Winners of the 2023 Davitt Awards
Sisters in Crime Australia has announced the winners of the 2023 Davitt Awards for best crime books by Australian women.
The winning titles in each category are:
Best Adult Novel: All That's Left Unsaid by Tracey Lien
‘Just let him go.’ Those are words Ky Tran will forever regret. The words she spoke when her parents called to ask if they should let her younger brother Denny out to celebrate his high school graduation. That night in 1996, Denny is brutally murdered inside a busy restaurant in Cabramatta, a Sydney suburb facing violent crime, an indifferent police force, and the worst heroin epidemic in Australian history.
There were a dozen witnesses to Denny's murder but the police are stumped by his case. As an antidote to grief and guilt, Ky is determined to track down the witnesses herself. With each encounter, she peels away another layer of the place that shaped her and Denny, exposing the trauma and seeds of violence that were planted well before that fateful celebration dinner.
Best Young Adult Novel: Seven Days by Fleur Ferris
A fast-paced, action-packed story of how the past catches up to us, from bestselling and award-winning author Fleur Ferris.
Seven days to solve a century-old crime. Seven days to unearth the treasure. Seven days to survive…
The countdown is on.
Best Children’s Novel: The Sugarcane Kids and the Red-bottomed Boat by Charlie Archbold
Andy and his best friend Eli live in a small coastal town in far north Queensland. When Eli’s cousin Jacob is arrested for a jewellery theft, Andy and Eli both know he is innocent. The police have evidence. But something is not right, and Andy and Eli need to work out what, and fast or Jacob will end up in jail. So, with the help of twins Bernice and Fletcher (AKA Bernie and Fletch) and Andy’s trusty sausage dog, Washington, they set out to hunt for clues to what really happened.
The trail points to a mysterious red-bottomed boat rumoured to be hidden deep in the mangroves. Does it hold the evidence they need to prove Jacob’s innocence? Can they find it without getting lost forever? And how will they outwit Sebastian, the legendary gigantic saltwater crocodile?
Best Nonfiction book: Out of the Ashes by Megan Norris
Out of the Ashes is the inspirational story of an Australian mother’s journey back from hell after the 12 October 2002 Bali bombings. The deadly terrorist attacks on Paddy’s Irish Bar and the Sari Club in Kuta’s party precinct claimed the lives of 202 innocent people, and maimed and injured hundreds more.
The holiday of a lifetime turned into their worst nightmare for Australian nurses Bronwyn Cartwright and Therese Fox. Tragically, Bronwyn, 28, perished in the deadly bomb blast which ripped through Paddy’s Irish Bar. Therese survived, but suffered such horrific burns that doctors believed she would not survive a flight home to Australia. This is the story of her fight to get home to her children, and her long road to recovery.
Best Debut: Dirt Town by Hayley Scrivenor
On a sweltering Friday afternoon in Durton, best friends Ronnie and Esther leave school together. Esther never makes it home. Ronnie's going to find her, she has a plan. Lewis will help. Their friend can't be gone, Ronnie won't believe it.
Detective Sergeant Sarah Michaels can believe it. She has seen what people are capable of. She knows more than anyone how, in a moment of weakness, a person can be driven to do something they never thought possible. Lewis can believe it too. But he can't reveal what he saw that afternoon at the creek without exposing his own secret.
Five days later, Esther's buried body is discovered.
Readers’ Choice: The Unbelieved by Vikki Petraitis
When Senior Detective Antigone Pollard moves to the coastal town of Deception Bay, she is still in shock and grief. Back in Melbourne, one of her cases had gone catastrophically wrong, and to escape the guilt and the haunting memories, she’d requested a transfer to the quiet town she’d grown up in.
But there are some things you can’t run from. A month into her new life, she is targeted by a would-be rapist at the pub, and realises why there have been no convictions following a spate of similar sexual attacks in the surrounding district. The male witnesses in the pub back her attacker and even her boss doesn’t believe her.
Of the awards judge Philomena Horsley said, ‘The number of quality entries each year continues to rise as publishers invest in books that showcase the authorial skills and creativity amongst both Australia’s established and debut crime writers. And writers are also increasingly going their own way - self-publishing their stories in increasing numbers. The end result is a bonanza for the crime-loving public.’
The Davitt Awards were presented at a gala dinner in Melbourne on 2 September by journalist, true-crime author, and television producer Debi Marshall.
Last year’s winners included Charlotte McConaghy for Once There Were Wolves and Kate Holden for The Winter Road.