Monday, March 20, 2023

Recognition Where It’s Due

While we’re on the subject of mystery-fiction awards, let me point out that half a dozen works have been shortlisted in the Crime & Thriller category of this year’s British Book Awards contest. They are:

Bamburg, by L.J. Ross (Dark Skies)
Murder Before Evensong, by Reverend Richard Coles
(Weidenfeld & Nicolson)
The Bullet That Missed, by Richard Osman (Viking)
The Paris Apartment, by Lucy Foley (HarperCollins)
The Twyford Code, by Janice Hallett (Viper)
Wrong Place, Wrong Time, by Gillian McAllister (Penguin
Michael Joseph)

This is just one of 12 divisions of book and audiobook nominees vying for the 2023 British Book Awards, or “Nibbies,” all administered by The Bookseller. (There are another 17 categories of book trade prizes.) Winners are to be announced on Monday, May 15.

* * *

Martin Edwards, the UK author of last year’s The Life of Crime, reports that he has been chosen to receive the 2023 George N. Dove Award. Presented by the Popular Culture Association of the United States, that prize honors “'outstanding contributions to the serious study of mystery, detective, and crime fiction.” Edwards adds that its namesake “was a past president of the Popular Culture Association, and author of outstanding books on detective fiction.”

* * *

Finally, In Reference to Murder notes that Glencairn Crystal, which sponsors the annual McIlvanney and Bloody Scotland Debut crime writing awards, has identified “the winners of this year’s crime short story competition, which had the theme of ‘Scottish Crime,’ meaning the story must be set in Scotland. More than 100 stories were entered in the competition, each containing no more than 2,000 words. First place went to ‘Dummy Railway’ by Francis Crawford, and the runner up was ‘The Last Tram to Gorbals Cross’ by Alan Gaw. Crawford receives £1,000 and publication in the May issue of Scottish Field Magazine, while Gow receives £500. Both authors will also receive a set of six bespoke engraved Glencairn glasses.”

No comments: