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The Night Belongs To Her
The follow-up novel to Justin's 2021 Page Turner Awards, Book Award winner. A cold-blooded murder in a small town has Dylan Harper scrambling for answers in a chilling case where the killer keeps leaving coded messages for detectives.
Dylan Harper has been demoted and banished to the small town of Westport. Now the sergeant in charge of the local police station, he doesn't expect to face another murder investigation any time soon. That is until one night, the phone rings. The voice on the other end is barely audible, but what it says makes Harper's blood run cold. Minutes later, two men are shot with a high-powered rifle through the window of a bar, leaving one critically wounded, and one dead.
Detectives arrive and a fast-paced investigation ensues when it becomes apparent this might just be the first in a series of murders. A strange sequence of letters is etched into the bullet and a message written in blood is found at another address, all indicating a second murder will take place in less than 24 hours. Trouble is, only Harper believes more killings are to come.
Harper and his small team of police are thrust into a race against time to track down the killer before they strike again. But the mystery only deepens when someone breaks into Harper's home to watch him as he sleeps. Are they the killer? Will Dylan Harper be the next victim? Only time will tell.
The Night Belongs to Her is a small town, psychological suspense thriller, that will leave you gasping for air. A fast-paced, action-packed, police procedural you won't be able to put down. International crime fiction at its very best from a fresh new author on the ascendency.
Justin Warren is an author from Down Under (New Zealand) who writes traditional detective/crime fiction that harkens back to the cold, dark, gritty days of hardboiled noir writers of the past. His books are set on the ruggedly beautiful West Coast of New Zealand and his characters are straight-talking, no-nonsense figures that could almost have been plucked straight from the screen of a 1940s noir movie. There are three books in the Dylan Harper series. Dead Ground, The Lewis Pass, and The Night Belongs to Her.
Dylan Harper has been demoted and banished to the small town of Westport. Now the sergeant in charge of the local police station, he doesn't expect to face another murder investigation any time soon. That is until one night, the phone rings. The voice on the other end is barely audible, but what it says makes Harper's blood run cold. Minutes later, two men are shot with a high-powered rifle through the window of a bar, leaving one critically wounded, and one dead.
Detectives arrive and a fast-paced investigation ensues when it becomes apparent this might just be the first in a series of murders. A strange sequence of letters is etched into the bullet and a message written in blood is found at another address, all indicating a second murder will take place in less than 24 hours. Trouble is, only Harper believes more killings are to come.
Harper and his small team of police are thrust into a race against time to track down the killer before they strike again. But the mystery only deepens when someone breaks into Harper's home to watch him as he sleeps. Are they the killer? Will Dylan Harper be the next victim? Only time will tell.
The Night Belongs to Her is a small town, psychological suspense thriller, that will leave you gasping for air. A fast-paced, action-packed, police procedural you won't be able to put down. International crime fiction at its very best from a fresh new author on the ascendency.
Justin Warren is an author from Down Under (New Zealand) who writes traditional detective/crime fiction that harkens back to the cold, dark, gritty days of hardboiled noir writers of the past. His books are set on the ruggedly beautiful West Coast of New Zealand and his characters are straight-talking, no-nonsense figures that could almost have been plucked straight from the screen of a 1940s noir movie. There are three books in the Dylan Harper series. Dead Ground, The Lewis Pass, and The Night Belongs to Her.
323 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 1, 2022
30 people are currently reading
23 people want to read
About the author
Justin Warren
9 books9 followersJustin Warren was born in Westport, New Zealand on the 21st of January 1976. He is the eldest of three sons. Growing up Justin spent much time working at his father's newspaper, eventually working his way up to become a journalist. After graduating from the University of Canterbury in 1998 he pursued a career in teaching. One of the inspirations for his return to writing came from reading the Michael Connelly novel "Blood Work". His first novel "The Forgotten Lands" was released on the 1st of August 2017, exactly one year to the day from laying down the first words.
Justin now lives in Christchurch New Zealand with his wife and two young sons. He is currently working on his next novel "The Lewis Pass" due for release in 2018.
Justin now lives in Christchurch New Zealand with his wife and two young sons. He is currently working on his next novel "The Lewis Pass" due for release in 2018.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 5, 2024
The Night Belongs to Her
I loved this book.
It had everything. A murder Investigation, thrills and some clues from beyond the grave.
Dylan Harper has been exonerated and paid a hefty sum for his wrongful conviction.
However he has been reinstated as a Sergeant rather than the Detective Sergeant he was prior to going to jail. He is in charge of the Station in Westport.
When a murder happens in his town he works to solve it. The aim being to get his old job back in Christchurch. A Nelson Detective is determined to push him out of the investigation.
This is really well written and I highly recommend it.
I loved this book.
It had everything. A murder Investigation, thrills and some clues from beyond the grave.
Dylan Harper has been exonerated and paid a hefty sum for his wrongful conviction.
However he has been reinstated as a Sergeant rather than the Detective Sergeant he was prior to going to jail. He is in charge of the Station in Westport.
When a murder happens in his town he works to solve it. The aim being to get his old job back in Christchurch. A Nelson Detective is determined to push him out of the investigation.
This is really well written and I highly recommend it.
March 1, 2023
I just finished book number three in The Dylan Harper series and enjoyed every page of it. It resembled book number one in that the plot moved very fast and kept the readers interest. The ending came as a surprise.
January 7, 2024
Book 3 looking for Book4
Very interesting and quick read. There is always a petty cop in these police stories it seems. Never saw the conclusion coming which makes Justin Warren's books enjoyable. Will continue reading them and recommend this book to mystery readers.
Very interesting and quick read. There is always a petty cop in these police stories it seems. Never saw the conclusion coming which makes Justin Warren's books enjoyable. Will continue reading them and recommend this book to mystery readers.
January 10, 2025
Awesome read
This series was fun. While the ending is perceived to be predictable, it is a surprise. Plus, you learn a lot about New Zealand without paying for a passport and visa. Google earth is great at helping with visuals.
This series was fun. While the ending is perceived to be predictable, it is a surprise. Plus, you learn a lot about New Zealand without paying for a passport and visa. Google earth is great at helping with visuals.
November 10, 2025
This was a really great read. It was so refreshing to read a thriller based in NZ that kept the pace going and wasn’t overly colloquial.
A good twisty, turny thriller that I couldn’t put down.
A good twisty, turny thriller that I couldn’t put down.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews