Fremantle Press crime spells double trouble for the 2018 Ned Kelly Awards

Alan Carter and Dave Warner have both made this year’s Ned Kelly Award longlist for their latest thrillers: Marlborough Man and Clear to the Horizon.

Publisher Georgia Richter said this was the fourth year in a row that the excellence of the Fremantle Press crime list had been recognised.

‘Warner won the award with Before It Breaks in 2016 and Peter Docker’s Sweet One and Ron Elliott’s Burn Patterns made the shortlist in 2015 and 2017 respectively. It reaffirms how strong crime writing is in the West. It’s inspiring to be sending Carter’s Heaven Sent and Warner’s River of Salt off to print while getting news of this kind!’ said Richter.

An announcement made by the Australian Crime Writers Association today stated that the majority of those longlisted in the Best Crime category were former Ned Kelly Award winners, which highlights ‘the strength and consistency of the local crime writing scene’.

‘Crime Fiction is one of the most popular genres in the world and Australian authors have a strong and distinctive voice. These longlists celebrate the best of Australian fiction and non-fiction crime writing and show that we are up there with the best in the world,’ said ACWA chairperson Rochelle Jackson.

Carter said he was rapt to be longlisted for the Ned Kelly. ‘Coupled with the Ngaio Marsh Award, it’s turning into a nice year for Marlborough Man,’ said Carter.

Carter and Warner are longlisted alongside well-known authors Candice Fox, Garry Disher and Michael Robotham who, like them, are all former winners of the award. Other authors on the longlist are Anna George, Sulari Gentill, Ged Gillmore, Hugh McGinlay, David Owen and Iain Ryan.

Dave Warner said he was thrilled to have the book get this recognition. ‘Congratulations to all those nominated – I feel as excited as a colt who just qualified for the Cox Plate,’ said Warner.

The winners will be announced at the Ned Kelly Awards ceremony during the Melbourne Writers Festival.

Marlborough Man and Clear to the Horizon are available in all good bookstores and online.