17 Years Later
A shocking crime thriller
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4.4 • 163 Ratings
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
WHO REALLY KILLED THE PRIMROSE FAMILY? The flawless, twisty and electrifying thriller from multi-award-winning author J.P. Pomare. Soon to be a major TV series, produced by Bruna Papandrea's Made Up Stories.
SHORTLISTED FOR THE NED KELLY AWARD FOR BEST CRIME FICTION 2025
SHORTLISTED FOR THE NGAIO MARSH AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL 2025
'Seriously good' DERVLA McTIERNAN
'There's no better storyteller in the thriller game than Pomare' HERALD SUN
'Shocking, twisty and impossible to put down' CHRISTIAN WHITE
'Pomare's gift for complex plots and drum-tight tension shines' BENJAMIN STEVENSON
'A raging river of twists and turns' WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN
The violent slaughter of the Primrose family while they slept shocked the nation.
The family's young live-in chef, Bill Kareama, was swiftly charged with murder and brought to justice. But the brutal crime scarred the idyllic town of Cambridge forever.
Seventeen years later, true-crime podcaster Sloane Abbott tracks down prison psychologist TK Phillips. Once a fierce campaigner for an appeal, TK now lives a quiet life with Bill's case firmly in his past.
As Sloane lures a reluctant TK back into the fight, evidence emerges that casts new light on the Primroses - and who might have wanted them dead.
While the list of suspects grows, Bill's innocence is still far from assured. What will it cost Sloane and TK to uncover the truth?
'I love Pomare's sense of place and his unremittingly darkling imagination' THE AUSTRALIAN
'A plot well worthy of a Ngaio Marsh mystery' SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
'Pomare builds a cocktail of lies and unexpected turns of events that remain a mystery until the hectic climax' COURIER MAIL
'A politically charged story that delves into social media and the failings of the justice system . . . [Pomare's] twistiest yet' SUN-HERALD
'Flawlessly plotted . . . breathless suspense' ANNA DOWNES
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Taut and enormously entertaining, J.P. Pomare’s crime thriller 17 Years Later perfectly balances a clear-sighted investigation with a twisty mystery. It follows Sloane Abbott, an influential true-crime podcaster, as she digs into a notorious Aotearoa New Zealand murder case and the conviction of local private chef Bill Kareama over the brutal slaying of a wealthy expat family. The novel gets deep into the business of the murdered family, from the political scandal that sent the family abroad to excerpts from the teenage daughter’s private diaries, allowing Pomare to explore the dynamics of race, class and colonial attitudes in contemporary Kiwi life. Pomare writes with clarity and assurance, and the descriptive passages on food are particularly striking, blending sensory beauty with brutality. Packed with action and intricate plotting, it’s absorbing and emotionally wrenching.
Customer Reviews
Brilliant Story
I absolutely have loved reading this book, I did however find multiple errors, between spelling mistakes and missed words. You would think an editor would pick up on this. Otherwise brilliantly written.
Amazing!
Loved this book. Couldn’t put it down.