Lasting Impressions

London, England’s 2024 Capital Crime Festival concluded yesterday. One of the highlights of that three-day event was the announcement of this year’s Fingerprint Award winners, in seven categories.

Overall Best Crime Book of the Year:
None of This Is True, by Lisa Jewell (Century)

Also nominated: The Murder Game, by Tom Hindle (Century); The Secret Hours, by Mick Herron (Baskerville); In the Blink of an Eye, by Jo Callaghan (Simon & Schuster UK); and Strange Sally Diamond, by Liz Nugent (Sandycove)

Thriller Book of the Year:
The Only Suspect, by Louise Candlish (Simon & Schuster UK)

Also nominated: Fearless, by M.W. Craven (Constable); The Silent Man, by David Fennell (Zaffre); The Rule of Three, by Sam Ripley (Simon & Schuster UK); and The House Hunt, by C.M. Ewan (Macmillan)

Historical Crime Book of the Year:
The House of Whispers, by Anna Mazzola (Orion)

Also nominated: Death of a Lesser God, by Vaseem Khan (Hodder & Stoughton); The Square of Sevens, by Laura Shepherd-Robinson (Mantle); The Murder Wheel, by Tom Mead (Head of Zeus/Aries); and The Good Liars, by Anita Frank (HQ)

Genre-Busting Book of the Year:
Killing Jericho, by William Hussey (Zaffre)

Also nominated: Ink Blood Sister Scribe, by Emma Törzs (Century); The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels, by Janice Hallett (Viper); Murder in the Family, by Cara Hunter (HarperFiction); and The Looking Glass Sound, by Catriona Ward (Viper)

Debut Crime Book of the Year:
Death of a Bookseller, by Alice Slater (Hodder & Stoughton)

Also nominated: The List, by Yomi Adegoke (Fourth Estate); Geneva, by Richard Armitage (Faber and Faber); The Bandit Queens, by Parini Shroff (Allen & Unwin); and Thirty Days of Darkness, by Jenny Lund Madsen (Orenda)

True Crime Book of the Year: No Ordinary Day: Espionage, Betrayal, Terrorism and Corruption—the Truth Behind the Murder of WPC Yvonne Fletcher, by Matt Johnson (Ad Lib)

Also nominated: My Girl: The Babes in the Woods Murders. A Mother’s Fight for Justice, by Michelle Hadaway (Penguin); Vital Organs: A History of the World’s Most Famous Body Parts, by Suzie Edge (Wildfire); Unlawful Killings: Life, Love and Murder: Trials at the Old Bailey, by Her Honour Wendy Joseph QC (Doubleday); and Order Out of Chaos: A Kidnap Negotiator’s Guide to Influence and Persuasion, by Scott Walker (Piatkus)

Audiobook of the Year: Over My Dead Body, by Maz Evans,
narrated by Maz Evans (Headline)

Also nominated: The Running Grave, by Robert Galbraith, narrated by Robert Glenister (Oakhill); The Blackbird, by Tim Weaver, narrated by Joe Coen, Brendan McDonald, Anjili Mohindra (Penguin Audio); The Bedroom Window, by K.L. Slater, narrated by Clare Corbett (Audible); and Conviction, by Jack Jordan, narrated by Sophie Roberts (Audible)

Thalia Procter Lifetime Achievement Award: Lynda La Plante