D’Silva's psychological thriller wins Joffe Books Prize

Renita D’Silva’s psychological thriller, The Neighbour, has won the Joffe Books Prize for Crime Writers of Colour 2023.

The prize was established in response to "the paucity of diverse voices being published in crime fiction". Its aim is to seek out writers from communities that are underrepresented in the genre and support them in building sustainable careers. It also aims to discover new talent to add to the publisher’s list.

D’Silva said: “I’m beyond thrilled to win the Joffe Books Prize 2023 and very excited to be signing with Joffe. I feel humbled and privileged to have such a brilliant team backing my books and to be joining such an amazingly talented cohort of writers.”

This year submissions included "gritty climate thrillers and wrenching domestic suspense, pharmaceutical thrillers to cyberpunk detective mysteries". The judges, including author Nadine Matheson, literary agent Nelle Andrew and Joffe Books editorial director Emma Grundy Haigh, considered each manuscript in terms of both the strength of the writing and marketability.

They unanimously awarded the Joffe Books Prize 2023 to D’Silva, praising her book for its "wide ranging, ambitious cast of characters and stories that interlock but don’t overwhelm". The synopsis of the winning book says: "Newlyweds Amir and Sapna move into an all-white, middle-class neighbourhood on the edge of a bustling town. Their arrival causes a flutter of disquiet among the residents of the quiet cul-de-sac, exposing long-held secrets and upending the fragile harmony that binds them.”

D’Silva has published 10 historical fiction novels and her short stories have been published in various magazines and anthologies, and been nominated for the Pushcart prize, shortlisted for the LoveReading Very Short Story award and longlisted for the BBC National Short Story award. The Neighbour is her first psychological thriller.

Grundy Haigh said: “It’s a privilege to have been able to read so many submissions with such fantastic potential, but it was Renita’s brilliant domestic thriller that shone out to me straight away. It’s immediately hooky, with a breath-taking opening scene. Renita’s forte is in her strong, relatable, well-drawn characters and that delicate prose which effortlessly carries the tension through a web of secrets, lies and betrayal.”