Jockeying for the Hammett

The North American Branch of the International Association of Crime Writers has announced its five nominees for the 2019 Hammett Prize. As always, this award recognizes “literary excellence in the field of crime-writing, as reflected in a book published in the English language in the U.S. and/or Canada.” Here are the contenders:

• The Lonely Witness, by William Boyle (Pegasus Crime)
• Under My Skin, by Lisa Unger (Park Row)
• Cut You Down, by Sam Wiebe (Random House Canada)
• November Road, by Lou Berney (Morrow)
• Paris in the Dark, by Robert Olen Butler (The Mysterious Press)

I don’t find information online as to when this year’s Hammett Prize will be presented. However, the 2018 commendation was handed out (to Stephen Mack Jones for his first novel, August Snow) during ThrillerFest in New York City, last July. We will wait to see whether that same arrangement is followed in 2019.

(Hat tip to Mystery Fanfare.)

Jones Grabs the Hammett

Stephen Mack Jones’ August Snow (Soho Crime) may have missed out earlier this week on scoring Best First Novel honors in the 2018 Strand Critics Awards contest, but that book more than made up for it today by being declared the winner of the 2017 Hammett Prize. The Hammett is given out by the North American Branch of the International Association of Crime Writers to “a work of literary excellence in the field of crime writing by a U.S. or Canadian author.”

Also nominated for the Hammett this year were: The Marsh King’s Daughter, by Karen Dionne (Putnam); The Tragedy of Brady Sims, by Ernest J. Gaines (Vintage); and Two Days Gone, by Randall Silvis (Sourcebooks Landmark)

As Mystery Fanfare reports, “Mr. Jones was awarded a bronze trophy, designed by West Coast sculptor Peter Boiger. The award was announced during a lunch for the finalists at New York’s Algonquin Hotel on July 13.” Previous Hammett recipients are listed here.

Who’ll Bag the Hammett?

Yesterday we brought you the nominees for this year’s Lamba Literary Awards. Today, we have the contenders for the 2017 Hammett Prize. This commendation is given out by the North American Branch of the International Association of Crime Writers to “a work of literary excellence in the field of crime writing by a U.S. or Canadian author.” Vying for that IACW/NA honor are:

• The Marsh King’s Daughter, by Karen Dionne (Putnam)
• The Tragedy of Brady Sims, by Ernest J. Gaines (Vintage)
• August Snow, by Stephen Mack Jones (Soho Crime)
• Two Days Gone, by Randall Silvis (Sourcebooks Landmark)

The latest winner of the Hammett Prize will be announced during the NoirCon conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, November 1-4. He or she will receive a bronze trophy, designed by sculptor Peter Boiger. Previous Hammett recipients are listed here.

(Hat tip to In Reference to Murder.)

UPDATE: Due to the death, in late March, of its co-director, Deen Kogan, this year’s NoirCon has been cancelled. An announcement of the 2017 Hammett Prize winner will be made instead on Friday, July 13, during ThrillerFest in New York City.

“Devil” Receives Its Due

California writer Domenic Stansberry has captured the 2016 Hammett Prize for his thriller The White Devil (Molotov Editions), as reported by The Gumshoe Site. The Hammett Prize is given out annually by the North American Branch of the International Association of Crime Writers for “literary excellence in the field of crime writing by a U.S. or Canadian author.” The choice of Stansberry, who previously won an Edgar Award (for The Confession), as this year’s Hammett recipient was made yesterday during the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association’s Fall Conference, in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

Also in contention for the 2016 Hammett were The Second Life of Nick Mason, by Steve Hamilton (Putnam); The Drifter, by Nicholas Petrie (Putnam); Revolver, by Duane Swierczynki (Mulholland); and The Big Nothing, by Bob Truluck (Murmur House).

Congratulations to all of this year’s nominees!

Who’ll Take Home the Bronze?

It was just over three months ago that the North American Branch of the International Association of Crime Writers made the announcement that Lisa Sandlin’s The Do-Right had won the 2015 Hammett Prize for “literary excellence in the field of crime writing by a U.S. or Canadian author.” Yet here we are again, with a brand-new list of IACW candidates, this time vying for the 2016 Hammett Prize.

As reported by Mystery Fanfare, these are the five nominees:

• The Second Life of Nick Mason, by Steve Hamilton (Putnam)
• The Drifter, by Nicholas Petrie (Putnam)
• The White Devil, by Domenic Stansberry (Molotov Editions)
• Revolver, by Duane Swierczynki (Mulholland)
• The Big Nothing, by Bob Truluck (Murmur House)

This year’s Hammett winner is set to be declared during the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association’s Fall Conference, to be held in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, from October 6 to 8. As Mystery Fanfare notes, that victor “will receive a bronze trophy, designed by sculptor Peter Boiger.” Congratulations to all of the contenders!

Sandlin Scores the Hammett

Nebraska author Lisa Sandlin has captured the 2015 Hammett Prize for her first mystery novel, The Do-Right (Cinco Puntos Press). The Hammett, named of course for Sam Spade creator Dashiell Hammett, is given out annually by the North American Branch of the International Association of Crime Writers to “a work of literary excellence in the field of crime writing.”

Also contending for this award were The Stranger, by Harlan Coben (Dutton); Sorrow Lake, by Michael J. McCann (Plaid Raccoon Press); The Whites, by Richard Price, writing as Harry Brandt (Henry Holt); and The Organ Broker, by Stu Strumwasser (Arcade Publishing).

Sandlin’s win was announced at a ceremony in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on October 29, during the NoirCon 2016 conference.

(Hat tip to Mystery Fanfare.)

“Mr. Mercedes” Speeds Past Rivals

This is turning out to be a particularly big season for author Stephen King. Last month President Barack Obama presented him with a National Medal of Arts. Now The Gumshoe Site brings word that King’s novel Mr. Mercedes (Scribner) has won the 2015 Hammett Prize, given out annually by the North American Branch of the International Association of Crime Writers to “a work of literary excellence in the field of crime writing.” According to a press release:

Mr. King was awarded a bronze trophy, designed by West Coast sculptor, Peter Boiger. The award ceremony took place in Somerset, New Jersey, on October 3, during the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association's (NAIBA) Fall Conference.”

Also vying for this year’s Hammett Prize were: Wayfaring Stranger, by James Lee Burke (Simon & Schuster); Smoke River, by Krista Foss (McClelland & Stewart); Gangsterland, by Tod Goldberg (Counterpoint); and Goodhouse, by Peyton Marshall (Farrar, Straus & Giroux).

Congratulations to the victor as well as his fellow nominees.

READ MORE: “Favorite Crime Fiction of 2014, Part V: Ali Karim”
(The Rap Sheet).

An “Angel” Gets Its Winnings

Courtesy of The Gumshoe Site comes word that Richard Lange has won this year’s Hammett Prize for his 2013 novel, Angel Baby (Mulholland). The Hammett is sponsored by the North American Branch of the International Association of Crime Writers and is given annually to a “work of literary excellence in the field of crime writing by a U.S. or Canadian author.”

Also in contention for the prize were: Cataract City, by Craig Davidson (Doubleday Canada); Green Light for Murder, by Heywood Gould (Tyrus); Caught, by Lisa Moore (House of Anansi Press); and The Double, by George Pelecanos (Little, Brown).

The identity of this year’s Hammett recipient was announced on June 7 during the Bloody Words Conference in Toronto, Ontario. As The Gumshoe Site’s Jiro Kimura notes, “Mr. Lange received a bronze trophy, designed by West Coast sculptor Peter Boiger.”

“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.

Hammett Up, Folks

Omnimystery News brings word today that author James Sallis has won the 2011 Hammett Prize for his novel The Killer Is Dying (Walker & Company). The Hammett Prize is given out annually by the North American Branch of the International Association of Crime Writers.

The four other contenders for that commendation were: Feast Day of Fools, by James Lee Burke (Simon & Schuster); Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead, by Sara Gran (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt); The Cat’s Table, by Michael Ondaatje (McClelland & Stewart/Canada; Knopf/U.S.); and The Informant, by Thomas Perry (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/Otto Penzler).

Sallis received his bronze trophy during a special ceremony at this weekend’s Bloody Words Conference in Toronto, Ontario.

It’s the Hammett, Damn It

The North American Branch of the International Association of Crime Writers has named The Nearest Exit (Minotaur), by Olen Steinhauer, the winner of its 2011 Hammett Prize. This commendation is given annually to “a work of literary excellence in the field of crime writing.”

According to a press release, Steinhauer received his award--“a bronze trophy, designed by West Coast sculptor Peter Boiger”--during a ceremony held yesterday in Atlantic City, New Jersey, as part of the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association (NAIBA) Fall Conference.

Also nominated for this year’s prize were: Get Capone: The Secret Plot that Captured America’s Most Wanted Gangster, by Jonathan Eig (Simon & Schuster); Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter, by Tom Franklin (Morrow); and Iron River, by T. Jefferson Parker (Dutton).

If you’re an author who’d like to have one of those bronze Hammett Prizes for yourself, note that the deadline for entry into the 2012 contest is this coming December 10.

(Hat tip to The Gumshoe Site.)

Bloody Well Done!

The North American Branch of the International Association of Crime Writers announced last evening that The Manual of Detection, by Jedediah Berry (Penguin), has won the 2010 Hammett Prize for “literary excellence in the field of crime writing.” Berry received his commendation during a special ceremony at the Bloody Words X Mystery Conference in Toronto, Canada.

Also contending this year for the Hammett Prize were Bury Me Deep, by Megan Abbott (Simon & Schuster); Devil’s Garden, by Ace Atkins (Putnam); The Long Fall, by Walter Mosley (Riverhead); and The Way Home, by George Pelecanos (Little, Brown).

RELATED: “Back to Fronts,” by J. Kingston Pierce (The Rap Sheet).

Making Hammett Proud

Thanks go to Janet Rudolph for alerting me to today’s announcement by the North American Branch of the International Association of Crime Writers (IACW) of its nominees for the 2010 Hammett Prize. The Hammett, named of course in honor of author Dashiell Hammett, is given out annually “for literary excellence in the field of crime-writing.” Without further ado, the list of nominees, please ...

• Bury Me Deep, by Megan Abbott (Simon & Schuster)
• Devil’s Garden, by Ace Atkins (Putnam)
• The Long Fall, by Walter Mosley (Riverhead)
• The Manual of Detection, by Jedediah Berry (Penguin)
• The Way Home, by George Pelecanos (Little, Brown)

Pelecanos won the Hammett last year with his 2008 novel, The Turnaround, so I’d say that somebody else will probably wind up with the IACW/NA’s latest “Thin Man” trophy, designed by sculptor Peter Boiger. Who that will be, though, is anybody’s guess. It’s both a strong and interesting list of nominees.

This prize will be presented during the Bloody Words X Mystery Conference in Toronto, Canada, to be held from May 28 to 30.

Dashiell and George

The North American Branch of the International Association of Crime Writers has announced that American author George Pelecanos is the winner of this year’s Hammett Prize--given for “literary excellence in the field of crime writing”--for his novel The Turnaround (Little, Brown; 2008). On Sunday evening, during a banquet at the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Trade Show in Baltimore, Pelecanos received a bronze trophy.

Other nominees for the 2009 Hammett Prize were Leading Lady, by Heywood Gould (Five Star); The Finder, by Colin Harrison, (Farrar, Straus & Giroux); City of the Sun, by David Levien, (Doubleday); and South by South Bronx, by Abraham Rodriguez (Akashic).

(Hat tip to The Gumshoe Site.)

Prize Fighters

Some lists of annual crime-fiction award contenders are pretty predictable. The same cannot always be said of the Hammett Prize, which is given out by the North American Branch of the International Association of Crime Writers. As proof, here’s the list of nominees for the 2009 Hammett Prize, announced yesterday:

• Leading Lady, by Heywood Gould (Five Star)
• The Finder, by Colin Harrison, (Farrar, Straus & Giroux)
• City of the Sun, by David Levien, (Doubleday)
• The Turnaround, by George Pelecanos (Little, Brown)
• South by South Bronx, by Abraham Rodriguez (Akashic)

This year’s winner will be announced during the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association (NAIBA) Sales Conference, to be held in Baltimore, October 4-5.

(Hat tip to The Gumshoe Site.)

That’s It, Hammett Up

Now, this comes as a surprise. The North American Branch of the International Association of Crime Writers has given its 2008 Hammett Prize to the least familiar title on its list of nominees: The Outlander, by Canadian Gil Adamson (House of Anansi Press). She received her bronze trophy at a ceremony today in Toronto, during the annual Bloody Words mystery convention.

Also nominated for this year’s Hammett were: The Yiddish Policemen’s Union, by Michael Chabon (HarperCollins); End Games, by the late Michael Dibdin (Pantheon); Dahlia’s Gone, by Katie Estill (St. Martin’s Press); and Stalin’s Ghost, by Martin Cruz Smith (Simon & Schuster). Had any of those authors’ work been chosen for the Hammett, no one would’ve blinked an eye. But Adamson? She’s a poet and short story writer, and The Outlander--a woman-on-the-run tale set in Alberta, Idaho, and Montana in 1903--is her first novel.

The Hammett marks quite a start to her new career, if I may say so.

(Hat tip to The Gumshoe Site.)

Fesperman Does Dash Proud

War correspondent-turned-novelist Dan Fesperman has picked up the 2007 Hammett Prize for his thriller The Prisoner of Guantánamo (Knopf). This commendation (in the shape of a “Thin Man,” designed by sculptor Peter Boiger) is given out annually by the North American Branch of the International Association of Crime Writers. The announcement of Fesperman’s win was made this evening during the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association (NAIBA) Bookseller Sales Conference, which was being held--conveniently--in Baltimore, Maryland, Fesperman’s hometown.

Also nominated for this year’s Hammett were Ghost Dancer, by John Case (Ballantine); Dark Companion, by Jim Nisbet (Dennis McMillan); The Crimes of Jordan Wise, by Bill Pronzini (Walker); and Four Kinds of Rain, by Robert Ward (St. Martin’s Minotaur).

An interview with Fesperman, in which he talks about the writing of Prisoner, can be found at the Powell’s Books Web site.

Last year’s Hammett Prize recipient, by the way, was Alibi, by Joseph Kanon.

(Hat tip to Jiro Kimura’s The Gumshoe Site.)

Read Harvest

The North American Branch of the International Association of Crime Writers has announced its nominees for the 2007 Hammett Prize, given to “a work of literary excellence in the field of crime writing by a U.S. or Canadian author.” The nominees this time around are:

• Ghost Dancer, by John Case (Ballantine)
• The Prisoner of Guantánamo, by Dan Fesperman (Knopf)
• Dark Companion, by Jim Nisbet (Dennis McMillan)
• The Crimes of Jordan Wise, by Bill Pronzini (Walker)
• Four Kinds of Rain, by Robert Ward (St. Martin’s Minotaur)

A winner will be named during the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association (NAIBA) Bookseller Sales Conference to be held in Baltimore, Maryland, October 14-15. That author will pick up a “Thin Man” trophy, designed by sculptor Peter Boiger.

Last year’s Hammett Prize recipient was Alibi, by Joseph Kanon.

(Hat tip to The Gumshoe Site.)

Crimes Among the Canals

Book publishing exec-turned-novelist Joseph Kanon has been named as this year’s winner of the Hammett Prize for his 2005 historical thriller, Alibi. The Hammett is given out annually by the North American Branch of the International Association of Crime Writers “for a work of literary excellence in the field of crime writing.”

Set in 1946, as Europe is starting to recover from the death and devastation of World War II, Alibi follows Adam Miller to Venice, Italy, a city generally untouched by the confrontation. Miller, who’d been a U.S. Army war crimes investigator in Germany, is joining his widowed mother, Grace, who’s come from New York to resume her existence as a well-heeled American expat on the edge of the Adriatic Sea. And at least for a while, their lives seem to be settling back into the languid pace with which they were familiar before 1939. Grace has become reacquainted with an old but (to Adam’s mind) suspicious doctor friend, the suave Gianni Maglione, while the ex-G.I. himself falls for Claudia Grassini, a Jewish woman marked by her experiences during the war--and by the choices she was compelled to make to survive that bloody conflict. But the fireworks are lit when Claudia encounters Gianni, and accuses him not only of having helped the Germans during the Occupation, but condemning her own father to the Nazi extermination camp at Auschwitz. Part love story, part revenge yarn, part atmospheric travel tale, Alibi was praised by Library Journal as “an engrossing drama where the ultimate mystery, as one of the characters notes, is not ‘who done it’ but who people are.”

This isn’t the first time author Kanon has won literary acclaim. His debut novel, Los Alamos (1995), picked up an Edgar Allan Poe Award and his subsequent two novels, The Prodigal Spy (1999) and The Good German (2001), were both critically lauded.

Other contenders for the 2006 Hammett Prize (named, of course, in honor of American hard-boiled crime writer Dashiell Hammett) were: Islandbridge, by John Brady; The Door to Bitterness, by Martin Limón; No Country for Old Men, by Cormac McCarthy; and The Power of the Dog, by Don Winslow.

ADDENDUM: Kanon talks about Alibi in an interview to be found here. And you can read an excerpt from the novel here.