The Boat Shed :Review

Fast‑moving thriller from Robyn Cotton

The Boat Shed

by Robyn Cotton

Police Procedural / Thriller

The Boat Shed hooked me in the first chapter, and this is not a book about fishing. What looks like a simple body‑in‑a‑boat shed mystery on Rangitoto Island quickly turns into something darker and far more disturbing. Detectives Frank Smythe and Anahera Raupara find themselves chasing the deaths of two young girls, and the trail leads them into Auckland’s underbelly and an international trafficking ring.

Cotton handles the theme of exploitation with seriousness and compassion, never sensationalising it. The Auckland setting feels lived‑in — salty, urban, and recognisably local — giving the investigation real texture. What lifts the book above standard procedural fare is the emotional weight: Anahera’s family crisis threads through the case, grounding the story in something human and urgent.

This is a gritty, fast‑moving thriller with heart. It’s a story that’s both gripping and emotionally resonant. As the second entry in the Hauraki Gulf Mysteries, it shows an author who wants to go deeper and darker.

A sharp, compelling read that lingers after the last page.

^{Hatherop Books}

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^{ISBN: 0473747391, 9780473747398}