Shortlists for further Ned Kelly Awards announced

 

The Australian Crime Writers Association announced the shortlists for the 2025 Ned Kelly Awards for the Best International Crime Fiction, Best True Crime but also Best Crime Fiction.

Best International Crime Fiction Nominees

Return to Blood, by Michael Bennett (Simon & Schuster UK)

Leave the Girls Behind, by Jacqueline Bublitz (Allen & Unwin)

The Waiting, by Michael Connelly (Allen & Unwin)

A Case of Matricide, by Graeme Macrae Burnet (Text)

Moscow X, by David McCloskey (Swift Press)

Home Truths, by Charity Norman (Allen & Unwin)

Best True Crime Nominees

They’ll Never Hold Me, by Michael Adams (Affirm Press)

A Thousand Miles from Care, by Steve Johnson (William Collins)

The Kingpin and the Crooked Cop, by Neil Mercer (Allen & Unwin)\

Meadow’s Law, by Quentin McDermott (HarperCollins)

The Lasting Harm, by Lucia Osborne-Crowley (HarperCollins)

Best Crime Fiction Nominees

Shadow City, by Natalie Conner

Sanctuary, by Garry Disher

Unbury the Dead, by Fiona Hardy

The Creeper, by Margaret Hickey

Cold Truth, by Ashley Kalagian Blunt

Highway 13, by Fiona McFarlane

17 Years Later, by J.P. Pomare

Storm Child, by Michael Robotham

Ned Kelly Award for best Debut Novel announced

 

The Australian Crime Writers Association announced its shortlist for the 2025 Ned Kelly Award for Best Debut Crime Fiction:

Down the Rabbit Hole, by Shaeden Berry (Bonnier Echo)
A Town Called Treachery, by Mitch Jennings (HarperCollins)
The Chilling, by Riley James (Allen & Unwin)
All You Took From Me, by Lisa Kenway (Transit Lounge)
Everywhere We Look, by Martine Kropkowski (Ultimo Press)
Those Opulent Days, by Jacquie Pham (Atlantic Monthly Press)

Congratulations to all the nominated authors

The Ned Kelly Awards Shortlist

 

The Australian Crime Writers Association announced all the categories for the Ned Kelly Award Shortlists. 

2024 Ned Kelly Awards Shortlist for Best International Crime Fiction:

Birnam Wood By Eleanor Catton

Dice by Claire Baylis

Resurrection Walk by Michael Connelly

The Only Suspect by Louise Candlish

The Search Party by Hannah Richell

Zero Days by Ruth Ware

2024 Ned Kelly Awards Shortlist for Best True Crime:

Crossing the Line by Nick McKenzie

Killing for Country by David Marr

The Murder Squad by Michael Adams

Reckless by Marele Day

The Teacher’s Pet by Hedley Thomas

2024 Ned Kelly Awards Shortlist for Best Crime Fiction:

Killer Traitor Spy by Tim Ayliffe

Dark Corners by Megan Goldin

Dark Mode by Ashley Kalagian Blunt

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth

The Seven by Chris Hammer

Ripper by Shelley Burr

The Tea Ladies by Amanda Hampson

Everyone on this train is a suspect by Benjamin Stevenson

2024 Ned Kelly Awards Shortlist for Best Debut Crime Fiction:

Four Dogs Missing by Rhys Gard

Gus and the Missing Boy by Troy Hunter

Lowbridge by Lucy Campbell

Murder in the Pacific: Ifira Point by Matt Francis

The Fall Between by Darcy Tindale

The Beacon by P.A. Thomas

Violet Kelly and the Jade Owl by Fiona Britton

Congratulations to All! 

2023 Ned Kelly Award Winners

 

Best Crime Fiction 

Exiles by Jane Harper (Pan Macmillan Australia).

The panel of judges praised Harper’s depth of characters and setting - a hallmark of her compelling and intricate style of storytelling. The best crime category continues to astound with the depth of talent from Australian authors, many of which are now well established as international authors.

“The variety and diversity of Australian crime novels blew us all away. Outback noir, suburban Aussie crime, city streets, cliff edges, small towns, domestic settings, historical, misaligned justice, revenge, parenthood, almost every setting and sub-genre was covered this year,” judge David Collins said.

Best Debut Crime Fiction 

Wake by Shelley Burr (Hachette Australia).

The panel of judges said it was heartening to see such strong talent coming through in this next wave of Australian crime writers. There were 34 entries in this year’s Best Debut Crime Fiction category.

Judge RWR McDonald said the judging panel described Wake as an astounding achievement for a first time author.

Best True Crime

Betrayed, by Sandi Logan (Hachette Australia).

The judges said the entries in the true crime category continue to showcase the very best in Australian investigative non-fiction writing.

“True crime authors not only have to impeccably research and retell these very personal stories but they have to tread carefully and respectfully,” judge Emily Webb said.

Best International Crime Fiction

The Lemon Man by Keith Bruton (Brash Books).

“The Lemon Man is a warm funny and compassionate story written in a wonderfully original voice. A truly great read,” judge Ron Blaber said.

ABOUT THE NED KELLY AWARDS

The Ned Kelly Awards are Australia’s oldest and most prestigious acknowledgements for crime fiction and true crime writing. Established in 1996, previous winners include: Peter Temple, Shane Maloney, Helen Garner, Gabrielle Lord, Garry Disher, Candice Fox, John Silvester and Duncan McNab

The Australian Crime Writers Association announced the 2023 Ned Kelly Awards Shortlists

 

BEST CRIME FICTION 

Soulmate by Sally Hepworth 

When The Carnival is Over by Greg Woodland 

Exiles by Jane Harper 

When We Fall by Aoife Clifford 

The Tilt by Chris Hammer 

Those Who Perish by Emma Viskic 

Seven Sisters by Katherine Kovacic

Lying Beside You by Michael Robotham

BEST INTERNATIONAL CRIME FICTION 

(Published in Australia) 

The Lemon Man by Keith Bruton 

Paper Cage by Tom Baragwanath 

The Favour by Nicci French 

The Hitchhiker by Gerwin van der Werf 

BEST DEBUT CRIME FICTION 

Wake by Shelley Burr 

No Country for Girls by Emma Styles 

Dirt Town by Hayley Scrivenor 

Black River by Matthew Spencer 

How to Kill a Client by Joanna Jenkins 

The House of Now and Then by Jo Dixon 

Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder by Kerryn Mayne 

Denizen by James McKenzie Watson 

BEST TRUE CRIME 

Tiger! Tiger! Tiger! by Officer 

A Death Row at Truro by Geoff Plunkett 

Rattled by Ellis Gunn 

Betrayed by Sandi Logan 

Out of the Ashes by Megan Norris 

Davitt Awards 2022 Shortlists Announced

 

Sisters in Crime Australia has announced the shortlists for the 2022 Davitt Awards for best crime books by Australian women.

The shortlisted titles in each category are:

Adult Crime Novel 

Unforgiven by Sarah Barrie, (HQ Fiction)

Before You Knew My Name by Jacqueline Bublitz, (A&U)

You Had It Coming by B M Carroll, (Profile Books)

All That I Remember About Dean Cola by Tania Chandler, (Scribe)

Bodies of Light by Jennifer Down, (Text)

Shelter by Catherine Jinks, (Text)

The Beautiful Words by Vanessa McCausland, (HarperCollins)

Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy, (Hamish Hamilton)

The Family Doctor by Debra Oswald, (A&U)

The Second Son by Loraine Peck, (Text)

The Silent Listener by Lyn Yeowart, (Viking)

Young Adult Crime Novel

The Gaps by Leanne Hall, (Text)

Dirt Circus League by Maree Kimberley, (Text)

Sugar Town Queens by Malla Nunn, (A&U Children’s)

House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland, (Penguin)

Children’s Crime Novel

Night Ride into Danger by Jackie French, (HarperCollins)

The Detective’s Guide to Ocean Travel by Nicki Greenberg, (Affirm)

Ella at Eden #6: The London Thief by Laura Sieveking, (Scholastic)

Nonfiction Crime Book

Empowering Women: From Murder and Misogyny to High Court Victory by Susie Allanson with Lizzie O’Shea, (Wilkinson Publishing)

Larrimah: A Missing Man, an Eyeless Croc and an Outback Town of 11 People Who Mostly Hate Each Other by Caroline Graham & Kylie Stevenson, (A&U)

The Winter Road: A Story of Legacy, Land and a Killing at Croppa Creek by Kate Holden, (Black Inc.)

Banquet: The Untold Story of Adelaide’s Family Murders by Debi Marshall, (Vintage)

Debut Crime Books

Before You Knew My Name by Jacqueline Bublitz, (A&U)

Shadow Over Edmund Street by Suzanne Frankham, (Journey to Words)

Larrimah: A Missing Man, an Eyeless Croc and an Outback Town of 11 People Who Mostly Hate Each Other by Caroline Graham & Kylie Stevenson, (A&U)

The Waterhole by Lily Malone, (Lily Malone Publishing)

Unsheltered by Clare Moleta, (Simon &Schuster)

The Family Doctor by Debra Oswald, (A&U)

The Second Son by Loraine Peck, (Text)

Shiver by Allie Reynolds, (Hachette)

Crime Writer by Dime Sheppard, (Ruby Books)

House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland, (Penguin)

The Silent Listener by Lyn Yeowart, (Viking).

This year’s judging panel was made up of medical autopsy expert Philomena Horsley; YA expert and reviewer Joy Lawn; Sisters in Crime’s president Moraig Kisler; and authors Janice Simpson, Emily Webb and Jacquie Byron. The judges selected the 33 shortlisted titles from a longlist of 169 books.

The six category winners will be announced at a gala dinner in Melbourne on Saturday, 27 August. No prize money is attached to the Davitts; the winner of each category receives a trophy.

Last year’s winners included Sally Hepworth for The Good Sister (Macmillan) and Leah Swann’s Sheerwater (Fourth Estate).

For more information, see the Sisters in Crime website.

2022 Ned Kelly Awards shortlist

 

The Australian Crime Writers Association (ACWA) have announced the shortlist for the 2022 Ned Kelly Awards.

The shortlisted titles in each category are:

Best Debut Crime Fiction

Sweet Jimmy by Bryan Brown, (Allen & Unwin)

Shadow Over Edmund Street by Suzanne Frankham, (Journey to Words Publishing)

Cutters End by Margaret Hickey, (Penguin)

Banjawarn by Josh Kemp, (UWA Publishing)

Best True Crime

The Mother Wound by Amani Haydar, (Macmillan)

Larrimah by Caroline Graham & Kylie Stevenson, (Allen & Unwin)

Banquet: The Untold Story of Adelaide’s Family Murders by Debi Marshall, (Vintage)

A Witness of Fact by Drew Rooke, (Scribe)

Best International Crime Fiction

Case Study by Graeme Macrae Burnet (Text)

The Heron’s Cry by Ann Cleeves, (Macmillan)

The Maid by Nita Prose, (HarperCollins)

Cry Wolf by Hans Rosenfeldt, (HarperCollins)

Best Crime Fiction

The Enemy Within by Tim Ayliffe, (Simon & Schuster)

The Others by Mark Brandi, (Hachette)

You Had it Coming by B M Carroll, (Profile Books)

The Chase by Candice Fox, (Bantam)

Kill Your Brother by Jack Heath, (Allen & Unwin)

The Family Doctor by Debra Oswald, (Allen & Unwin)

The Deep by Kyle Perry, (Michael Joseph).

Established in 1995, the Ned Kelly Awards are Australia’s oldest, most prestigious awards honouring crime fiction and true crime writing. ACWA reported that in 2022 ‘it was particularly pleasing to see authors breaking away from some of the more common crime tropes, with a large variety of characters, settings and social diversity in this year’s entries’.

The association expects to announce the winners in approximately one month.

2020 Ned Kelly Awards

 

The Australian Crime Writers Association have announced the winners of the 2020 Ned Kelly Awards, aka the Neddies.

Best Crime Fiction:
The Wife and the Widow, by Christian White (Affirm Press)

Best Debut Crime Fiction:
Present Tense, by Natalie Conyer (Clan Destine Press)

Best True Crime:
Bowraville, by Dan Box (Penguin Random House)

Best International Crime Fiction:
The Chain, by Adrian McKinty (Hachette)

Ned Kelly Awards 2019 shortlists

The Australian Crime Writers Association is pleased to announce the shortlists for the 2019 Ned Kelly Awards.

Best True Crime

Egg Shell by Bri Lee

The Arsonist by Chloe Hooper

Siege by Deborah Snow

Waiting for Elijah by Kate Wild

Best First Fiction

The Portrait of Molly Dean by Katherine Kovack

The Ruin by Dervla McTiernan 

The Yellow House by Emily O’Grady

Greenlight by Benjamin Stevenson

Best Fiction

Kill Shot by Garry Disher

Gone by Midnight by Candice Fox

The Spotted Dog by Kerry Greenwood

The Lost Man by Jane Harper

The Other Wife by Michael Robotham

Live and Let Fly by Sue Williams

The winners will be announced at the BAD Sydney Crime Writers festivaal on Friday September 6