It is said that Ngaio Marsh was New Zealand’s first author to sell one million copies of her mystery stories but her life makes for just as exciting a read. Read about her “luvvies”, her Bohemian lifestyle, her love of theatre and her spurned suitor in Ngaio Marsh: her life in crime by Joanne Drayton.

Helen Clark: a political life by Denis Welch is an unauthorised biography following her rise in New Zealand’s political landscape. Her time in politics began with the anti-war protests of 1968 and Helen Clark has seen and been a part of huge political change over the last 40 years. In 2006 Forbes magazine listed her a the 20th most powerful woman in the world.

The romance of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor has been called by many as the greatest love story of the 20th century and shook British royalty to the core. In his new book, Mrs Simpson: secret lives of the Duchess of Windsor Charles Higham revisits the life of the Duchess of Windsor with updated information that will add yet another twist to the life of the fascinating woman.

Other titles in the month’s Biography Recent Picks include Florence Nightingale, Coco Chanel, Joan Root and Cornelius Vanderbilt. Have a look!