Sisters in Crime Australia has released a shortlist for the 22nd Davitt Awards, recognizing the best crime and mystery books by Australian women. The awards are presented in six categories--adult crime novel; YA crime novel; children's crime novel; nonfiction crime book; debut crime book (any category); and Readers' Choice (as voted by the 500 members of Sisters in Crime Australia). The winner will be honored August 27 in Melbourne. Check out the complete shortlists here.
"The Davitt Awards are riding the crest of an enormous wave of popularity for crime writing by Australian women," said judges coordinator Philomena Horsley. "Women like writing it, the publishers like printing it, and we all love reading it.... The quality of the prose and the diversity of the themes and scenes of the crime are on an upwards spiral. The six judges have especially been blown away by the standard of the debut books. The authors demonstrate an impressive expertise in their craft. The caliber of the shortlist reflects the leap taken by crime writing generally in Australia."