NGIAO MARSH AWARD FINALISTS 2021: New Zealand

Beyond whodunnit: 2021 Ngaio Marsh Awards finalists offer thrills and varied perspectives on violence and justice From journalists hunting justice to communities upturned by sudden violence, the authors of the 2021 Ngaio Marsh Awards finalists explore the motives and impacts of some of the starkest criminal justice issues facing Aotearoa. 

Now in their twelfth season, the Ngaio Marsh Awards celebrate excellence in mystery, thriller, crime, and suspense writing from New Zealand storytellers.

This year, a special award honoring outstanding YA and children’s books has also been introduced. The finalists for the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best YA/Kids Book are: 

• 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)

The finalists for this year’s Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Non-Fiction, a biennial prize previously won by Michael Bennett in 2017 for IN DARK PLACES, a book about the wrongful conviction of Teina Pora, and by Kelly Dennett in 2019 for THE SHORT LIFE AND MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF JANE FURLONG, are: 

• 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 Publishing) 

• GANGLAND: NEW ZEALAND’S UNDERWORLD OF ORGANISED CRIME by Jared Savage (HarperCollins) 

• BLACK HANDS: INSIDE THE BAIN FAMILY MURDERS by Martin van Beynen (Penguin)

The finalists for the 2021 Ngaio Marsh Award for Best First Novel, an annual award for crime and thriller tales from debut authors that was first won by Raymond Berard in 2016 for INSIDE THE BLACK HORSE, recently adapted into the screen drama Vegas, are: 

• THE GIRL IN THE MIRROR by Rose Carlyle (Allen & Unwin) 

• THE BEAUTIFUL DEAD by Kim Hunt (Bloodhound Books) 

• 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)

 Two past Best First Novel finalists who have done just that, Nikki Crutchley and JP Pomare (who won in 2019), are among this year’s Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Novel finalists:  

• 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 JP Pomare (Hachette)

The winners of the 2021 Ngaio Marsh Awards will be announced at a special streaming event on Saturday 30 October, held in association with WORD Christchurch. For more information on any or all of this year’s finalists or the Ngaio Marsh Awards in general, please contact founder and judging convenor Craig Sisterson, craigsisterson@hotmail.com Congratulations to all. 

A special thanks to Craig Sisterson for all he does for the mystery world. Thanks for including me as a judge in these prestigious awards. Great reads!