An astonishing debut [with] a wonderfully flawed central character . . . full of heart and determination. Excellently constructed . . . and all wrapped up in wonderfully flowing prose. Such a standout novel

Tom Baragwanath’s provocative first novel is riveting and shocking

Lorraine Henry lies at the heart of this magnetic debut . . . This beautifully constructed plot has already won awards, and it is easy to see why with a protagonist who is impossible not to root for . . . breathtakingly compelling

Baragwanath is strong on the socio-economic conditions and unspoken racism that underpin Masterton’s inequalities as he delivers a compellingly claustrophobic account of a community at war with itself

A propulsive thriller set against a tension-ridden small town; this one will have you gripped from beginning to end

A beautifully drawn literary thriller

In weaving together a lived-in portrait of small-town New Zealand with a truly crackling mystery, Baragwanath proves himself a writer to watch

When [the] violence erupts, it is shocking, and the book culminates in a thrilling and heroic sequence

Set in the provincial town of Masterton, Baragwanath’s debut is both social novel and thriller, spinning the tensions between the white and Maori populations, the chokehold of street gangs, and the toll of drug addiction on young families into a suspenseful crime drama . . . Just the kind of dark, disturbing, gritty, and unusual treat thriller lovers are looking for

A stylishly written missing kids mystery, a compelling window on a fractured community, and a cast of characters I was fully invested in. Paper Cage is an impressive debut

I really enjoyed Paper Cage. Its world feels real and its characters and relationships drew me in. Lorraine Henry is a refreshingly different crime fiction protagonist

Expansive in its reach, and stunningly singular in its detail, this literary thriller heralds the arrival of an exciting new voice in New Zealand storytelling

A twisty thriller which provides us with a window into a riven community in small-town New Zealand where racial and cultural loyalties divide as much as they unite. Dark, gritty and beautifully written, Paper Cage is a triumph from first to last

Paper Cage has all the sharp points of a great crime story and all the tragedy of ordinary lives hit hard. I couldn’t put it down

A gripping and hauntingly beautiful exploration of a small town in crisis, offering deep insight into the human condition. A superb read

Tenderness and violence are always intersecting in Paper Cage . . . In this haunting, finely wrought book, Baragwanath illuminates the extraordinary strength of an ordinary woman

Paper Cage is the impressive debut novel from New Zealand writer Tom Baragwanath. The protagonist, Lorraine, is a proto-detective like you’ve not seen before and the themes couldn’t be more relevant. This literary thriller is both a satisfying mystery and biting social critique; racism, victim blaming, misogyny, policing and generational differences all in focus. This is a dark, troubling and yet enriching read

Baragwanath’s writing crackles with tension . . . Paper Cage is beautifully atmospheric and descriptive – often, hauntingly poetic

The characters spring to life and don’t let go their hold on you until well after you’ve read the last page of this extraordinary novel

Tom Baragwanath has mastered the craft of literary crime: this is well-paced and vividly written detective fiction with a Chandleresque grittiness to its depiction of a community in crisis

A perfectly pitched and plotted cracker of a debut . . . The author’s observations are as clear-eyed and intelligent as his endearingly down-to-earth [protagonist] Lorraine

A compelling crime thriller

Aotearoa/New Zealand . . . has a rich history of crime writing, with huge names such as Ngaio Marsh, Alan Carter and Paul Thomas producing some fabulous reads over the last century. To this stable we can add newcomer Tom Baragwanath

An ambitious mystery that uses the form to make some trenchant statements about contemporary society . . . All the essential elements of the genre are here and turned to use in exploring the bigger issues

Thrilling . . . Lorraine is a perfect heroine: she’s tough, unflinching and gets the job done . . . A gritty crime novel that has all the fun literary techniques of a thriller with an added layer of feminist commentary

A tightly written, slow burning thriller . . . Baragwanath reveals a tight-knit community alive with prejudice, where patronising attitudes towards race bubble just below the surface

A thrilling, deep dive into community and what it means. Loved this new voice

This novel does what great crime fiction does – brings a community, with all of its complexities, to life – and while doing so deals with entrenched and persistent issues of colonialism, sexism and ageing in a way that is both absorbing and thought-provoking