JOE VICTIM amongst Barry Award nominees

New Zealand crime writing continues to get recognised for its quality at home and abroad. Following the success of Eleanor Catton's historical astrological murder mystery winning the Man Booker Award, Paul Cleave being shortlisted by the Mystery Writers of America for a prestigious Edgar Award for his latest Christchurch-set thriller, JOE VICTIM, and Ben Sanders' as-yet-unpublished new novel being optioned for film adaptation by Hollywood, Cleave has now scored a nomination for a Barry Award for JOE VICTIM.

Perhaps we are going through a bit of a Golden Age for Kiwi crime and thriller writing, as suggested by a university academic recently... and the wider world is just slowly picking up on what some of us down here have known for a while. There are some excellent crime writers in this tiny country at the end of the world, telling high quality stories that readers, reviewers, and awards judges the world over would love, if they were exposed to them.

Cleave has been nominated in the Best Paperback Original category alongside acclaimed international crime writers like Gene Kerrigan and Adrian McKinty (side note - McKinty is in New Zealand this week for an event in Otago - check it out if you're in the area). The full list of nominees is below:

2014 Barry Award Nominations

Best Novel

A CONSPIRACY OF FAITH, Jussi Adler-Olsen
TAP ON THE WINDOW, Linwood Barclay
SANDRINE’S CASE, Thomas H. Cook
SUSPECT, Robert Crais
ORDINARY GRACE, William Kent Krueger
STANDING IN ANOTHER MAN’S GRAVE, Ian Rankin

Best First Novel

BURIAL RITES, Hannah Kent
JAPANTOWN, Barry Lancet
THE BOOKMAN’S TALE, Charlie Lovett
RAGE AGAINST THE DYING, Becky Masterman
COVER OF SNOW, Jenny Milchman
NORWEGIAN BY NIGHT, Derek B. Miller

Best PBO

JOE VICTIM, Paul Cleave
DISCIPLE OF LAS VEGAS, Ian Hamilton
THE RAGE, Gene Kerrigan
I HEAR THE SIRENS IN THE STREET, Adrian McKinty
FEAR IN THE SUNLIGHT, Nicola Upson
FIXING TO DIE, Elaine Viets

Best Thriller

DEAD LIONS, Mick Herron
GHOSTMAN, Roger Hobbs
RED SPARROW, Jason Matthews
THE SHANGHAI FACTOR, Charles McCarry
RATLINES, Stuart Neville
THE DOLL, Taylor Stevens