Chris Hammer’s sixth book, the crime thriller, The Seven, has won the $10,000 2024 ACT Book of the Year Award.

Praised for keeping readers “in riveted suspense”, the book is set in the irrigation lands of the Riverina and sees Hammer’s detectives Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan back for the third time in yet another gripping example of “rural noir”.

The judges, Helen Ennis, TR Napper and Barrina South, have also awarded two highly commended and three shortlisted works from local authors. This year’s finalists include a diverse range of genres, crime fiction, poetry, short stories, non-fiction and children’s historic fiction.

2024 ACT Book of the Year finalists were:

• Winner: The Seven by Chris Hammer
• Highly Commended: Untethered by Ayesha Inoon
• Highly Commended: The Measure of Sorrow: Stories by J. Ashley-Smith
• Shortlisted: Sleeplessness by Paul Hetherington
• Shortlisted: Tiwi Story: Turning history downside up by Mavis Kerinaiua and
• Laura Rademaker
• Shortlisted: The Great Gallipoli Escape by Jackie French