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Double Launch: Maria Gill and Brian Falkner

  • Time Out Bookstore 432 Mount Eden Road Auckland, Auckland, 1024 New Zealand (map)

Nervous, timid and socially awkward, Nick is the most unlikely person to get involved in a deadly spy game of cat and mouse. But when his grandfather goes missing during a trip to Berlin, he is suddenly alone in a city where he knows nobody and cannot speak the language.

Desperate for answers, he looks through Grandpa Joe’s belongings and is astonished to discover an old diary containing his grandfather’s memoirs as a teenage spy during World War II and the Cold War. As the world counts down to the new millennium, Nick finds himself running for his life as his pursuers close in. His only ally is Rejhana, a girl with a tragic past. But can Nick really trust her?

 Spider Games: In the City of Spies is a fast-paced, death-defying race through the streets of Berlin that delves into themes of identity, espionage and survival.

A Flame in the Dark tells the remarkable true story of Nancy Wake – a fearless woman whose courage burned brightly in the shadows of World War II. Born in New Zealand and raised in Australia, Nancy defied expectations of her time by becoming a journalist working in turbulent Europe during the building up to WWII. Then when war broke out, she chose an even bolder path. Trained as a secret agent and parachuted behind enemy lines, Nancy became one of the most effective leaders of the French Resistance. Known as the White Mouse for her ability to slip through the Gestapo’s grasp, she organised and inspired fighters who struck blows against the Nazi regime. Clever, daring, and unyielding, Nancy outwitted the enemy at every turn – and unlike many of her comrades, lived to tell the tale. A story of extraordinary bravery, determination, and survival, A Flame in the Dark shines a light on one of history’s inspiring women.

Earlier Event: April 20
Global Bookshop Crawl 2026