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 Crime Fiction - Shortlist
The Australian Crime Writers Association is proud to announce the 2026 Ned Kelly Awards Shortlist for Best Crime Fiction.
Liar’s Game by Jack Beaumont
Lyrebird by Jane Caro
The Other Child by Susi Fox
Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth
The Ghost Walk by Karen Herbert
Fire in the Head by Daniel Oakman
The White Crow by Michael Robotham
The Casino by Iain Ryan
Latest News
Congratulations to our 2026 Ned Kelly Awards Shortlist - Best Crime Ficton. Other Award categories coming soon. Winners announced September.
Congratulations to our 2026 Ned Kelly Awards Shortlist - Best International Crime Ficton. Other Award categories coming soon. Winners announced September.
Congratulations to our 2026 Ned Kelly Awards Shortlist - Best True Crime. Other Award categories coming soon. Winners announced September.
Latest 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
