She Has It All Locke-d Up

Los Angeles writer Attica Locke’s third novel, Pleasantville (Harper), has won the 2016 Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction, according to a joint announcement made by the University of Alabama School of Law and the ABA Journal. That same news release adds: “The prize, authorized by Lee [who died earlier this year], is given annually to a book-length work of fiction that best illuminates the role of lawyers in society and their power to effect change. … Locke’s novel will be honored during a ceremony on September 22, at 5:30 p.m., at the Library of Congress’ Thomas Jefferson Building in Washington, D.C., in conjunction with the National Book Festival.”

Locke is only the sixth author to win the Harper Lee Prize. It was previously given to Deborah Johnson (in 2015) for The Secret of Magic; John Grisham (2014) for Sycamore Row; Paul Goldstein (2013) for Havana Requiem; Michael Connelly (2012) for The Fifth Witness; and John Grisham (2011) for The Confession.

In addition to Pleasantville, there were a couple of other 2015 novels in contention for this year’s award. They were Tom & Lucky (and George & Cokey Flo), by C. Joseph Greaves (Bloomsbury USA), and Allegiance, by Kermit Roosevelt (Regan Arts).

(Hat tip to The Gumshoe Site.)