It’s been 13 years since readers have got to savour a brand-new book from New Zealand author Chad Taylor. His early 2000s novels like Shirker and Electric earned him a well-deserved reputation Down Under and in Europe as a modern master of neo-noir.
Taylor’s long-awaited return, Blue Hotel, shows he can still be one of the most exciting voices in antipodean literature. It’s a dark and funny tale set among the excesses and economic crashes of the late 1980s. All the while veering across diverse locations in greater Auckland.
Ray Moody is a booze-soaked reporter who sniffs a hidden story when leather-clad Danish woman, Blanca Nul, creates a scene then vanishes from a pub about an hour’s drive north of the big smoke. Ray’s chase results in catastrophe, and he’s left nursing injuries and cataloguing adult classifieds for a dingy tabloid, the only media outlet that’ll have him. He spies a second chance, maybe redemption, when another woman dressed like a Danish doppelganger vanishes on the anniversary, kickstarting a dangerous search that takes Ray from tucked-away BDSM dungeons to lofty offices of corporate raiders.
Full of striking characters, sparkling writing, and a rich sense of time and place, Blue Hotel is a ripper of a read. While Taylor may have been in hiatus, he hasn’t lost a step.
Reviewed by Craig Sisterson
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chad Taylor was born in Otahuhu and grew up in South Auckland. He is the author of seven novels and one collection of short stories, and several screenplays. He has worked as a writer and editor for print and digital media. He lives in New Zealand after living in Europe for several years.
Chad Taylor’s first published fiction appeared in Other Voices: New Writers and Writing in New Zealand, Sport and Landfall. His debut novel Pack of Lies was published in Germany as Lügenspiele. His second novel Heaven (1994) was made into feature film produced by Sue Rogers and directed by Scott Reynolds.
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