Gould wins Harvill Secker Bloody Scotland Crime Writing Award

Dettie Gould has won the Harvill Secker Bloody Scotland Crime Writing Award with her "deliciously dark thriller" The Light and Shade of Ellen Swithin.

Her story follows Swithin, who is a skilled actuary in an accounting firm, a dutiful daughter, and a latent serial killer.

The prize, which aims to discover exciting new crime fiction by writers of colour, was judged by winner of the inaugural competition Ajay Chowdhury, alongside journalist and public speaker Paula Akpan, creative producer at Words of Colour Heather Marks and Harvill Secker publisher Liz Foley. 

Gould will have her book published under the Harvill Secker imprint, in a publishing deal with an advance of £5,000. She will also appear on a panel at the Bloody Scotland festival and receive a guest pass for the weekend’s events. The Arvon Foundation, whichsponsored the competition, has also offered the winner the chance to attend any one of its creative writing courses.

"It is a delight to know that the judges fell in love with the story I’d developed and characters I invented," Gould said. "I’ve been writing since my early teens, so the validation and recognition this award brings me as a queer writer of colour, within this genre, is a wildly appreciated triumph."

Foley added: "‘We were so impressed with the distinctive voice that Dettie has created for her brilliant antiheroine Ellen and also her vision for the overall plot and themes of her novel. We’re really looking forward to working with her on Ellen’s story and bringing it to many, many readers."

The judges also highly commended the work of two runners-up: Black Heart, a Brixton-set detective story by Dominic Nelson-Ashley and Grudge, a tale of toxic friendship by Emma Allotey. The runners-up will receive a bundle of Vintage books.

Chowdhury said: "It was wonderful to see such a high quality of submissions and really tough to pick a winner. But we were finally won over by Dettie Gould’s great character Ellen Swithin and her thrilling writing style. I can’t wait to read the final published book!"

Marks added: "I’m really pleased Dettie’s story has won the 2021 Harvill Secker Bloody Scotland Crime Writing Award—her submission stood out among the rest for its compelling plot and dramatic stakes. It’s not often I see crime fiction with queer women at the centre of it—The Light and Shade of Ellen Swithin has all the promise of being a funny, sexy thriller that will have you wondering ’can she really get away with murder?"