Matters of Merit

Today brings word, from the North American Branch of the International Association of Crime Writers, of which books and authors have been shortlisted for its 2020 Hammett Prize. That annual commendation is given to a book, originally published in the English language in the United States or Canada, “that best represents the conception of literary excellence in crime writing.”

• Murder in Old Bombay, by Nev March (Minotaur)
• The Mountains Wild, by Sarah Stewart Taylor (Minotaur)
• Three Hours in Paris, by Cara Black (Soho Crime)
• When These Mountains Burn, by David Joy (Putnam)
• Winter Counts, by David Heska Wanbli Weiden (Ecco)

As The Gumshoe Site reports, “Details on [the IACW/NA’s] winner announcement have not been determined yet.”