Win a set of great crime novels

READERS AROUND the world now have the chance to go into the draw to win a full set of all eight crime, mystery, and thriller novels longlisted for the upcoming 2011 Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel.

The Ngaio Marsh Award is made for the best crime, mystery, or thriller novel written by a New Zealand citizen or resident. A panel of seven local and international judges are currently considering the best of locally written crime and thriller fiction published, or distributed for the first time, in New Zealand last year.

The eight longlisted  titles in contention offer a diverse range of writing styles, settings, protagonists, and storytelling. Early comments from the international judging panel, which has been "impressed" by the calibre of New Zealand crime fiction in the running this year, include "such good books, but all so different", and "NZ is such a rich environment for writing... there should be a way to spread the news about these fine authors". The contenders for the 2011 Ngaio Marsh Award are:

• SLAUGHTER FALLS by Alix Bosco
• BLOOD MEN by Paul Cleave
• CAPTURED by Neil Cross
• DEATH IN THE KINGDOM by Andrew Grant
• SURRENDER by Donna Malane
• THE CRIME OF HUEY DUNSTAN by James McNeish
• HUNTING BLIND by Paddy Richardson
• THE FALLEN by Ben Sanders

Now readers have a chance to try for themselves the entire line-up that has been impressing the judging panel. Anyone can enter the prize draw simply by emailing a photo of themselves reading any New Zealand crime, mystery, or thriller title - contemporary or from days gone by - to ngaiomarshaward@gmail.com.

The book in your picture doesn't have to be set in New Zealand, as long as the author is associated with New Zealand (lives in New Zealand, was born or grew up in New Zealand, etc). So whether it's a well-loved copy of a Ngaio Marsh, Laurie Mantell, or Paul Thomas novel that's been sitting on your bookshelf for years, or a brand new New Zealand crime novel you've recently picked up from a bookstore or library, grab your camera, take a smiling photo of yourself with the book, and send it to ngaiomarshaward@gmail.com.

If you need some inspiration when it comes to finding an eligbile, mystery, or thriller novel to read and photograph, check out this list of more than 80 authors and more than 250 titles here:

Photos will be displayed on the Ngaio Marsh Award Facebook page, which you can visit and 'like' here.

The winner of the competition will be randomly drawn from the entered photos, and announced just prior to the presentation of the Ngaio Marsh Award on 21 August 2011.

Best of luck, and happy snapping.