CrimeFest Awards 2021 - Winners

Here are the winners of the CrimeFest Awards 2021.

From the Press Release:

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)

 

CrimeFest Awards 2021 - Shortlists

Here are the shortlisted titles for the CrimeFest Awards 2021.

From the Press Release:

CRIMEFEST, one of Europe’s leading crime writing conventions, has announced the shortlists for its annual awards.

The awards feature the Specsavers Debut Crime Novel Award, the winner of which receives a £1,000 prize.

A further £1,000 prize fund is also awarded to the Audible Sounds of Crime Award, sponsored by Audible.

Up for the hotly-contended Specsavers Debut Crime Novel Award is Richard Osman, who ruled the bestseller lists with his smash-hit, The Thursday Murder Club. The shortlist also features Trevor Wood, who won the CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger in 2020, for The Man on the Street.

Sheila Michell's biography of her husband - and namesake of the H.R.F. Keating Award – is in contention for the best biographical or critical book in the genre. Michell’s HRF Keating: A Life of Crime has been hailed as the definitive portrait of the artist and man.

The H.R.F Keating Award also features 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. Also in contention is Heather Martin, an academic, linguist and author of the definitive Lee Child biography, The Reacher Guy.

The Last Laugh Award sees debut-author Richard Osman return as he is pitted against stalwarts of the genre, including Elly Griffiths and Carl Hiaasen.

Osman, who dominates the shortlists, is also up for the Audible Sounds of Crime Award. The Pointless TV-star is up against veritable giants of the genre, including Robert Galbraith, Ian Rankin and Lynda La Plante. Voted by Audible subscribers, the shortlist also sees last year’s winner Lee Child return, with his brother Andrew, for The Sentinel, read by Jeff Harding.

Laurence Howell, Vice President, Content at Audible said: “We are delighted to continue as sponsor of the Audible Sounds of Crime Award. With the isolation and social distancing of the last year, audio books have been a great comfort to many because of the intimate, immersive nature of audiobooks. Crime and thriller audiobooks remain one of our bestselling genres, as perhaps more of us seek escapism and entertainment in these trying times. Congratulations to all award nominees.”

The eDunnit Award, for best e-book, sees established names of the genre Ian Rankin, Michael Connelly and James Lee Burke up against the young Australian Gabriel Bergmoser, a multi-award-winning screenwriter, playwright and author who is already a phenomenon in his own country.

Best Crime Novel for Children, aged 8-12, features giant of the genre Anthony Horowitz for Nightshade, from the popular Alex Rider series. The shortlist also sees the founder of Making Herstory, a human rights organisation working to end trafficking and abuse, and bestselling children’s author, Onjali Q. Rauf, for The Night Bus Hero.

Best Crime Novel for Young Adults, aged 12-16, features Enola Holmes: The Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer, which was released last year to coincide with the Netflix adaptation, starring Millie Bobby Brown. The list also features the multi-award-winning author Patrice Lawrence, who won the CRIMEFEST award in 2018 for Indigo Donut. Lawrence is in contention this year for Eight Pieces of Silva, an addictive tale of a teenager’s hunt for her missing sister.

Now in its 14th year, the awards honour the best crime books released in 2020 in the UK.

Adrian Muller, Co-host of CRIMEFEST, said: “CRIMEFEST usually takes place in May, and although we had to cancel our physical convention this year, it’s important to continue these awards. They’ve built up a strong reputation after so many years, and we are thankful to both Audible and to Specsavers 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.

In light of Covid-19, the 2021 winners will be announced online at www.crimefest.com and via its social media pages this summer.

All category winners will 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 in which Audible listeners establish the shortlist and the winning title.

Co-host of CRIMEFEST, Donna Moore, added: “As well as the debut awards, we are one of the few genre awards that recognise e-books and audiobooks, humour, children and Young Adult crime fiction novels. We aim to be the most inclusive of awards to reflect the values of our convention.”

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.

 

The Shortlists 

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)

 

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)

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)

 

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)

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)

 

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 (Imprint - 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 (Imprint - Orion Children's Books)

Dave Shelton for The Pencil Case (David Fickling Books)

 

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)

CrimeFest Awards 2020 - Shortlists

Hot off the press here are the shortlisted titles for the various CrimeFest Awards:

CRIMEFEST, one of Europe’s leading crime writing conventions, has announced the shortlists for its annual awards.

Now in its 13th year, the awards honour the best crime books released in 2019 in the UK.

New for 2020, in association with its headline sponsor Specsavers, is the Specsavers Debut Crime Novel Award. The winner will receive a £1,000 prize.

Adrian Muller, Co-host of CRIMEFEST, said: “Specsavers are passionate about the crime genre thanks to its founder Dame Mary Perkins, and their support ensures new voices in the genre will be recognised. We have really diverse awards reflecting the depth and breadth of the crime genre. Categories recognise e-books and audiobooks, humour, children and Young Adult crime fiction novels. We aim to be the most inclusive of awards to reflect the values of our convention.”

A further £1,000 prize fund is also awarded to the Audible Sounds of Crime Award, sponsored by Audible UK. Eligible titles are submitted by publishers, and Audible UK listeners establish the shortlist and the winning title.

Laurence Howell, Vice President, Content at Audible said: “We are delighted to continue as sponsor of the Audible Sounds of Crime Award. This is a prize that is very close to our heart and important for our members who are passionate fans of crime audiobooks. Crime and thriller remains one of our bestselling genres because of the intimate, immersive nature of audiobooks. Congratulations to all award nominees!”

All other category winners, which are judged by panels of leading British crime fiction reviewers, receive a Bristol Blue Glass commemorative award.

The 2020 CRIMEFEST Awards were due to be presented at a Gala Dinner during the convention at the Bristol Grand Mercure Hotel this June. In light of Covid-19, the winners will be announced online at www.crimefest.com and via its social media pages on Tuesday 7 July.

Specsavers Crime Fiction Debut Award

One of the most anticipated categories showcases the next big names in the genre.

Shortlisted Holly Watt has already picked up the 2019 CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award for her debut, 'To The Lions'. Another high-profile debut star is Alex Michaelides with 'The Silent Patien't, which sold over a million copies and was a 'Richard and Judy' book club pick.

Engineer Fiona Erskine’s debut 'Chemical Detective' is also in contention for the best debut, alongside Katja Ivar for 'Evil Things'. Katja who was born in Moscow, lives in Paris and has a Masters in Contemporary History; her debut takes place in Finland at the height of the Cold War with the Soviet Union.

Carolyn Kirby’s 'The Conviction of Cora Burns' was chosen by The Times as an historical fiction book of the month and was longlisted for the HWA debut crown award. Laura Shepherd-Robinson worked in politics for nearly twenty years before writing her thrilling debut historical crime novel, 'Blood & Sugar', set in 1781 amidst the British slavery industry also makes the shortlist.

Audible Sounds of Crime Award

The Audible shortlist features bestselling novels including Kate Atkinson’s 'Big Sky', read by Jackson Brodie actor Jason Isaacs, Lee Child’s 'Blue Moon' narrated by Jeff Harding and 'The Silent Patient' by Alex Michaelides featuring Sherlock actress Louise Brealey and Jack Hawkins.

The British-Nigerian actress Weruche Opia narrates Oyinkan Braithwaite’s Booker-longlisted 'My Sister, The Serial Killer'. Also, in contention are Alex Callister’s 'Winter Dark', 'The Family Upstairs' by Lisa Jewell, T.M. Logan’s 'The Holiday', and Peter May’s 'The Man with No Face'.

H.R.F. Keating Award

Barry Forshaw, one of the UK’s leading experts on the genre, is shortlisted for the H.R.F Keating Award for the best biographical or critical book related to crime fiction for his guide to the genre, 'Crime Fiction: A Reader’s Guide'. He’s up against John Curran’s' The Hooded Gunman', a celebration of the 2000 books published by the iconic imprint Collins’ Crime Club. Also on the shortlist is Ursula Buchan with 'Beyond The Thirty-Nine Steps'. Ursula, the granddaughter of John Buchan, who wrote the classic thriller famously adapted to film by Alfred Hitchcock, draws on recently discovered family documents in her illuminating biography.

Last Laugh Award

Previous winners of the Last Laugh Award return on the 2020 shortlist as Christopher Fowler, the author of fifty novels and short stories, is shortlisted for his Bryant & May mystery, 'The Lonely Hou'r. Fowler won the Last Laugh Award in 2009. L.C. Tyler also won the award in 2010. He returns with his novel, 'The Maltese Herring'.

Also battling for the best humorous crime novel is the king of Helsinki noir, Antti Tuomainen, William Boyle for 'A Friend is a Gift you Give Yourself' and Hannah Dennison with 'Tidings of Death at Honeychurch Hall'. Helen FitzGerald joins the shortlist for 'Worst Case Scenario', a deliciously dark, unapologetically funny psychological thriller by the international bestselling author 'The Cry'.

eDunnit Award

Holly Watt ('To The Lions'), Helen FitzGerald ('Worst Case Scenario') and L.C. Tyler ('The Maltese Herring') are all shortlisted in their second category of the CRIMEFEST awards – the eDunnit award for best electronic crime novel. They’re up against Sarah Hilary’s 'Never Be Broken' – her sixth book in the DI Marnie Rome series and Andrew Taylor for 'The King’s Evil', the hugely successful series from an author considered one of the best historical crime writers today. Also shortlisted is the American giant of twenty-one acclaimed, award winning international bestsellers, Don Winslow, for 'The Border', the concluding part of his Cartel trilogy.

Best Crime Fiction Novel for Children

Dark deeds, piratical plots and dastardly villains feature in the shortlist for the best children’s crime novel.

Welsh author P.G. Bell is shortlisted for 'The Great Brain Robbery', the second in his Train to Impossible Places Series. Acclaimed children’s author Vivian French is in contention for her adventures of a family theatre-troupe touring Victorian England by train in 'The Steam Whistle Theatre Company'.

Librarian and author Sophie Green makes the list with her unusual investigative duo chasing ghostly goings-on in 'Potkin and Stubbs'. Also shortlisted is A.M. Howell whose 'The Garden of Lost Secret's set in 1916 on a country estate was a Times Children’s Book of the Week.

'The Haven', an adrenalin-fuelled adventure by top thriller writer Simon Lelic, also makes the shortlist, along with 'Malamander' by Thomas Taylor, a quirky fantasy with a cast of characters in pursuit of a sea monster. An illustrator and writer, Taylor’s first job was the cover for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.

Best Crime Fiction Novel for Young Adults

An icon of the crime genre synonymous with the modern legal thriller, John Grisham, makes the shortlist for his Young Adult novel 'Theodore Boone: The Accomplice' featuring a nosy thirteen-year-old half-boy, half-lawyer.

Grisham is up against last year’s winner for the best crime fiction novel for young adults, Nikesh Shukla. Shukla hopes to hold onto the title with 'The Boxer', the story of seventeen-year-old Sunny who takes up boxing to protect himself after a racist attack.

Simon Mason, who won the CRIMEFEST Best Young Adult novel in 2017 for 'Kid Got Shot' is also back with 'Hey Sherlock!' which stars teen slacker and crime-solving genius Gavin Smith.

Kathryn Evans is no stranger to awards as her debut 'More of Me won the Edinburgh International Book Festival First Book Award – the first Young Adult novel to do so. Her latest, 'Beauty Sleep', a dark thriller that plunges a pre-tech girl into a futuristic world, makes the shortlist. Also, in contention is the dark, twisty, fairy tale world of Samuel J. Halpin’s 'The Peculiar Peggs of Riddling Woods' and 'Heartstream', a taut thriller about obsession, fame and betrayal by Tom Pollock.



SPECSAVERS DEBUT CRIME NOVEL AWARD

- Fiona Erskine for The Chemical Detective (Point Blank)

- Katja Ivar for Evil Things (Bitter Lemon Press)

- Carolyn Kirby for The Conviction of Cora Burns (No Exit Press)

- Alex Michaelides for The Silent Patient (Orion Fiction)

- Laura Shepherd-Robinson for Blood & Sugar (Mantle)

- Holly Watt for To The Lions (Raven Books)


AUDIBLE SOUNDS OF CRIME AWARD

- Kate Atkinson for Big Sky narrated by Jason Isaacs (Penguin Random House Audio)

- Oyinkan Braithwaite for My Sister, the Serial Killer narrated by Weruche Opia (W F Howes)

- Alex Callister for Winter Dark narrated by Ell Potter (Audible Studios)

- Lee Child for Blue Moon narrated by Jeff Harding (Penguin Random House Audio)

- Lisa Jewell for The Family Upstairs narrated by Tamaryn Payne, Bea Holland, Dominic Thorburn (Penguin Random House Audio)

- T.M. Logan for The Holiday narrated by Laura Kirman (Zaffre)

- Peter May for The Man with No Face narrated by Peter Forbes (Quercus, Fiction)

- Alex Michaelides for The Silent Patient narrated by Louise Brealey, Jack Hawkins (Orion)


H.R.F. KEATING AWARD

- Ursula Buchan for Beyond The Thirty-Nine Steps (Bloomsbury Publishing)

- John Curran for The Hooded Gunman (HarperCollins Crime Club)

- Barry Forshaw for Crime Fiction: A Reader's Guide (No Exit Press)


LAST LAUGH AWARD

- William Boyle for A Friend is a Gift you Give Yourself (No Exit Press)

- Hannah Dennison for Tidings of Death at Honeychurch Hall (Constable)

- Helen FitzGerald for Worst Case Scenario (Orenda Books)

- Christopher Fowler for Bryant & May - The Lonely Hour (Transworld)

- Antti Tuomainen for Little Siberia (Orenda Books)

- L.C. Tyler for The Maltese Herring (Allison & Busby)



eDUNNIT AWARD

- Helen FitzGerald for Worst Case Scenario (Orenda Books)

- Sarah Hilary for Never Be Broken (Headline)

- Andrew Taylor for The King's Evil (HarperFiction)

- L.C. Tyler for The Maltese Herring (Allison & Busby)

- Holly Watt for To The Lions (Raven Books)

- Don Winslow for The Border (HarperFiction)



BEST CRIME FICTION NOVEL FOR CHILDREN (ages 8-12)

- P.G. Bell for The Great Brain Robbery (Usborne Publishing)

- Vivian French for The Steam Whistle Theatre Company (Walker Books)

- Sophie Green for Potkin and Stubbs (Bonnier Books)

- A.M. Howell for The Garden of Lost Secrets (Usborne Publishing)

- Simon Lelic for The Haven (Hodder Children's Books)

- Thomas Taylor for Malamander (Walker Books)


BEST CRIME FICTION NOVEL FOR YOUNG ADULTS (ages 12-16)

- Kathryn Evans for Beauty Sleep (Usborne Publishing)

- John Grisham for Theodore Boone: The Accomplice (Hodder & Stoughton)

- Samuel J. Halpin for The Peculiar Peggs of Riddling Woods (Usborne Publishing)

- Simon Mason for Hey Sherlock! (David Fickling Books)

- Tom Pollock for Heartstream (Walker Books)

- Nikesh Shukla for The Boxer (Hodder Children's Books)

Win: A Pass to CrimeFest 2019

CrimeFest has kindly donated a pair of weekend passes to the upcoming event in Bristol (9-12 May, 2019).

The passes - worth £200 - provide access to all panels and interviews, Thursday through Sunday, as well as a delegate goody bag and a programme. (Accommodation, food and travel expenses are not included.)

2019's headline authors include John Harvey and Robert Thorogood, and there will be a special appearance by Agatha Raisin herself - Ashley Jensen.

The competition closes on 24 March 2019 at 11.59pm.
There are no geographical restrictions on entrants, but please only enter if you are able to attend. (The passes are non-transferable.)
Only 1 entry per person please.

To enter the competition, put Petrona and the answer to the question below, in the subject line of an email, adding your name and address in the body, and send to competition@crimefest.com

Who won the very first Petrona Award for Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year?

The winner of the 2019 Petrona Award will be announced at the CrimeFest Gala Dinner (tickets available separately).

Get more from Euro Crime by liking the Facebook page. 

Win: A Pass to CrimeFest 2017

CrimeFest have kindly donated a pair of weekend passes to the upcoming event in Bristol on 18-21 May 2017.

Each pass includes admittance to all panels and interviews Thursday to Sunday, as well as a delegate goody bag and a programme, and is worth £195.

2017's featured guest authors include Ann Cleeves, Anthony Horowitz and Peter Lovesey.

The competition will close on 14 April 2017 at 11.59pm.
There are no geographical restrictions on entrants.
Only 1 entry per person please.

To enter the competition, please send the answer to the question below, along with your name and address to competition@crimefest.com

Who won the 2016 Petrona Award for Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year?

The winner of the 2017 Petrona Award will be announced at the Gala Dinner (tickets available separately).

Keep up to date with Euro Crime by liking the Facebook page. 

New CrimeFest Awards for Children's & YA Crime Fiction

I'm very excited about this news regarding CrimeFest's new awards for Children's and YA Crime Fiction. I know from my own experience as a librarian and a reader/reviewer of YA fiction that it's an increasingly popular field.

I recently snapped this collection of recently released children's crime titles at the library:

Here's how to submit the titles for consideration.

CRIMEFEST LAUNCHES AWARD FOR BEST YA & CHILDREN’S CRIME NOVELS

CrimeFest opens free submissions from crime fiction books for children and young adults published in 2016

CrimeFest is delighted to announce two new awards:

• Best Crime Novel for Children (ages 8-12)
• Best Crime Novel for Young Adults (ages 12-16)

THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS FRIDAY 24 FEBRUARY 2017.

CrimeFest, the UK’s biggest international crime fiction convention, is thrilled to introduce two new awards recognising the outstanding contribution that crime novels for children and young adults make to the genre, as well as the burgeoning interest of children’s fiction and YA throughout literature. The winners for best crime novels for children and young adults in 2016 will receive a Bristol Blue Glass commemorative award, presented at the CrimeFest gala awards dinner on Saturday 20^th May, 2017.

There is no charge for submissions in order to encourage all publishers, regardless of size, to submit titles published for the first time in the British Isles in 2016. A team of British reviewers of YA and children’s fiction will establish the shortlist and winner from titles spanning humorous crime, spy, suspense, thriller and more.

Continuing last year’s successful CrimeFest promotion where 1000 crime fiction books were given away for free through local libraries, all books provided as part of the submission process will be distributed amongst schools in Bristol. After nine years of hosting CrimeFest, the organisers continue to involve the local community in the city that has hosted this top convention.

On behalf of his CRIMEFEST co-hosts, Adrian Muller said: “We have become increasingly aware that there are some great authors who are writing brilliant, age-appropriate crime fiction for children and young adults. They are making an outstanding contribution to the genre, as well as celebrating the burgeoning interest of children in fiction as a whole, and we felt these efforts should not go unrecognised.”

In addition to this year’s new awards, YA crime fiction heavyweight Antony Horowitz, of Alex Rider fame, is one of CrimeFest’s guest speakers at this year’s event.

The new prizes join the convention’s established awards for adults:

• Audible Sounds of Crime Award (for best crime audiobook)
• eDunnit Award (for best crime ebook)
• Last Laugh Award (for best humorous crime novel)
• H.R.F. Keating Award (for biography or critical book related to crime fiction)

 THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS FRIDAY 24 FEBRUARY 2017.

CRIMEFEST, the international crime fiction convention held annually in Bristol, draws top crime novelists, readers, editors, publishers and reviewers from around the world, and gives all delegates the opportunity to celebrate the genre in a friendly, informal and inclusive atmosphere.

For full submission guidelines see below or visit the CRIMEFEST website:
- Best Crime Novel for Children (ages 8-12)
- Best  Crime Novel for Young Adults (ages 12-16)

For any queries, please contact CrimeFest. Telephone: 0117-9737829. Email info@crimefest.com.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Best Crime Novel for Children (ages 8-12)

Eligible are any humorous crime, spy, suspense and thriller titles, etc. commercially published in hardback or paperback format for the first time in the British Isles in 2016. The age group for this award is 8–12 years.

THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS FRIDAY 24 FEBRUARY 2017.

For submitted titles to be eligible, the four print copies of each title must be received by 17 March. Please send to: CRIMEFEST, BASEMENT FLAT, 6 Rodney Place, Bristol BS8 4HY.

A list of entries and their details should be submitted by email to childfiction@crimefest.com and should be listed in field names as follows:

First name – last name – title – month – publisher

(Example: Joe – Bloggs – The Hangman’s Noose – Murder Press – May)

The above details can be submitted in the body of an email or attached in an email as text, rich-text-format, Word or Excel files. The preferred method is an attached Excel file

All entries must be accompanied by the publisher’s contact details.

By submitting entries, publishers agree to provide a further five copies of a title should it be shortlisted. These will be for promotional purposes and/or as prizes.

Should the winner or a representative not be present to collect the prizes, then the publisher agrees to reimburse CRIMEFEST for the cost of shipping the prizes to the recipient or the publisher.


Best Crime Novel for Young Adults (ages 12-16)

Eligible are any humorous crime, spy, suspense and thriller titles, etc. commercially published in hardback or paperback format for the first time in the British Isles in 2016. The age group for the award is 12–16 years.

THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS FRIDAY 24 FEBRUARY 2017.

For submitted titles to be eligible, the four print copies of each title must be received by 17 March. Please send to: CRIMEFEST, BASEMENT FLAT, 6 Rodney Place, Bristol BS8 4HY.

A list of entries and their details should be submitted by email to ya@crimefest.com and should be listed in field names as follows:

First name – last name – title – month – publisher

(Example: Joe – Bloggs – The Hangman’s Noose – Murder Press – May)

The above details can be submitted in the body of an email or attached in an email as text, rich-text-format, Word or Excel files. The preferred method is an attached Excel file.

All entries must be accompanied by the publisher’s contact details.

By submitting entries, publishers agree to provide a further five copies of a title should it be shortlisted. These will be for promotional purposes and/or as prizes.

Should the winner or a representative not be present to collect the prizes, then the publisher agrees to reimburse CRIMEFEST for the cost of shipping the prizes to the recipient or the publisher.

Petrona Award 2016: Winner Announced

On 21 May 2016, at the Gala Dinner at CrimeFest, Bristol, Petrona Award judges Barry Forshaw, Katharina Hall and Sarah Ward announced the winner of the 2016 Petrona Award for the Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year.

The winner was THE CAVEMAN by Jorn Lier Horst translated by Anne Bruce and published by Sandstone Press.

The trophy was presented by last year's winner Yrsa Sigurdardottir to Jorn Lier Horst's representative, Robert Davidson of Sandstone Press.

Mr Davidson read out the following remarks from Jorn Lier Horst:

This is the fourth Petrona Award and I feel highly honoured to follow Liza Marklund, Leif GW Persson, and Yrsa Sigurdardottir. I am also very grateful to the jury for the trouble they have taken, for their expert knowledge and their commitment over the years. They pay great tribute to their late colleague, Maxine Clarke, whose memory is perpetuated in this most suitable of ways.

Our present time will be referred to in future as the ‘Golden Age of Scandinavian Crime Literature’. Never before have so many Scandinavian authors written so many good crime novels, with a vitality and quality that not only attracts readers worldwide but also enhances the whole crime genre. In such a time it is especially an honour to receive the Petrona Award, particularly gratifying and a source of great pride. Thank you.


Mr Davidson added: This is yet another recognition of a very fine author. More than just a crime writer, Jorn Lier Horst is a novelist who has extended beyond his genre. I would like also to pay tribute to his translator, Anne Bruce. All of us at Sandstone Press are very proud to be the publishers of this great series.

As well as the trophy, Jorn Lier Horst receives a pass to and a guaranteed panel at next year's CrimeFest.

The judges's comments on THE CAVEMAN:

THE CAVEMAN is a gripping police procedural drawing on Jorn Lier Horst’s experiences as a murder detective. All the books in the 'William Wisting' series have had compelling narratives and THE CAVEMAN is no exception, exploring a Norwegian society where, in a supposedly close-knit community, a man can lie dead at home unnoticed and unmourned for weeks. Excellent plotting, well-drawn characters and writing of the highest quality make this book a worthy winner of the 2016 Petrona Award.

As well as the Petrona Award winner, the winners of the CrimeFest Awards were also announced and are as follows:

Audible Sounds of Crime Award
WINNER: Paula Hawkins for The Girl on the Train, read by Clare Corbett (India Fisher & Louise Brealey)

Kobo eDunnit Award
WINNER: Michael Connelly for The Crossing (Orion Publishing Group)

Last Laugh Award
WINNER: Christopher Fowler for Bryant & May and the Burning Man (Transworld)

H.R.F. Keating Award
WINNER: Martin Edwards for The Golden Age of Murder (HarperCollins)

Awards News: CrimeFest Awards Shortlists Announced

The shortlists for the CrimeFest Awards have been announced. [Don't forget you can try and win a free pass here.]

From the press release:

STEPHEN KING, IAN RANKIN, PAULA HAWKINS AND MORE FIGHT IT OUT IN THIS YEAR’S CRIMEFEST AWARDS

2016 awards shortlist announced

CrimeFest, the UK’s biggest crime fiction convention, is thrilled to announce the shortlist for the Annual CrimeFest Awards. The shortlist includes a mix of established names in crime fiction as well as a host of new talent. 

Crime fiction heavyweights Stephen King, Ian Rankin and Robert Galbraith will be fighting it out in the listener-voted Audible Sounds of Crime Award, with other competition including debut novelist Clare Mackintosh for her breakthrough smash hit I Let You Go, and Paula Hawkins for her international bestseller The Girl On The Train, now a major feature film. Denise Minda and Linwood Barclay are up for the eDunnit Award, along with debut novelist Jax Miller for Freedom’s Child which she wrote whilst travelling round America on the back of the motorcycle. Elly Griffiths, Simon Brett and Christopher Fowler are amongst the names nominated for the Last Laugh Award for best humorous crime novel. Finally, Barry Forshaw is up for two H.R.F. Keating Awards, and Adam Sisman has also been shortlisted for his acclaimed biography of John le Carré.

The winners will be announced at the CrimeFest Gala Awards Dinner on Saturday, 21 May. For full shortlist details, please see below. 

Representing his fellow organisers, CrimeFest co-director Adrian Muller said: 

‘The shortlist for our awards this year is our most exciting yet, with some of crime fiction’s greatest writers up against some of the most successful debut novelists we’ve seen in recent years. To have such a diverse selection of authors spanning crime, thriller, humour, biography and non-fiction on the list is fantastic and showcases the talent out there within the genre! We are all very much excited about seeing who wins on 20^th May.’

Peter James, Anne Holt, Ian Rankin and Hugh Fraser are among the top names set to speak at this year’s CrimeFest convention. Close to 500 attendees, including more than 150 authors, agents, publishers and crime fiction fans from across the globe, will descend on the city for a jam packed four days of 65 speaking events and panel discussions.

The CrimeFest programme includes a full schedule of panel events covering everything from a mock-trial debating the hotly contested conviction of Steven Avery in Making A Murderer, to panels discussing topics such as ‘Crimes Against Humanity: Terrorism, War and International Intrigue’ and ‘Deadly Dames: Women As Killers, Investigators And Victims’

This year CrimeFest will be giving four independently published crime authors the opportunity to discuss their work at the Emerging Indie Voices Panel after what has been a landmark year for self-publishing. The convention also includes a Pitch an Agent strand, a literary agent speed-dating session where unpublished authors can present their ideas in a Dragon’s Den style session.   Those wishing to pen their own crime novel can take part in a Crime Writing Day, which includes sessions with agents and editors, optional manuscript assessments and a workshop with bestselling crime writers M.R. Hall and William Ryan.

Finally, Ian Rankin, Susan Moody, Laura Wilson and others will be battling it out in ‘Sorry I Haven’t A Cluedo’ – the ultimate quiz for crime fiction buffs, hosted by Mike Ripley

For the full line-up of authors visit www.crimefest.com/attend.html

THE 2016 CRIMEFEST AWARDS SHORTLISTS

The winners will be announced at the CRIMEFEST Gala Awards Dinner on Saturday, 21 May.

SHORTLIST DETAILS:

AUDIBLE SOUNDS OF CRIME AWARD

The Audible Sounds of Crime Award is for the best unabridged crime audiobook first published in the UK in 2015 in both printed and audio formats, and available for download from audible.co.uk, Britain’s largest provider of downloadable audiobooks. Courtesy of sponsor Audible UK, the winning author and audiobook reader(s) share the £1,000 prize equally and each receives a Bristol Blue Glass commemorative award.

Nominees for Best Unabridged Crime Audiobook:

- Rachel Abbott for Sleep Tight, read by Melody Grove & Andrew Wincott (Whole Story Audiobooks)

- Lee Child for Make Me, read by Jeff Harding (Random House Audiobooks)

- Harlan Coben for The Stranger, read by Eric Meyers (Orion Publishing Group)

- Robert Galbraith for Career of Evil, read by Robert Glenister (Hachette Audio UK)

- Paula Hawkins for The Girl on the Train, read by Clare Corbett, India Fisher & Louise Brealey (Random House Audiobooks)

- Stephen King for Finders Keepers, read by Will Patton (Hodder & Stoughton)

- David Lagercrantz for The Girl in the Spider’s Web, translated by George Goulding and read by Saul Reichlin (Quercus)

- Clare Mackintosh for I Let You Go, read by David Thorpe & Julia Barrie (Hachette Audio)

- Ian Rankin for Even Dogs in the Wild, read by James Macpherson (Orion Publishing Group)

Eligible titles were submitted by publishers, and Audible UK listeners established the shortlist and the winning title.

KOBO eDUNNIT AWARD

The Kobo eDunnit Award is for the best crime fiction ebook first published in both hardcopy and in electronic format in the British Isles in 2015. Courtesy of sponsor Kobo, the winning author receives £500 and a Bristol Blue Glass commemorative award.

Nominees for the eDunnit Award:

- Linwood Barclay for Broken Promise (Orion Publishing Group)

- Michael Connelly for The Crossing (Orion Publishing Group)

- Judith Flanders for A Bed of Scorpions (Allison & Busby)

- Suzette A. Hill for A Southwold Mystery (Allison & Busby)

- Laurie R. King for Dreaming Spies (Allison & Busby)

- Jax Miller for Freedom’s Child (HarperCollins)

- Denise Mina for Blood, Salt, Water (Orion Publishing Group)

- Andrew Taylor for The Silent Boy (HarperCollins)

Eligible titles were submitted by publishers, and a team of British crime fiction reviewers voted to establish the shortlist and the winning title.

LAST LAUGH AWARD The Last Laugh Award is for the best humorous crime novel first published in the British Isles in 2015. The winner receives a Bristol Blue Glass commemorative award.

Nominees for the Last Laugh Award:

- Sascha Arango for The Truth and Other Lies (Simon & Schuster)

- Alan Bradley for As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust (Orion Publishing Group)

- Simon Brett for Mrs Pargeter’s Principle (Severn House Publishing)

- Christopher Fowler for Bryant & May and the Burning Man (Transworld)

- Elly Griffiths for Smoke and Mirrors (Quercus)

- Malcolm Pryce for The Case of the ‘Hail Mary’ Celeste (Bloomsbury)
- Mike Ripley for Mr Campion’s Fox (Severn House Publishing)

- Jason Starr for Savage Lane (No Exit Press)

Eligible titles were submitted by publishers, and a team of British crime fiction reviewers voted to establish the shortlist and the winning title.

H.R.F. KEATING AWARD

The H.R.F. Keating Award is for the best biographical or critical book related to crime fiction first published in the British Isles in 2015. The award is named after H.R.F. ‘Harry’ Keating, one of Britain’s most esteemed crime novelists, crime reviewers and writer of books about crime fiction. The winning author receives a commemorative Bristol Blue Glass award.

Nominees for the H.R.F. Keating Award:

- David Stuart Davies & Barry Forshaw for The Sherlock Holmes Book (Dorling Kindersley)

- Martin Edwards for The Golden Age of Murder (HarperCollins)

- Fergus Fleming for The Man With the Golden Typewriter: Ian Fleming’s James Bond Letters (Bloomsbury)

- Barry Forshaw for Crime Uncovered: Detective (Intellect)

- Julius Green for Curtains Up: Agatha Christie – A Life in Theatre (HarperCollins)

- Maysam Hasam Jaber for Criminal Femmes Fatales in American Hardboiled Crime Fiction (Palgrave Macmillan)

- Fiona Peters & Rebecca Stewart for Crime Uncovered: Anti-hero (Intellect)

- Adam Sisman for John le Carré: The Biography (Bloomsbury)

Eligible titles were submitted by publishers, and a team of British crime fiction reviewers voted to establish the shortlist and the winning title.

Win: A Pass to CrimeFest 2016

CrimeFest have kindly donated a weekend pass to the upcoming event in Bristol on 19-22 May 2016.

The pass includes admittance to all panels and interviews Thursday to Sunday, as well as a delegate goody bag and a programme, and is worth £195.

2016's featured guest authors include Ian Rankin, Peter James and Anne Holt.

From the CrimeFest website:

CRIMEFEST is a convention for people who like to read an occasional crime novel as well as for die-hard fanatics. Whether you come with someone or on your own, by the end of the weekend you are likely to have made new friends. Drawing top crime novelists, readers, editors, publishers and reviewers from around the world, CRIMEFEST gives all delegates the opportunity to celebrate the genre in a friendly, informal and inclusive atmosphere. The programme consists of interviews with its featured and highlighted guest authors; over forty panels with more than a hundred participating authors; a gala awards dinner*; and possibly a surprise or two.

*The Petrona Award 2016 winner will also be announced at the Gala Dinner.

As CrimeFest will be drawing the winners, all entries will be forwarded on to them. I've included a box in the form below for entrants to agree to this.

The competition will close on 6 May 2016 at 11.59pm.
There are no geographical restrictions on entrants.
Only 1 entry per person please.
All entries will be deleted once they have been forwarded to CrimeFest.

To enter the competition, please complete the form below.

Keep up to date with Euro Crime by liking the Facebook page.

CrimeFest 2015: Lee Child Interviews Maj Sjöwall

Lee Child interviews Maj Sjöwall.

[Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö wrote the highly influential ten book Martin Beck series (published in English 1965-1975).]

LC read the books in the '70s and hoped he wouldn't come over too fanboy-y in his interview.

Does she mind talking about a ten year period which happened about 50 years ago? Not at all as in this situation she is crime writer.

She was aged between 4 and 9 during WW2, everything stopped during the war. Jazz smuggled in, in '40s' and rock and roll in '50s, smuggled in via England, eg Cliff Richard and then the Beatles.

LC: Image of Sweden at the time as a paradise, all the girls were pretty and would sleep with you! What was wrong with Sweden?

MS: You're right about the girls!

Sweden was turning from social democratic country to a more right wing country. They wrote books during the time the Vietnam war was on. Olav Palme – a great pr man, painted picture of idealistic society but we didn't see that – country more and more right wing and capitalistic. Police were portrayed as more militaristic than civil.

Met Per, both working in same publishing house and MS needed a translator of two Father Brown stories and was introduced to Per. Met again and again.

Per had written 3 political novels (inc 1 about football) and wanted to write something entertaining and bake into it what they wanted to talk about. At the time there were no police novels in Sweden.

Both fond of Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, Simenon. But didn't want to write like someone else. It was hard to get information about the police then. Our idea was to have not just a single hero but a team.

LC: Introduction to Roseanna is pages of admin about organising the dredger – radically different approach.

MS: Crime novels in Sweden were very bourgeois, wanted it to be realistic – people say their books are slow – but it is realistic. Started series before they had read Ed McBain even though they are often compared and went on to bring McBain books to Sweden.

Book 1 did ok, not fantastic, got good reviews, after books 2 and 3 young people began to react.

Martin Beck is a typical civil servant, rather boring, dutiful, has empathy (Lee Child said he is lovely).

LC: Is she pissed off that people are doing the same as what they did?

MS: Not pissed off that people are doing the same but can't they find some other way to write about society? Books are now half about romance and private life and this stems from Martin Beck as he had a private life - MS said we didn't mean to do it! They won an Edgar for book 3 – only non anglo-saxons to win an Edgar.

Every year there are 10 new Swedish authors...publishers buy at Frankfurt because it's Swedish, Scandinavian noir. Has no explanation for success...it's not that fantastic is it?

They decided on a ten book series, no more no less. One novel, split into ten: Novel of a crime. Wouldn't have carried on for anything.

LC: Here you have integrity on legs.

PW: Per was to planning to write next about modern warships.

Didn't want to write 300 pages on own – too lonely so wrote short things, poetry.

Sat face to face with Per working over a table. Talked a lot about the story and the language and for the first book – the characters.

In Roseanna, a US character was not chosen to open up another market but just to show how Swedish, Swedish police were, and how they could hardly communicate with the US.

They did the voyage through Sweden for fun and there was a beautiful American woman on the trip, Per was watching her, so I said we'll kill her!

Books don't change the world very much but can change thinking. S & W opened the market – half the population writes crime fiction now! Doesn't read much but likes Leif GW Persson who sticks close to real life.

When asked about the Matthau film - said we needed the money!.

Her favourite is The Locked Room.

Doesn't do much writing for publication, though will write for friends, as publishing means things like CrimeFest – ok in England but not in Sweden. Doesn't want to talk about self, or be looked at.

CrimeFest 2015: Euro Noir

Moderator: Barry Forshaw
Panel: Roberto Costantini, Gunnar Staalesen, Michael Ridpath, Jorn Lier Horst

RC: an engineer, Italians surprised that an engineer can write. Used skills to plot. Big diagrams on the wall.

GS: Bergen people quite satisfied with themselves so when they got a successful detective they were quick to put a statue up.

JLH: Wisting pronounced Visting named after a hero who went to South Pole. No plans to stop writing after ten books.

GS: First book tried to do a typical PI in Norway in '70s in the model of Ross MacDonald, Chandler. Didn't really work so second book was different.

RC: Series character Michele is awkward, conflicted so half the audience won't like him, other half love him. Michele is a policeman who acts as a PI which you can do in Italy.

MR: Learned a lot about writing not just Iceland in writing about something new.

GS made Varg Veum quite different to himself but sees him as a best friend, knows him well after 17 books.

GS - Don Bartlett is a great translator; GS read a couple of chapters of new book and recognised his own jokes!

JLH: Translator Anne Bruce has been over to Wisting's town

RC: Books translated into both English and separately into American. Latter was 50 pages shorter.