Local crime writer Chris Hammer has nailed it with this award win.
06 August 2024
The 2024 ACT Book of the Year has been awarded to Chris Hammer’s gripping crime thriller, The Seven.
Chris will receive $10,000 as the author of the 2024 ACT Book of the Year.
Chris is no stranger to the award – his non-fiction book The River was named ACT Book of the Year in 2011.
2024 ACT Book of the Year finalists
The ACT Book of the Year Award showcases the excellence of local authors.
This year’s judges also awarded two highly commended and three shortlisted works.
These include a diverse range of genres: crime fiction, poetry, short stories, non-fiction, and children’s historic fiction.
Highly Commended
- Untethered by Ayesha Inoon
- The Measure of Sorrow: Stories by J. Ashley-Smith
Shortlisted
- Sleeplessness by Paul Hetherington
- Tiwi Story: Turning history downside up by Mavis Kerinaiua and Laura Rademaker
- The Great Gallipoli Escape by Jackie French.
You can purchase all these in bookstores across the city.
They are also available to loan from ACT Libraries.
The Seven
The judging panel included Helen Ennis, T.R. Napper and Barrina South. They had a tough time choosing the winning title, given the wealth of talent in Canberra’s writing community.
Of The Seven, they said: “Chris Hammer demonstrates total mastery of the crime genre. From the first pages onwards Hammer creates a thrilling narrative filled with suspense that immerses the reader in gripping, page-turning intrigue.
“Hammer conveys a beautiful sense of place in developing this quintessential Australian story, filled with compelling characters, who are poignantly reflective about their own lives. The narrative, exposing the power of the landed aristocracy in a fictional country town, is skilfully controlled so that the reader is never certain where they will be taken next, until the final resolution. The town itself functions as a powerful metaphor which, with its art deco façade, is an evocative setting for this world-class crime novel.”
Visit the artsACT website for more information.
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