Winnowing Down the Competition

Adding to the recent shower of prize nominations for crime, mystery, and thriller fiction come the 2024 CrimeFest Awards shortlists. The winners of these annual commendations will be announced and their awards presented during this year’s CrimeFest, scheduled to take place in Bristol, England, from May 9 to 12.

Specsavers Debut Crime Novel Award:
• Death Under a Little Sky, by Stig Abell (Hemlock Press)
• In the Blink of an Eye, by Jo Callaghan (Simon & Schuster)
• The Messenger, by Megan Davis (Zaffre)
• Thirty Days of Darkness, by Jenny Lund Madsen, translated by
Megan Turney (Orenda)
• Needless Alley, by Natalie Marlow (Baskerville)
• Death of a Bookseller, by Alice Slater (Hodder & Stoughton)

eDunnit Award (for the best e-book):
• Don't Look Away, by Rachel Abbott (Wildfire)
• The Close, by Jane Casey (HarperCollins)
• Sepulchre Street, by Martin Edwards (Head of Zeus)
• Murder at Bletchley Park, by Christina Koning (Allison & Busby)
• Prom Mom, by Laura Lippman (Faber and Faber)
• The Devil’s Playground, by Craig Russell (Constable)

Last Laugh Award (for the best humorous crime novel):
• The Last Dance, by Mark Billingham (Sphere)
• The Great Deceiver, by Elly Griffiths (Quercus)
• The Secret Hours, by Mick Herron (Baskerville)
• Mr. Campion’s Memory, by Mike Ripley (Severn House)
• Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers, by Jesse Sutanto (HQ)
• The Beaver Theory, by Antti Tuomianen (Orenda)

H.R.F. Keating Award (for the best biographical or critical book related to crime fiction):
• Contemporary European Crime Fiction: Representing History and Politics, edited by Monica Dall'Asta, Jacques Migozzi, Federico Pagello, and Andrew Pepper (Palgrave)
• Ocular Proof and the Spectacled Detective in British Crime Fiction, by Lisa Hopkins (Palgrave)
• How to Survive a Classic Crime Novel, by Kate Jackson
(British Library)
• Love Me Fierce in Danger: The Life of James Ellroy, by Steven Powell (Bloomsbury Academic)
• Ian Fleming: The Complete Man, by Nicholas Shakespeare
(Harvill Secker)
• The Secret Life of John le Carré, by Adam Sisman (Profile)

Best Crime Fiction Novel for Children (aged 8-12):
• Mysteries at Sea: Peril on the Atlantic, by A.M. Howell (Usborne)
• The Detention Detectives, by Lis Jardine (Penguin Random House Children’s UK)
• The Swifts, by Beth Lincoln (Penguin Random House Children’s UK)
• The Breakfast Club Adventures: The Ghoul in the School, by Marcus Rashford (with Alex Falase-Koya) (Macmillan Children’s Books)
• The Ministry of Unladylike Activity 2: The Body in the Blitz, by Robin Stevens (Penguin Random House Children’s UK)
• The Lizzie and Belle Mysteries: Portraits and Poison, by J.T. Williams, illustrated by Simone Douglas (Farshore)

Best Crime Fiction Novel for Young Adults (aged 12-16):
• The Brothers Hawthorne, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Penguin Random House Children’s UK)
• Promise Boys, by Nick Brooks (Macmillan Children’s Books)
• This Book Kills, by Ravena Guron (Usborne)
• Catch Your Death, by Ravena Guron (Usborne)
• One of Us Is Back, by Karen M. McManus (Penguin Random House Children’s UK)
• Stateless, by Elizabeth Wein (Bloomsbury YA)

Thalia Proctor Memorial Award for Best Adapted TV Crime Drama:
• Dalgliesh (series 2), based on the Inspector Dalgliesh books
by P.D. James (Channel 5)
• Reacher (series 2), based on the Jack Reacher books
by Lee Child (Amazon Prime)
• Shetland (series 8), based on the Shetland books
by Ann Cleeves (BBC)
• Slow Horses (series 3), based on the Slough House books
by Mick Herron (Apple)
• The Serial Killer's Wife, based on the Serial Killer books
by Alice Hunter (Paramount+)
• Vera (series 12), based on the Vera Stanhope books
by Ann Cleeves (ITV)

(Hat tip to Promoting Crime Fiction.)