‘The Ruin’ wins best novel at 2019 Davitt Awards

Dervla McTiernan’s novel The Ruin (HarperCollins) has won the award for best adult novel at the 2019 Davitt Awards for crime books by Australian women, presented by Sisters in Crime.

The judges said McTiernan’s debut novel ‘grips you by the throat from the opening the scenes … and never lets go. We loved the atmosphere and the twists and turns that kept us hooked and guessing until the end.’

As previously reported by Books+Publishing, a film adaptation of The Ruin is in development by a new production company run by Irish actor Colin Farrell.

The winners in the other categories are:

Young adult novel

• Small Spaces (Sarah Epstein, Walker)

Children’s novel

• Wakestone Hall (Judith Rossell, ABC Books)

Nonfiction

• The Arsonist (Chloe Hooper, Hamish Hamilton)

Debut

• Eggshell Skull (Bri Lee, A&U)

Readers’ choice

• The Lost Man (Jane Harper, Pan).

The winners were announced on 31 August at an event in Melbourne with Emma Viskic and New Zealand author Joanne Drayton. See the shortlisted titles here and the longlisted titles here.

For more information about the awards, visit the Sisters in Crime website.

Category: Awards Local news