2024 Thunderbolt Prize for Crime Writing
Judges' Reports & Bios
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Read the feedback from our esteemed judges of the 2024 Thunderbolt Prize for Crime Writing on the winning and commended entries in the primary categories.
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Fiction Judge - Michael Burge
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Winner - Either the wallpaper goes, or I do
by Jane Downing |
With a wry knowing, the nameless protagonist of this story recalls the lead up to a domestic crime that feels shocking and inevitable all at once. With self-deprecating rumination on marriage, family, good taste and perfectionism, the writer wrangles literary tropes then demolishes them in the delivery of questionable justice. A gripping, re-readable and very witty snapshot of relationship breakdown.
Creepy as all get out, this beautifully observed slice of rural noir is a great example of crime writing that explores mitigating circumstances instead of whodunit. Humane. Beguiling. Well-paced. Leaves you wanting more, yet a perfect snapshot of unseen lives.
This story is sweet, funny and deliciously devious. The entire cast of characters is engaging and memorable and I’d love to read a novel that features the morally questionable team of Teddy and Alice, “private investigators”.
Non-Fiction Judge - Lili Pâquet
‘The Gunnedah Sensation’ begins and ends with the arresting imagery of young Ethel Susannah Wright’s prim silhouette in the sunny doorway. This image is an apt one for a story that attempts to understand Ethel’s obscure motivations and actions. The archival research in this story was brought to life with descriptive flourishes like the screeching corellas, pink streaks of strychnine in flour bags, and home-spun petticoats. The sympathetic rendering of Ethel was compelling, and following the twists in the narrative subsequently changed the interpretations of the reader.
‘The Six Pound Debt’ is a story that follows the tribulations of a convict couple, Charlie and Nancy, as they flee Van Dieman’s Land with their children aboard the Shamrock. They are running from an unaffordable debt but are hampered by Nancy not having her certificate of freedom. The build-up of events to its tragic conclusion shine a light on the legal difficulties placed on convicts with poor backgrounds. The characters of Nancy and Charlie are fleshed out and feel real, making the conclusion all the more haunting.
In ‘Remains’, we follow the writer’s story about their father, Wally, and his early work in police forensics in the 1950s, learning the ropes from Eric. The story follows the two men responding to the death of a woman in a caravan in Paramatta, where they discover a grisly scene and a reluctant attending doctor. The characters were well written and had a bravado to their dialogue, with Eric teaching Wally how to take control of the scene and how to compartmentalise.
Poetry Judge - Catherine Wright
This poem is very well executed and uses striking imagery "plague yellow" and evocative phrases such as "humble as a tithed hand" which make a strong impact. A refined art of storytelling is also evident; The poem moves masterfully from the perception by the reader that they are contemplating a random tradesman, to a predatory member of the family wishing ill upon his father, giving enticing hints along the way, and taking the reader on an unexpected journey. A polished accomplishment.
Unlike many rhyming poems, this one lilts easily, carrying the reader as if on a river throughout the ominous murder-mystery tale. The language is engagingly simple which lends itself to the sing-song beauty with which the story builds, and there is never any sense of the lines being forced to make the rhyme work. This is a rare skill and creates a haunting mood of doom with some lovely imagery which captures the nightmare fairytale unfolding; "a broken watch, a piece of lace, a single hand, a pale face". Well done with a challenging task.
This portrait of the various roles of sniffer dogs is an intriguing and unusual window into the underbelly of some of the more macabre aspects of their lives. There is some lovely wordplay showing a strong sense of the musicality of words; "havoc of mattocks", "blood-crumbs" as well as evocative imagery "floppy ball of pup" and "cadaver air". The opening line is especially arresting to set the scene "We sniff our way through violence". Well done
Youth Judge - Rowena Beresford
This short story is very intriguing and has a big plot twist! This narrative would make a great full length novel.Tommy is clearly a very smart character so, if a larger plot line is developed detail will be very important and how Tommy carries out his plans will be crucial to the story line. Including The Big Sleep in the story was a stroke of brilliance.
Excellent writing, great plot (news report is a great touch), rich vocabulary throughout, absolutely briliant ending. Some particularly standout lines, like this one: "The numbers dancing on the chalkboard felt more like a foreign language than a lifeline to my future." If you really intend for it to be set in 2319 then you need to world build for that futuristic era within the story.
Outstanding writing with an excellent opening line and a strong ending. Outstanding and very evocative imagery used throughout. This has the potential to become a collection of short stories, or if a larger plot line was developed, it could become a full length novel, and/or a book series with Jamie as the protagonist.
Interesting plot and strong writing with excellent imagery. Great characterisation and scene setting - descriptions of the neighbour and his home are particularly evocative.
Excellent writing with a great plot and tension all the way through that makes you want to keep reading. Excellent insights into the different characters thought processes and motivations. Very satisfying ending.
Meet our 2024 Judges
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Michael Burge is a journalist and author who lives at Deepwater. His debut novel Tank Water is a coming-of-age crime thriller set in the bush and was released by MidnightSun Publishing, which recently acquired an upcoming sequel. Michael’s second novel The Watchnight, a frontier-era crime novel set at Australia’s Jenolan Caves, will be released globally by US publisher Histria Books in September 2025. Michael’s journalism has always covered issues of equality, LGBTIQA+ history, popular culture, politics and pathways for independent artists and writers. A graduate of Australia’s National Institute of Dramatic Art, he has written and edited for Guardian Australia and Fairfax Media, Australian Community Media, Intermedia, United News & Media UK and the Journal of Australian Studies. He is a board member of BAD Sydney Crime Writers Festival.
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Lili Pâquet is a Senior Lecturer in Writing at UNE, and lives and works on Anaiwan land. Her scholarly work focuses on crime writing, rhetoric, and the publishing industry, and her most recent book True Crime and Women: Writers, Readers, and Representations was published by Routledge in 2024. Her recent poetry has been published by Antipodes, Cordite Poetry Review, Rabbit, Australian Poetry, and StylusLit, and she has been shortlisted for awards for both her scholarly and creative writing.
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Catherine's prose and poetry have won/been shortlisted for awards and been published both in Australia and internationally. Awards include being shortlisted for the Newcastle Poetry Prize (twice), Tom Collins Poetry Prize, Grieve Poetry Prize and winning the Henry Lawson Prize for best short story. Publications include Westerly, indigo, Plumwood Mountain, Antipodes, The Language of Plants and Into the Void Anthology. She has also been awarded a Varuna Residential Fellowship, and with an ASA Award Mentorship, is finalising her poetry manuscript The Consolation of Birds based on her time lived in New England, Perth WA, Scotland and Morocco. Catherine especially finds inspiration in landscape and its power over us.
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Rowena is the Managing Editor of Riveted Press, an independent publisher of award-winning books by Australian authors and illustrators.
She has over 20 years of experience in publishing and particularly enjoys working with debut and emerging authors. |
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