The Australian Crime Writers Association is dedicated to promoting greater recognition for crime, thriller and mystery writing in Australia and to protect the general professional interests of all creators of crime and mystery works.
2026 Best Debut Crime Fiction -Shortlist
The Australian Crime Writers Association is proud to announce the 2026 Ned Kelly Awards Shortlist for Best Debut Crime Fiction:
In Bloom by Liz Allan
The Butterfly Women by Madeleine Cleary
The Peak by Sam Guthrie
Malaleuca by Angie Faye Martin
The Wolf Tree by Laura McCluskey
The Wykehamist by Alexandra Strnad
Latest News
Congratulations to our 2026 Ned Kelly Awards Shortlist - Best Debut Crime Fiction. Other Award categories coming soon. Winners announced September.
The Australian Crime Writers Association is proud to launch the 2026 Ned Kelly Awards for Australian crime writers.
The Louie Award for fast fiction crime writing for 2026 is Richard Morton for his story - Low Tide. And our two highly commended writers: Teresa Ammirato for her story, Limoncello and Travis Reid for his story, Hands Beneath Hosier.
New Releases
A selection of new titles written and published by Australian Crime Writers Association members.
An outback murder mystery based on the author’s “true crime” experiences, sweeping from the back alleys of Sydney’s King’s Cross to the wilds of Queensland’s Gulf Country. A visceral journey into corruption, vengeance and one man’s fight to reclaim his name and reconnect with the people he loves.
Publisher: Wilkinson Publishing
Published: 23 October, 2025
Fire was only the beginning. Two men. Two infernos. Twenty-one dead. Both were serial arsonists. One would later return to court as a sexual predator.
Publisher: Big Sky Publishing
Published: 30 June, 2026
When betrayed political adviser Francis McGuire is thrust into a world of corruption and organised crime, she uncovers a deadly secret that links to the highest office in the land ... a secret the powerful will kill to keep buried.
Publisher: Ventura Press
Published: 26 May, 2026
The incredible exploits of Peter Grimes, the most audacious con artist of the twentieth century, reads like a wildly far-fetched Jazz Age novel, but it is all true. Given life’s gifts in abundance, he used those gifts in all the wrong ways. Would the piper eventually have to be paid?
Publisher: Silver Moon Press
Published: 1 May, 2026
After serving twenty years behind bars for the murder of her daughter, Ashley, Olivia struggles to piece her life back together; wracked with guilt and haunted by memories. When Ashley’s old journals come to light, they plunge Olivia into a devastating nightmare where history seems set to repeat itself.
Publisher: MJ Judge
Published: 7 March 2026
