How Nice for “Mice”

The 2026 British Book Awards—aka the “Nibbies”—were handed out this week in 17 categories. Sally Smith’s A Case of Mice and Murder (Raven, 2024) took top honors in the Crime & Thriller division, with judges calling it “exquisitely written” and labeling its protagonist, Edwardian barrister Gabriel Ward KC, a “memorable sleuth.”

Smith’s novel beat out four others to claim the prize. They were: Death at the White Hart, by Chris Chibnall (Michael Joseph); The God of the Woods, by Liz Moore (Borough Press); The Impossible Fortune, by Richard Osman (Viking); The Secret of Secrets, by Dan Brown (Bantam); and The Tenant, by Freida McFadden (Poisoned Pen Press).

The British Book Awards are administered by The Bookseller.