THE 2003 DAVITT AWARDS

Presented by Val McDermid

6pm, Sunday June 22

International best-selling crime writer, Val McDermid presented the 3rd Davitt Awards for the best Australian crime novels by Australian women in the previous year. Awards will be presented in the categories of adult fiction, young adult fiction and Readers' Choice. Over 20 books were entered for the awards.

McDermid is the author of 17 acclaimed crime novels (including five featuring the lesbian journalist sleuth, Lindsay Gordon; five about the heterosexual P.I. Kate Brannigan; and three about profiler, Tony Hill, and police detective, Carol Jordan, also made into a television series) plus a book about real life woman private eyes, A Suitable Job for a Woman. Her novel, A Place of Execution, has won six awards, including the Anthony the Macavity. Her latest book, The Distant Echo, came out in May. More info:

http://www.valmcdermid.com/index.html

And the winners of the 2003 Davitt Awards are...

Adult

Combined winners!

*     Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing by Gabrielle Lord (Hodder Headline)

*     Blood Redemption by Alex Palmer (Harper Collins)

Highly commended

*     A Child's Book of Crime by Chloe Hooper (Knoph)

Reader's Choice Award

Winner

*     Skin Deep by Cathy Cole (Duffy & Snellgrove)

Young Adult

Winner

*     Fireworks and Darkness by Natalie Jane Prior (Harper Collins)

Highly commended

*     Nick Riley's Ninth Life by Bronwyn Blake (Lothian)

Judges

Judges for the 2003 awards were Jane Sullivan (The Age literary writer), Lucy Sussex (crime fiction reviewer), Rosi Tovey (co-owner, Chronicles Bookshop) and Katrina Beard (Sisters in Crime national co-convenor).

Nominees