THE PRESENTATION of the inaugural Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel will now happen at an event held in Christchurch on Tuesday 30 November 2010. The original event was postponed when The Press Christchurch Writers' Festival was cancelled due to the Canterbury earthquake.

Following an author panel featuring Ngaio Marsh Award finalists Vanda Symon (CONTAINMENT) and Neil Cross (BURIAL), along with Christchurch's own internationally-bestselling crime writer Paul Cleave (BLOOD MEN), the presentation of New Zealand's first-ever crime fiction award will be made.

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”.

“There were a number of high-quality crime novels published last year, and it has been a tough decision for the judges,” said Judging Convenor Craig Sisterson. “It is fantastic to see crime writing of this quality being produced by New Zealand writers, and great that the Award recognises both the best of our current authors, while also honouring the memory of one of our country’s true literary legends, who we have perhaps underappreciated in the past.”

Tickets to this historic event are $10, which includes nibbles and your first glass of wine. Contact Ruth Todd on (03) 4721 or ruth.todd@xtra.co.nz to book your tickets.