The shortlist for this year’s Staunch Book Prize has been announced.

Established by UK screenwriter Bridget Lawless, this prize is awarded to the best thriller novel in which no woman is beaten, stalked, sexually exploited, raped or murdered, and aims to ‘make space for an alternative to the overload of violence towards women in fiction’.

The six shortlisted titles for 2019 are:

• Only to Sleep by Lawrence Osborne
• The Western Wind by Samantha Harvey
• Honey by Brenda Brooks
• The Godmother by Hannelore Cayre (transarted by Stephanie Smee)
• Liar’s Candle by August Thomas

This year’s winner will be revealed on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. They will receive £1000 in prize money.