Backcountry mystery outshone big city crime at WORD
Christchurch Festival on Saturday evening as Alan Carter and Jennifer Lane were
named the winners of the 2018 Ngaio Marsh Awards.
Both authors' winning books involve deadly deeds set against
small towns and rural landscapes. Carter scooped the Best Novel prize for Marlborough Man (Fremantle Press), a
thrilling tale centred on an ex-undercover agent from England trying to
resettle into a quieter life far distanced from his dangerous past; now a
country cop patrolling the seemingly idyllic valleys and waterways of the Top
of the South.
“A terrific,
full-throated crime thriller that puts the freshest of spins on the
cop-with-a-past trope,” said the judges. “Carter is a first-class wordsmith with a particular talent for
authentic dialogue. The novel’s setting wholly embraces the people and action,
and the overall effect is powerful and persuasive.”
Lane is an experienced short story writer, published by
magazines and journals on both sides of the Tasman, who won a New Zealand Book
Month prize in 2007. Her debut novel All
Our Secrets (Rosa Mira Books) grew out of one of her short stories,
evolving over more than a decade of work. Gracie is a bullied adolescent from a
troubled family in the fictional Australian town of Coongahoola. When the
town’s famed ‘River Children’ start vanishing, Gracie knows what no-one else
does: who is responsible.
“A very assured debut sitting somewhere between something
aimed at older teen readers and something very readable for adults, All Our Secrets is strongly voiced, has
a great sense of place, wonderfully drawn characters, and an excellent plot,”
said the judging panel. “It's an absolute gem.”
The Anzac spirit is alive and well with this year’s winners,
noted Ngaios founder Craig Sisterson, as both Carter and Lane spent significant
chunks of their lives in Australia before choosing to make New Zealand their
home. Carter, originally from the north of England, won a Ned Kelly Award for
his debut crime novel in 2011, before crossing the Tasman to live on a farm in
a valley in Marlborough in recent years.
“It has been another
remarkable year for New Zealand crime and mystery writing,” said Sisterson.
“We had a record number of entries, a big influx of exciting new voices, and
the welcome return of some of our great crime storytellers from the 1990s and
early 2000s, including Stella Duffy and Edmund Bohan.”
Carter won a Ngaios trophy, special edition of a Dame Ngaio
book, and a $1,000 cash prize courtesy of WORD Christchurch. Lane won a trophy,
book, and a cash prize from the Ngaio Marsh Awards.
“Decades ago a
remarkable woman from Christchurch was renowned globally as one of the biggest
names in the books world,” said Sisterson. “So it’s only fitting that awards in Dame Ngaio’s name are now
showcasing just how world-class many of our modern-day Kiwi writers are too.”
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