Fiona Kidman isn’t your typical first-time crime writer. A doyenne of New Zealand storytelling, the 80-year-old is an award-winning novelist, poet, journalist and scriptwriter. She’s led literary organisations and was made a Dame for her services to literature in 1998. In This Mortal Boy, Dame Fiona turns her sharp eye and flowing pen to a brilliant novelisation of a real-life crime from the 1950s that left two young men dead and helped play a part in the abolition of the death penalty.

Why did Paddy Black, a rather gentle immigrant from Belfast, thrust a knife into the neck of another man beside a jukebox one night? Had he gone off the rails thanks to the bodgie lifestyle? Was it a callous murder by a young delinquent, or more complex than reported?

In a novel that scooped numerous awards, Kidman delivers rich characterisation from the points of view of many associated with the case. She takes readers beyond the courtroom, broader and deeper, giving us a textured look at a life that was more than a symbol, or entry in a history book. Throughout various times and perspectives, everything flows beautifully, building in tension and texture.

A harrowing and haunting tale full of humanity that questions where justice lies. An important read from a master storyteller.

Reviewed by Craig Sisterson