A University of Otago professor has become New Zealand's king of crime.
Rather than breaking any laws, Professor of Scottish Studies Liam McIlvanney won the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel at the Word Christchurch Writers and Readers Festival at the weekend.
Prof McIlvanney's winning novel, Where the Dead Men Go, is a thriller set in Glasgow which explores national and workplace politics, sectarian warfare and the changing face and influence of the newspaper industry.
Judging convener Craig Sisterson said it was the kind of book ''that lingers in your mind beyond the final page''.
''Where the Dead Men Go got the nod for its terrific, page-turning storytelling powered by superb prose, fascinating characters, and an evocative sense of place,'' Mr Sisterson said.
The Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel, established in 2010, is named for Dame Ngaio Marsh, renowned worldwide as one of the four queens of crime of the golden age of detective fiction.
