Sisters in Crime has announced the shortlists for the 2024 Davitt Awards for the best crime books by Australian women.

The shortlisted titles in each category are:

Adult novels

• The Chasm (Bronwyn Hall, HQ Fiction)
• The Tea Ladies (Amanda Hampson, Penguin)
• The Half Brother (Christine Keighery, Ultimo)
• Prima Facie (Suzie Miller, Picador)
• Exquisite Corpse (Marija Peričić, Ultimo)
• The Fall Between (Darcy Tindale, Penguin)
• When One of Us Hurts (Monica Vuu, Macmillan)

Nonfiction books

• Reclaim: Understanding complex trauma and those who abuse (Ahona Guha, Scribe)
• The Schoolgirl, Her Teacher and His Wife (Rebecca Hazel, Vintage)
• Ghosts of the Orphanage (Christine Kenneally, Hachette)
• Obsession (Nicole Madigan, Pantera)

Young adult novels

• Eleanor Jones Is Not a Murderer (Amy Doak, Penguin)
• Some Shall Break (Ellie Marney, A&U Children’s)

Children’s novels

• The Wolves of Greycoat Hall (Lucinda Gifford, Walker Books)
• Copycat (Kelli Anne Hawkins, HarperCollins)
• The First Summer of Callie McGee (Allison Tait, Scholastic)
• This Camp Is Doomed: A Dennith Grange misadventure (Anna Zobel, Puffin).

Judges for the 2024 awards include author and editor Ruth Wykes, former bookseller Deb Bodinnar, author and editor Emily Gale, author and communications manager Romany Rzechowicz, journalist, author and podcaster Emily Webb, and professor of education Lyn Yates.

Winners of the four category awards, along with an award for best debut and a readers’ choice award, will be announced in an event on 31 August in Melbourne.

Last year’s winners included All That’s Left Unsaid (Tracey Lien, HQ Fiction), Seven Days (Fleur Ferris, PRH), The Sugarcane Kids and the Red-bottomed Boat (Charlie Archbold, Text), Out of the Ashes (Megan Norris, Big Sky), Dirt Town (Hayley Scrivenor, Macmillan) and The Unbelieved (Vikki Petraitis, A&U).

More information about the awards is available on the Sisters in Crime website.

Category: Awards Local news