Boyle wins Amazon Publishing New Voices Award

Journalist and writer Darren Boyle has won Capital Crime's Amazon Publishing New Voices Award for his thriller The Black Pool, which is set in contemporary Dublin and follows a journalist who ventures deep into the murky world of gang-organised tiger raids.

The prize ran previously in 2019 during the inaugural Capital Crime festival in London but this is the first year it has been sponsored and carries such a comprehensive prize package, which includes £1,000, a trophy and a potential offer of publication from Thomas & Mercer, the mystery and thriller imprint at Amazon Publishing.

Victoria Haslam, Amazon Publishing editor and New Voices Award judge, said: "It ’s been a complete pleasure to read our finalists for the Amazon Publishing New Voices Award – the exceptionally high standard of entries has made this an incredibly difficult decision. However, Darren’s storytelling, setting, and authentic voice really shone, and he is an exciting new voice in the crime fiction world. I am delighted that we are crowning Darren our winner for 2021."

Lizzie Curle, Capital Crime festival director, said: “We’re very proud to be able to champion the next generation of voices in the crime fiction world with the help of Amazon Publishing and readers. Readers and crime fiction fans are at the heart of everything we do, and the Amazon Publishing New Voices Awards uses an innovative program which allows for them to vote for the book they’d like to read. Darren Boyle is their winner and we know he, and the other shortlisted writers have an exciting road ahead of them. A heartfelt thanks to all who have entered and voted in this year’s awards.” 

In acknowledgement of the quality of this year’s entries, the judges gave two honourable mentions to the shortlisted writers Patti Buff, a native of southern Minnesota who has lived in Germany for the past 20 years, for The Ice Beneath Me, and Casey King, an Irish crime writer from County Cork, for No Time to Cry.

This year's award saw hundreds of entries from around the world, with writers from countries including France, India, Canada and the Netherlands, organisers said.