A neurodivergent expert on toxic botanicals, a
harrowing exploration of jury deliberations, a high-tech thriller from an
Oscar-nominated screenwriter, a desperate mother searching for her son as
lockdown kicks in, a gay sleuth in Renaissance Florence, and the return of a
beloved fictional detective are among the diverse books named today on the
longlist for the 2024 Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Novel
“Fifteen years ago we launched the Ngaio Marsh
Awards, in association with our friends at what’s now WORD Christchurch, to
celebrate Kiwi excellence in one of the world’s most popular storytelling
forms,” says Ngaio Marsh Awards founder Craig Sisterson. “Over the years we’ve
celebrated some world-class storytelling, and seen our local take on crime
writing, aka #yeahnoir, really flourish. There were many books our judges
really loved this year, beyond those that have made the longlist, and the
strength and variety of this year’s longlist is going to make it another tough
decision for our international panel.”
The Ngaios are named for Dame Ngaio Marsh, a
contemporary of Agatha Christie and one of the Queens of Crime of the Golden
Age of Detective Fiction, who penned bestselling mysteries that entertained
millions of global readers from her home in the Cashmere Hills. The 2024
longlist includes a mix of past winners and finalists, some first-time entrants
and new voices, and several authors who’ve won a variety of other major awards
including CWA Daggers, the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction, NZ Booklovers
Award for Adult Fiction, Sir Peter Ustinov Television Scriptwriting Award, and
the Booker Prize.
Dice by Claire Baylis (Allen & Unwin)
The Caretaker by Gabriel Bergmoser (HarperCollins)
Ritual
of Fire by DV Bishop (Macmillan)
Birnam
Wood by Eleanor Catton (Te Herenga Waka University
Press)
Pet
by Catherine Chidgey (Te Herenga Waka University
Press)
El
Flamingo by Nick Davies (YBK
Publishers)
Double
Jeopardy by Stef Harris (Quentin
Wilson Publishing)
The
Quarry by Kim Hunt (Spiral Collectives)
Devil’s
Breath by Jill Johnson (Black & White/Bonnier)
Going
Zero by Anthony McCarten (Macmillan)
Home
Before Night by JP Pomare (Hachette)
Expectant by Vanda Symon (Orenda Books)
The longlist is currently being considered by an
international panel of crime and thriller writing experts from the USA, United
Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand. Finalists for Best Novel,
Best First Novel, and Best Kids/YA will be announced in early August, with the
finalists celebrated and winners announced as part of a special event held in
association with WORD Christchurch in late August.
For more information on this year’s Best Novel
longlist, or the Ngaio Marsh Awards in general, please contact
ngaiomarshaward@gmail.com, or founder and judging convenor Craig
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