Dunedin crime writer wins unpublished author competition

Little by little, New Zealand crime writing seems to be getting more attention, and it's great to see. Not only do we have authors like Paul Cleave, Neil Cross, Vanda Symon, Paddy Richardson, Michael Green and Alix Bosco putting out multiple titles with bigger publishing houses in recent times, but each year we also seem to have the welcome addition of more and more debut authors joining the Kiwi crime fiction ranks. Just in the past 18 months or so the likes of Lindy Kelly, Trish McCormack, Roy Vaughan, transplanted Scot Liam McIlvanney, Ben Sanders, Bosco, and Donna Malane have debuted on booksellers' shelves, amongst others.

We've also had a nice run of unpublished Kiwi crime writers getting recognition for their manuscripts; Wellingtonian Malane won the NZSA-Pindar Publishing Prize, which was open to writing of any type, Wellingtonian Bob Marriott was shortlisted for the CWA Debut Dagger, and Aucklander Shauna Bickley won the 'romance' section of the Kinglake Publishing Unpublished Author Competition for a novel as much about crime as romance.

Now another Kiwi, Andrew Porteous of Dunedin, has won the crime section of the Kinglake competition, with his now soon-to-be-published detective story A POLITICAL AFFAIR. Porteous is an English graduate who works as a library assistant in the University of Otago science department, a former law student at Victoria University, and has written several plays over the last few years, but A POLITICAL AFFAIR was his first attempt at a novel.

The story is set in Dunedin and involves inexperienced part-Maori detective Lachlan Doyle, who finds himself investigating the murder of the Prime Minister's personal assistant. "It's a pretty local story and for it to be picked up in the UK is bizarre," said a stunned Porteous in a recent interview with the Otago Daily Times after his unexpected win in the competition was announced. "I thought it was a joke when they told me I'd won."

You can read the full Otago Daily Times article here, and another story on Porteous's success in the Wanganui Chronicle here. Good to see the New Zealand media picking up on the story.

Review of SURRENDER on TVNZ.co.nz

A great review of SURRENDER, the debut crime novel from NZSA-Pindar Publishing Prize-winning writer Donna Malane, has now been added to TVNZ.co.nz, the website of Television New Zealand.

Reviewer Mira Bradshaw says Malane "does an amazing job of bringing a vivid, realistic character to life" with heroine and missing persons expert Dianne Rowe, and that SURRENDER has refreshing "emotional depth" for a crime novel. She rates it an 8/10 read, which is a high rating for the website.

You can read the full review here.

SURRENDER is now available from all good New Zealand bookshops. For more information, please feel free to contact Sarah Gumbley on 021 861 956 or at sarahgumbley@me.com. Further information can be found at http://www.surrendernz.com./

Tough choice for judges as historical crime fiction award is announced

The Crime Writers’ Association tonight (UK time - November 4) announced the winner for this year’s prestigious Ellis Peters Historical Award.

Established for the best historical crime novel (set in any period up to 35 years prior to the year in which the award will be made) by an author of any nationality, the award commemorates the life and work of Ellis Peters (Edith Pargeter) (1913-1995), a prolific author perhaps best known as the creator of Brother Cadfael.

CWA chair Tom Harper said: “The Ellis Peters Award has seen the judges given a really tough choice. The strength of the field confirms the robust health of historical fiction.”
The judging panel was Sir Bernard Ingham, Barry Forshaw, Jake Kerridge, Eileen Roberts and Geoffrey Bailey. They said: “Two books were very close, which was unusual, and overall the standard was incredibly high.”

The winners were announced during an event at Little, Brown Book Group, 100 Victoria Embankment, London.

ResultsThe Ellis Peters Historical Award Prize £3,000
Sponsors: The Estate of Ellis Peters, Headline Book Publishing Company and Little, Brown Book Group

WinnerREVENGER by Rory Clements

1592. England and Spain are at war, yet there is peril at home, too. The death of her trusted spymaster Sir Francis Walsingham has left Queen Elizabeth vulnerable. Conspiracies multiply. The quiet life of John Shakespeare is shattered by a summons from Robert Cecil, the cold but deadly young statesman who dominated the last years of the Queen’s long reign, insisting Shakespeare re-enter government service. His mission: to find vital papers, now in the possession of the Earl of Essex. When John Shakespeare infiltrates this dissolute world he discovers not only that the Queen herself is in danger – but that he and his family are also a target.

Judges’ comments: “Revenger is an exuberant piece of writing, which is beautifully constructed and shows authoritative knowledge of the period. It was felt to be a sharp piece of writing told with panache and a vivid sense of place.”

Runner upHEARTSTONE by CJ Sansom
Summer, 1545. England is at war. Henry VIII's invasion of France has gone badly wrong, and a massive French fleet is preparing to sail across the Channel. As the English fleet gathers at Portsmouth, the country raises the largest militia army it has ever seen. The King has debased the currency to pay for the war, and England is in the grip of soaring inflation and economic crisis. Meanwhile, Matthew Shardlake is given an intriguing legal case by an old servant of Queen Catherine Parr. Asked to investigate claims of 'monstrous wrongs' committed against a young ward of the court, which have already involved one mysterious death, Shardlake and his assistant Barak journey to Portsmouth. Events converge on board one of the King's great warships, primed for battle in Portsmouth harbour, the Mary Rose.

Judges’ comments: “The two mysteries in Heartstone are well-entwined as it covers one of the most important historical times of turbulence and change, which echo current affairs with ill-advised forays into foreign territory. Unputdownable with a marvellous depth of character.”

Also on the shortlist were:Washington Shadow – Aly Monroe
Judges’ comments: “A very real story and politically aware.”

Heresy – S J Parris
Judges’ comments: “In this masterly tale set mainly in Oxford, Sir Francis Walsingham appears amidst historical and religious turmoil.”

To Kill A Tsar – Andrew Williams
Judges’ comments: “An energetic book set in Nineteenth Century St Petersburg, which deals with Russian terrorists and echoes those of a more modern IRA.”

The Anatomy of Ghosts – Andrew Taylor.
Judges’ comments: “An intriguing concept told with aplomb.”

Having highly commended the other four books on the shortlist, the judges also mentioned several that just missed out.

The Weed That Strings the Hangman’s Bag – Alan Bradley

Let The Dead Lie – Malla Nunn

Assassin’s Prayer – Ariana Franklin

A Razor in Wrapped Silk – R N Morris.

For press enquiries or more information on the CWA, please visit the website, www.thecwa.co.uk, or contact media.enquiries@thecwa.co.uk

Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel: event details!

Further to my post of last week, the time and date of the replacement event for the presentation of the first-ever Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel (pictured right) has now been confirmed - the original event of course being postponed due to the Canterbury earthquake.

The event will be held in Christchurch on the evening of 30 November 2010. The full details are:

Whodunnit and Whowunnit?with the presentation of the inaugural Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel7:30pm, Tuesday 30 November 2010
Visions on Campus Restaurant, CPIT, cnr Madras St & Ferry Road, Christchurch
Tickets $10, includes a glass of wine and nibbles
Drinks start at 7pm, author panel at 7:30pm
Contact: Ruth Todd 03 384 4721 or ruth.todd@xtra.co.nz
So those of you who are reading the three finalists now have a little over three weeks to formulate your own opinion, before the official announcement. And booksellers have more time to promote all three finalists prior to the winner being announced. If any of you need any help sourcing copies of the three finalists, or other New Zealand crime fiction you'd like to give a go, please feel free to get in touch with me (craigsisterson[at]hotmail[dot]com) and I'll do my best to help.


THE THREE finalists for the inaugural Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel, which will be presented at a ceremony in Christchurch next month, were announced in August. The award is made for the best crime, mystery, or thriller novel written by a New Zealand citizen or resident, published in New Zealand during 2009.

A panel of seven local and international judges considered the best of locally written crime and thriller fiction published last year. The three finalists are:

• CUT & RUN by Alix Bosco (Penguin);
• BURIAL by Neil Cross (Simon & Schuster); and
• CONTAINMENT by Vanda Symon (Penguin)

The international judges said CUT & RUN was “complex and suspenseful” and had “scenes and incidents which are jaw-droppingly good”, that BURIAL “maintained the tension and the atmosphere from beginning to end, keeping the atmosphere creepy”, and that CONTAINMENT had “an attractive series heroine (feisty but vulnerable)” while starting with a “superb” opening scene that by itself would make the judge “want to read more Vanda Symon”.
The Awards namesake, Dame Ngaio Marsh, is renowned worldwide as one of the four “Queens of Crime” of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction, having published 32 novels featuring Inspector Roderick Alleyn between 1934 and her death in 1982.

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Will you be heading along to the event? Are you keen to find out who has won the inaugural Ngaio Marsh Award? What do you think of the three finalists for the first-ever award? Have you read any of them? Do you agree with the judges? Which is your favourite? What Kiwi crime novels might be in the running for the 2011 award, based on this year's books? Thoughts and comments welcome.

Review: DRIFTWOOD by Shauna Bickley

Jeannie McLean (pictured right) is an Auckland-based Business Manager in the education sector, and a writer of short stories and young adult crime novels. You can read more about her and her own writing at her website here, and her blog I did do it! Confessions of a crime writer, here.

Today Jeannie reviews a debut novel that straddles that border between romantic suspense and crime fiction (a place the likes of Sandra Brown and Tami Hoag, amongst others, have trodden at various times), DRIFTWOOD by Auckland writer Shauna Bickley.

DRIFTWOOD by Shauna Bickley (Kinglake Publishing)

When is crime story not a crime story?

Auckland writer, Shauna Bickley recently won the UK based Kinglake Unpublished Author Competition in the Romance genre with her novel ‘Driftwood’. The crimes are not in-your-face, detailed with grizzly forensic facts, nor is it a police procedural; But looking at Wikipedia’s definition of crime novels as the ‘genre of fiction that deals with crimes, their detection, criminals and their motives, ‘Driftwood’ fits.

It is a pacy story of the unfinished business between Juliet, and Luke who turns up after many years. Is it coincidence that Juliet suddenly finds herself involved in inexplicable accidents? There is the slow revelation that something sinister is present and Luke seems to be the common factor. When Juliet leaves Auckland for Sydney on business, she convinces herself she was imagining it all, until Luke turns up unexpectedly and she realises her life is in danger.

Yes, it has romance in it – but so do most recognisable ‘crime’ books. Think, Donna Leon and the lovely gentle relationship between husband and wife, Commissario Guido Brunetti and Paola, or Stieg Larsson’s Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist’s ‘will-they-won’t-they’ or closer to home, Vanda Symon’s Sam Shephard and Paul Frost.

In the end it doesn’t matter whether if it is more romance, less crime or vice versa; like the above mentioned crime novels, this is a good read – and, the bonus, by a local author.

‘Driftwood’, by Shauna Bickley is available from: Kinglake Publishing, Amazon.co.uk, and several other online retailers.

Reviewed by Jeannie McLean, an Auckland based author of 5 books, two of which are crime based novels for young adults.

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What do you think of Jeannie's review? Where is the dividing line between romantic suspense and crime fiction with romance? Does it matter? Are genre divides more important to marketers than readers? Have you read any romance/crime novels? Thoughts welcome.

Meet the man behind the next Bond book

As some of you will be aware, American thriller writer Jeffery Deaver has been tapped to continue the literary adventures of Britain's most famous fictional spy, James Bond.

Today there is a great article in USA Today where Carol Memmott talks to Deaver about how he, someone who "looks more like a brainy villain in a James Bond movie than a '00' agent in Her Majesty's secret service" got picked to breathe new life into one of the world's most famous fictional characters. Deaver also reveals a few snippets and hints about the next Bond book, to be released in May next year.

You can read the interesting article in full here, and also watch a video of Deaver above. Hat tip to Bookman Beattie for the heads-up about the great article.

What do you think of Jeffery Deaver writing the next James Bond book? Are you a Bond fan (books or movies)? Do you like Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme series, or other novels? What do you think of continuing series once the original author has passed on?

Currently reading: THE CASE OF THE MISSING SERVANT

Regular Crime Watch readers may have noticed a lot of 2010 Global Reading Challenge related posts earlier this year, particularly from January-May. The Global Reading Challenge is a fantastic web-based initiative sparked by fellow crime fiction enthusiast and blogger Dorte Jakobsen of Denmark-based DJ's Krimiblog. There are more than 100 reviewers participating.

The aim of the 2010 Global Reading Challenge is to encourage participants to read books from (or set in) a wide variety of countries, in the coming year. Participants sign up on the website - here - and then attempt one of three (now four) levels of reading challenge over the 12 months of 2010:

• Easy Challenge: read one novel from each of six continents (Africa, Asia, North/Central America, South America, Europe, Australasia) in 2010 - trying to find novels/countries/authors that are new to the reader;
• Medium Challenge: read two novels from each of the six continents, trying to read and review novels from 12 different countries if possible;
• Expert Challenge: as above, plus two novels set in Antarctica (14 books); and
• Extremist Challenge: three novels from each of the six main continents, two novels which are set in Antarctica, and one 'wildcard' - a novel from a place or period that is NEW to you (21 books).

I finished the Expert level in early May, and so then after a bit of a break where I was concentraing on reviewing new books from authors I was interviewing, and helping with the organisation of the inaugural Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel, I have turned my sights on the new 'Extremist' level that Dorte added. And as Dorte has said, "If you are really an extreme reader, you will do your best to read novels from 21 different countries or states".

Technically I only have one South American novel to go to complete the extremist level, however I am adding another 'Asian' novel, since the three I'd read were all set in Southeast Asia, and two took place in Thailand (one solely in Thailand, one partially in Thailand and partially in other nearby countries). So I don't feel that I have really been broad enough yet to say I've ticked off the Asian region. As such, I've now started reading THE CASE OF THE MISSING SERVANT by Tarquin Hall. Here's a blurb:

"The portly Vish Puri is India’s most accomplished detective, at least in his own estimation, and is also the hero of an irresistible new mystery series set in hot, dusty Delhi. Puri’s detective skills are old-fashioned in a Sherlock Holmesian way and a little out of sync with the tempo of the modern city, but Puri is clever and his methods work. The Case of the Missing Servant shows Puri (“Chubby” to his friends) and his wonderfully nicknamed employees (among them, Handbrake, Flush, and Handcream) hired for two investigations. The first is into the background of a man surprisingly willing to wed a woman her father considers unmarriageable, and the second is into the disappearance six months earlier of a servant to a prominent Punjabi lawyer, a young woman known only as Mary.

The Most Private Investigator novels offer a delicious combination of ingenious stories, brilliant writing, sharp wit, and a vivid, unsentimental picture of contemporary India. And from the first to the last page run an affectionate humour and intelligent insights into both the subtleties of Indian culture and the mysteries of human behaviour."

Are you part of Dorte's terrific 2010 Global Reading Challenge? Do you try to read crime and mysteries from a variety of countries? Have you read any of the Vish Puri series, or other Indian/Asian-set crime fiction? Does it interest you?

Review: DARK BLOOD

DARK BLOOD by Stuart MacBride (HarperCollins, 2010)

Reviewed by Craig Sisterson

Last year ‘bearded write-ist’ Stuart MacBride, the man whose gritty Aberdeen-set crime novels starring DS Logan McRae often sit at the darker and bloodier edge of Tartan Noir, took a wee authorial detour with impressive standalone HALFHEAD, a futuristic crime thriller set in a somewhat ‘post-apocalyptic’ version of Glasgow. But now DS McRae is back, battling the freezing weather, departmental politics, and gangland influences of police life in the Granite City. As well as his own doubts, malaise, and personal demons.

In DARK BLOOD, the sixth instalment from the CWA Dagger in the Library-winning author, notorious sex offender Richard Knox has served his time for the brutal abduction and rape of an elderly man, and has now decided he wants a fresh start in the wintry north. But while he might think he’s leaving his dark past behind in his former home of Newcastle, Knox’s arrival in Aberdeen forces Granite City’s finest to play babysitter, in order to protect him from an outraged populace being whipped into a frenzy by the tabloids, led by DS McRae’s old sparring partner Colin Miller. If protecting an ‘old mannie rapist’ wasn’t bad enough, McRae also has to deal with DSI Danby from Northumbria Police, the man who put Knox behind bars ten years before, and has arrived in Aberdeen supposedly to ‘keep an eye on things’.

Meanwhile McRae is under the cosh from all directions: his superiors are overloading him, undercutting him, and questioning his attitude; he’s hitting the drink increasingly hard; he’s spending more time before Professional Standards than dealing with his massive caseload packed with counterfeit money and goods, missing informants, murder, flashers, and robbery; his girlfriend is tiring of his dourness and detachment; and local Aberdeen crime lord Wee Hamish Mowat is leaving him envelopes of cash - for which McRae has no doubt something is expected in return. His ethics? His career? His soul?

There is plenty to like about DARK BLOOD, which although still very gritty and grim takes a bit of a step back from the full-on brutality (even gore) of the last two McRae novels, FLESH HOUSE and BLIND EYE, where unintentional cannibalism and very-intentional ocular mutilation were on MacBride’s murderous menu. The bearded write-ist once again shows his nice touch for vivid and interesting characters, and genuine depictions of team dynamics - complete with not only internal politics and intrigue, but the piss-taking, coarse language, and off-colour humour that is pretty realistic for many team environments, but some writers sanitise or avoid.

There’s a nice sense of unease and tension throughout - not just in terms of the main plot - what may happen with Knox, a murder, and investigations into other cases - but also what is going to happen with McRae himself. Over the course of the series he has at times seemed something of the straight man surrounded by a diverse cast of larger-than-life, almost over-the-top, colleagues, but in DARK BLOOD McRae is hovering close to disaster, both professionally and personally. His star is definitely on the wane, and MacBride does a good job making readers care - we can’t help but feel for (and follow) the beleaguered DS, as he tries to weather the storms natural, political, and personal - and decide if he even wants to remain a cop.

In terms of character development, not only is plenty happening with McRae, but ongoing undercurrents with other familiar faces are also shifted forwards, backwards, or sideways. Not completely without casualties. Storyline-wise, DARK BLOOD is probably not the very best instalment in what overall is a very, very good series - but it is still an enjoyable and gripping read nonetheless.

Plenty of guffaws amongst the grit and gore.