Reviews from this year’s AWW challenge participants are still coming in at a decent pace but for this round up I’m going to do something a little different. Over the past few weeks shortlists for Australia’s two major crime writing awards have been announced, with winners in both due to be revealed at the end of this month. Given that a majority of the eligible books for both awards have scored at least one review by an AWW Challenge participant I’ve highlighted my favourites among those reviews to tempt you to check out some great crime writing by Australian women writers. Or there are some books that haven’t been reviewed yet (particularly in the books-for-younger-people and non-fiction categories), perhaps you’d like to fill one of these gaps.

SistersLogoSisters in Crime has announced shortlisted books in five categories for the 17th Davitt Awards focusing on crime writing by Australian women. Winners for these will be announced on 26 August

Adult novel

Young Adult Novel

Children’s novels

  • Catherine Jinks, Theophilus Grey and the Traitor’s Mask
  • Jessica Miller, Elizabeth and Zenoba
  • Judith Rossell, Wormwood Mire – reviewed by Brona at Brona’s Books
  • Jen Storer, Truly Tan: Hoodwinked

Non-fiction books

Debut

ACWALogoThe shortlists for the Ned Kelly Awards for Australian crime writing were announced last week by the Australian Crime Writers Association. In two of the three award categories women writers featured strongly.  Winners of these awards, and one for Best Non Fiction which is not represented by any Aussie women writers this year, will be announced on 1 September.

Best Fiction

Note: Adrian McKinty’s Police at the Station and They Don’t Look Friendly and Jock Serong’s The Rules of Backyard Cricket round out this shortlist

Best First Fiction

Note: Ron Elliott’s Burn Pattern and Andy Muir’s Something for Nothing complete this category

About Me

I’m Bernadette Bean. I’ve been reading avidly for as long as I can remember, blathering about the subject since late 2008 at Reactions to Reading, am co-host of Fair Dinkum Crime, a site devoted to promoting and discussing Australian crime fiction, and have twice been a judge for a national crime fiction award.