Ellis Peters Shortlist Announced

The British Crime Writers’ Association has announced its shortlist for the 2006 Ellis Peters Historical Crime Award. According to the CWA, “This year’s shortlist contains a wide range of excellent novels, with settings ranging from ancient Egypt to Hollywood during the McCarthy witch hunts. Last year’s winner, C.J. Sansom, is also on the shortlist once more.”

The shortlist, in alphabetical order by author, is as follows:

• The Pale Blue Eye, by Louis Bayard (John Murray)
The judges comment: “A subtle examination of loyalties, love and duty set in West Point Cadet School in the 1830s with a retired New York policeman brought in to investigate a death that looks like suicide, except that the corpse later has his heart removed. Cadet Edgar Allan Poe is enlisted as an inside aide and brings his own ebullience to the task. Superb characterization, attractive writing and period atmosphere give the book a special appeal.”

• Nefertiti & the Book of the Dead, by Nick Drake (Bantam)
The judges comment: “A tightly plotted and narrated ancient Egyptian investigation of Nefertiti’s mysterious disappearance as her husband, Akhenaten, prepares to welcome the world to his brand new city. There are distinct echoes of Raymond Chandler in the investigator’s search for the missing monarch with political chicanery, aristocratic jealousy and corrupt bureaucracy blocking his every effort. The book combines excellent period detail with a pacy approach more usually found in contemporary crime novels.”

• The Janissary Tree, by Jason Goodwin (Faber & Faber)
The judges comment: “A tale of the early 19th century Ottoman empire, with two deaths threatening the delicate balance of power in the Sultan’s court. Attractively told with the unusual choice of a eunuch as an innately charming and perceptive investigator, The Janissary Tree combines a lightly employed but deeply informed grasp of the period with an exciting plot in which the personal is entwined with the political through a cast of memorable characters.”

• Sovereign, by C.J. Sansom (Macmillan)
The judges comment: “Another spellbinding story from the winner of the 2005 CWA Ellis Peters Historical Dagger. An intricate and beautifully worked-out plot involves Sansom’s hunchback lawyer, much against his will, in Henry VIII’s grand progress to York to quell revolutionary rumblings. Murder, political intrigue, and characters realized with an almost Dickensian relish, combine to produce a dangerous drama that twists and turns as it is played out against a marvelously realized period background.”

• The Sultan’s Seal, by Jenny White (Weidenfeld & Nicholson)
The judges comment: “A layered novel with a delightful mastery of atmosphere set in late 19th century Istanbul as the power of the once great Ottoman empire wanes. The investigation into the death of an English governess contrasts the formality and social constraints that surround the Sultan’s court and the empire bureaucrats with the more liberal attitudes of the English and highlights the fascination of Eastern mysteries for Western society. Personal relationships are entwined with political issues and the complexities of the plot mean twists are revealed right up until the end of this compelling book.”

• Red Sky Lament, by Edward Wright (Orion)
The judges comment: “A deceptively straightforward, classically structured crime novel set in a Hollywood where liberals are reeling under the impact of the investigations of the McCarthy Committee into un-American Activity. The indictment of a leading left-wing screen writer prompts an investigation into who pointed the finger, which deepens into tragedy as murder follows. Political or personal? The story, with its first-class characterization and background detail, illuminates the web of betrayal, distrust and fear that leaves no one untouched, no matter how remote they think they are from communism, and provides a compelling insight into the politics of the post-Second World War film world.”

The winner will be announced on October 9 by Sir Bernard Ingham at a champagne reception to be held at the Courthouse Hotel Kempinski in London. The winning author will receive £3,000, sponsored by the Estate of Ellis Peters and her publishers, the Headline Book Publishing Group and the Little, Brown Book Group.