The Touch of Hine-nui-te-pō

By Pip Ballantine

Young Ministry Agent Aroha Murphy is tasked to find The Angel of Death, who stalks Auckland, New Zealand, killing anyone, even those locked securely in their home. Behind is left only a desiccated corpse. But is this murder... or justice?

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Tales from the Archives are short stories set in the world of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences. They explore events mentioned in the novels, characters seen and unseen and may include novel teasers of things to come.

• Language: English
• Publisher: ImagineThat Studios
• Release date: Jun 19, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463690697

Pip Ballantine

Born in New Zealand, Philippa (Pip) Ballantine has always had her head in a book. A corporate librarian for thirteen years, she has a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Library and Information Science. She is New Zealand's first podcast novelist and has produced four podiobooks. Many of these have been shortlisted for the Parsec Awards, and she has won a Sir Julius Vogel Award. She is also the author of Geist and the soon-to-be-published Spectyr. While New Zealand calls, currently Philippa calls America home.

Book preview

The Touch of Hine-nui-te-po

The Touch of Hine-nui-te-po

A TALE FROM THE ARCHIVES

PIP BALLANTINE

Published by Imagine That! Studios 2016

Copyright © 2016 by Pip Ballantine

Interior Layout by Imagine That! Studios

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, digital, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, or conveyed via the Internet or a website without prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead is purely coincidental. Any actual places, products or events mentioned are used in a purely fictitious manner.

Also from Pip Ballantine

The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series (with Tee Morris)

Phoenix Rising

The Janus Affair

Dawn’s Early Light

The Diamond Conspiracy

The Ghost Rebellion

Operation Endgame

Verity Fitzroy and the Ministry Seven (with Tee Morris)

The Curse of the Silver Pharaoh

The Mystery of Emerald Flame

The Secret of the Monkey God

Steampunk Anthologies

The Books and Braun Dossier

Magical Mechanications

Ministry Protocol: Thrilling Tales from the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences

As Philippa Ballantine

Books of the Order

Geist

Spectyr

Wrayth

Harbinger

The Chronicles of Art

Chasing the Bard

Digital Magic

The Shifted World

Hunter and Fox

Kindred and Wings

Auckland, New Zealand, 1878

The Angel of Death Strikes Again

The citizens of Howick are once again locked in their homes after the second visit from the so-called Angel of Death.

Mr Cornelius Hart is the latest victim of the murderer in the quiet suburb. Despite locked doors and windows, Mr Hart was found this morning by his daughter, dead on the floor of his home. The terrible condition of the body was just like the others, resembling nothing so much as some strange ancient mummy that had been left to the predations of the sun. The neighbours of the deceased say they saw a winged figure ascend to the heavens sometime around midnight.

The city is awash with rumour and fear, as honest citizens lock themselves in every evening and pray to see morning without a visit from the Angel of Death.

Aroha Murphy folded up the newspaper and put it on the table before her with a soft sigh. She had been hoping to investigate this peculiar occurrence in quiet without the glare