couldnt see past the name Edwina especially once there was an Edward introduced.
I loved how all these strangers became interconnected but the change in pov was at times hard to follow given this was in 3rd person and no chapters per se its structured in parts.
The book didnt muck around diving straight into the crime, I was eager to see it play out.
March 20, 2026
When you find a Murder Mystery set in Auckland New Zealand you do kinda think man I want to read that. Slow investigation into a story that does twist into a tight ball of what the heck. Really makes you think about what can happen behind close doors and do we really really know the people around us that well???
June 17, 2021
Loved it! I read it in a couple of days as I couldn't put it down.
August 7, 2021
Enjoyed this immensely - with a solid bit of detective crime and a fun array of characters. Everyone needs a Mr Chan in their life!
October 28, 2023
A very good read. It got better and better as the story went on.
June 5, 2026
Thought it was terribly written,predictable,unrealistic and boring! I was very happy when it finally ended!
June 28, 2022
Gobbled this up! Such a good read! Starts as a slow burner and really crescendos at the end. It is obvious this new writer has a great future ahead. The characters have warmth and humour and the story line was cleverly done. Really enjoyed it!!
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews