On 3 February 1931, Napier is devastated by a powerful earthquake – and Tamar Murdoch, beloved matriarch of Kenmore, is seriously injured. As she recovers, Tamar is preoccupied with the ongoing effects of the Great Depression. When her grandson threatens to leave for Spain to join the International Brigade, she feels a familiar dread – once again her family is threatened by war and heartbreak, as Hitler’s armies march.

In the final volume of the Tamar trilogy, the story of the feisty Cornish seamstress who became a brothelkeeper and landowner is brought to a stirring and memorable conclusion.

Reviews

‘Being an historian, having a consummate ability for storytelling and using local settings and vernacular confirm Deborah Challinor as an established New Zealand novelist. Blue Smoke provides a stirring conclusion to the [Tamar] trilogy.’
Bookshelf, September, 2004

‘Devotees of the family saga will love this trilogy, and it is hugely enjoyable to have New Zealand history and landscapes woven in. Challinor’s prose is clear and readable, and she tells a good story.’ Nelson Mail, August 2004

‘This is the third book in the Tamar trilogy…One pleasure of these books is the New Zealand countryside, characters and places, rare to find in books of this quality. Perhaps film or television could be interested: the stories are strong and with film companies being attracted to New Zealand, who knows? This series will succeed in what ever format.’ Wanganui Chronicle, August 2004

Author Biography

Deborah Challinor is a freelance writer and historian living in the Bay of Plenty. Blue Smoke is her third novel, following the bestselling Tamar and White Feathers, and she has written several nonfiction titles, including Who'll Stop the Rain? and Grey Ghosts.