Ngaio Marsh Awards 2025 finalists announced
Monday, 15 September 2025 Books+Publishing @booksandpublishing
The shortlists for this year’s Ngaio Marsh Awards, which celebrate Aotearoa New Zealand crime, mystery or thriller writing, have been announced.
The shortlisted books in each category are:
Best novel
- 17 Years Later (JP Pomare, Hachette)
- The Call (Gavin Strawhan, A&U NZ)
- A Divine Fury (DV Bishop, Macmillan)
- Home Truths (Charity Norman, A&U)
- Prey (Vanda Symon, Orenda)
- Return To Blood (Michael Bennett, S&S)
- Woman, Missing (Sherryl Clark, HQ)
Best nonfiction
- The Crewe Murders (Kirsty Johnston and James Hollings, Massey University Press)
- Far North (David White and Angus Gillies, Upstart Press)
- Gangster’s Paradise (Jared Savage, HarperCollins NZ)
- The Last Secret Agent (Pippa Latour and Jude Dobson, A&U NZ)
- The Survivors (Steve Braunias, HarperCollins NZ)
- The Trials Of Nurse Kerr (Scott Bainbridge, Bateman Books)
Best first novel
- The Call (Gavin Strawhan, A&U NZ)
- Dark Sky (Marie Connolly, Quentin Wilson Publishing)
- The Defiance Of Frances Dickinson (Wendy Parkins, Affirm)
- A Fly Under The Radar (William Mccartney, self-published)
- Kiss Of Death (Stephen Tester, Heritage Press)
- Lie Down With Dogs (Syd Knight, Rusty Hills).
This year’s winners will be announced at an event held as part of WORD Christchurch at Tūranga on 25 September 2025.
More information is available on the New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi O Aotearoa website.
