Joy Rides to Win

It’s been announced that David Joy’s When These Mountains Burn (Putnam) has won the 2020 Hammett Prize from the North American Branch of the International Association of Crime Writers. That annual commendation is given to a book, one originally published in the English language in either the United States or Canada, “that best represents the conception of literary excellence in crime writing.”

Joy’s novel, his fourth published since 2015, beat out four other highly regarded works to capture this award: Murder in Old Bombay, by Nev March (Minotaur); The Mountains Wild, by Sarah Stewart Taylor (Minotaur); Three Hours in Paris, by Cara Black (Soho Crime); and Winter Counts, by David Heska Wanbli Weiden (Ecco).

“With memorable characters, deft plotting, and an attention to detail, Joy has written a powerful work of crime fiction,” opined Kirkus Reviews of When These Mountains Burn. Crime Fiction Lover remarked that “David Joy has written a timely, poignant masterpiece. When These Mountains Burn is the kind of book that readers will return to again and again. There is so much to discover in his writing full as it is of beautifully constructed sentences and insightful characterisation.” For its part, Publishers’ Weekly concluded, “Joy handles everything with ease, proving himself to be one hell of a writer.”

When These Mountains Burn was first released in August 2020.