“If not now, when?” This is the question that buzzed in the head of Rosy Fenwicke when she retired from medicine and started her first novel. After conquering that challenge with Hot Flush – about a midlife woman who develops superpowers and solves crimes – she wrote another, and another. Now, the New Zealand-based author has produced her first police procedural with the title The Secret of the Angel Who Died at Midnight, which introduces Detective Senior Sergeant Kate Sutton.
New Zealand is so very far away from readers in the UK and US, so it’s something of a privilege to be able to travel there via crime fiction. Rosy’s novel is set in Martinborough, where she lives, taking us into the heart of the wine region of Southern Wairarapa, which is bottom right on the North Island of New Zealand. It’s a remote area, with steep hills, bush country and a rough coastline. And plenty of alcohol. Perfect for a murder mystery…
We invited Rosy to the site to tell us all the secrets behind The Secret of the Angel Who Died at Midnight, which goes on sale Monday 6 June 2025 – print and Kindle.
What will crime fiction lovers love about The Secret of the Angel Who Died at Midnight?
The Secret of the Angel Who Died at Midnight is set in Martinborough during a typical February, when the summer heat and resulting drought make for a testing work environment. The murder of the local doctor is keeping the day-trippers, tourists and their dollars away. The local economy is suffering. The farmers just want rain. The pressure on DSS Kate Sutton to find the killer is intense.
Readers of classic whodunnits which feature memorable detectives and are set in small towns in unique locations and have a cast of different characters, each with their own subplots, will enjoy the layered mysteries at the heart of The Secret of the Angel Who Died at Midnight.
Can you tell us more about Kate Sutton?
DSS Kate Sutton was born and brought up in the area where she works. She is a woman who could only come from a small rural New Zealand town. Determined to become a detective, she joined the police in her 30s when her two boys were old enough to manage without her constant presence. She is smart, quiet, dogged, fair, has oodles of common sense, but she can be recklessly brave when the situation demands it. She handles herself with quiet dignity but her single-minded focus on her job has cost her, her marriage.
What’s she up against as she investigates this murder?
At the beginning of The Secret, Kate struggles with being in charge of her first murder investigation, then going home every night to an empty house. By the end of the book, she is even more dedicated to her work than before. While there is a possibility she may develop a private life at some point in her future, it is remote. Kate Sutton is named after an inspirational teacher who taught me the values of persistence, hard work, keeping to a routine and having fun.
The conflict is the unknown – only resolved when the reader knows who killed the doctor and why. There are no evil villains, no hideous monsters, just good people who go that one step too far when they are under pressure and do bad things.
Who are some of the other characters for readers to look out for?
My characters are typical of the broad cross section of ordinary people who live in small-town New Zealand. Men and women of the land mix naturally with those in business, rich and poor, the young, the old and the professionals who service their needs. They are resilient and straightforward but at the same time just as vulnerable to the temptations and stresses of modern life as their counterparts in the cities. One of my favourites is Logan Benson, the salt of the earth possum trapper who lives in the hills, and who comes down to provide vital information about his friend to the investigation.
What are some of the bigger themes you wanted to explore in The Secret of the Angel Who Died at Midnight?
Themes in the book include loneliness, the normality of mental illness, and how different relationships can appear to an outsider looking in. The over-arching theme is the preservation of the self and how much we are prepared to compromise who we are, for love.
In the past you’ve written cosy fantasy mysteries with the Euphemia Sage books. This one is a police procedural. What’s been different or challenging or nice, for you, in putting this new one together?
While I enjoyed writing The Euphemia Sage books, pure fantasy dressed up as cosy mysteries, I enjoyed writing Cold Wallet more. Cold Wallet is a psychological thriller set in the murky world of cryptocurrency. It had excellent reviews and is the book which garnered the most respect from my readers. It made me believe I could write – if I just kept at it. However, it was a standalone novel, and I wanted to write a series with an ordinary heroine like Kate Sutton, a woman who doesn’t stop until she solves the mystery.
What’s the crime fiction scene like in New Zealand and which other crime authors or books have influenced you, by writers there and around the world?
The crime fiction scene in New Zealand is thriving. The Dame Ngaio Marsh awards, set up by Craig Sisterson in 2010 to recognise excellence in crime fiction, mystery and thriller writing, have resulted in an increasing number of authors putting their books forward for consideration every year. Previous winners include Neil Cross, the Wellington-based author of Luther. Paul Thomas, who also lives in Martinborough, writes the Tito Ihaka series. Vanda Symon, Paul Cleave, JP Pomare and Nalini Singh all have local and international audiences for their books. There are many more authors I could name, who write gripping stories featuring death, crime and mayhem in this quiet corner of the world. The overseas authors I admire most include Ann Cleeves, Louise Penny and Jane Harper.
What’s next for DSS Kate Sutton, and what’s next for Rosy Fenwicke?
What’s next for me? Tidying my house and garden after months of neglect, before sitting down to write the second book in the DSS Kate Sutton Murder Mystery series, The Secret of the Fallen Woman. Writing is my life now, I only wish I had started it sooner.
The Secret of the Angel Who Died at Midnight is available from 6 June 2025. Order your copy using our Amazon the buttons below.
