The longlist for the The McIlvanney Prize for the best Scottish Crime book of the year has been announced:
Also announced is the shortlist for the Scottish Crime Debut of the Year:
Bloody Scotland 2021 is scheduled for 17-19 September, keep up to date via their website.
The shortlist for the 2021 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year has been announced and you can cast your vote here. (The longlist is here.) Congratulations to all the nominees.
The 2021 Harrogate Crime Writing Festival programme has been announced and Rover tickets can be booked from today. Go to the HCWF website for more details and there is a FAQ on how the event will be managed to be COVID safe.
CRIMEFEST, one of Europe’s leading crime writing conventions, has announced the winners
of its annual awards.
Now in its 14th year, the awards honour the best crime books released in 2020 in the UK.
Trevor Wood receives a £1,000 prize for the CRIMEFEST Specsavers Debut Crime Novel
Award for The Man in the Street. Trevor Wood served in the Royal Navy for 16 years.
The Man on the Street is set in his home city Newcastle,
featuring a homeless veteran grappling with PTSD, dubbed by Lee Child as
‘an instant classic’.
Specsavers
co-founder, Dame Mary Perkins, said: “Many congratulations to Trevor
who really captured the city of Newcastle wonderfully in his book and
let’s hope there’s more to come from this
up-and-coming author. We don’t need research to tell us that more
people have taken to reading in these last 15 months than ever before –
with stories to take them out of their lockdowns and isolation – so we
were delighted once again to sponsor this award.”
The £1,000 prize for the CRIMEFEST Audible Sounds of Crime Award, sponsored by Audible, and voted for by Audible subscribers goes to Richard Osman and
the actress Lesley Manville who read The Thursday Murder Club. Osman has ruled the bestseller lists with his smash-hit debut crime novel.
The CRIMEFEST H.R.F Keating Award for the best biographical or critical book in the
genre goes to Martin Edwards, editor of Howdunit: A Masterclass in Crime Writing by Members of the Detection Club, which has also been nominated for the 2021 Edgar Allen Poe Award.
As
well as a prolific novelist, Martin Edwards is a renowned editor,
reviewer, columnist and versatile writer of non-fiction, and is a
leading authority on crime fiction; he received the CWA
Diamond Dagger in 2020
The CRIMEFEST Last Laugh Award goes to Carl Hiaasen for
Squeeze Me, a novel that captures the Trump era with Hiaasen's inimitable savage humour and eccentric characters.
The CRIMEFEST eDunnit Award for best e-book sees Ian Rankin take the title with
A Song for the Dark Times, beating fellow giants of the genre, Michael Connelly and James Lee Burke.
The Publishers Association latest figures show fiction sales soared by
16% in 2020, with audiobook sales climbing by more than a third, as
readers locked down escaped into books. The crime genre has led the rise
in book sales and reading during the pandemic.
Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club is one of the key titles being cited as one of the key drivers.
Laurence
Howell, Vice President, Content at Audible, said: “Congratulations to
Richard Osman for the Audible Sounds of Crime Award. Audiobooks have
been a great comfort to many over the past
year, because of their intimate, immersive nature and the crime and
mystery genre has been incredibly popular.”
CRIMEFEST Best Crime Novel for Children, aged 8-12, goes to Serena Patel for
Anisha, Accidental Detective, which has already garnered
plaudits, including the Sainsbury’s Children’s Book Award for Fiction,
and is shortlisted for the British Book Awards Children fiction Book of
the Year 2021.
CRIMEFEST Best Crime Novel for Young Adults, aged 12-16, goes to the multi-award-winning
author Patrice Lawrence, who won the CRIMEFEST
award in 2018 for Indigo Donut. This year her book Eight Pieces of Silva, an addictive tale of a teenager’s hunt for her missing sister, takes the top prize.
Adrian Muller, Co-host of CRIMEFEST, said: “A huge congratulations
to all CRIMEFEST award winners this year. We had to cancel
the last two physical conventions due to the pandemic, so it’s a real pleasure to be able to continue CRIMEFEST’s
annual awards, albeit virtually. We are thankful to both Specsavers and to Audible for their on-going support.”
CRIMEFEST
has had to postpone its 2020 and 2021 conventions, due to Covid
restrictions. Hosted in Bristol, it is one of the biggest crime fiction
events in Europe, and one of the most popular dates in the international
crime fiction calendar, with circa 60 panel
events and 150 authors over four days. Tentative dates for next year's
Bristol CRIMEFEST
are 12-15 May, 2022.
In light of Covid-19, the 2021 winners were announced online with an awards ceremony, hosted by
Agatha Raisin co-star Matt McCooey, who plays Inspector Bill Wong in the hit series. The ceremony is available on the website
www.crimefest.com and via its social media pages, from midnight on Tuesday, 1 June.
All winners receive a Bristol Blue commemorative Glass Award.
Leading British crime fiction reviewers and reviewers of fiction for children and young adults form the CRIMEFEST
judging panels, aside from Audible Sounds, where Audible listeners establish the shortlist and the winning title.
CRIMEFEST was created following the hugely successful one-off visit to Bristol in 2006 of the American Left Coast Crime convention. It was established in 2008. It follows the egalitarian format of most US conventions, making it open to all commercially published authors and readers alike.
2021 CRIMEFEST Awards: Shortlists in full (winners
in bold)
CRIMEFEST SPECSAVERS DEBUT CRIME NOVEL AWARD
Eva Bjorg Aegisdottir for
The Creak on the Stairs (Orenda Books)
Marion Brunet for
Summer of Reckoning (Bitter Lemon Press)
Robin Morgan-Bentley for
The Wreckage (Trapeze)
Richard Osman for
The Thursday Murder Club (Viking)
Mara Timon for
City of Spies (Zaffre)
Trevor Wood for
The Man on the Street (Quercus)
CRIMEFEST AUDIBLE SOUNDS OF CRIME AWARD
Lee and Andrew Child for The Sentinel, read by Jeff Harding (Transworld)
Lucy Foley for The Guest List read by Olivia Dowd, Aoife McMahon, Chloe Massey, Sarah Ovens, Rich Keeble and Jot Davies (HarperFiction)
Robert Galbraith for Troubled Blood read by Robert Glenister (Little, Brown Book Group)
Anthony Horowitz for Moonflower Murders read by Lesley Manville and Allan Corduner (Penguin Random House Audio)
Peter James for Find Them Dead read by Daniel Weyman (Pan)
Lisa Jewell for The Invisible Girl read by Rebekah Staton (Penguin Random House Audio)
Lynda La Plante for Buried
read by Alex Hassell and Annie Aldington (Zaffre)
TM Logan for The Catch read by Philip Stevens (Zaffre)
Richard Osman for The Thursday Murder Club read by Lesley Manville (Viking)
Ian Rankin for A Song for the Dark Times read by James Macpherson (Orion)
CRIMEFEST H.R.F. KEATING AWARD
Mark Aldridge for
Agatha Christie’s Poirot: The Greatest Detective in the World (HarperCollins)
Martin Edwards (editor) for
Howdunit: A Masterclass in Crime Writing by Members of the Detection Club
(Collins Crime Club)
Colin Larkin for
Cover Me: The Vintage Art of Pan Books: 1950-1965 (Telos Publishing)
Andrew Lycett for
Conan Doyle’s Wide World (Tauris Parke)
Heather Martin for
The Reacher Guy (Little, Brown Book Group)
Sheila Mitchell for
HRF Keating: A Life of Crime (Level Best Books)
Craig Sisterson for
Southern Cross Crime: The Pocket Essential Guide to the Crime Fiction, Film & TV of Australia and New Zealand
(Oldcastle Books)
Peter Temple for
The Red Hand: Stories, reflections and the last appearance of Jack Irish (riverrun)
CRIMEFEST LAST LAUGH AWARD
Ben Aaronovitch for
False Value (Gollancz)
Christopher Fowler for
Bryant & May - Oranges and Lemons (Doubleday)
Elly Griffiths for
The Postscript Murders (Quercus)
Carl Hiaasen for
Squeeze Me (Little, Brown Book Group)
Richard Osman for
The Thursday Murder Club (Viking)
Malcolm Pryce for
The Corpse in the Garden of Perfect Brightness (Bloomsbury Publishing)
Khurrum Rahman for
Ride or Die (HQ)
Olga Wojtas for
Miss Blaine's Prefect and the Vampire Menace (Contraband)
CRIMEFEST eDUNNIT AWARD
Gabriel Bergmoser for
The Hunted (Faber)
Sharon Bolton for
The Split (Trapeze)
J. P. Carter for
Little Boy Lost (Avon, HarperCollins)
Steve Cavanagh for
Fifty-Fifty (Orion Fiction)
Michael Connelly for
Fair Warning (Orion Fiction)
James Lee Burke for
A Private Cathedral (Orion Fiction)
Ian Rankin for
A Song for the Dark Times (Orion Fiction)
Holly Watt for
The Dead Line (Raven Books)
CRIMEFEST BEST CRIME NOVEL FOR CHILDREN
(ages 8-12)
Sophie Deen for
Mission Shark Bytes (Walker Books)
Elly Griffiths for
A Girl Called Justice - The Smugglers' Secret (Quercus Children's Books)
Anthony Horowitz for Nightshade (Walker Books)
Jack Noel for
My Headteacher is an Evil Genius (Walker Books)
Serena Patel for
Anisha, Accidental Detective (Usborne Publishing)
Serena Patel for
School's Cancelled (Usborne Publishing)
Onjali Q. Rauf for
The Night Bus Hero (Orion Children's Books)
Dave Shelton for
The Pencil Case (David Fickling Books)
CRIMEFEST BEST CRIME NOVEL FOR YOUNG ADULTS
(ages 12-16)
William Hussey for
Hideous Beauty (Usborne Publishing)
Lauren James for
The Reckless Afterlife of Harriet Stoker (Walker Books)
Matt Killeen for
Devil Darling Spy (Usborne Publishing)
Patrice Lawrence for
Eight Pieces of Silva (Imprint - Hodder Children's Books)
Simon Lelic for
Deadfall (Imprint - Hodder Children's Books)
Robert Muchamore for
Hacking, Heists & Flaming Arrows (Hot Key Books)
Patrick Ness for
Burn (Walker Books)
Nancy Springer for
The Case of the Missing Marquess (Hot Key Books)
Here's a snapshot of what I think is published for the first time in June 2021 (and is usually a UK date but occasionally will be a US or Australian date). June and future months (and years) can be found on the Future Releases page. If I've missed anything or got the date wrong, do please leave a comment.
• Adams, Jane - Bright Young Things #7 Detective Chief Inspector Henry Johnstone, 1928
• Arlidge, M J - Truth or Dare #10 Helen Grace, Southampton Police
• Austin, Stephanie - The Dartmoor Murders #4 Juno Browne
• Bannister, Jo - China Roses #5 Detective Constable Hazel Best & Gabriel Ash
• Boyd, Damien - Dying Inside #11 DI Nick Dixon
• Brown, Eric - Murder At Standing Stone Manor #8 Donald Langham, Crime Writer, London, 1955
• Bussi, Michel - The Other Mother (apa The Double Mother)
• Clarke, Karen - And Then She Ran
• Corry, Jane - The Lies We Tell
• Costello, Liza - The Estate
• Cowan-Erskine, Beth - Loch Down Abbey
• Craven, M W - Dead Ground #4 Washington Poe
• Dean, Jason - Tracer #1 Korso
• Dhand, A A - The Blood Divide
• Dunford, Caroline - A Death on Stage #16 Euphemia Martins
• Edwards, Rachel - Lucky
• Eldridge, Jim - Murder at Madame Tussauds #6 Former Detective Inspector Daniel Wilson
• Erskine, Fiona - Phosphate Rocks: A Death in Ten Objects
• Evans, Kate - A Wake of Crows #1 DCI Donna Morris, Scarborough
• Gerhardsen, Carin - Black Ice
• Goldberg, Leonard - The Abduction of Pretty Penny #5 Daughter of Sherlock Holmes series
• Harrison, Cora - Murder in an Orchard Cemetery #8 Reverend Mother Aquinas, Cork, 1920s
• Hausmann, Romy - Sleepless
• Hilary, Sarah - Fragile
• Hughes, Kim - Operation Black Key #2 Staff Sergeant Dom Riley
• Isaac, Jane - One Good Lie
• Johnson, Kate - Death on the Aisle #3 Molly Higgins
• Jonasson, Ragnar - The Girl Who Died
• Jones, Nick - The Shadows of London #2 Joseph Bridgeman
• King, Laurie R - Castle Shade #17 Mary Russell and her husband, Sherlock Holmes
• Knox, Joseph - True Crime Story
• Le Corre, Herve - In the Shadow of the Fire
• Mackay, Niki - The Girls Inside (as NJ Mackay)
• Mackintosh, Clare - Hostage
• MacLeod, Torquil - Mammon in Malmo #8 Inspector Anita Sundstrom
• Mahmood, Imran - I Know What I Saw
• Marques, Patricia - The Colours of Death #1 Inspector Isabel Reis, Lisbon
• Massey, Sujata - The Bombay Prince #3 Perveen Mistry, India's only female lawyer, 1920s
• McEwan, Lynne - In Dark Water #1 DI Shona Oliver, Dumfries
• McKenna, Clara - Murder at Keyhaven Castle #3 Stella and Lyndy, 1905
• Meyrick, Denzil - For Any Other Truth #9 DCI Daley
• Michaelides, Alex - The Maidens
• Moore, Syd - Strange Tricks #6 Rosie Strange
• Nickson, Chris - Brass Lives #9 Detective Inspector Tom Harper, Leeds Police, 1890s
• Padura, Leonardo - The Transparency of Time #8 Lt Mario Conde, Cuba
• Pearse, Lesley - Suspects
• Phifer, Helen - The Hiding Place #3 Detective Morgan Brookes
• Redondo, Dolores - The North Face of the Heart
• Robotham, Michael - When You Are Mine
• Roslund, Anders - Knock Knock #9 Ewert Grens
• Seeber, Claire - The Street Party
• Silver, Abi - The Midas Game #5 Burton and Lamb
• Steadman, Catherine - The Disappearing Act
• Thomas, Joe - Brazilian Psycho #4 The São Paulo Quartet
• Thomson, Rupert - Barcelona Dreaming
• Tucker, Nancy - The First Day of Spring
• Waugh, Daisy - Phone for the Fish Knives #2 Tode family
• Wilkes, Elena - The Man I Married
• Willberg, T A - Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder
• Wood, Trevor - One Way Street #2 Jimmy Mullen, Newcastle
• Wyer, Carol - A Cut for a Cut #2 DI Kate Young, Staffordshire
• Yahagi, Toshihiko - The Wrong Goodbye #3 Eiji Futamura