The 2015 Hammett Prize

The North American Branch of the  International Association of Crime Writers announced that Mr. Mercedes, by Stephen King (Scribner), has been named the winner of the organization's annual HAMMETT PRIZE for a work of literary excellence in the field of crime writing.

The winning title was chosen by a group of three distinguished outside judges: Morris Dickstein, author of Why Not Say What Happened: A Sentimental Education; Daniel Simon, Editor-in Chief of World Literature Today; and Frank Wilson, former Books Editor of The Philadelphia Inquirer and blogger at Booksinq. The judges selected from among five finalists nominated from the hundreds of crime books published in 2014. These five titles were selected by the organization's nominations committee headed by Del Staecker.       

Other books nominated for the 2014 HAMMETT PRIZE were Wayfaring Stranger: A Novel, by James Lee Burke (Simon & Schuster); Smoke River, by Krista Foss (McClelland & Stewart); Gangsterland: A Novel, by Tod Goldberg (Counterpoint); and Goodhouse: A Novel, by Peyton Marshall (Farrar, Straus & Giroux).

Mr. King was awarded a bronze trophy, designed by West Coast sculptor, Peter Boiger.  The award ceremony took place in Somerset, New Jersey, on October 3, during the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association’s  (NAIBA) Fall Conference.

Hat tip to Janet Rudolph and Mystery Fanfare for the information.