Battle for the Marsh

New Zealand journalist and crime-fiction blogger Craig Sisterson has announced the shortlist of contenders for the 2013 Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel. This prize, named in honor of Christchurch author Dame Ngaio Marsh and first presented in 2010, “recognizes excellence in New Zealand crime, mystery, and thriller writing.” All of the latest nominees were originally published in New Zealand in 2012:

• Death on Demand, by Paul Thomas (Hachette NZ)
• The Laughterhouse, by Paul Cleave (Penguin)
• Faceless, by Vanda Symon (Penguin)
• Little Sister, by Julian Novitz (Random House)

“We are thrilled with the quality and diversity of the shortlisted books this year,” says Sisterson, the organizer of this competition. “Modern crime fiction is now a broad church, where talented authors raise questions and cast light on a variety of societal and other issues through the prism of an exciting, page-turning story. The four shortlisted books all demonstrate this well, each in their own way. It will be a tough call for the judges.”

The winner of this year’s prize will be declared on December 2.