Capital Crimes: Karori Mystery in the Library - reschedule date is Thursday 5 June

The Ngaio Marsh Awards, in association with Wellington City Libraries, invites booklovers to a fun evening of criminally good conversation featuring five award-winning Kiwi writers and one exciting new debut novelist.

Brannavan Gnanalingam chairs fellow Ngaio Marsh Awards winners Claire Baylis, Dame Fiona Kidman, and filmmaker true crime writer David White.

And just announced we are thrilled to add debut novelist Jennifer Trevelyan to our wonderful panel. Jennifer's book A Beautiful Family comes out in Aotearoa on 3 June, and we're very excited to have her join our panel.

Come along for a sure to be scintillating conversation about how these authors craft memorable characters and page-turning storylines and infuse their tales with deep insights into people and society.

Brannavan Gnanalingam is a Wellington novelist, freelance writer, and property lawyer who was born in Sri Lanka and grew up in Lower Hutt. He's written eight novels, been listed for the Ockham NZ Book Awards three times, and won the 2021 Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Novel for Sprigs. His latest novel is political satire The Life and Opinions of Kartik Popat, published in late 2024.

Claire Baylis is an author and legal researcher who won 2024 Ngaio Marsh Award for Best First Novel for Dice, a courtroom drama written as part of her PhD in creative writing from the Institute of Modern Letters. Claire studied then lectured in law for 12 years before moving to Rotorua, where she's been a researcher for the Trans-Tasman Jury Study and set up a water safety programme focused on low-decile schools.

Dame Fiona Kidman is one of Aotearoa's most treasured writers. She has published over 30 books, including novels, poetry, non-fiction and a play. She has worked as a librarian, radio producer and critic, and as a scriptwriter for radio, TV and film. Her novel, This Mortal Boy, inspired by one of New Zealand's last executions, won both the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Novel and the Acorn Prize for Fiction. Her latest book is memoir So Far, For Now.

David White is a New Zealand filmmaker who created, directed, and wrote the 2023 TV drama Far North, starring Robyn Malcolm and Temuera Morrison and based on the true story of a major drug bust in New Zealand. He also co-wrote a book of the same name about the real-life case. David's other film projects have included a 2012 documentary on legendary Wellington rock band Shihad.

Jennifer Trevelyan is an avid reader, gardener, and writer with a background in photography and children's publishing. Now a full-time writer, she lives in Wellington with her husband, son, daughter, dog and cat. She completed an MA in Creative Writing at the International Institute of Modern Letters. Her debut novel A Beautiful Family, a coming of age tale blended with mystery and suspense, is published by Allen & Unwin on 3 June 2025.