Six books are on the list which has just been announced in London and they are as follows:

-We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo (Chatto & Windus)
-The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton (Granta)
-The Harvest by Jim Crace (Picador)
-The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri (Bloomsbury)
-A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki (Canongate)
-The Testament of Mary by Colm Tóibín (Penguin)

The Colm Toibin work is the only Irish book to make the shortlist.

Jim Crace is in pole position to win this year's Man Booker Prize according to Ladbrokes.

Crace has consolidated his position firmly at the head of the betting upon being confirmed to be on the shortlist at 5/2, from Irishman Colm Tóibín next in line at 7/2.

Eleanor Catton, despite being the subject of the biggest bet to date in the market which momentarily pushed her into longlist-favouritism remains 4/1 leaving Ruth Ozeki an 8/1 chance. Ozeki had failed to attract a single bet at the longlist stage.

Jhumpa Lahiri and Novoilet Bulawayo complete the shortlist at 6/1 apiece which comes as a surprise to the bookies who had initially made them rank outsiders at 12/1 and 14/1 respectively.

The firm will be hoping for some respite this year following two costly victories for well-backed favourites in 2012 and 2011. The most recent outsider to win the prize was Howard Jacobson who at 10/1 pipped odds-on favourite Tom McCarthy to the post in 2010.

Jessica Bridge of Ladbrokes said: "It was an incredibly tough job to come up with the odds due to the quality of both lists hence there being no rank outsider this year."

She added: "With Harvest expected to be Crace's swan song it's sure to add to his momentum to land the prestigious award."

The winner will be announced on the 15th of October.

For more information, check out the Man Booker website here