A detective novel (and the start of a series) set 150 years ago in New Zealand. I liked the history and the characters.

The plot touches on misogyny and racism, and it's good to see the main characters free of these prejudices. I read this as an audiobook, and the reader did a good job with the accents. The characters I liked most were the two sidekicks.

The ending, a setup for the return of the villain, felt pretty forced. The story is a little slow to start, and the characters don't have a lot of growth in this book. Perhaps the series will be better.

The author spent a lot of time in New Zealand; the place and history are well represented here. Clearly she had a plan for the characters, because the first three books of the series were all released in 2018, with a fourth book following in 2020. I plan to read another in the near future.