Sunday, October 04, 2015

“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).

1 comment:

Kiwicraig said...

Lose one, win one - just days after losing out to Michael Robotham's excellent LIFE OR DEATH at the CWA Gold Dagger ceremony, Stephen King picks up the Hammett Prize.

I'm pleased for him - it's cool how he's going more into crime in recent years (I really liked JOYLAND actually). Though as much as I love Mr King and his novels, I'm not sure how I feel about him getting a 'literary excellence' crime writing award above James Lee Burke, who to my mind continues to be horribly overlooked by many major American crime fiction awards each year despite his ongoing excellence (it's like after winning the Edgar twice years ago they think he's had his turn?). Still, good news all around - pleased for King to win and JLB to at least be a finalist :)

And you and I both know how much of a crapshoot these things can be when it goes from the finalist to winner cut-down, eh Jeff?