Wednesday, July 14, 2021

Marshalling the Marshes

Thanks to a Facebook post from Craig Sisterson, the creator of New Zealand’s Ngaio Marsh Award, we now know which 12 Kiwi crime, mystery, and thriller novels (out of 60 entries) are contending for the 2021 Best Novel prize. They are:

The Stone Wētā, by Octavia Cade (Paper Road Press)
The Girl in the Middle, by Rose Carlyle (Allen & Unwin)
The Snow Thief, by C.J. Carver (Right Nuisance)
Shakti, by Rajorshi Chakraborti (Penguin)
Dance Prone, by David Coventry (Pan Macmillan)
The Murder Club, by Nikki Crutchley (Oak House Press)
Sprigs, by Brannavan Gnanalingam (Lawrence & Gibson)
Caught Between, by Jeannie McLean (Self-published)
The Tally Stick, by Carl Nixon (Random House)
The Secrets of Strangers, by Charity Norman (Allen & Unwin)
Tell Me Lies, by J.P. Pomare (Hachette)
Soldiers, by Tom Remiger (Text)

In addition—and for the first time—a commendation will also be presented this year to a novel written specifically for younger readers. The finalists for that new prize are:

Katipo Joe: Blitzkrieg, by Brian Falkner (Scholastic New Zealand)
Red Edge, by Des Hunt (Scholastic New Zealand)
A Trio of Sophies, by Eileen Merriman (Penguin)
Deadhead, by Glenn Wood (OneTree House)

The Ngaio Marsh finalists for Best Novel, Best First Novel, and Best Non-fiction are scheduled to be announced on Saturday, August 28, during the WORD Christchurch Festival. Winners will be revealed during a special WORD Christchurch event in October.

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