SHOTSMAG CONFIDENTIAL |
- Petrona Award Entries 2021
- CWA Dagger Awards Announced
- Writing in Ice: A Crime Writer’s Guide to Iceland by Michael Ridpath
| Posted: 01 Jul 2021 10:00 PM PDT
 The Petrona Award are pleased to announce that 28 of the 29 titles that were eligible for the 2021 Petrona Award for the Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year have been entered by the publishers.
(E-books that meet the above criteria may be considered at the judges' discretion (does not include self-published titles)) They have tagged these titles on Goodreads. Jussi Adler-Olsen - Victim 2117 tr. William Frost (M, Denmark) Quercus Eva Björg Ægisdóttir - The Creak on the Stairs tr. Victoria Cribb (F, Iceland) Orenda Books Stefan Ahnhem -X Ways to Die tr.Agnes Broomé (M, Sweden) Head of Zeus Fredrik Backman - Anxious People tr. Neil Smith (M, Sweden) Michael Joseph Heine Bakkeid - Scatter Her Ashes tr. Anne Bruce (M, Norway) Raven Books Lina Bengtsdotter - For the Dead tr. Agnes Broomé (F, Sweden) Orion Kjell Ola Dahl - Sister tr. Don Bartlett (M, Norway) Orenda Books Katrine Engberg -The Tenant tr.Tara Chace (F, Denmark) Hodder Paperbacks Thomas Enger & Jorn Lier Horst - Death Deserved tr Anne Bruce (M,Norway) Orenda Books Anne Holt - A Necessary Death tr. Anne Bruce (F, Norway) Corvus Jorn Lier Horst - The Inner Darkness tr. Anne Bruce (M, Norway) Michael Joseph Ragnar Jonasson - Winterkill tr. David Warriner (M, Iceland) Orenda Books Ragnar Jonasson -The Mist tr. Victoria Cribb (M, Iceland) Michael Joseph Lars Kepler -Lazarus tr. Neil Smith (M&F, Sweden) HarperCollins Camilla Lackberg - The Gilded Cage tr. Neil Smith (F, Sweden) HarperCollins Jo Nesbo -The Kingdom tr. Robert Ferguson (M, Norway) Harvill Secker Hakan Nesser - The Secret Life of Mr Roos tr. Sarah Death (M, Sweden) Mantle Mikael Niemi -To Cook a Bear tr.Deborah Bragan-Turner (M, Sweden) MacLehose Press Sólveig Pálsdóttir -The Fox tr. Quentin Bates (F, Iceland) Corylus Books Ltd Agnes Ravatn - The Seven Doors tr.Rosie Hedger (F, Norway) Orenda Books Max Seeck - The Witch Hunter tr. Kristian London (M, Finland) Welbeck Lilja Sigurdardottir - Betrayal tr. Quentin Bates (F, Iceland) Orenda Books Yrsa Sigurdardottir - Gallows Rock tr.Victoria Cribb (F, Iceland) Hodder & Stoughton Gunnar Staalesen -Fallen Angels tr. Don Bartlett (M, Norway) Orenda Books Jesper Stein - Die For Me tr. Charlotte Barslund (M, Denmark) Mirror Books Viveca Sten - In the Name of Truth tr.Marlaine Delargy (F, Sweden) AmazonCrossing Mats Strandberg - The Home tr. Agnes Broomé (M, Sweden) Jo Fletcher Books Christer Tholin - Guilty? tr. Christina Lagaris (M, Germany) Christer Tholin --- [Not Entered – Helene Tursten - Snowdrift tr.Marlaine Delargy (F, Sweden) Soho Press]  |
| Posted: 01 Jul 2021 02:31 PM PDT
 Chris Whitaker, Michael Robotham, Vaseem Khan and Peter May win 2021 CWA Daggers.  The winners of the 2021 CWA Daggers, which honour the very best in the crime writing genre, have been announced. The prestigious Crime Writers' Association (CWA) Daggers are the oldest awards in the genre and have been synonymous with quality crime writing for over half a century. Winner of the CWA Gold Dagger, which is awarded for the crime novel of the year, goes to Chris Whitaker for We Begin at the End. Past winners of the Gold Dagger include John le Carré, Reginald Hill and Ruth Rendell. Praised as 'truly memorable' by the CWA judges, We Begin at The End has been a Waterstones Thriller of the Month and sold in 17 territories, with screen rights snapped up by Disney. Chris Whitaker was first recognised by the CWA as a debut author, when he received the John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger in 2017 for Tall Oaks. Chris has said writing 'saved his life' twice. He began writing as a therapeutic response to being mugged, and stabbed, aged 19, then later falling into serious debt in his job as a city trader. Quitting his finance job in London aged 30, he moved to Spain to write his debut novel. Maxim Jakubowski, Chair of the Crime Writers' Association, said: 'This year's Gold Dagger shortlist featured remarkable books, but We Begin at the End is an astoundingly beautiful and moving achievement in storytelling. Chris's talent shone through when we awarded him the John Creasey Dagger in 2017. It's inspiring to see him now take Gold, and I'm delighted that the CWA judges recognised this now acclaimed author from the very start.' S A Cosby for Blacktop Wasteland and Nicci French with House of Correction were also Highly Commended in the Gold Dagger category. Michael Robotham, who won the Gold Dagger in 2015 and 2020, wins this year's Ian Fleming Steel Dagger for best thriller, for When She Was Good. The Ian Fleming Steel Dagger is sponsored by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd, the Fleming family-owned company that looks after the James Bond literary brand. CWA judges praised the novel as 'an urgent, poignant and terrifying thriller'. Born in Australia, Michael worked as a journalist in Australia, America and the UK – as senior feature writer for the Mail on Sunday– before becoming a ghost writer collaborating with politicians and show business personalities to write their autobiographies. Since his first psychological thriller, The Suspect, caused a bidding war at the London Book Fair in 2002, his novels have won numerous awards and been translated into 25 languages.   The much-anticipated John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger highlights the best debut novels. This year the accolade goes to Eva Björg Ægisdóttir for The Creak on the Stairs. The Icelandic author wrote her debut while working as a flight attendant and juggling being a mother, writing the first draft in just nine months. It was a bestseller in Iceland before being picked up in the UK by Orenda Books. Vaseem Khan wins the Sapere Books Historical Dagger for Midnight at Malabar House, set in 1949/1950 Bombay. Born in London, Vaseem spent a decade in India as a management consultant. Since 2006 he has worked at University College London's Jill Dando Institute of Security and Crime Science. The Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger goes to South Korean author Yun Ko-eun for The Disaster Tourist, translated by Lizzie Buehler, praised by the CWA judges as a 'wildly entertaining eco-thriller'.  The ALCS Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction is awarded to forensic pathologist, Sue Black, for Written in Bone praised by the CWA judges as a 'humane, wise book'. The CWA Daggers are one of the few high-profile awards that honour the short story. Clare Mackintosh wins the award with her short story 'Monsters' in First Edition: Celebrating 21 Years of Goldsboro Books. The judges praised it for its powerful twist.  Chair of the judges, Sue Wilkinson, said: 'Peter May infuses his books with a real sense of place, whether it be China, France or the Hebrides. His books are tense, atmospheric and complex but always utterly absorbing.'  One of the anticipated highlights of the annual Daggers is the Debut Dagger competition, open to unknown and uncontracted writers. The competition for unpublished writers can lead to securing representation and a publishing contract. This year the winner is Hannah Redding for Deception. The judges said: 'Deception has all the ingredients of a compelling mystery, complete with unreliable narrators, a cut-off location and a nicely compact time frame.' Fiona McPhillips was also Highly Commended for Underwater. Praised as being 'full of intrigue… The issues of class, sexuality and power explored were very well done.'  The Best Crime and Mystery Publisher of the Year Dagger, which celebrates publishers and imprints demonstrating excellence and diversity in crime writing, goes to the independent publisher, Head of Zeus. Established in 2012, Head of Zeus went from start-up to a multi-million-pound business and positioned itself at the forefront of the eBook revolution. Maxim said: "These awards testify to the wealth of great books and diversity within the crime genre. The Daggers are assuredly the best and most accurate reflection of what's happening on the crime and mystery writing front, with all judges independent of the CWA and renewed on a regular basis." The winners were announced at a virtual ceremony on I July, Daggers Live! dubbed the 'Oscars of the crime genre'.  The evening was hosted by leading crime expert, Barry Forshaw with guest speaker, Abir Mukherjee, who won last year's CWA Sapere Books Historical Dagger for his novel Death in the East. Martina Cole also featured at the awards event as the recipient of the 2021 Diamond Dagger for lifetime achievement, the highest honour in British crime writing. One of the UK's most prominent societies, the CWA was founded in 1953 by John Creasey; the awards started in 1955 with its first award going to Winston Graham, best known for Poldark. They are regarded by the publishing world as the foremost British awards for crime-writing. Dagger Winners 2021 CWA GOLD DAGGER Winner: Chris Whitaker: We Begin at the End (Zaffre, Bonnier) Highly Commended S A Cosby: Blacktop Wasteland, (Headline Publishing Group) Nicci French: House of Correction (Simon & Schuster) CWA IAN FLEMING STEEL DAGGER Michael Robotham: When She Was Good (Sphere, Little, Brown Book Group) CWA JOHN CREASEY (NEW BLOOD) DAGGER Eva Björg Ægisdóttir: The Creak on the Stairs (Orenda), Translator: Victoria Cribb CWA SAPERE BOOKS HISTORICAL DAGG Vaseem Khan: Midnight at Malabar House (Hodder & Stoughton) CWA ALCS GOLD DAGGER FOR NON-FICTION Sue Black: Written in Bone (Doubleday, Penguin) CWA CRIME FICTION IN TRANSLATION DAGGER Yun Ko-eun: The Disaster Tourist, translated by Lizzie Buehler (Serpent's Tail) CWA SHORT STORY DAGGER Clare Mackintosh: 'Monsters' in First Edition: Celebrating 21 Years of Goldsboro Books (The Dome Press) CWA DAGGER IN THE LIBRARY Peter May CWA PUBLISHERS DAGGER Head of Zeus CWA DEBUT DAGGER (Competition for an unpublished novel) Winner:Hannah Redding – Deception Highly commended:Fiona McPhillips – Underwater  |
| Writing in Ice: A Crime Writer’s Guide to Iceland by Michael Ridpath Posted: 30 Jun 2021 10:00 PM PDT
 Over the last twelve years I have written five crime novels set in Iceland. I have visited the country many times, I have spoken to dozens of Icelanders, taken loads of photographs and mumbled for hours into a tape recorder in the wind and rain. I have taken notes. Boy, have I taken notes. I'm quite proud of the way I have organized them. I have a massive Word file of 450 pages (over 200,000) words, all split into sections and subsections for easy reference. So, if I want to describe the café Mokka in Reykjavík, for example, or the effect of the sunlight and clouds on Mount Esja, I can look it up right away.  1. The only country ever to invade Iceland was Britain in May 1940, on the same day Germany was invading Belgium. The British went the wrong way. 2. When an Icelander gets a piece of extraordinary luck he shouts "Hvalreki!", which means "Beached whale!" 3. Iceland has had three Miss Worlds, not bad for a country with the same population as Coventry, which has had none (yet). 4. Iceland is the only country in medieval Europe to be governed without a ruler. Between its settlement in 874 and 1264 Iceland was governed at an annual open-air meeting of the chieftains called the Althing, held on the floor of the rift valley at Thingvellir 5. An analysis of Icelanders' DNA shows that 75% of their male ancestors were mostly Norwegian, but 62% of their female ancestors were British or Irish. That's what a couple of centuries of raping and pillaging will do for the bloodstock. 6. An Icelandic family of four can have four different last names. For example: Jón Gunnarsson (father), Björk Ragnarsdóttir (mother), Magnús Jónsson (son) and Anna Jónsdóttir (daughter). 7. Until 1987 there was no television in Iceland on Thursday nights. The TV guys needed a day off like everyone else. 8. Despite being so far north, the temperature doesn't vary very much. The mean temperature is 2 degrees Celsius in January and 13 degrees Celsius in June. Basically, the weather is pretty bad all year round. 9. Iceland is teeming with "hidden people" who live in rocks. Roads have been diverted to avoid these dwellings. A higher proportion of supporters of the Progressive Party believe in hidden people than supporters of other political parties. Everyone's granny has spoken to one. 10. Icelandic still uses two letters from old English, thorn (þ) and eth (đ). These were introduced to Iceland by English monks in the eleventh century. 11. 89% of houses in Reykjavík are heated using steam bubbling up from the earth's core. The hot water in Reykjavík smells vaguely of sulphur. 12. An Icelander was the first European to discover America (Leifur Eiríksson)  There are many, many more. At heart, I'm not a non-fiction writer, I'm a storyteller. So I decided to tell the story of how and why I set a detective series in Iceland. The stakes, for me at least, were high. After writing eight financial thrillers, I was looking for a new setting for my novels. I knew nothing about Iceland, and I wasn't entirely certain I would be able to discover enough about the country to write crime novels set there. It was a risk. In Writing in Ice, I describe all that I did discover: Iceland's people, its culture, its breath taking landscape, its history, its literature, its myths and its music. I also show how I put together a detective series in a foreign country: creating Magnus my detective, researching characters, how to describe a setting and an atmosphere. When I wrote my first Magnus novel, Where the Shadows Lie, there was only one internationally known Icelandic crime writer – Arnaldur Indridason. Now there are many more: Yrsa Sigurdardóttir, Lilja Sigurdardóttir (no relation), Ragnar Jónasson, Quentin Bates (who is British like me, but knows Iceland much better than I do) and more emerging every year. Which isn't surprising, really, since it's brilliant place to write about. By this point you may be asking yourself, what is the point of a foreigner writing about Iceland when there are so many Icelanders who do it so well? There is an Icelandic expression: "Glöggt er gests augad", which roughly translates to "Clear is a guest's eye." There are some things a foreigner can see and describe, which a native won't. There is so much extraordinary in Iceland, that it all seems ordinary to an Icelander. But I can point it out. That's why I made my detective, Magnus, an Icelandic-American. He moved to Boston when he was twelve and became a Boston homicide detective. So when he returns to Iceland, he sees his own country through the eyes of a guest. Through my eyes. Writing in Ice is the story of how I learned to see Iceland. More than that, it's the story of how I fell in love with the country. Michael Ridpath is the author of the Magnus Iceland Mysteries. His book Writing in Ice: A Crime Writer's Guide to Iceland is published 1 July 2021.  If you had to choose a new location for a crime series, where would you look? Michael Ridpath had to do just that. He chose Iceland, a country of fjords, glaciers and volcanoes, of long, manic summer days and long, sinister winter evenings, a place where everyone is on Facebook and everyone's grandmother has spoken to an elf. This is his account of researching the country: the breathtaking landscape, its vigorous if occasionally odd people, the great heroes and heroines of its sagas, and (of course) those troublesome elves; with a little bit thrown in about how to put together a good detective story. All pictures © Michael Ridpath 1. Michael Ridpath 2. Jökulsárlón Lagoon 3. The Berserker's Lava Field, West Iceland  |
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