The best of New Zealand crime writing

Posted: Sunday Jun 09, 2019

When you look down the longlist for 2019 Ngaio Marsh Award for crime, mystery, and thriller writing, you'll see just how broad a church the annual prize covers. There are 10 titles, and two Dames, including Dame Ngaio herself, have made the cut. This is particularly surprising in the case of Ngaio Marsh, who died in 1982. 

There are books for young adults, and several that come from tiny publishing houses. Convener of the judges is Craig Sisterson, known as the godfather of New Zealand crime writing, despite living in the UK these days. 

He talks to Lynn Freeman about the current range of New Zealand crime fiction. The finalists will be announced on the second of August but - cue suspense music! - they'll have to wait until mid September for the winners to be revealed. 

The long list are: No One Can Hear You by Nikki Crutchley (Oak House Press) Cassie Clark: Outlaw by Brian Falkner (Onetree House) This Mortal Boy by Fiona Kidman (Penguin) Money In The Morgue by Ngaio Marsh & Stella Duffy (Harpercollins) The Quaker by Liam Mcilvanney (Harpercollins) Call Me Evie by JP Pomare (Hachette) The Stakes by Ben Sanders (Allen & Unwin) Make A Hard Fist by Tina Shaw (Onetree House) The Vanishing Act by Jen Shieff (Mary Egan Publishing) Rain Fall by Ella West (Allen & Unwin)

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