The Strand Magazine announces
nominations for the 2020 Strand Critics Awards:
Authors Attica Locke, Alex Michaelides,
Don Winslow, Angie Kim, and Laura Lippman headline this year’s nominees for the
Strand Critics Awards.
Walter Mosley and Tess Gerritsen will
receive Lifetime Achievement Awards.
Bronwen Hruska of Soho Press will receive
the Publisher of the Year Award.
Recognizing excellence in the field of
mystery fiction and publishing, the annual Strand Critics Awards are judged by
a select group of book critics and journalists. This year’s judges include
talent from NPR, USA Today, LA Times, and The Washington
Post.
And the nominees are . . .
Best Mystery Novel (2019)
Big Sky by
Kate Atkinson (Little, Brown and Co.)
The Lost Man by
Jane Harper (Flatiron Books)
The Sentence is Death by
Anthony Horowitz (Harper)
Lady in the Lake by
Laura Lippman (William Morrow)
Heaven, My Home by
Attica Locke (Mulholland Books)
The Border by
Don Winslow (William Morrow)
Best Debut Novel (2019)
Scrublands by
Chris Hammer (Atria Books)
Miracle Creek by
Angie Kim (Sarah Crichton Books, FSG)
One Night Gone by
Tara Laskowski (Graydon House)
The Silent Patient by
Alex Michaelides (Celadon Books)
Three-Fifths by
John Vercher (Agora Books)
“This year’s panel chose a great
lineup of nominees,” said Andrew F. Gulli, managing editor of The
Strand Magazine. “It’s great to see a variety of books within the genre get
represented. We have everything from traditional puzzle mystery and PI novel to
noir and literary suspense, even a hospital mystery.”
Past recipients of Critics Awards
include Michael Connelly, Laura Lippman, Richard Price, Megan Abbott, George
Pelecanos, Joseph Finder, Lauren Beukes, and William Landay.
The Strand Magazine’s Publisher of the
Year Award recognizes excellence in publishing…
This year’s recipient is Bronwen Hruska,
publisher of Soho Press. An accomplished journalist and screenwriter, Hruska
took the helm at Soho in 2010 and for the past ten years has overseen record
growth, with scores of novels receiving critical and commercial acclaim.
“The characteristic of a great
publisher is one who takes risks, who is never satisfied with the status quo,
and most importantly someone who is dedicated to releasing works from a diverse
set of authors,” said Managing Editor Gulli. “For over a decade, Hruska has
done just that. She has been a fearless and tireless advocate for her authors,
and they all love her.”
“Publishing is a labor of love, full
stop. At Soho, we believe in every book we publish, every author. But to be
recognized for that work—and by Strand Magazine, a leader in the crime fiction
community—is truly an honor,” said Hruska. “Thank you Strand, and thank
you to our wonderful authors who make our work not only meaningful, but quite
joyful as well.”
The
Strand Magazine’s Lifetime Achievement Awards go to Tess Gerritsen and Walter
Mosley.
In a writing career spanning several
decades and multiple genres, Tess Gerritsen has stood
out as one of the most
inventive practitioners of the medical thriller. Her series featuring Boston
police detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles has been a
staple of best-seller lists (also inspiring a hit TV show), and her books have
sold over 30 million copies worldwide.
“When I was a child, my very
practical father told me I’d never be able to support myself as a writer,” said
Gerritsen. “But we storytellers are a stubborn bunch, and three decades into a
writing career, here I am. Still writing. I’m thrilled by this honor, which
proves that, yes, tenacity has its rewards.”
In 1990, the release of Devil in
a Blue Dress marked the debut of Easy Rawlins, a clever, noble, and
thoughtful private investigator in post-World War II Los Angeles. Author Walter
Mosley earned plaudits for the novel, and for the past thirty years he has been
compared to noir luminaries Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, and James M.
Cain. Mosley is the author of more than 40 books and his work has been
translated into 23 languages.
“I want to thank Andrew Gulli and the
critics that elected to give me this honor, adding my name to a list of names I
greatly admire,” said Mosley. “The Strand itself deserves honors
too for staying true to its mission in an age of media attrition, showcasing,
engaging and amplifying the voices of writers who write in all the many forms
this genre takes on.”
The Strand Critics Awards will be held
virtually on September 4.
Thanks to Strand Magazine for the information.
