Crime writer Reginald Hill said in Arms and the Women ...

Was this to be a daft year?   Well, No!   The panellists felt that 5 of the 6 shortlisted books were GOOD. Most felt that their's should be the winner!

The panel of 6 judges included:

    Fay Weldon

    Margaret Graham

    Stephen Voake

    Paul Hyland

    Grant Sellen

    Sophie Duffy

   (Chair) June Wyndham-Davies

The shortlisted books:

	Carry Me Down	Sophie Duffy felt this was a very well written book, but ultimately unbelievable and completely depressing.
	The Secret River	Margaret Graham felt this a profound novel which discussed the accomodations people make with themselves to justify their actions. Beautifully written and evocative of Australia.
	The Inheritance of Loss	Steve Voake took a while to get a handle on the complexities of the story and characters but found it a profound story of love and loss. Kiran Desai writes beautifully of the absence of love.
	In the Country of Men	Paul Hyland felt the writing was passionate, sensuous and vivid - a wonderful book! Whilst not autobiographical, it was nontheless very close to the author's life.
	Mother's Milk	Fay Weldon felt this was the best book she had read for a long time. The book shows family life afresh, a family in disintegration. It changes the way you look at things.
	The Night Watch	Grant Sellen felt this was a good read. Multi-layed, dramatic and humorous, covering all fiction genres! Deserved to win.

A very enjoyable evening for everyone (a full house) and our thanks to the panelists for giving us all their time, and for all those who came along. Thanks also to the MAN Booker shotlisting team for choosing an excellent range of novels!
We are now looking forward to 2007 with (hopefully) another exellent selection of books.
We would also like to thank Waterstone's (formerly Ottaker's) and the Octagon Theatre for their support.

Finally our congratulations to Kiran Desai for her winning novel, The Inheritance of Loss