Book Review: The One That Got Away

Lauren Fraser is easing into a comfortable retirement when her historian friend Ro reveals a shocking secret. Ro’s research has uncovered the attempted poisoning of a New Zealand prime minister. Despite herself, Lauren is drawn into the mystery. Who was the would-be murderer and can they be brought to justice after thirty years? Who has been involved in covering up the plot and why? As they get closer to the truth, Lauren and Ro find themselves in danger. One death follows another, and it is no longer a cold case they have on their hands. This gripping novel is set in Wellington, New Zealand’s capital city, where Lauren and her circle of lesbian friends are celebrating Jacinda Ardern’s fresh new coalition government. Will Lauren and Ro succeed in exposing malign global forces that destroyed a former government, and still operate today?

This is good knockabout fun! The assassination plot almost takes a back-seat to the lush travelogue over New Zealand. It's a seedy look at the corrupt underbelly of eighties politics, and ramifications they have decades later for anyone caught in their tangled web.

It quickly becomes apparent that this isn't a "whodunnit" but more of a "WillTheyGetAwayWithIt" - but that doesn't spoil the tension.

It's written by my wife's mother's cousin and her wife - which may colour my review.