Join us for a community event at the Queenstown Country Club to hear Christchurch writer Marie Connolly talk about her writing career and her new novel 'Icefall'. Marie will discuss the journey from academia to publishing her first crime fiction novel at the age of 70.

Set against the dramatic beauty of the Southern Alps and the elite world of some of Christchurch’s rich and powerful, Icefall is a classic murder mystery where Detective Nellie Prayle’s search for truth and justice push her skills to the edge, where lines between friends and enemies are blurred, and more than one suspect is skating on thin ice.

Marie has published over thirty books across a range of fiction and non-fiction. Her academic published work focuses on child welfare, human rights and child protection systems. Since retiring from her position at the University of Melbourne and returning home to Aotearoa New Zealand, she has published six travel books for children in the Our Backyard series, and a number of community arts books.

Her first crime novel, 'Dark Sky', released by Quentin Wilson Publishing, was shortlisted in the 2025 Ngaio Marsh Awards for Best First Novel. The second novel in the Nellie Prayle series, Icefall, was published in May this year. She lives in Christchurch with her partner George.

This is a free community event. Registration is essential.