Air of mystery over new Hager book

A new book by Dirty Politics author Nicky Hager is poised for release, setting tongues wagging about its timing in an election year and as former prime minister John Key prepares to leave Parliament.

Invitations to Hager’s book launch tomorrow were widely distributed yesterday.

The invitation said it was not a sequel to Dirty Politics and ’’not related to the election’’.

‘‘It is a completely different book but nonetheless gripping and important.’’

The invitation ended with a note that there would be no media comment until the launch.

Hager famously released Dirty Politics in the run-up to the 2014 election, alleging dirty tricks by National Party MPS, spin doctors and bloggers. Hacked emails formed the basis of the book.

His previous books have included The Hollow Men, which also drew heavily on emails, the source of which Hager has never revealed. Former National Party leader Don Brash has always claimed that the emails and documents were hacked, because he said they could only have come from himself.

Brash and Key were the principal targets of The Hollow Men.

In 2002, Hager’s book Seeds of Distrust claimed a coverup over genetically modified corn and nearly derailed Helen Clark’s election campaign. The controversy became known as Corngate.

Hager’s new book will be released tomorrow evening, at Wellington’s Unity Books.

Key delivers his valedictory to Parliament on Wednesday.

In an interview with The Spinoff last year, Hager alluded to his new book as ‘‘one of the most important projects that I could imagine in my life’’.

He would not say more about the book or title but when asked about fallout from Dirty Politics, Hager hinted there may be more to come.

‘‘When people say everything has gone back to normal, they’re possibly not realising how much did change, and what they’re perhaps really meaning is the prime minister [then John Key] who was in many ways at the centre of the distasteful politics, has so far survived it,’’ Hager said.

‘‘None of us knows really how politics works.

‘‘He’s survived at the moment by not answering the question and then not answering the question again and then refusing to answer the question again – relying on the lack of attention span of the media. He may get away with that but I actually think that one is still playing itself out.

‘‘I think that when people say John Key got away with the book and never had to answer the question – and of course he has got away with not having to answer the question so far – I think they’re not being optimistic enough. I think we may still see in the long run it will be seen to have bitten him badly and he hasn’t got away with it.’’