We’re excited to be giving away two copies of Icefall by Marie Connolley to our GrownUps members!
To be in the draw, simply make sure you’re a GrownUps member, signed up to our newsletter, and fill in your details at the bottom of the page.
About Icefall
The second anticipated Nellie Prayle crime novel from Marie Connelly, following the first, Dark Sky, which was shortlisted for the Ngaio Marsh Awards.
A melting glacier gives up its secrets, a man is murdered in his ritzy beachside home, and the Christchurch detectives get to work. Two mysteries, two separate investigations… or are they?
A handful of Christchurch rich listers start eyeing their assets and shaking in their Jimmy Choos, but the police are cold on the trail until once again Detective Jack Simmons calls on criminal psychologist Nellie Prayle to help them navigate a powerful web of secrets and lies frozen in time.
With a stalker, a couple of ex-parolees, a cop with his own agenda and a journalist who won’t quit thrown into the mix, Nellie and the team soon realise their questions have barely scratched the surface. And just as her personal life is warming up nicely too …
Set against the dramatic beauty of the Southern Alps and the elite world of some of Christchurch’s rich and powerful, Icefall is a classic murder mystery where Nellie’s search for truth and justice push her skills to the edge, where lines between friends and enemies are blurred, and more than one suspect is skating on thin ice.
About the Author
Marie Connolly has been an academic for over thirty years, working in university and government settings. An expert in child protection systems, she began her academic career at the University of Canterbury and moved to Australia in 2010 to take up a professorial position at the University of Melbourne. Retiring in 2019, she returned to Aotearoa and now writes more eclectically, publishing children’s books, film review blogs and various community arts books.
In 2024, Quentin Wilson Publishing released her first crime novel, Dark Sky, which was a finalist in the 2025 Ngaio Marsh Awards for first novel. Icefall is her second novel in the Nellie Prayle series. She lives in Akaroa with her partner George.
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Terms and conditions
You must be a GrownUps member and subscribed to our newsletter to be eligible to enter.
The competition closes on 3rd June 2026. Winners will be notified via email by 4th June 2026.
It is your responsibility to provide a correct New Zealand postal address for prize delivery. GrownUps is not responsible for prizes sent to incorrect addresses.
Winners will be drawn at random by the GrownUps administration team.
GrownUps employees and their immediate families are not eligible to enter.
By entering, you agree to GrownUps using your name on social media as a winner of the competition.
One entry per household.
The prize is non-transferable and cannot be exchanged for cash or other items.
You must reside in New Zealand, as the prize can only be delivered within New Zealand.
You must be over 50 years of age to enter. Please ensure your membership details are up to date in your dashboard.






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