Blackmail and Lies

It is the story of a boy, Finn Fletcher who lives with his mother in a small coastal town in New Zealand. His druggie father, a session drummer, who lives nearby, is involved in a hit and run one evening when he’s out working.

Finn’s mother, with the help of her own parents, arranges for Finn to finish his schooling at an exclusive boarding school in Auckland, to escape the fallout of his father’s trial.

At the new school, Finn tries to fit in with a group of boys who have been friends most of their lives. He is determined that his home life and his father’s sordid situation remain a secret. Everyone knows it’s a tough ask to keep things hidden and there is one particular boy who is onto him and begins to make Finn’s life a misery.

A condition of Finn’s entry into the school is his participation in the symphonic band and that is where he meets Mia, a rich flashy Italian girl. Mia represents to Finn the new life he has embraced in Auckland and when she invites him to be her partner at her school ball he is eager to say yes, no matter what the cost.

The cost of the ball is huge, not only in financial terms but also on his life and the lives of his friends. A tragedy at the after-ball is the tipping point for his pile of cover-ups and lies to come tumbling down.

  • Blackmail and Lies is the updated version of Snakes and Ladders. It has a new cover, title, some updated text but essentially, it’s the same story. Finn Fletcher is still my protagonist.

    He’s from the small settlement of Te Awanga in Hawkes Bay and he lives there with his mother, Anne and his troubled father, Dougie, just along the road. Anne’s father, Finn’s grandfather, offers to pay for Finn to go to a boarding school in Auckland to escape the small-town gossip machine. Finn doesn’t want to leave his girlfriend Alison or his mates, but after one particularly public misdemeanour from Dougie, Finn agrees to go.

    As part of Finn’s entry to the prestigious boarding school, Finn has to play his clarinet in the symphonic band. He begrudgingly abides by the condition and goes to the first rehearsal where he finds he’s in the front desk beside the much-admired Mia, a spoilt, Italian girl who comes from a wealthy family in Auckland.

    Mia invites Finn to partner him at her school ball. There’s to be no after-ball party. The school principal from Mia’s school is insistent that she must be obeyed. But teenagers being teenagers, they go ahead anyway. The party house is swanky, the pool shimmers in the moonlight and the alcohol is flowing. Finn has been trying to keep his home life back in Te Awanga a secret but there’s a school bully who is also at the party and is determined to make sure Finn’s new friends know about Finn’s shady background — or the shady background of his father.

    There is trouble and drama, the atmosphere is fizzing and everything goes awry. Finn’s buddy, the well-loved Hobbsie falls into the pool amidst the high-jinks and disaster strikes. This seismic event triggers aftershocks that upend school life. Finn knows that he has to head back to his small town to address another matter that he’d run away from. It takes guts to front up and admit culpability. Finn has to dig deep for the strength.

    I’m very grateful to see Blackmail and Lies in its new finery and I’d like to thank Penny Scown and Lynette Evans for giving Snakes and Ladders this makeover.

    The story of Finn Fletcher keeping secrets and letting half-truths build on lies is still the same, but some of the text has been updated to reflect our changed times. David Hill mentored the original manuscript in 2008 and I’m grateful that I had that opportunity to learn from such a master. I’d like to acknowledge the New Zealand Society of Authors who are still sponsoring the mentor scheme and giving new authors, as I was then, a chance to learn the ropes.

    Many teenagers provided insights and advice but the bulk of my information came from my four sons, Daniel, John, Christopher and Thomas. You’ve always supported me and you’ve still got my back.

    Lastly, a thanks to extended family who helped with the original manuscript and a special thanks to my sister Jude Watson for your encouragement and hours of discussion. We’re a good team.

    Mary-anne

    • 2013 Finalist for LIANZA awards

    • 2013 Finalist for NZ childrens book awards

    • Winner of Teenage Choice Award

  • Read reviews for Blackmail and Lies here.

  • Find the teacher notes for Snakes And Ladders/Blackmail and Lies here.

“Well written with an authentic teenage voice. ”
— Bobs Books Blog