History-makers and historical crimes

Three of our four 2025 Ngaio Marsh Award winners: Michael, James, and Wendy

Craig each second Tuesday

Kia ora and gidday everyone, the year is certainly flying by now. 

Since last time (a fortnight ago), I've celebrated my birthday - time is relentless and the candles grow ever more - but more importantly the 2025 Ngaio Marsh Awards were also presented in Golden Age Queen of Crime Dame Ngaio Marsh's hometown of Christchurch, in the South Island of New Zealand. Or home city, to be fair. 

It was a wonderful night celebrating excellence in modern-day Kiwi crime and thriller writing - or so I'm told by those who were there. It's a little surreal helping organise my home country's literary prizes for crime, mystery, thriller, and suspense fiction from half a world away; I haven't actually attended an awards evening in person since 2014 (when Liam McIlvanney won the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Novel for WHERE THE DEAD MEN GO). 

Liam (centre) with fellow finalist Paul Cleave, visiting Icelandic author Yrsa
Sigurdardottir, judge Ruth Todd, and myself at WORD Christchurch in 2014

That was actually my final weekend in Aotearoa before flying to the UK (via Australia and a week-plus layover/road trip in the southwest USA) for an unknown future of who knew how long, with some new life chapters that have now seen me unexpectedly based abroad for more than a decade. Only returning home for visits, not to reside. 

A lot has changed since 2014 of course, including with the Ngaio Marsh Awards. Back then we had a singular 'Best Novel' prize - Liam was the fifth winner - while nowadays and for the past several years there are multiple categories each year, with Best Novel, Best First Novel and either Best Non-Fiction or Best Kids/YA (alternating biennially). 

We've even been mulling some additional categories - more on that in future, if things come to pass.

But for now, it's time to focus on and celebrate our 2025 Ngaio Marsh Awards winners, a fantastic trio of books, and quartet of authors, who emerged from some very strong shortlists (and a stunning longlist, for Best Novel). 

As someone who helped establish 'the Ngaios' back in 2010, it's very heartening to see how things have grown and the strength and depth of Kiwi crime, mystery, and thriller writing nowadays. Our #yeahnoir authors are regularly hitting bestseller lists at home, thrilling readers and garnering critical acclaim and awards shortlisting abroad, along with the occasional screen adaptation. Last year, three-time Ngaios winner Paul Cleave helped adapt his own debut novel The Cleaner into a compelling, critically acclaimed crime drama, Dark City. 2016 Ngaios Best First Novel winner Inside the Black Horse by Ray Berard was also adapted into crime drama Vegas, a history-making indigenous production. Fellow Ngaios First Best Novel winner JP Pomare has seen both his second and fourth books, In the Clearing and The Last Guests (each a past Ngaios finalist) hit the screen, as eight-part Disney+ and Hulu series The Clearing, and six-part drama Watching You, which is set to premiere in Australia next month.

Māori author Michael Bennett's multi-award-winning Hana Westerman novels are in development for the screen, as are modern-day Kiwi crime queen Vanda Symon's popular Detective Sam Shephard mysteries, among others. 

Court Jesters Ciaran and Brendon delivered
a intrigiuig, fun filled improv mystery

But last Thursday was all about the books themselves. 

As an organiser particularly stoked to have two of the marvellous Court Jesters involved, delivering a wonderful improv murder mystery we’re sure would have tickled theatre-loving Dame Ngaio; it was also a lovely full circle moment back to our original plans for our Christchurch earthquakes-disrupted inaugural event back in 2010.

Following the audience interactive improv murder mystery, the 2025 Ngaios winners were revealed in among readings from the attending finalists. 

Otago-based academic turned author Wendy Parkins was stunned to find herself onstage accepting the 2025 Ngaio Marsh Award for Best First Novel for The Defiance of Francis Dickinson (Affirm Press), an historical tale of gaslighting, abuse, and one woman's legal fight in the 19th century. 

She joined a roll of honour for that debut prize that includes past winners like JP Pomare (Call Me Evie), RWR McDonald (The Nancys - which will be published in the northern hemisphere later this year as The Nancys and the Case of the Missing Necklace), Jacqueline Bublitz (the CWA Gold Dagger shortlisted Before You Knew My Name), Michael Bennett (Better the Blood, which has won or been shortlisted for several major awards on four continents) and last year’s winner Claire Baylis (Dice).

The judges praised Parkins’ novel, which was inspired by a sensational Edwardian trial, as a “skilfully written historical tale that soaks readers in an era and attitudes which have some scary echoes today”.

Massey University academic James Hollings was thrilled to receive the trophy for Best Non-Fiction for The Crewe Murders, on behalf of himself and Kirsty Johnston, one of Aotearoa’s leading investigative journalists. The Ngaios non-fiction judging panel praised the authorial duo for centring the Crewes (the victims) in their scrupulously researched book, layered with forensic and legal detail, and went on to say: “Among a small library of writing about the Crewes and Arthur Allan Thomas, this should be regarded as the definitive record of one of New Zealand’s most infamous and troubling crimes”. 

Our Ngaios evening - the fifteenth anniversary edition of our Kiwi crime writing awards (16th iteration) closed with more history, as acclaimed filmmaker and author Michael Bennett became the first-ever Best First Novel winner to then go on to win the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Novel with a later book. 

He also joined Paul Cleave, the modern King of Kiwi Crime, as the only three-time Ngaios winner, having previously won the Best Non-Fiction category in 2017 for In Dark Places, his stunning account of Teina Pora’s wrongful conviction and long fight to clear his name (Paul has won Best Novel three times, Michael has three different awards).

awards namesake Dame Ngaio, 
Golden Age crime queen 

The Best Novel international judging panel, which included several leading critics from Australia, the UK, and New Zealand, praised Return to Blood for its "Excellent characters that populate a nuanced and telling plot that tackles a juxtaposition of ideas of what constitutes justice”, noting Bennett’s second novel featuring Māori sleuth Hana Westerman heralds “what’s already looking like a superb crime series”. 

Until next time. Ka kite anō.

Whakataukī of the fortnight: 

Inspired by Zoe and her 'word of the week', I'm ending my all my MIE posts by sharing a whakataukī (Māori proverb), a pithy and poetic thought to mull on as we go through life.

"Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini"

(My success should not be bestowed onto me alone, as it was not individual success but success of a collective)