COMP CLOSED: Book Giveaway | The Water’s Dead

Set in the Far North, this is New Zealand’s answer to Vera Stanhope, a thrilling novel with surprise twists that will keep you turning the pages.

Meet DI Nyree Bradshaw. For twenty-five years, Nyree thought she’d solved her toughest cases. She was wrong.

The chin tattoo confirms the victim is Māori. The whorls of ink from her lower lip to her chin—the moko – is worn only by Māori women. So, her ethnicity is a given. Finding who murdered her and dumped her body in the volcanic rock pool at the base of Mason’s Rock waterfall is DI Nyree Bradshaw’s latest case.

From the strangely unsympathetic parents to the belligerent boyfriend on home detention for drugs, it seems everyone has something to hide, and no one is telling the truth. Then Nyree discovers six- year-old diabetic, Lily Holmes is missing, last seen in the victim’s care. Now Nyree must find the killer to save Lily.

The clock is ticking. She has already failed her own son. She cannot fail this child.

Praise:

‘The Water’s Dead is not your average police procedural mystery. It’s a riveting story you won’t be able to put down.’– J.H. Bográn, author of Poisoned Tears

‘The writing is crisp, the settings vivid, and the characters memorable. I strongly recommend this novel for its sheer enjoyment.’ – Arthur Kerns, author of The Riviera Contract, The African Contract, and The Yemen Contract.

Author’s note:

‘My inspiration for this book came from reading a long list of British authors, such as Ruth Rendell, Anne Cleeves, and Colin Dexter. I’ve seen just about every Midsomer Murder and binge-watched episodes of Brokenwood, so I wanted a Vera-like character with family dramas and work issues, all set in the beautiful, multi-cultural Far North.’

About the author:

Catherine Lea, author of the popular Elizabeth McClaine series of thrillers and several standalone novels set in the USA, has brought her writing home to the beautiful Far North. The Water’s Dead is the first in the ‘DI Nyree Bradshaw’ series.

Catherine was short-listed for the Katherine Mansfield Award with a short story comprised entirely of dialogue. Before Covid, she travelled to the States every second year to attend the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention for Readers and Writers of crime, mystery, and suspense.

Catherine is a PS4 action-adventure gamer (yes, you read that right, she adores first-person shooters and knows exactly how to take down a zombie horde with her controller). She is also a keen gardener, avid cook, reader, and cryptic crossword lover.

She once worked at Random House in their warehouse as a book picker, where she got to meet some wonderful authors such as Bill Bryson and found out more about the world of publishing than most would want to.

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Terms and conditions

1. 1. You must be a GrownUps member and receive our newsletter to be eligible to win.
   2. Competition closes on the 22nd February 2022, winners will be notified via email by Thursday 24th February 2021.
   3. As a competition winner, you must confirm you have received our email notifying you of the win within three days. If we have not heard from you in three days the prize will be redrawn, and your prize will be forfeit.
   4. Winners are drawn at random by the GrownUps administration team.
   5. GrownUps employees and family are not eligible to enter.
   6. By entering the giveaway, you approve for GrownUps to use your name on social media as winner of the competition.
   7. One entry per person.
   8. You must reside in New Zealand – the prize will only be posted within New Zealand.
   9. You must be over 50 years of age to enter, check your details are correct in your membership dashboard.