My crime reading’s taken a bit of an antipodean turn recently, so the recent announcements of both the 2017 New Zealand Ngaio Marsh Awards shortlists and the 2017 Australian Ned Kelly Awards shortlists are very welcome. I’d like to get my hands on at least 10 of the books listed below – a mouthwatering selection.
Ngaio Marsh shortlist for BEST CRIME NOVEL:
- Finn Bell, Pancake Money (ebook)
- CJ Carver, Spare Me The Truth (Zaffre)
- Jonothan Cullinane, Red Herring (HarperCollins)
- Ben Sanders, Marshall’s Law (Allen & Unwin)
- Fiona Sussman, The Last Time We Spoke (Allison & Busby)
Ngaio Marsh shortlist for BEST FIRST CRIME NOVEL:
- Finn Bell, Dead Lemons (ebook)
- Jonothan Cullinane, Red Herring (HarperCollins)
- Gordon Ell, The Ice Shroud (Bush Press)
- Simon Wyatt, The Student Body (Mary Egan Publishing)
- Sue Younger, Days Are Like Grass (Eunoia Publishing)
Ngaio Marsh shortlist for BEST NON-FICTION CRIME (new category!):
- Michael Bennett, In Dark Places (Paul Little Books)
- Steve Braunias, The Scene of the Crime (HarperCollins)
- Simonne Butler with Andra Jenkin, Double-Edged Sword (Mary Egan)
- David Hastings, The Many Deaths of Mary Dobie (AUP)
- Lucy Sussex, Blockbuster! (Text Publishing)
For an overview of all the shortlisted titles, as well as the judges’ comments, head over to the excellent Crime Watch blog.
Ned Kelly shortlist for BEST CRIME FICTION:
- Emily Maguire, An Isolated Incident (Pan Macmillan)
- Candice Fox, Crimson Lake (Penguin)
- Ann Turner, Out of the Ice (Simon & Schuster)
- Adrian McKinty, Police at the Station and They Don’t Look Friendly (Allen & Unwin)
- Wendy James, The Golden Child (HarperCollins)
- Jock Serong, The Rules of Backyard Cricket (Text Publishing)
Ned Kelly shortlist for BEST FIRST CRIME FICTION:
- Ron Elliot, Burn Patterns (Fremantle Press)
- Holly Throsby, Goodwood (Allen & Unwin)
- Anna Snoekstra, Only Daughter (Harlequin Books)
- Andy Muir, Something for Nothing (Affirm Press)
- Jane Harper, The Dry (Pan Macmillan). FAB! See my review here.
- Laura Elizabeth Woollett, The Love of a Bad Man (Scribe Publications)
Ned Kelly shortlist for TRUE CRIME:
- Colin Dillon with Tom Gilling, Code of Silence (Allen & Unwin)
- Terry Smyth, Denny Day (Penguin)
- Duncan McNab, Getting Away with Murder (Penguin)
- Mark Tedeschi, Murder at Mile Creek (Simon & Schuster)
- Duncan McNab, Roger Rogerson (Hachette)
- Brendan James Murray, The Drowned Man (Echo Publishing)
For an overview of all the shortlisted titles, as well as the judges’ comments, head over to the Australian Crime Writers’ Association website.
P.S. Craig Sisterson, who convenes the judging for the Ngaio Marsh Awards, has been discussing the best way to tag New Zealand and Australian crime for international audiences. He and crime writer Emma Viskic have come up with Southern Cross Crime #southerncrosscrime. He says: ‘Sums things up nicely, as the Southern Cross is on both our flags, and a big thing in our part of the world’. I like it, Craig!
Mrs. Peabody Investigates 
Lots to love here, Mrs.P.! I must say I’m delighted that there are so many worthy contenders out there. On the other hand, it makes being on one of the panels a bit challenging… 😉
There is indeed, Margot! It looks like you had a very rich and interesting set of submissions. Looking forward to getting stuck into the shortlists.
The Rules of Backyard Cricket is terrific! And I thought The Dry was excellent as well.
Everyone keeps praising The Rules of Backyard Cricket to the skies: I have a copy waiting for me on my shelf, so must get going on that one. The Dry has been my standout novel of the year so far. Superb (and still can’t believe it was a debut).
I’m just finishing the last two of the Ned Kelly Awards shortlist for best novel that I hadn’t previously read and agree it’s a strong field. I think I know which one I would choose were I judge this year but I’ll wait until I finish them all before deciding.
I am embarrassed to say I haven’t read any of the Kiwi novels in contention for either of the fiction awards. I do have to remedy that scenario.
Looking forward to getting stuck in – suspect my bank balance may be feeling a bit of pain shortly… Some of the non-fiction works have caught my eye as well. Definitely a sub-genre that’s on the up in terms of quality.