Chris's Books

What's on offer

Gith

Beetle in the Box Cover

An unorthodox love story set in a small New Zealand town. Gith is a simple tale of an ordinary Kiwi bloke going in to bat for his nearest and dearest but, asx with the town itself, there is a lot more going on beneath the surface than meets the eye.

Available now

Vintage (NZ) (2008)

Chris's Fiction Top


Black Earth/White Bones

Beetle in the Box Cover

Black Earth White Bones is set in the fictional Pacific nation of Ventiak, where a man struggles to stay aloof from the lives of people around him. When an international agency asks him to help to defraud the islanders of millions of dollars, he realises the strength of his loyalty to those whose lives he shares. Meanwhile, up in the highlands, the ants are marching.

The itchiest novel of the year.


‘Richly textured with its own vegetation, wildlife, creation myths and colonial architecture, Else’s wryly satirical novel is slow-burning but extraordinary.’ Mark Peters, New Zealand Listener


‘…lovely’ Cushla McKinney, Otago Daily Times

Vintage (NZ) (2004)

Chris's Fiction Top


On River Road

Beetle in the Box Cover

The story of a group of friends living in a trendy satellite town. When the daughter of one of them gets killed in a hit and run accident, they rally round with their support. Nobody guesses that further tragedy awaits them, however, and that it will come not from some external force but from within their group, challenging their friendship and testing their commitment to one another.

A gripping story of love and loyalty that explores the way in which powerful forces can unleash themselves in ordinary lives.

"...a well-crafted, intelligent thriller. Make sure you feed the chooks and check your emails before you pick it up , because once you're in you won't want to put it down." - John McCrystal, The Dominion Post

Vintage (NZ) (2004)

Chris's Fiction Top


The Beetle in the Box

Beetle in the Box Cover

A disaffected young man gets a job as chauffeur with a rich family and becomes entangled in a web of complex and ultimately dangerous emotions. The Beetle in the Box is a love story which is also part fairy-tale with an ironic philosophical commentary.

"A modern realist novel... with sinister overtones and the tautness of a thriller" - New Zealand Books

Vintage (NZ) (2001)

Chris's Fiction Top


Brainjoy

A satirical fantasy set in a grotesque version of a future Wellington. The three main characters grapple with different aspects of a world out of control and ultimately find a resolution for themselves.

Tandem Press 1998 (Now Random House NZ)

Chris's Fiction Top


Endangered Species

A novella and four short stories provide insight into the changes in our political and social attitudes over the last twenty years.

Hazard Press 1997

Chris's Fiction Top


Why Things Fall

A middle-aged businessman visits the small Northland settlement where his long-lost father has died and discovers that his control over his life is not as complete as he had thought. Why Things Fall is a multi-layered story about damage and grief and dealing with the past.

Tandem Press 1992, Allen & Unwin (Aus) 1993

Chris's Fiction Top

Dreams of Pythagoras

Ten highly original, innovative, post modernist stories.

Voice Press 1981

Chris's Fiction Top