Author Catherine Lea

Welcome to the website of Author Catherine Lea. This is where you'll find news of your newest crime, thriller, and suspense binge-reads.

(Actually, I recently had my website redesigned. To be honest, I was a little miffed. It was all sterile AI-generated text like this below:)

Explore the captivating world of literature through the lens of Catherine Lea, a prolific author who seamlessly weaves stories under both her given name and the pseudonym, C.J. Lea.

(See what I mean? And this:)

Delve into a diverse literary landscape where each book is a portal to unique realms

(AI doesn't know what I bring to my books - pieces of my world, my love of New Zealand's Far North and its people; brief flashes of my crazy sense of humour.)

AI has its place. But not in my books. In my crime-thrillers you'll find characters who feel like your neighbours and friends - ones you'll recognize and relate to. You'll discover my passion for the north - its startling beauty and the abject poverty that surrounds it. My books are drawn from my experience and my home here.

Lift the covers. Let the pages turn themselves.

Fall into my world of thrills and spills and murder and whodunnits where you'll get a little piece of my heart while you're there.

Try them below.

You just might like them.

Latest Release

Crime thriller author and detective fiction author Catherine Lea

About Catherine

Catherine lives in the beautiful Far North of New Zealand. In past lives, she has sold international satellite capacity, worked in IT recruitment, and run her own communications store.

When Catherine isn't writing, she's gunning down zombies on her XBox, wrestling with technology, or going crazy trying to maintain control of the yard.

New Release crime fiction police procedural thriller by Author Catherine Lea

Preorder Now

Better Left Dead

"Catherine Lea has long been one of my favorite writers, and the latest in her DI Nyree Bradshaw series set in New Zealand's beautiful Far North proves why. BETTER LEFT DEAD is a twisty, complicated story in which the stakes couldn't be higher; a stunning tale where secrets abound and it's left to Bradshaw to ferret out the truth. Lea's crisp prose, insightful characters, and spot-on descriptions cement her place in the canon of must-read crime fiction writers. I predict we'll be reading about DI Bradshaw for a very long time!"

-- Karen Dionne, author of the #1 internationally bestselling THE MARSH KING'S DAUGHTER and THE WICKED SISTER

DI Nyree Bradshaw and her team have their work cut out for them once again. A local woman, Lizzy Bean, has been found dead at a property overlooking a pristine bay in Northland. Garrotted with a piece of wire.

The property is overflowing with rubbish, and inside the house is even worse. As Nyree and her team delve into the case, and clues begin to emerge, they reveal an intricate web of connections involving a local crime syndicate, a kidnapped woman, and a group of ex-foster children haunted by the past. Dark secrets abound and no one’s telling the full story.

Meanwhile, Nyree’s own past is catching up with her. Forever racked by guilt that she has failed her son who is currently in prison for murder, Nyree might finally get a chance to redeem herself in his eyes . . . but, it comes at a steep cost.

Explore Author Catherine Lea's Books

Oh dear Lord, I've got it all through here as well, poisoning my profile with AI-generated sludge:

Embark on an exhilarating journey through the pages of Catherine Lea's diverse collection of crime novels, where every book is a portal to a cast of characters you won't want to leave. Whether you crave heart-pounding suspense, thrilling detective fiction, or can't-put-down mysteries with twists you won't see coming, there's a binge-read waiting for every crime reader. Immerse yourself in captivating narratives, unforgettable characters, and the artistry of a storyteller who effortlessly transcends genres. (And another boring list of keywords? Even my eyes are glazing over...and it's my website!) The exploration of these literary landscapes promises an escape into worlds where imagination knows no bounds and storytelling reaches its pinnacle. Start your journey today and discover the thrills within the pages of Catherine Lea's extraordinary books.