Now in their 16th year, the awards, which honour
the best crime books released in the UK last year, were announced at
a gala
dinner event during
CrimeFest in Bristol [Saturday 11 May].
The winner of the highly anticipated Specsavers Debut Crime Novel Award, and £1,000 prize, is Stig Abell for Death Under a Little Sky published by Hemlock Press (HarperCollins).
Dame Mary Perkins, co-founder of Specsavers who sponsors the award, said: “It was an incredibly strong shortlist for the judging panel this year, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading all nominated titles. Stig Abell’s debut clinched the top spot. It offers a different slant to the usual detective mysteries, and I was compelled to finish the book and get to the end, which I didn’t guess. His mesmerising prose and deft plot made Death Under a Little Sky unputdownable.”
The eDunnit Award for the best e-book goes to
Laura
Lippman for Prom Mom,
published by Faber & Faber. The acclaimed
Baltimore author is a two-time CrimeFest eDunnit Award winner
for Wild Lake (2017) and Sunburn (2019) and has won the
Agatha, Anthony, and Edgar awards.
Prom Mom tells the story of Amber Glass, desperately trying to get away from her tabloid past but compulsively drawn back to the prom date who destroyed everything. The LA Times described it as “one of Lippman’s most seductively mesmerising novels.”
Winner of the H.R.F Keating Award for best biographical or critical book on crime fiction is The Secret Life of John Le Carré by Adam Sisman, published by Profile Books.
The Last Laugh Award goes to Mick Herron for The Secret Hours, published by Baskerville. Herron is a multiple CrimeFest Award winner; he received the 2023 CrimeFest Award for Best Adapted TV Crime Drama for Slow Horses; the 2022 CrimeFest Last Laugh Award for Slough House; and the 2018 CrimeFest Last Laugh Award for Spook Street.
Elizabeth Wein for Stateless, which features a group of
young pilots who face intrigue and sabotage in a race around Europe in this
thrilling murder mystery, from the bestselling author of Code Name Verity. Stateless was
praised by the Guardian for its, “intriguing, page-turning plot.”
Best Crime Novel for Children, aged 8-12, goes to
J.T. Williams for The Lizzie and Belle Mysteries:
Portraits and
Poison published by Farshore. It’s the second book in the middle grade
mystery series that’s inspired by real Black British historical figures, which
sees two resourceful amateur sleuths become embroiled in a deadly conspiracy
stalking the streets of eighteenth-century London.
Waterstone’s Children’s Laureate, Joseph Coelho, praised the series as a “must read” and The Observer praised its “atmospheric setting.”
The Thalia Proctor Memorial Award for Best Adapted TV Crime Drama goes for the second year running to Slow Horses (season 3), based on the Slough House books by Mick Herron. Produced by See-Saw, shown on Apple TV+, the drama, which follows a dysfunctional and disgraced team of MI5 agents, stars Gary Oldman.
The award is named in honour of Thalia, a CrimeFest team member and a much-loved figure in the world of crime fiction, and is decided by public vote.
Adrian Muller, Co-host of CrimeFest, said: “Crime fiction is recognised as the biggest selling and most influential genre in publishing. As ever, this year’s nominees reflect the genre’s power, reach and popularity, and it was a hotly contested shortlist. We congratulate all 2024 winners, and would especially like to thank Specsavers for their on-going support in celebrating new talent, with the Debut Award. We’re especially proud too to be one of the few genre awards that recognise children’s and Young Adult authors. They do a vital job in enticing children and young people into reading, offering much-needed escapism, connection, and adventure.”
Hosted in Bristol, CrimeFest is one of the biggest crime fiction convention in the UK, and one of the most popular dates in the international crime fiction calendar, with circa 60 panel events and 150 authors attending over four days [9-12 May].
2024 featured guests include the author behind the international hit Murdle - G.T. Karber; Diamond Dagger winners James Lee Burke and Lynda La Plante; the acclaimed American author Laura Lippman; and the seminal Scottish author, Denise Mina.
The line up also features Ajay Chowdhury, Cathy Ace, Janice Hallett, Abir Mukherjee, Vaseem Khan, Holly Jackson, Kate Ellis, Ruth Dudley Edwards, and Martin Edwards.
CrimeFest was created following the hugely successful one-off visit to Bristol in 2006 of the American Left Coast Crime convention. Established in 2008, it follows the egalitarian format of most US conventions, making it open to all commercially published authors and readers alike.
All category winners will receive a Bristol Blue Glass commemorative award.
The 2024 CrimeFest Award Winners in full:
In association with headline sponsor, the Specsavers Debut Crime Novel Award is for debut authors first published in the United Kingdom in 2023. The winning author receives a £1,000 prize.
- Stig Abell Death Under a Little Sky (Hemlock Press/HarperCollins)
H.R.F. KEATING AWARD
- Adam Sisman The Secret Life of John Le Carré (Profile Books)
LAST LAUGH AWARD
The Last Laugh Award is for the best humorous crime novel first published in the United Kingdom in 2023.
- Mick Herron The Secret Hours (Baskerville)
eDUNNIT AWARD
For the best crime fiction ebook first published in both hardcopy and in electronic format in the United Kingdom in 2023.
-Laura Lippman Prom Mom (Faber & Faber)
This award is for the best crime novel for children (aged 8-12) first published in the United Kingdom in 2023.
- J.T. Williams The Lizzie and Belle Mysteries: Portraits and Poison illustrated by Simone Douglas (Farshore)
BEST CRIME FICTION NOVEL FOR YOUNG ADULTS
This award is for the best crime novel for young adults (aged 12-16) first published in the United Kingdom in 2023.
- Elizabeth Wein Stateless (Bloomsbury YA)
THALIA PROCTOR MEMORIAL AWARD FOR BEST ADAPTED TV
CRIME DRAMA
This award is for the best television crime drama based on a book, and first screened in the UK in 2023.
- Slow Horses (series 3), based on the Slough House books by Mick Herron (Apple)
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