Thursday, July 16, 2015

Hilary Captures Peculier Crown

“Debut author Sarah Hilary has scooped the [2015] Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award for Someone Else’s Skin [Penguin],” according to this report from The Bookseller. “Hilary was presented with the award by title sponsor Simon Theakston and broadcaster Mark Lawson at the opening night of the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival ... (16th July) in Harrogate [England].”

Hilary’s novel had been up against five other high-profile, shortlisted works in contention for this prize: The Facts of Life and Death, by Belinda Bauer (Black Swan); The Axeman’s Jazz, by Ray Celestin (Mantle); The Outcast Dead, by Elly Griffiths (Quercus); The Devil in the Marshalsea, by Antonia Hodgson (Hodder & Stoughton); and Entry Island, by Peter May (Quercus). The original longlist of 18 titles, announced this past May, can be found here.

The Bookseller adds that this evening’s awards event also included the presentation, to author Sara Paretsky, of the sixth Theakstons Old Peculier Outstanding Contribution to Crime Fiction Award. “When I created V.I. Warshawski,” Paretsky is quoted as saying, “she created a few seismic shockwaves for being a female detective with gumption. I’m proud of that, and today it’s amazing to be recognized for that legacy and to see so many female characters in the genre who are more than just a vamp or victim. This is such a prestigious award, not least because of the previous winners in whose footsteps I follow--P.D. James, Ruth Rendell, Reginald Hill, and Colin Dexter. It’s amazing to be the first American to infiltrate this list.”

READ MORE:Theakstons Crime Novel of the Year Award 2015,” by Ayo Onatade (Shotsmag Confidential).

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