By Ellen Quint
Cat Connor, a prolific New Zealand thriller author, might just be one of the luckiest writers around. Why? As she tells it, the lead character in her BYTE series, FBI Supervisory Special Agent Ellie Conway, simply walked in one day and started talking.
“I didn’t so much create her as channel her,” Connor says. “I only write what she shows me, and she shows me different things all the time.”
Connor’s unique connection with Ellie Conway has led to fifteen books in the BYTE series, available on Amazon. Though Connor lives in New Zealand, the BYTE series is set largely in the United States, which means she’s had to convincingly render American settings, dialogue, and law enforcement culture. Recently, she partnered with Apple Books to bring the series to life in audio form using a digital narrator. Listen here.
Connor is also deep into her Veronica (Ronnie) Tracey series—currently working on the sixth installment, [Indigo, Romeo, Lima]. Private investigator Tracey, a reformed spy, works with a colorful crew to solve mysteries in her hometown of Upper Hutt, just outside Wellington, New Zealand’s capital. In this latest addition to the series, when her friend, Emily is kidnapped, Tracey is drawn into a tangled web of secrets involving foreign agents and her friend’s mysterious past. With rapid-fire dialogue, dark humor, and compelling characters, this series offers a homegrown Kiwi twist on the thriller genre.
When asked what led her to crime fiction, Connor explains, “I started writing because I couldn’t find anything I wanted to read. In the books I saw, women always had to be rescued. That really annoyed me. Women can rescue themselves.”
That ethos powers all her work—featuring strong, smart, and yes, totally kick-ass female protagonists.
Her can-do Kiwi attitude of “if it isn’t out there, you find a way to do it yourself” also extends to her publishing strategy. For [Indigo, Romeo, Lima], Connor taught herself design software to create an eye-catching, story-true cover. The result? A professional, vibrant cover that perfectly reflects the story within.
Previously the manager of a bookstore that championed New Zealand authors, Connor now uses her own platform to promote other writers through a recurring feature called “Interrogations” on her website: catconnor.com. Authors interested in being “interrogated” can contact her directly via the site.
Connor is part of a growing cadre of New Zealand crime writers associated with the genre known as New Zealand Noir, or more colloquially, Yeah Noir—a clever twist on the Kiwi expression “Yeah, nah” (which, in true New Zealand fashion, typically means “no”).
Despite the country’s relative isolation, Kiwi crime writers are making waves on the global stage—though gaining international recognition remains a challenge. (See sidebars for more on the scene and key players.)
Discover More New Zealand Crime Writers
If you’re intrigued by Kiwi Noir, check out:
Craig Sisterson – Founder of the Ngaio Marsh Awards and author of Southern Cross Crime: The Essential Guide to the Crime Fiction, Film & TV of Australia and New Zealand. He also edited Dark Deeds Down Under: A Crime & Thriller Anthology.
AudioFile Magazine – Recently featured an article on the rise of Kiwi Noir.
Why Jack Reacher Is a Kiwi Favorite
Why are Lee Child’s Jack Reacher novels consistently among the most borrowed books from New Zealand libraries? And how did New Zealand become the first country where the books hit number one?
Child, a frequent visitor to New Zealand, explained the connection in this NZ Herald interview.
