Acclaimed in Aotearoa

Just announced are the four categories of finalists for New Zealand’s 2021 Ngaio Marsh Awards for crime, mystery, and thriller fiction. This year, the Marsh nominees also include contenders for the biennial Best Non-fiction commendation, as well as works vying for a newly introduced prize “honoring outstanding YA and children’s books.” Below you will find the full complement of contestants.

Best Novel:
• The Murder Club, by Nikki Crutchley (Oak House Press)
• Sprigs, by Brannavan Gnanalingam (Lawrence & Gibson)
• The Tally Stick, by Carl Nixon (Penguin)
• The Secrets of Strangers, by Charity Norman (Allen & Unwin)
• Tell Me Lies, by J.P. Pomare (Hachette)

Best First Novel:
• The Girl in the Mirror, by Rose Carlyle (Allen & Unwin)
• The Beautiful Dead, by Kim Hunt (Bloodhound)
• Where the Truth Lies, by Karina Kilmore (Simon & Schuster)
• For Reasons of Their Own, by Chris Stuart (Original Sin Press)
• While the Fantail Lives, by Alan Titchall (Devon Media)

Best Non-fiction:
• Weed: A New Zealand Story, by James Borrowdale (Penguin)
• Rock College: An Unofficial History of Mount Eden Prison, by Mark Derby (Massey University Press)
• From Dog Collar to Dog Collar, by Bruce Howat (Rangitawa)
• Gangland: New Zealand’s Underworld of Organised Crime, by Jared Savage (HarperCollins)
• Black Hands: Inside the Bain Family Murders, by Martin van Beynen (Penguin)

Best YA/Kids Book:
• Katipo Joe, by Brian Falkner (Scholastic)
• Red Edge, by Des Hunt (Scholastic)
• A Trio of Sophies, by Eileen Merriman (Penguin)
• Deadhead, by Glenn Wood (One Tree House)

Here’s a brief introduction to 2021’s Ngaio Marsh contenders:



“It’s a strong group of finalists to emerge from a dazzlingly varied field,” says Ngaio Marsh Awards founder Craig Sisterson. “This year’s entrants gave our international judging panels lots to chew over, and plenty of books judges enjoyed and admired didn’t become finalists. ‘Yeahnoir,’ our local spin on some of the world’s most popular storytelling forms, is certainly in fine health.”

Winners of the 2021 Ngaio Marsh Awards are scheduled to be announced during a streaming video event on Saturday, October 30, held in association with WORD Christchurch.