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The Target
Brief Description
She was in the wrong place at the wrong time - or was she? Former US agent Marla Simmons is hiding in a quiet South Island town, hoping her past never finds her. With an election looming, journalist Grace Marks is covering the escalating union protests...
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The Target
$5900
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Former US agent Marla Simmons keeps a low profile in a quiet South Island town until a bomb tears through Wellington’s union offices. Journalist Grace Marks is caught in the blast, and the official explanation, a lone extremist, doesn’t add up. With investigations stalling, Marla must decide: was Grace an innocent bystander, or the intended target?
LightHousePR promotion
Magazines:
- NZ Listener, send review copy
- Verve Magazine, review
- Coasties Magazine review
- NZ Today RV Living Lifestyle Magazine, promotion
Newspapers:
- NZ Herald, review
- NZME regional papers (Hawkes Bay Today, Northern Advocate, Bay of Plenty Times, Wanganui Chronicle, Wairarapa Times-Age and Rotorua Daily Mail), review
- NZ Herald, review
- Beacon, Opotiki News, Eastern Bay Life, promotion
- Waiheke Weekender, review
- Manawatu Standard/ Stuff newspaper, interview – will approach them closer to publication date
Radio:
- Radio NZ, Nine to Noon, submitted for possible book review
- Radio NZ, interview on key show - chasing
- Kick Arts Radio Show, review
- Radio Rhema review on Breakfast Show
- Radio Rhema interview on Afternoons Show
- Coast FM, nationwide weeklong promotion
- Coast Access Radio, review and interview with Catherine Scullin
- MORE FM Book Club review with Nick Radio
Online/other:
- NZ Booklovers, review
- NZ Booklovers, Q&A
- Grownups, promotion
- Ashburton Guardian, promotion online
- Pitched to all major NZ writers’ festivals
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Description
She was in the wrong place at the wrong time - or was she?
Former US agent Marla Simmons is hiding in a quiet South Island town, hoping her past never finds her.
With an election looming, journalist Grace Marks is covering the escalating union protests - and someone is tracking her.
When a bomb rips through the Wellington union offices, echoing the unsolved 1984 Trades Hall blast, Grace is caught in the explosion. The official line that it is the work of a lone extremist doesn't add up. With security cameras everywhere, identifying the culprit should be easy, but the police and SIS investigations stall.
Marla must decide: was Grace in the wrong place at the wrong time - or was she the target?
A gripping New Zealand thriller. Someone planned this explosion. The question is why.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781067141806
Publisher: Palmerston Press
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 17 April 2026
Country: New Zealand
Imprint: Two Roads
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Weight: 0g
Pages: 258
About the Author
Connecting my passion for writing with concerns about the forces shaping society, my goal is to write fiction that entertains and challenges readers to consider the world around them.
Since I started writing, I have worked with independent publishing consultant Geoff Walker who has been a powerful influence.
‘I’ve worked as an editor with Roger on all of his novels and he’s now producing high-quality local thrillers with a strong political thread, touching on significant issues facing New Zealand society in the modern world. I do think his best is yet to come.’
Geoff Walker
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