Aotearoa New Zealand author Tom Baragwanath has been shortlisted for the prestigious Debut Crime Novel Award at this year’s UK CrimeFest, one of the leading international festivals for crime fiction.
Baragwanath’s nominated novel, Paper Cage (Text Publishing), is set in his hometown of Masterton and centres on Lorraine, a police records clerk who becomes embroiled in the investigation of several missing children. The novel explores themes of small-town secrets and the moral complexities of justice.
Now based in Paris, Baragwanath first gained attention when Paper Cage won the 2021 Michael Gifkins Prize for an Unpublished Novel. His follow-up novel, Lucky Thing, also from Text Publishing, is scheduled for release in September.
The full shortlist for the CrimeFest Debut Crime Novel Award includes:
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Paper Cage by Tom Baragwanath (Text)
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Love Letters to a Serial Killer by Tasha Coryell (Orion)
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The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder by C. L. Miller (Macmillan)
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The Night of Baba Yaga by Akira Otani, translated by Sam Bett (Faber)
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Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra (Penguin)
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Five by Five by Claire Wilson (Michael Joseph)
The winner of the award, which carries a £1000 (A$2052) cash prize, will be announced during the CrimeFest festival on 17 May.
