A trio of superb Kiwi writers were honoured at WORD Christchurch Festival last night as they scooped the 2024 Ngaio Marsh Awards for novels offering readers insights into people and place alongside cracking crime tales.
At the 15th instalment of Aotearoa’s annual Ngaio Marsh Awards excellence in crime, mystery, thriller, and suspense writing were celebrated.
The winners are:,
Rotorua author Claire Baylis won Best First Novel for her harrowing examination of jury beliefs and biases in Dice.
Scotland-based D V Bishop scooped Best Novel for his Renaissance Florence-set mystery Ritual of Fire.
Wellington writer Jennifer Lane joined rare company by winning Best Kids/YA for small-town mystery Miracle.
Ngaio’s founder Craig Sisterson said of the awards that, ‘I’m stoked we have a special award this year recognising writers of crime, mystery, and thriller tales for younger readers. Many of us owe any lifelong passion for books, and all the good that come along with that, to the children’s authors we read when we were youngsters ourselves. Aotearoa has amazing kids authors, across many genres. In future we plan to award our Best Kids/YA Book prize biennially, alternating with our Best Non-Fiction prize that returns in 2025.’
During the evening, ‘Bookshop Detectives’ Gareth and Louise Ward interrogated several of the prime suspects, aka 2024 Ngaios finalists, in person and by video before a large crowd of witnesses in Tūranga, before revealing whodunnit. Craig Sisterson said, ‘It’s the kind of denouement Dame Ngaio may have enjoyed.’
