STAUNCH BOOK PRIZE WINNER

Samantha Harvey’s The Western Wind (Vintage) has won the £1000 2019 Staunch Book Prize. The medieval mystery thriller follows priest John Reve as he tries to resolve the death of a wealthy villager under the suspicious eye of the regional dean.

Entries to the Staunch Book Prize have to fulfill the criteria of being a thriller novel in which no woman is beaten, stalked, sexually exploited, raped or murdered.

Bridget Lawless, founder of the Staunch Book Prize, said: “This year's winner is a hugely atmospheric and detailed medieval crime story with a man's soul at stake. Harvey's vivid prose and remarkable story-telling conjure a rich and entertaining slow-burn thriller out of mud, secrets, guilt and fear in an isolated 15th-century village.” 

Others Nominated:
Liar's Candle by August Thomas (Simon & Schuster)
Only To Sleep by Lawrence Osborne (Vintage)
Honey by Brenda Brooks (ECW Press)
The Godmother by Hannelore Cayre (Old Street Publishing).

HT: The Rap Sheet via The Bookseller