The Australian Crime Writers Association (ACWA) has announced the shortlisted titles for the 2023 Ned Kelly Awards. The shortlists for two of the categories include the following titles:
Best debut crime fiction
- Wake (Shelley Burr, Hachette)
- The House of Now and Then (Jo Dixon, HarperCollins)
- How to Kill a Client (Joanna Jenkins, A&U) *
- Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder (Kerryn Mayne, Bantam)
- Denizen (James McKenzie Watson, Viking)
- Dirt Town (Hayley Scrivenor, Macmillan) *
- Black River (Matthew Spencer, A&U) *
- No Country for Girls (Emma Styles, Sphere)
Best crime fiction
- When We Fall (Aoife Clifford, Ultimo)
- The Tilt (Chris Hammer, A&U) *
- Exiles (Jane Harper, Macmillan) *
- Soulmate (Sally Hepworth, Macmillan)
- Seven Sisters (Katherine Kovacic, HarperCollins)
- Lying Beside You (Michael Robotham, Hachette) *
- Those Who Perish (Emma Viskic, Pushkin Vertigo) *
- The Carnival Is Over (Greg Woodland, Text).
The Ned Kelly Awards have been running since 1995, making them Australia’s oldest crime fiction and true crime awards. In its announcement, ACWA said that the shortlist highlights the ‘strength and identity’ of Australian crime writing.
Titles marked * have been reviewed by QRC.