novels

Please click on the respective cover images for more about each of my novels.

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The Last Time We Spoke

Ngaio Marsh Award Winner
2017

One mild summer evening in rural New Zealand the lives of two individuals brutally collide. Neither will ever be the same again, their futures forever linked.

This is a dark tale that navigates the underbelly of urban New Zealand. It is also a very human story of hope and possibility.

• WINNER 2017 NGAIO MARSH AWARD for BEST CRIME NOVEL NZ Kiwi Blog Spot“Lyrically and sensitively written, a harrowing yet touching story that stays with you. This is brave and sophisticated storytelling.”
• WINNER 2014 KOBO/NZ AUTHOR PUBLISHING PRIZE (when still a mansucript).
• SHORTLISTED 2016 NZ HERITAGE BOOKS AND WRITING AWARD.
• BEST BOOKS 2016 : Otago Daily Times
• The Sunday Mirror : ‘A gripping story of grief and redemption.’
• The Otago Daily Times : ‘A hard-hitting,emotion-packed novel featuring injustice and racial prejudice.’
• Yrsa Sigurdardottir, award-winning Icelandic crime writer : ‘This novel is laden with empathy and insight … The result is harrowing, yet touching due to the writer’s approach and praiseworthy writing style …’
• Paddy Richardson, award-winning New Zealand author : ‘Lyrically and sensitively written … The complexity of this novel – the struggles experienced by the characters and the themes of conflict and redemption have stayed with me.’
• Review at: KiwiFlora Reads
• Review at: The Bookbag UK
• Review by: Annah Stretton
• Review at: FlaxFlower
• Review at: Takahe
• Review at: The Miner
• Interview: The Listener
• Interview: The Herald
• Fiona discusses The Last Time We Spoke in: The Irish Times
• Fiona discusses The Last Time We Spoke at: Female First

Addressed to Greta

WINNER of the NZ BOOKLOVER’S BEST ADULT FICTION AWARDS 2021

“You must meet Greta, one of the most well-realised and endearing figures in recent New Zealand fiction.“
Judges NZ Booklovers Award 2021

I am thrilled to announce that Bateman Books launched their fiction list with my new novel.

• Ruth Todd’s radio interview at: Bookenz PlainsFM
• Greg Fleming’s review at: Kete Books
• Karen McMillan’s review at: NZ Booklovers
• Josie Shapiro’s review at: ReadcloseNZ
• Andrew Whiteside’s review at Sound Cloud
• Interview with Fiona on: ReadcloseNZ
• Alyson Baker’s review at: alysontheblog
• Felicity Murray’s review at: Kiwiflora Reads
• Bronwyn Elsmore’s review at: FlaxFlower Review
• Dione Jones’s review at: Cloud Ink

New Zealand: The Womens Bookshop, Ponsonby • The Booklover, Milford • Fishpond NZ
Worldwide: Amazon (Kindle) • Fishpond NZ

BOOK CLUB DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR ‘ADDRESSED TO GRETA’ (MS Word document)

The Doctor’s Wife

The Doctor’s Wife – a psychological thriller that sees a longstanding, supposedly tight friendship between two couples destroyed by illness and an unexplained, violent death.

Published in NZ by Bateman Books 

To be published in the UK in February 2024 by Legend Press 

To be published in the Sweden by Landa Forlag 

Also in audio Ulverscroft UK

• SHORTLISTED FOR THE NGAIO MARSH AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL  “…Truly inspired, with terrific characterisation…”
•  SHORTLISTED FOR THE NZ BOOKLOVERS AWARD FOR BEST ADULT FICTION  “…this story appeals on many levels. Great characters, an exploration of human frailty, friendships and loyalty, and the suburban setting make it feel like it could very well be happening in your backyard…”  JUDGES NZ BOOKLOVERS: NZ BOOKLOVERS AWARD
• “taut and expert thriller” Steve Braunias, 20 Jan 2023 Best Selling Books of Summer: THE READING ROOM
• “ONE OF BEST 100 BOOKS OF 2022” NZ Listener Nov 26 2022.
• “A compelling and deliciously unsettling read” Review by Paul Little, North and South. Full review in North and South, December 2022
• “It’s a fine thriller that hooks the readers in early and never lets up. But it’s the human element of Sussman’s writing that will linger long in the memory after the intricacies of the tightly planned plot have faded.” Review by Greg Fleming, THE LISTENER. Full review in The Listener Oct 15, 2022
• “Sussman outlines a comprehensive social environment, with drama cutting through the everyday. Where trust was once a given, friendships start to fray”. Full review by Jessie Neilson KETE BOOKS
• “The reader is left with a lovely bit of hope, and the knowledge that Fiona Sussman is a great #YeahNoir author, and a great observer of human nature. “. Full review by Alyson Baker ALYSON’S BLOG
• “An incredible, gripping read – all the way to the last page. World class writing. Absolutely loved it.” Tweet by Paula Browning, former Copyright Licensing NZ Chief Executive and current chair at We Create. 
• “The writing is wonderful, the medical aspects fascinating, and the characters (and their flaws) brilliantly rendered. A great book club read – there’s a lot to talk about!” Olivia Spooner, BOOKLOVER BOOKSHOP. Full review in BOOKLOVER OCTOBER NEWSLETTER
• “The plot, clever and well-paced, never overwhelms the characters. That’s a strength of Sussman’s work: she gifts us fully human, complicated, fleshed-out people.” See full review PATRICIA BELL
• “Multiple twists and turns in the plot make this book a masterful thriller. You want to know the truth,but you dont want it to end.” Full review by Helen Templeton STYLE MAGAZINE
• LISTEN to an interview with Andrew Whiteside: interview
• LISTEN to an interview with Kathryn Ryan on Nine to Noon, RNZ: interview
• LISTEN to an interview with Ruth Todd on Bookenz Plains FM: interview 
• READ HERE interview with NZBOOKLOVERS: Interview 

www.paperplus.co.nz
www.fishpond.co.nz
www.poppiesbooks.co.nz
AUDIO: www.ulverscroft.com