Sisters in Crime Australia has released a shortlist for the 23rd Davitt Awards, recognizing the best crime and mystery books by Australian women. The awards are presented in six categories: adult novel, YA novel, children's novel, nonfiction book, debut book (any category), and readers' choice (as voted by the 600-plus members of Sisters in Crime Australia). The winner will be honored September 2 in Melbourne.
Judges' coordinator Philomena Horsley said, "The Davitt Awards are riding the crest of an enormous wave of popularity for crime writing by Australian women. Women like writing it, the publishers like printing it, and we all love reading it--and increasingly we can enjoy it being translated to the screen. That is no longer just the province of overseas authors such as Ann Cleeves and Val McDermid.
"The writing is outstanding. And the stories explored blow our minds, opening up so many different worlds from the Vietnamese community in Cabramatta to a stack of country and coastal towns that harbor secrets, crimes, and nefarious locals. We have been particularly impressed by the quality of children’s crime novels which turn old stalwarts such as Enid Blyton on their heads."