Cassi was only 4 when the earthquakes hit Christchurch, leaving her with a fear of anything stored above head height. Her mum and brother just couldn’t stay in Christchurch with the thousands of smaller earthquakes that followed. They left Cassi and her dad and went to live in Nelson.

There has been many moves between then and now and Cassi and her dad find a new home in a house on the edge of the Red Zone – an area now deemed unsafe to live in. It’s quiet though. Just how Cassi likes it. She loves to run through the empty streets, letting off the tension that builds within her.

Next door to Cassi’s new home is a seemingly abandoned house. When Cassi pokes around the garage exterior, she swears she sees something move inside. Thinking it’s a cat locked in, she investigates further. While she’s looking around, someone is watching her.

This someone is a boy called Quin. He’s an only child, clever with technology, and just as inquisitive as Cassi. They soon meet and he tells her what he has seen at the house in between their homes.

Something is going on in that garage. Something secret. A woman has been coming and going from the property. She’s been acting strangely, and when Cassi and Quin find a way into the garage, they think they know what she is up to. It’s not only illegal, it’s just not right. With Quin’s tech skills and Cassi’s determination to stop animal cruelty, they uncover an organised crime ring spanning across the world.

The closer they get to getting evidence on the woman and her accomplice, the more dangerous it becomes. The ‘Crims’ quickly turn the tables on Cassi and Quin, pinning multiple crimes on them.

Cassi and Quin refuse to give in however, and with a race against time and through the streets of Christchurch, the finale will have readers racing through the pages.

From a much-loved and award winning NZ author, Red Edge is written in Des Hunt’s signature style.

Kiwi kids are using their curiosity, ingenuity and smarts to counter-act a crime in the making. With a backdrop of the past Christchurch earthquakes, there is mystery, humour, courage and personal fears to overcome.

Once again, an environmental theme is paramount, with NZ wildlife at risk. A nail-biting finish races the reader to the satisfying conclusion. Great middle grade read.

Author – Des Hunt

Age – 9+

(Action, NZ Author, Kiwi Author, New Zealand, Christchurch, Mental Health, Anxiety, Smuggling, NZ Fauna, Greed, Ticking clock)