Author Catherine Lea
Welcome to the website of Author Catherine Lea. This is where you'll find news of your newest crime, thriller, and suspense binge-reads.
(Actually, I recently had my website redesigned. To be honest, I was a little miffed. It was all sterile AI-generated text like this below:)
Explore the captivating world of literature through the lens of Catherine Lea, a prolific author who seamlessly weaves stories under both her given name and the pseudonym, C.J. Lea.
(See what I mean? And this:)
Delve into a diverse literary landscape where each book is a portal to unique realms
(AI doesn't know what I bring to my books - pieces of my world, my love of New Zealand's Far North and its people; brief flashes of my crazy sense of humour.)
AI has its place. But not in my books. In my crime-thrillers you'll find characters who feel like your neighbours and friends - ones you'll recognize and relate to. You'll discover my passion for the north - its startling beauty and the abject poverty that surrounds it. My books are drawn from my experience and my home here.
Lift the covers. Let the pages turn themselves.
Fall into my world of thrills and spills and murder and whodunnits where you'll get a little piece of my heart while you're there.
Try them below.
You just might like them.
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About Catherine
Catherine lives in the beautiful Far North of New Zealand. In past lives, she has sold international satellite capacity, worked in IT recruitment, and run her own communications store.
When Catherine isn't writing, she's gunning down zombies on her XBox, wrestling with technology, or going crazy trying to maintain control of the yard.
Catherine’s Latest Releases
Better Left Dead
"Catherine Lea has long been one of my favorite writers, and the latest in her DI Nyree Bradshaw series set in New Zealand's beautiful Far North proves why. BETTER LEFT DEAD is a twisty, complicated story in which the stakes couldn't be higher; a stunning tale where secrets abound and it's left to Bradshaw to ferret out the truth. Lea's crisp prose, insightful characters, and spot-on descriptions cement her place in the canon of must-read crime fiction writers. I predict we'll be reading about DI Bradshaw for a very long time!"
-- Karen Dionne, author of the #1 internationally bestselling THE MARSH KING'S DAUGHTER and THE WICKED SISTER
DI Nyree Bradshaw and her team have their work cut out for them once again. A local woman, Lizzy Bean, has been found dead at a property overlooking a pristine bay in Northland. Garrotted with a piece of wire.
The property is overflowing with rubbish, and inside the house is even worse. As Nyree and her team delve into the case, and clues begin to emerge, they reveal an intricate web of connections involving a local crime syndicate, a kidnapped woman, and a group of ex-foster children haunted by the past. Dark secrets abound and no one’s telling the full story.
Meanwhile, Nyree’s own past is catching up with her. Forever racked by guilt that she has failed her son who is currently in prison for murder, Nyree might finally get a chance to redeem herself in his eyes . . . but, it comes at a steep cost.
Explore Author Catherine Lea's Books
Oh dear Lord, I've got it all through here as well, poisoning my profile with AI-generated sludge:
Embark on an exhilarating journey through the pages of Catherine Lea's diverse collection of crime novels, where every book is a portal to a cast of characters you won't want to leave. Whether you crave heart-pounding suspense, thrilling detective fiction, or can't-put-down mysteries with twists you won't see coming, there's a binge-read waiting for every crime reader. Immerse yourself in captivating narratives, unforgettable characters, and the artistry of a storyteller who effortlessly transcends genres. (And another boring list of keywords? Even my eyes are glazing over...and it's my website!) The exploration of these literary landscapes promises an escape into worlds where imagination knows no bounds and storytelling reaches its pinnacle. Start your journey today and discover the thrills within the pages of Catherine Lea's extraordinary books.
For the love of all that's good and holy, try the books for yourself. You'll find them in your favourite bookshop. Or along the lineup below.
Pick one up now!
Catherine’s Blog
Review by NZGeekChic**📚 Book 58 of 2025: *The Candidate's Daughter* by Catherine Lea 📚**
Just finished this gripping thriller by New Zealand author Catherine Lea! *The Candidate's Daughter* is an intense read filled with politics, law enforcement, and a mother’s fierce love. The story follows the kidnapping of a young girl with Down syndrome, weaving in themes of disability representation, crime, and family bonds. A dark, edgy thriller that kept me hooked! Reviewed now on *The Phantom Paragrapher* book blog
Watch this space
Reviews
Reviewed by bmichie31
The Water’s Dead is the first book in the DI Nyree Bradshaw series and it’s a tense and atmospheric police procedural that I found completely gripping.
When Huia, a young Māori woman, is found dead in a volcanic rock pool at the base of a waterfall, DI Nyree Bradshaw is assigned the investigation. Right from the get go, things don’t seem to add up. Huia’s parents’ reaction to her death is strange and her supposed boyfriend is entirely unhelpful They all seem like people with something to hide. The stakes are upped, when Nyree discovers that six year old diabetic, Lily Holmes, was in Huia’s care when she was murdered and now Lily is missing. It’s a race against the clock to find Lily and catch Huia’s killer. Nyree has already failed her own son, she cannot fail Lily too.
I absolutely loved Nyree! She was incredibly relatable and I felt very invested in her. As a woman who has had to fight to get to where she is and battle the “old boys club” of the police force, while also having her own family struggles, it was wonderful to see her determination and courage to solve this case. I also enjoyed learning a little about Māori culture through this story and was especially interested in community life and customs.
The investigation was very believable and had me hooked. There were no magic solutions that just appeared and at times the police seemed to be taking a step forward only to then go two steps backwards, which is probably much like real police work. I could feel Nyree’s frustration as she discovered things that had been missed or not considered, as well as the various political agendas of some of her colleagues.
Overall, I really enjoyed this tightly plotted police procedural and its wonderful lead character. The New Zealand setting and landscape also made for a great read as it played its own part in the crime.
Huge thanks to @author_catherine_lea for sending me a copy of The Water’s Dead. I cannot wait to read book 2.
Kete Review: Better Left Dead, by Catherine Lea
Reviewed by Craig Sisterson
Kerikeri author Catherine Lea has crafted a terrific heroine in Detective Inspector Nyree Bradshaw and, in a second outing for what deserves to be a long series, spins a page-whirring tale while soaking readers in some of the problems lurking beneath the Far North’s picturesque landscapes.
The situation is horrible – a garrotted woman in a rubbish tip masquerading as a Northland house – but Detective Nyree Bradshaw is in her element: marshalling uniformed officers, forensics, and detectives as they begin the laborious process of gathering evidence, searching for clues, and interviewing witnesses in hopes of finding a trail that leads to the killer. Frankly, for Nyree, as much empathy as she feels for the victim and as tricky as the crime scene is with its rotting planks, towers of mouldy newspapers and dirty dishes, fly-infested rooms, and overwhelming stench, it hasn’t even been the most challenging part of her day.
Not after her son Tony, in prison for murder, had dropped a life-altering bombshell.
After several mystery and thriller novels featuring American and British settings and protagonists, including a popular trilogy starring socialite-turned-sleuth Elizabeth McClaine, Kerikeri author Catherine Lea ‘came home’ in 2022 with The Water’s Dead, her first book featuring tough, middle-aged investigator DI Nyree Bradshaw of the Far North CIB. That engaging series-starter is now joined by a very good sequel. Better Left Dead continues the dastardly deeds and puzzling investigations, with Nyree and her team coming face-to-face with the poverty and problems lurking beneath Northland’s picture-postcard landscapes.
The garrotted victim, Lizzy Bean, was a loner and hoarder who apparently provoked complaints to the local council from her frustrated neighbours. But as Nyree and her team pick their way through the detritus of Lizzy Bean’s property – they discover more about a troubled life that brought Lizzy to that point, hoarding and hiding away.
And they also discover another body inside Lizzy’s house. What does a list of names of former foster kids have to do with the murder/s? Who would want to kill a troubled woman in such brutal fashion? Are the neighbours telling the whole truth about Lizzy Bean’s life?
While investigating the murders and trying to find a killer, Nyree must juggle not only her makeshift team and the usual investigative frustrations, wrong turns, and dead ends (not to mention being under-resourced as other police colleagues are focused on trying to find Chelsea Westerley, the missing daughter of a Far North councillor), but the urgent, life-changing news her son Tony casually dropped on her during a prison visit. Nyree is grandmother to Ellie, an eight-year-old whose mother recently died and who is destined for foster care herself if Nyree can’t rearrange her hard-working, solo life to take Ellie in.
Already carrying guilt for failing her son, Nyree is now faced with failing a grandchild.
While crime fiction is often thought of in terms of puzzling plotlines or thrilling events, character is a key reason readers will follow a detective series over many books. In Better Left Dead Catherine Lea shows her great touch for character, from DI Nyree Bradshaw and key colleagues like Detective Sergeant Callaghan and newly minted, keen-as-mustard Detective Alana Bowman to a range of personalities who’ve made their lives in Northland.
While we care about finding the killer, Lea cajoles us to care about the people in the story, raising the stakes emotionally. Lea also brings the Northland setting to vivid life, digging beneath the beautiful-on-the-surface landscapes to showcase many of the issues facing local communities, from methamphetamine and mental health, to gangs, to property development.
Lea has crafted a very good page-turner, entertaining and engaging on many levels. Better Left Dead is the kind of tale that sucks you in and glues you to your chair, the pages melting by, while throwing in a few swerves along the journey. DI Nyree Bradshaw is a fabulous creation, and several of the supporting cast show great potential too. It’ll be interesting to see how the series evolves, because this is a heroine, cast, and setting that deserves a long series.
A very good read from an experienced storyteller who’s really hitting her stride.
Craig Sisterson is a lawyer turned features writer, reviewer, and editor. He is founder of the Ngaio Marsh Awards and series editor of the Dark Deeds Down Under crime and thriller anthologies. Craig grew up in Te Tau Ihu o Te Waka a Māui/The Top of the South, and currently lives in London.