Pinckley Prizes For Crime Fiction

 

Alafair Burke, Margot Douaihy, and Sascha Rothchild are the recipients of the Pinckley Prizes in Crime Fiction for 2022 and 2023. 

The prizes, named to honor the memory of Diana Pinckley, were presented on 22nd March in New Orleans. The Pinckley Prizes partner with the Women’s National Book Association of New Orleans, of which Diana Pinckley was a founding member.

Alafair Burke is the winner of the 2023 Pinckley Prize for Distinguished Body of Work. 

Burke is the New York Times, Edgar Award nominated author of twenty crime novels. Published in more than twenty languages, her books have been featured on “Best Book” lists from the Today Show, Entertainment Weekly, People, O (Oprah Magazine), The Boston Globe, Washington Post, Sun Sentinel, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and numerous other outlets. She has been called “a genius for plot” and “one of our greatest contemporary mystery writers.” She is the current President of Mystery Writers of America and the first woman of color to be elected to that position. In addition to the standalone novels that have earned her a reputation as “a virtuoso” of domestic suspense, she authors “two power house series” featuring NYPD Detective Ellie Hatcher and Portland Deputy District Attorney Samantha Kincaid. In addition to her own work, 

Alafair also co-authored the "Under Suspicion” series with Queen of Suspense Mary Higgins Clark. Alafair traces a lifelong fascination with crime to the fact that she grew up in Wichita, Kansas, where a serial killer was active during her formative years. In a world where the killer could be anyone, Alafair found comfort in crime fiction. Her mother, a school librarian, helped her navigate from Encyclopedia Brown to Nancy Drew to Agatha Christie and eventually to Sue Grafton.

Margot Douaihy is the winner of the 2023 Pinckley Prize for Debut Fiction for her lyrical crime novel Scorched Grace. The second book in the Sister Holiday Mystery series, Blessed Water, was released on 12 March 2024.

The judges selected Scorched Grace for the novel’s delightful new vision of the noir sleuth: Sister Holiday is lavishly tattooed and plays lead guitar in her punk band Original Sin. She also happens to be a novitiate in the order of the Sisters of the Sublime Blood. She came to New Orleans to make amends for her past transgressions and solves crimes along the way. Douaihy’s writing is playful, the language as luscious as the setting, while the true heart of the story emerges with blazing warmth and compassion for troubled souls.

Sascha Rothchild is the winner of the 2022 Pinckley Prize for Debut Novel for her first book Blood Sugar.

The 2023 judges were impressed with the smart plotting and distinctive voice of Sascha Rothchild's Blood Sugar. Its protagonist, Ruby Simon, is one of the most seductive of psychopaths—clever, self-justifying, and so inventive that the reader can't wait to see what she does next. Rothchild's screenwriting skills translate beautifully to this novel, which also rises to its Miami setting, from Ruby's South Beach days of clubbing to her practice as a therapist. And who wouldn't love a serial killer who meets her best friend when he leaves a note in her Abnormal Psych textbook? Fast, funny, and sharp, Blood Sugar is filled with memorable moments and characters.

 

2019 Pinckley Prizes for Crime Fiction

Megan Abbott and Sarah St. Vincent are the recipients of the 2019 Pinckley Prizes for Crime Fiction. The prizes will be presented October 10, 2019, at Louisiana Humanities Center, 938 Lafayette St., in New Orleans. This event is open to the public.

The prizes honours two women writers. Winners receive both a financial award of $2,500 and a trip to New Orleans to accept their prize.

The Pinckley Prize for Distinguished Body of Work honours an established woman writer who has created a significant body of work in crime fiction. The winner is nominated and selected by a jury of WNBA-NO members.

The Pinckley Prize for Debut Novel honours a woman writer with a first-time published novel in adult crime fiction. The winner is selected from the submissions by a three-judge panel.

The Pinckley Prizes partner with the Women’s National Book Association of New Orleans, of which Diana Pinckley was a founding member.  More information about the Pinckley Prize can be found here and information about the winners here.

2018 Pinckley Prizes

Ellen Hart and Marcie Rendon are the recipients of the 2018 Pinckley Prizes for Crime Fiction, named to honour the memory of Diana Pinckley.

The prizes will be presented on 6 October 2018 at The George and Joyce Wein New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Center, 1225 N. Rampart St., New Orleans.

The Pinckley Prizes partner with the Women’s National Book Association of New Orleans, of which Diana Pinckley was a founding member.  More information about the Pinckley Prize can be found here and information about the winners here.

Louise Penny wins the 2017 Pinckley Prize

Congratulations to Louise Penny who has won the 2017 Pinckley Prize for Distinguished Body of Work. The Pinckley Prize for Distinguished Body of Work honors an established woman writer who has created a significant body of work in crime fiction. The winner is nominated and selected by a jury of WNBA-NO members.

Trudy Nan Boyce has won the Pinckley Prize for Debut Novel for Out of the Blues (Putnam). The Pinckley Prize for Debut Novel honors a woman writer with a first-time published novel in adult crime fiction. The winner is selected from the submissions by a three-judge panel.

Each author will be given a $2,500 cash award and a trip to New Orleans to accept their award at the September 8 ceremony at the Academy of the Sacred Heart/Nims Fine Arts Center in New Orleans.

The Pinckley Prize was established in 2011 by the Women’s National Book Association of New Orleans, Louisiana.