The lovely folks at  Sisters in Crime Australia have announced the shortlists for the  2014 Davitt Awards. These prizes are named for Ellen Davitt, the author of Australia’s first mystery novel, Force and Fraud (1865), and honor the best in Australian  crime/mystery fiction by women. The nominees are:

Best Adult Novel:
DARK HORSE, by Honey Brown (Penguin Books Australia)
NEFARIOUS DOINGS, by Ilsa Evans (Momentum Press)
A BITTER TASTE, by Annie Hauxwell (Penguin Books Australia)
WEB OF DECEIT, by Katherine Howell (Pan Macmillan Australia)
Burial Rites, by Hannah Kent (Picador Books)
THE DYING BEACH, by Angela Savage (Text)
Best Young Adult Novel:
THE MIDNIGHT DRESS, by Karen Foxlee (UQP)
GIRL DEFECTIVE, by Simmone Howell (Pan Macmillan Australia)
CRY BLUE MURDER, by Kim Kane and Marion Roberts (UQP)
EVERY BREATH, by Ellie Marney (Allen & Unwin)
A RING THROUGH TIME, by Felicity Pulman (Harper Collins)
Best Children’s Novel:
THE PERPLEXING PINEAPPLE: The Cryptic Casebook of Coco Carlomagno (and Alberta), Book 1, by Ursula Dubosarsky (Allen & Unwin)
THE LOOMING LAMPLIGHT: The Cryptic Casebook of Coco Carlomagno (and Alberta), Book 2, by Ursula Dubosarsky (Allen & Unwin)
VERITY SPARKS: LOST AND FOUND, by Susan Green (Walker Books)
TRULY TAN: JINXED!, by Jen Storer (Harper Collins)
TRULY TAN: SPOOKED!, by Jen Storer (Harper Collins)
Best True Crime Book:
NIGHT GAMES: SEX, POWER AND SPORT, by Anna Krien (Black Inc)
DEADLY AUSTRALIAN WOMEN, by Kay Saunders (ABC Books)
Best Debut Book (any category):
A TRIFLE DEAD, by Livia Day (Twelfth Planet Press)
THE MIDNIGHT DRESS, by Karen Foxlee (UQP)
GIRL DEFECTIVE, by Simmone Howell (Pan Macmillan Australia)
BURIAL RITES, by Hannah Kent (Picador Books)
EVERY BREATH, by Ellie Marney (Allen & Unwin)
The winners in all six categories will be announced on Saturday,, August 30th, by South African crime writer Lauren Beukes.