Congratulations to the finalists and winners of the 2020 The Ngaio Marsh Awards!
The Ngaio Marsh Awards are presented annually and promote and celebrate excellence in crime, mystery and thriller writing by New Zealand authors.
Best Novel
This year’s winner for best novel was:
Auē, by Becky Manawatu
“Taukiri was born into sorrow. Auē can be heard in the sound of the sea he loves and hates, and in the music he draws out of the guitar that was his father’s. It spills out of the gang violence that killed his father and sent his mother into hiding, and the shame he feels about abandoning his eight-year-old brother to another violent home. But Arama is braver than he looks, and he has a friend and his friend has a dog, and the three of them together might just be strong enough to turn back the tide of sorrow. As long as there’s aroha to give and stories to tell and a good supply of plasters.” (Catalogue)
Shortlisted were:
- Whatever it Takes by Paul Cleave
- Girl from the Tree House by Gudrun Frerichs
- The Nancys by R. W. R. McDonald
- In the Clearing by J. P. Pomare
- The Wild Card by Renée
Best First Novel
And the Best First Novel was won by:
“Tippy Chan is eleven and lives in a small town in a very quiet part of the world – the place her Uncle Pike escaped from the first chance he got as a teenager. Now Pike is back with his new boyfriend Devon to look after Tippy while her mum’s on a cruise. Tippy is in love with her uncle’s old Nancy Drew books, especially the early ones where Nancy was sixteen and did whatever she wanted. She wants to be Nancy and is desperate to solve a real mystery. When her teacher’s body is found beside Riverstone’s only traffic light, Tippy’s moment has arrived. She and her minders form The Nancys, a secret amateur detective club. But what starts as a bonding and sightseeing adventure quickly morphs into something far more dangerous…” (Publisher description)
Shortlisted were:
- Into the Void by Christina O’Reilly
- Tugga’s Mob by Stephen Johnson
- Auē by Becky Manawatu
We wish to extend a big congratulations to all of this year’s finalists and winners. Well done all!
We recently were lucky enough to get some of the shortlisted authors to give us some exclusive interviews and readings from the books – have a watch below:
