More war, but not quite the same as World War One, and this time Tamar’s grandchildren go off to fight. But I also wanted to have a good look at land girls, and war brides, and, for some reason, the work that Sir Archibald McIndoe did – wanting to show how someone managed to turn tragedy into hope, I suppose. This was the last in the trilogy, and I left it to readers to decide who finally came to meet Tamar. I certainly couldn’t make a decision like that.

 

   ‘Being an historian, having a consummate ability for storytelling and using local settings and vernacular confirm Deborah Challinor as an established New Zealand novelist. Blue Smoke provides a stirring conclusion to the [Tamar] trilogy.’
                                                                                              Bookshelf, September, 2004

 

   ‘Devotees of the family saga will love this trilogy, and it is hugely enjoyable to have New Zealand history and landscapes woven in. Challinor’s prose is clear and readable, and she tells a good story.’
                                                                                                   Nelson Mail, August 2004

 

   ‘This is the third book in the Tamar trilogy…One pleasure of these books is the New Zealand countryside, characters and places, rare to find in books of this quality. Perhaps film or television could be interested: the stories are strong and with film companies being attracted to New Zealand, who knows? This series will succeed in what ever format.’
                                                                                       Wanganui Chronicle, August 2004