The Fallen

The Fallen is the first novel by Ben Sanders from Auckland, New Zealand. If you like detective novels and want the inside scoop on life in Auckland, or New Zealand, buy The Fallen.

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A police officer, cop, detective, Sean Devereaux, investigates the death of a rich young lady from a posh suburb and discovers ... You will have to read it. Expect corrupt cops. Drugs. A friend, John Hale, is ex police and sidesteps some of the paperwork that can slow down real police investigations and novels.

I found the book on a quick stopover in Auckland. I was in the big central Auckland bookshop when the staff were placing the first stock of The Fallen on the shelves. I started reading The Fallen near the location of the first dead body. The book is a good read and it is a different view of Auckland from the view in Lonely Planet books.

There are enough twists to fill a long flight with suspense, a neat wrap up, then a jerky couple of I love this city pages. The hero is attracted to a girl who sounds interesting. She is too young in this novel and could grow into a love interest across a few more novels.

I would read another novel by the same author with the same lead characters but probably not another set in Auckland. There are lots of other locations that could be the background for different murders. There are the islands off Auckland, the ski fields, Wellington, Christchurch, and the wine areas. There are all sorts of unusual aspects of New Zealand to spice up a murder mystery and to intrigue readers who live outside new Zealand.