Such was not the case with two transtasman releases that genuinely reflect some of the less salubrious parts of life in New Zealand and Australia.
If there was to be a winner, then it had to be Darkness on the Edge of Town (HarperCollins), in which Australian author Jessie Cole weaves a tale of Vincent and his stepdaughter, Gem, who are made to re-evaluate their own values by the sudden and tragic arrival of Rachel.
Rachel is fleeing from a violent older husband, readers are told.
Tragically, she takes a corner too fast, crashes the car she is driving, leaving her baby dead in her arms.
She ends up with Vincent and Gem and small towns being what they are in both New Zealand and Australia, the intertwining relationships of family and friends are put to the test.
Vincent is a labourer living in a run-down house but he suddenly has to deal with Rachel, who insists on sleeping close to him - platonically.
That leads to speculation the dead baby may have been his. Without giving the plot away, the older husband, who we find has a violent temper, does not go away.
The fact that Niki - or Bonnie to her clients - was selling sex rather than just pole-dancing for tips becomes something of a cleansing for Rowe as she delves into some seedy clubs and the lives of club owners.
Familiar names leap out of the pages and readers with a knowledge of Wellington should be able to imagine the areas Rowe finds herself in and the trouble she attracts as she continues her search for the reasons behind the murder.
A taped confession revealed early in the book is an intriguing side issue.
• Dene Mackenzie is a Dunedin writer.
