Rural Noir: small-town
tales scoop Ngaio Marsh Awards
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.
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.”
For more information
about the Ngaio Marsh Awards, contact the Judging Convenor:
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