Mo Hayder takes top crime novel Edgar

The Mystery Writers of America have announced the winners of their Edgar Awards. The prestigious Best Novel of 2012 award has gone to the British author Mo Hayder for Gone. The Bath-based writer has released a slew of great novels since 2000 and this story about the police hunt for a carjacker who targets cars with children inside caps them all. It’s the third in her Walking Man series featuring detective Jack Caffrey. The fourth, Quiet Day, is due out this year.

Back to the awards and congratulations must go out to Martha Grimes. The American detective fiction author has won the Grand Master Edgar, which recognises a writer for their outstanding body of work. Grimes has penned 22 of her Richard Jury novels since 1981 as well as a scattering of other books. Her latest was The Black Cat, which sees Jury investigating the deaths of three escort girls. The Grand Master award dates all the way back to 1955 and its first winner was Agatha Christie.

Meanwhile the Best Paperback Original award went to Robert Jackson Bennett for The Company Man and the Best Young Adult to The Silence of Murder by Dandi Daley Mackall. Several other awards for non-fiction and short stories were also given out, and you can find out more at The Edgars website. The awards were made on 26 April in New York.

This side of the pond, the upcoming Bristol CrimeFest has announced the shortlists for its range of awards, which will be presented on 26 May. Some big names are up for awards across the categories including Linwood Barclay, Lee Child, Alexander McCall Smith, Michael Connelly, Declan Burke, Dennis Lehane and George Pelecanos. To see the CrimeFest awards shortlists click here.

Award winners and nominees are always a good source of ideas for your next read. Also see our listing of 25 recommended crime books which we created for World Book Night.