“Hill” Meets Hammett

From Jiro Kimura’s Gumshoe Site comes the news that Virginia author-editor Howard Owen has won the 2012 Hammett Prize for his 10th novel, Oregon Hill (Permanent Press). The Hammett is given out by the International Association of Crime Writers, North American Branch. Today’s announcement was made during the Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association (NAIBA) fall conference taking place in Somerset, New Jersey.

Also in contention for this year’s prize were Defending Jacob, by William Landay (Delacorte); Truth Like the Sun, by Jim Lynch (Knopf);  Patient Number 7, by Kurt Palka (McCelland & Stewart); and Alif the Unseen, by G. Willow Wilson (Grove).

Congratulations to Mr. Owen on this significant victory.