Hachette scoops four of six CrimeFest awards

Hachette managed a virtual clean sweep at the 10th annual CrimeFest awards, taking four of the six categories, with YA writer Patrice Lawrence and debut novelist Helena Duggan among the winners.

Hachette imprint John Murray scooped the Last Laugh Award for Spook Street by Mick Herron while Audible Sounds of Crime Award went to J P Delaney for The Girl Before (Quercus), read by Emilia Fox, Finty Williams and Lise Aagaard Knudsen, announced at the gala dinner ceremony on Saturday (19th May).

Michael Connelly won the eDunnit Award for The Late Show (Orion) while Lawrence, author of Orangeboy, took the Best Crime Novel for Young Adults for Indigo Donut (Hodder Children’s Books).

Duggan scooped the Best Crime Novel for Children for her debut title A Place Called Perfect (Usborne Publishing). The Children and Young Adults awards were introduced for the first time last year. And Mike Ripley’s Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (HarperCollins) took the H R F Keating Award.

Meanwhile at the same event, the 2018 Petrona Award for the Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year, was awarded to Quicksand (Simon & Schuster UK) by Malin Persson Giolito, translated from the Swedish by Rachel Willson-Broyles. Persson Giolito’s award thanked the judges “whose expert knowledge and passion helps Nordic Noir travel far” as well paying tribute to Willson-Broyles and S&S UK m.d. of the adult publishing division Suzanne Baboneau.

The ceremony took place at the Bristol Royal Marriott Hotel during the annual CrimeFest festival which saw hundreds of authors, publishers, agents and lovers of crime fiction visit for four days of panel discussions, author talks and interviews with crime fiction authors. Highlights of this year’s convention included guest author appearances from Martina Cole, Lee Child and Peter James.

CrimeFest co-director Donna Moore said: “We’re delighted this year to celebrate not just the past twelve months of crime fiction, but 10 years of the festival at our 10th annual CrimeFest awards.”