{"product_id":"softly-calls-the-devil-chris-blake","title":"Softly Calls the Devil - Chris Blake","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(43, 0, 255);\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eI really enjoyed this one - a great NZ police procedural; with a great sense of place in the West Coast setting.  Once you have read the prologue, you won't be able to put this book down.  Sara\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-v-7d498d3a=\"\" class=\"product-keynote\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: bold;\" class=\"wixui-rich-text__text\"\u003eNZ Booklovers Award for Best Adult Novel 2026\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-v-7d498d3a=\"\" class=\"product-keynote\"\u003eFrom NZ cop-turned-novelist Chris Blake comes a dark, gripping, intricate crime thriller set on the South Island's wild and remote west coast.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-v-7d498d3a=\"\" class=\"product-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThings are going well for Matt Buchanan.  After some hard times, life is peaceful as sole-charge constable for the small, isolated settlement of Haast on New Zealand's wild West Coast.  He's made friends among the locals, won their trust.  He keeps their little world safe.  And he's working in spectacular surroundings - the fierce Tasman Sea, the dense beech forest, the dark, cold swamps, the snowy Southern Alps.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut then his much-loved predecessor, Gus, is discovered beside a river with a bullet through his head.  He'd been looking into a disturbing murder-suicide from 1978: the parents' bodies were found, but not their daughter's.  Suspecting a darker truth, Matt is certain the answers can't be too far away in this close-knit community.  How does former forest service ranger Liam, with his gang links, fit into the story?  What about Joe, the alcoholic hermit whose knowledge and intelligence seem so at odds with his appearance and lifestyle?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTensions rise, there are more deaths, people are threatened, memories surface of a cult that went horribly wrong ... Even when support arrives, Matt finds himself pursuing a case that's well outside his remit and is taking him to places he'd sooner not revisit.  Also part of an increasingly terrifying situation are an over-curious journalist and a woman who could be someone special.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMatt has managed to shun his own demons, and is desperate not to face them again, but when confronted by the devil himself, he must take action, rediscover something of the person he was - for his own sake and to save those he loves.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is the work of an award-winning master storyteller. Fast-moving, spare, compelling and rich in laconic humour,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eSoftly Calls the Devil\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ewill grab you from the first page and refuse to let go.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 data-v-7d498d3a=\"\" class=\"header-top\"\u003eAuthor bio:\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp data-v-7d498d3a=\"\"\u003eChris Blake was born and raised in Auckland. He served briefly in the New Zealand Army's Reserve Force before joining the New Zealand Police in 2006.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHis debut novel,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Sound of Her Voice\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e(published under the pseudonym Nathan Blackwell), was a double finalist in the 2018 Ngaio Marsh Awards for best novel and best first novel. Chris was an assistant storyboarder for season two of the crime drama television series,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Gulf\u003c\/i\u003e, released in 2021\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e352 pages\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePaperback\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"EmmasatOxford","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46885994659994,"sku":null,"price":38.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0013\/9024\/8009\/files\/softly-calls-the-devil-9781786585400.jpg?v=1764197697","url":"https:\/\/emmasatoxford.pro\/products\/softly-calls-the-devil-chris-blake","provider":"EmmasatOxford","version":"1.0","type":"link"}