THE HAMMETT PRIZE WINNER

2020 HAMMETT AWARD WINNER

The International Association of Crime Writers, North America announced the 2020 Hammett Prize Winner. The Hammett Prize is given for literary Excellence in Crime Writing

When These Mountains Burn by David Joy

Set in western North Carolina in the area of the Cherokee reservation, the novel tells the story of an elderly father’s attempt to rescue his son from the plague of addiction that has afflicted so much of rural America. Fierce and tough, the novel shows powerful and tender emotions corrupted and made explosive. Yet it is more than a thriller, casting a cold eye on the difficult social situation, while (as one of the judges observed) giving the reader moments of brilliant writing on almost every page. 

NOMINEES:

Murder In Old Bombay by Nev March (Minotaur) Based on a true story, in 1892 a soldier recovering from wounds investigates a murder. 

The Mountains Wild by Sarah Stewart Taylor (Minotaur) A New York detective revisits the disappearance of her cousin in Ireland two decades ago. 

Three Hours in Paris by Cara Black (Soho) In World War II, a young female sniper is sent to Paris to assassinate the Führer. 

When These Mountains Burn by David Joy (Putnam) A father in Appalachia confronts the opioid epidemic in an attempt to rescue his son. 

Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden (Ecco) Vigilante Virgil Wounded Horse investigates the spread of heroin on the reservation.