A satisfying taste of red.

I am currently trying to read my way through some of the books on the NZ best seller lists. The first title to hit my desk on Friday was Scarlet by Leigh Marsden. This title was much hyped by Publishers Penguin on it's release as "the most sexually explicit book ever published in New Zealand". I'm not sure if this is true or not (given that Penguin were also the Publishers for Christine Leov-Lealand) but it was very good publicity and may be one of the reasons why it is on the best seller list. It is however not the only reason.

Leaving aside that there is a reasonable amount of graphic sexual content in the book (especially in the first half), what I found on reading Scarlet is a tight and interesting tale of George which skips between the present and the past to tell us how she got to be how she is, and what she is going to do about it. There are some very strongly drawn characters, some very deep soul searching and an extremely just resolution. George is strong, sassy and flawed which is just how I like heroines to be. Some of the plot may be a little far-fetched (or maybe not?) but the dialogue is realistic and the action never outpaces the story. The author doesn't shy away from keeping the local taste of Auckland describing streets and places in Auckland so that I can see the action in my mind in places I know.

Overall, this was a satisfying and enjoyable read. Fans of Kiwi authors such as Michelle Holman and perhaps Sarah Kate Lynch should enjoy it. An interview with the author can be found on the Stuff website