THE MILK TART MURDERS by Sally Andrew triumphs at the 2023 SA Book Awards

THE MILK TART MURDERS, the fourth in Sally Andrew’s much beloved Tannie Maria series, has won the Adult Fiction category at the 2023 SA Book Awards.

The awards recognise bestselling books written and published in South Africa, with the winners voted for by South African booksellers. The titles are selected from a longer list of bestselling South African titles, as measured by Nielsen BookScan South Africa in 2022. The winners for each category were announced at a virtual ceremony on the 3rd of October 2023, with THE SOUTH AFRICAN AIR FRYER COOKBOOK by Louisa Holst winning the Non-Fiction category and MY FIRST AFRICAN ADVENTURE by Riaan Manser with Murray Williams & Chantal Tarling, illustrated by Martinus van Tee, winning the Children’s Titles category as well as the most votes overall.

Sally commented: ‘Thank you, Nielsen, PASA and SA book sellers and book readers for giving me this award. I have been blessed to receive this award more than once. Some may think that one award leads to another, but in truth it is as unlikely as lightning striking twice in one place. But each of us, every day, walks a path of miracles, with miracles all around us. A rainbow has the power to blow your mind and light up your soul every time you see it. But so many of us will barely glance and pass on by. I am still learning so much. Today I am grateful for this particular miracle.’ 

In THE MILK TART MURDERS Tannie Maria, Ladismith’s famous crime fighter and agony aunt, once again finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation… but that is not all that troubles her. Newly estranged from her policeman boyfriend, Tannie Maria must wrestle with the complex feelings she has for him and for food…

The Tannie Maria series titles are all bestsellers in South Africa – regularly in the Top 5, with THE MILK TART MURDERS shooting straight to the top of the combined fiction and non-fiction charts on publication in March 2022. Sally is now working on a Tannie Maria Cookbook, which Penguin SA will publish in April 2024.

TV rights for a 10-part series based on the Tannie Maria books were bought by French-South African Both Worlds Productions, with the support of Edinburgh-based Pirate Productions and with Creative Scotland contributing to funding. The series was selected for the Berlinale ‘Series Markets Selects’ in February 2022, and began broadcast in South Africa on M-Net in March 2022 to brilliant reviews and social media praise. The series has been nominated for three awards at the 2023 South African Film & Television Awards (Best Supporting Actress in a TV Drama, Best Achievement in Editing in a TV Drama, and Best Achievement in Directing in a TV Drama), Best Writing for a Television Series at the 2023 WGSA Muse Awards, Best Cinematography at the 2023 Venice TV Awards, and was also shortlisted for a Rose d’Or Award. Acorn TV distributes the series to the rest of the world. Watch the trailer here.

About Sally Andrew
Sally Andrew divides her time between Muizenberg on the Cape Town coast and a nature reserve near Ladismith in the Klein Karoo, South Africa, where she lives with her artist partner and various wildlife (including a giant eland and a secretive leopard). Sally has published a number of non-fiction books on adult and environmental education.

Her first novel, RECIPES FOR LOVE & MURDER: A Tannie Maria Mystery was a Kirkus Best Book of 2015, A Wall Street Journal Best Mystery Book 2015, The Bookseller Fiction editor’s Choice 2015 and A Good Housekeeping Book of the Month. It was recently adapted for television and is available to stream on Acorn TV in the UK, US, Australia and New Zealand, and Latin America.

Praise for THE MILK TART MURDERS

‘Sally Andrew is baaaack! This time with THE MILK TART MURDERS. Tannie Maria and Henk are at the movies when Oom Frik dies, and it might be murder because the Oom had many sought-after treasures. A second death occurs and there is a clue – a letter addressed to Tannie Maria asking for advice and a milk-tart recipe.’ – Jennifer Platt, Sunday Times, ‘Books To Look Out For This Year’

‘The characters in THE MILK TART MURDERS will have you laughing out loud at some of their antics. Andrew has a magical way with words, creating characters we are all acquainted with: The grumpy old man, the town flirt, the rule-breakers… this book features them all! But Andrew does more than perfectly capture small town life, she has created a cast of characters who tug at your heart strings with their flaws and troubles... The mystery is compelling and has many twists and turns that will have you hooked from the first page.’ – Carmen Coetsee, The South African

‘For me this was one of those rare, comfortable, easy, stay up after midnight reads that I devoured with a few giggles along the way… Andrew's storytelling, pace and attention to detail are delicious. Every chapter ends with a cliff hanger that had me wanting to finish that elusive “one more chapter”.’ – Karen Watkins

‘Sally Andrew’s unexpected turns of phrase leave one laughing out loud, along with several “didn’t see that coming” plot twists and turns. Her characters are larger than life – some much larger – but all totally believable… THE MILK TART MURDERS is truly recommended as a wonderfully entertaining novel.’ – Barry Meehan, ArtSmart

‘Twists, turns, suspicions, ‘journalistic investigations’, agony aunt recipes – all falls into place, as expected. In a crazy world, Tannie Maria is the coziness you need right now.’ – Roelia Schoeman, The Life and Times of a Boozy Foodie

Visit Sally’s website
Follow Sally on Instagram and X (previously Twitter)

THE MILK TART MURDERS by Sally Andrew shortlisted for 2023 SA Book Awards

THE MILK TART MURDERS, the fourth in Sally Andrew’s much beloved Tannie Maria series, has been shortlisted for the 2023 SA Book Awards in the Adult Fiction category.

The awards aim to recognise bestselling books written and published in South Africa, as voted for by South African booksellers. The titles are selected from a longer list of bestselling South African titles, as measured by Nielsen BookScan South Africa in 2022. The winners for each category will be announced at a virtual ceremony in October 2023, along with an overall winner who received the highest number of bookseller votes. Each category winner will be awarded R5000, while the overall winner gets R20000.

The other shortlisted titles in the adult fiction category are: DOOLHOF by Rudie van Rensburg, MERCY by Jackie Phamotse and THE END by Dudu Busani-Dube. You can read about the other categories here.

In THE MILK TART MURDERS Tannie Maria, Ladismith’s famous crime fighter and agony aunt, once again finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation… but that is not all that troubles her. Newly estranged from her policeman boyfriend, Tannie Maria must wrestle with the complex feelings she has for him and for food…

The Tannie Maria series titles are all bestsellers in South Africa – regularly in the Top 5, with THE MILK TART MURDERS, shooting straight to the top of the combined fiction and non-fiction charts on publication in March 2022. Sally is now working on a Tannie Maria Cookbook, which Penguin SA will publish in April 2024.

TV rights for a 10-part series based on the Tannie Maria books were bought by French-South African Both Worlds Productions, with the support of Edinburgh-based Pirate Productions and with Creative Scotland contributing to funding. The series was selected for the Berlinale ‘Series Markets Selects’ in February 2022, and began broadcast in South Africa on M-Net in March 2022 to brilliant reviews and social media praise. The series has been nominated for three awards at the South African Film and Television Awards and was also shortlisted for a Rose d’Or Award. Acorn TV distribute to the rest of the world. Watch the trailer here.

About Sally Andrew

Sally Andrew divides her time between Muizenberg on the Cape Town coast and a nature reserve near Ladismith in the Klein Karoo, South Africa, where she lives with her artist partner and various wildlife (including a giant eland and a secretive leopard). Sally has published a number of non-fiction books on adult and environmental education.

Her first novel, RECIPES FOR LOVE & MURDER: A Tannie Maria Mystery was a Kirkus Best Book of 2015, A Wall Street Journal Best Mystery Book 2015, The Bookseller Fiction editor’s Choice 2015 and A Good Housekeeping Book of the Month. It was recently adapted for television and is available to stream on Acorn TV in the UK, US, Australia and New Zealand, and Latin America.

Praise for THE MILK TART MURDERS

‘Sally Andrew is baaaack! This time with THE MILK TART MURDERS. Tannie Maria and Henk are at the movies when Oom Frik dies, and it might be murder because the Oom had many sought-after treasures. A second death occurs and there is a clue – a letter addressed to Tannie Maria asking for advice and a milk-tart recipe.’ – Jennifer Platt, Sunday Times, ‘Books To Look Out For This Year’

‘The characters in The Milk Tart Murders will have you laughing out loud at some of their antics. Andrew has a magical way with words, creating characters we are all acquainted with: The grumpy old man, the town flirt, the rule-breakers… this book features them all! But Andrew does more than perfectly capture small town life, she has created a cast of characters who tug at your heart strings with their flaws and troubles... The mystery is compelling and has many twists and turns that will have you hooked from the first page.’ – Carmen Coetsee, The South African

‘For me this was one of those rare, comfortable, easy, stay up after midnight reads that I devoured with a few giggles along the way… Andrew's storytelling, pace and attention to detail are delicious. Every chapter ends with a cliff hanger that had me wanting to finish that elusive “one more chapter”.’ – Karen Watkins

‘Sally Andrew’s unexpected turns of phrase leave one laughing out loud, along with several “didn’t see that coming” plot twists and turns. Her characters are larger than life – some much larger – but all totally believable… The Milk Tart Murders is truly recommended as a wonderfully entertaining novel.’ – Barry Meehan, ArtSmart

‘Twists, turns, suspicions, ‘journalistic investigations’, agony aunt recipes – all falls into place, as expected. In a crazy world, Tannie Maria is the coziness you need right now.’ – Roelia Schoeman, The Life and Times of a Boozy Foodie

Visit Sally’s website

Follow Sally on Instagram and X 

SALLY ANDREW’S DEATH ON THE LIMPOPO and ZAKES MDA’s THE ZULUS OF NEW YORK SHORTLISTED FOR THE ADULT FICTION PRIZE AT THE SA BOOK AWARDS 2020

We’re delighted to announce that Zakes Mda’s THE ZULUS OF NEW YORK and Sally Andrew’s DEATH ON THE LIMPOPO have both been shortlisted for the Adult Fiction prize at the 20th Anniversary SA Book Awards. They have been shortlisted alongside Eva Mazza’s SEX, LIES AND STELLENBOSCH and Jackie Phamotse’s THE CRADLE OF THE HOCKEY CLUB.

The SA Book Awards celebrates books written and published in South Africa, as voted for by South African booksellers. This year a record number of booksellers participated, voting in three categories (Adult Fiction, Adult Non-Fiction, and Children’s) from a shortlist of bestselling titles composed by Nielsen BookScan South Africa in 2019. The winners for each category will be revealed in a virtual ceremony on 1 October 2020, along with an overall winner who had the highest number of bookseller votes.

Zake Mda’s THE ZULUS OF NEW YORK was published in 2019 by UMUZI and has been described as ‘compelling and harrowing’ by Abdulrazak Gurnah, author of PARADISE. It is a heart-breaking love story, celebrating the ingenuity of the creative spirit in the face of injustice. Though short, it packs a punch, and is perhaps his best work yet. A film deal is currently under negotiation.

Sally Andrew’s DEATH ON THE LIMPOPO, the third of the bestselling TANNIE MARIA MYSTERY series, was also published by UMUZI in 2019. Again featuring Ladismith’s famous crime fighter, Tannie Maria, our beleaguered heroine is here to restore peace from the Klein Karoo to the great Limpopo River. Armed with a tin of buttermilk rusks, she faces danger and heartache, as she desperately attempts to solve both murders but also matters of her own heart… Sally is currently working on the eagerly awaited THE MILK TART MURDER, fourth in the TANNIE MARIA MYSTERY series.

For updates follow the SA Book Awards Facebook page.

About Sally Andrew
Sally Andrew is a bestselling South African author. She divides her time between Muizenberg on the Cape Town coast and a nature reserve near Ladismith in the Klein Karoo, South Africa, where she lives with her artist partner and various wildlife (including a giant eland and a secretive leopard).

Her first novel, RECIPES FOR LOVE & MURDER: A Tannie Maria Mystery was a Kirkus Best Book of 2015, a Wall Street Journal Best Mystery Book 2015, The Bookseller Fiction Editor’s Choice 2015 and a Good Housekeeping Book of the Month.

Her books have been published in fourteen languages and Both Worlds have  optioned rights to develop the RECIPES FOR LOVE AND MURDER television series.

Praise for Sally Andrew and DEATH ON THE LIMPOPO

‘A vivid, amusing and immensely enjoyable read about detection (and cooking) in an intriguing part of southern Africa …. A triumph.’ – Alexander McCall Smith

'Take a pinch of Alexander McCall Smith, a dash of Diane Mott Davidson, and add a smidge of the wild veld and you’ll get a taste for this lekker story (that’s “delicious” in Afrikaans). While the tone is heartfelt, Andrew doesn’t shy away from the realities of spousal abuse or the shadow of South Africa’s tumultuous history. With a fascinating setting, engaging characters, and a full complement of drool-worthy recipes, this is sure to leave readers craving more.’ – Starred review, Library Journal

'With her cosy Tannie Maria mysteries, Sally Andrew adds some zest (and recipes) to a predominantly serious genre. Even though it might gravitate more towards mysteries than hardcore crime, it’s still worth a read for its humour and South Africanisms.' — Dey There, 12 South African Crime Writers to Add to Your Reading List

'There is a Thelma and Louise-type thread that runs through this brilliant novel... Andrew has delighted her fans with her first two books, but in this novel she raises her game considerably without losing any of the charm of the character of Maria. I can't wait to see what her next novel offers.' — Jennifer Crocker, Cape Times

Visit Sally’s website here.

Follow her on Twitter.

About Zakes Mda

Zakes Mda is the pen name of Zanemvula Kizito Gatyeni Mda. He is a South African, Lesotho and Appalachian American-African writer, painter, and music composer. He holds an MFA (Theater) and an MA (Telecommunications) from Ohio University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Cape Town.

He has published 22 books, ten of which are novels and the rest collections of plays, poetry and a monograph on the theory and practice of theatre-for-development. His novel CION, set in southeast Ohio, was nominated for the NAACP Image Award. His memoir SOMETIMES THERE IS A VOID: MEMOIRS OF AN OUTSIDER was published by Farrar Straus and Giroux and was a New York Times Notable Book for 2012. He has won many prestigious literary awards in South Africa.

He divides his time between the USA and South Africa. He is Professor Emeritus of English at Ohio University, lecturer in Creative Writing at Johns Hopkins University and Extraordinary Professor of English at the University of the Western Cape. In South Africa he is a patron of the Market Theatre and director of the Southern African Multimedia AIDS Trust. He also runs a beekeeping project he established in 2000 with rural women of the Eastern Cape and is a director of NeoZane, a publishing house and animation film production company in Johannesburg.

Praise for Zakes Mda and THE ZULUS OF NEW YORK

 ‘A perceptive re-enactment of the experiences of African entertainers in late 19th-century London and New York ... a compelling and harrowing story of Em-Pee the Zulu dancer and his doomed love for the Dinka woman Acol that takes the reader deep into their imagined lives.’ – Abdulrazak Gurnah, author of PARADISE

‘One of the two most acclaimed South African novelists of the past twenty years [along with Coetzee]… Mda’s greatest gift is his Dickensian social range, his ability to generate characters from diverse backgrounds, colluding and colliding across the barriers erected to divide them. – Rob Nixon, New York Times Book Review

‘A voice for which one should feel not only affection but admiration’ – The New York Times

‘In novel after novel, Zakes Mda seems to have cultivated a mode of writing in which the realistic and the magical co-exist with unruffled ease.’ – Harry Garuba, Independent

'Zakes Mda is among the most acclaimed exponents of a new artistic freedom. His fiction has a beguiling lyricism and humour, revelling in the beauty of aloe-covered mountains or Cape marine life.' – Maya Jaggi, The Guardian

Follow Zakes on Twitter.