Bookshop Detectives with Louise Ward

Louise and Gareth Ward met at police school and now own the beloved Havelock North bookshop, Wardini Books.

A delightful mix of The Diary of a Bookseller, The Thursday Murder Club and The Bookseller at the End of the World, their charming, cosy crime novel Bookshop Detectives follows two small-town booksellers (and their cowardly dog) as they solve a decades-old murder mystery.

Louise Ward, in conversation with Featherston Booktown's Mary Biggs, tells us about the new book, their colourful lives, past and present, and the quirky side of bookselling.

In association with Featherston Booktown.
Held in the Joy Cowley Room and your ticket includes a welcome drink!

Follow this event with a Murder Mystery-themed lunch at The Royal Hotel for the special price of $45. Book your table by calling The Royal Hotel on 06 308 8567

About Louise Ward

Gareth and Louise Ward are the real-life owners of independent bookshop Wardini Books, with stores in Havelock North and Napier, New Zealand. Louise is known among the staff as Fearless Leader and Gareth as a bit of a dick; he is, however, the author of the Tarquin the Honest and The Rise of the Remarkables book series, as well as being the bestselling and award-winning author of The Traitor and the Thief and The Clockill and the Thief. Gareth and Louise met at police training college in the UK and are both ex-coppers. Louise has one murder arrest to her name, is an English Literature Graduate and as an ex-teacher inflicted Shakespeare on inner-city twelve-year-olds. She regularly reviews books on RNZ. Both are obsessed with their rescue dog Stevie, avoid housework and gardening, and live in the cultural centre of the universe that is Hawke’s Bay, Aotearoa New Zealand. The Bookshop Detectives is Gareth and Louise’s first book together.

This event is part of Yarns in Barns: Wairarapa Festival of Reading which takes place between 12–26th October 2024. This community-led festival features cracking yarns and tall tales for all ages from some of Aotearoa's best writers and storytellers held in an eclectic range of venues across the Wairarapa. View the full festival programme at yarnsinbarns.co.nz

Presented by Hedley's Books, Fraser Books, Masterton District Library and the Wairarapa Library Service.