From stem cell research to sexual assault juries, the dangers of a surveillance society to mental health and animal abuse, the finalists for the 2024 Ngaio Marsh Awards offer readers a diverse array of page-turning mysteries and thrills entwined with societal issues, set against a variety of locales and eras from Renaissance Florence and Nazi Germany to contemporary Aotearoa.
‘While crime and thriller fiction is often talked about in terms of its page-turning plotlines, or puzzling twists and surprising reveals, nowadays it’s also a fantastic vehicle for exploring character and society,’ says Ngaio Marsh Awards founder Craig Sisterson. ‘Our 2024 Ngaios finalists beautifully showcase that, with a kaleidoscopic range of tales full of engaging and memorable characters, exploring a wide variety of social issues in many different places.’
Now in their 15th season, the Ngaio Marsh Awards celebrate excellence in mystery, thriller, crime, and suspense writing from Aotearoa New Zealand storytellers. The 2024 finalists have been announced in Best First Novel, Best Novel, and Best Kids/YA categories.
This year’s finalists for the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best First Novel, a prize that in recent years has gone to authors including Jacqueline Bublitz and Michael Bennett, are:
- DICE by Claire Baylis
- EL FLAMINGO by Nick Davies
- DEVIL’S BREATH by Jill Johnson
- A BETTER CLASS OF CRIMINAL by Cristian Kelly
- MAMI SUZUKI: PRIVATE EYE by Simon Rowe
The finalists for this year’s Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Novel are:
- DICE by Claire Baylis
- THE CARETAKER by Gabriel Bergmoser
- RITUAL OF FIRE by D V Bishop
- PET by Catherine Chidgey
- DEVIL’S BREATH by Jill Johnson
- GOING ZERO by Anthony McCarten
- EXPECTANT by Vanda Symon
The finalists for the 2024 Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Kids/YA are:
- CAGED by Susan Brocker
- KATIPO JOE: WOLF’S LAIR by Brian Falkner
- MIRACLE by Jennifer Lane
- NIKOLAI’S QUEST by Diane Robinson
- NOR’EAST SWELL by Aaron Topp
‘It’s a strong group of finalists to emerge from a dazzlingly varied field,’ says Sisterson. ‘This year’s Ngaio Marsh Awards 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.’
The 2024 Ngaio Marsh Awards finalists will be celebrated and this year’s winners announced at a special event held at the WORD Christchurch Festival on Wednesday, 28 August.
