Winner: Book of the Year - Crime and Thriller
The Twyford Code, Janice Hallett’s follow-up to her début The Appeal, was praised as “brave” and “bold” by our judges, with one dubbing it: “epistolary brainy crime”. Second books can be tricky, but Hallett smashed expectations when The Twyford Code outsold her début novel in hardback, audio and export. The judges were very impressed by Hallett’s skill in creating a mystery where the reader is invited to solve the crime alongside the characters, testifying to her growing strength as a writer. The striking cover included 33 clues within the fish’s scales and eyes and Viper’s “canny” marketing positioned Hallett as a the “queen of cosy crime” and capitalised on the love for her début. It is a “really wonderful success story”, commented one judge.
THE NIBBIES: British Book Awards: Book of the Year 2022
Winners of the British Book Awards (aka The Nibbies,
aka THE publishing event of the year) took place virtually this
year. The Prizes are administered by The Bookseller. The Nibbies are awarded in several categories. Here's a sampling of interest to Mystery Readers.
Books of the Year – The 2021 shortlists in full:
Fiction BOOK OF THE YEAR
Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell (Tinder Press, Headline)
Contenders:
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett (Dialogue Books)
The Lying Life of Adults by Elena Ferrante, translated by Ann Goldstein (Europa Editions)
The Evening and the Morning by Ken Follett (Macmillan, Pan Macmillan)
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (Canongate)
The Mirror and The Light by Hilary Mantel (4th Estate, HarperCollins)
Début BOOK OF THE YEAR
Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart (Picador, Pan Macmillan)
Contenders:
Ghosts by Dolly Alderton (Fig Tree, Penguin Random House)
The Girl With the Louding Voice by Abi Daré (Sceptre, Hodder & Stoughton)
Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan (W&N, Orion)
Rainbow Milk by Paul Mendez (Dialogue, Little, Brown)
Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid (Bloomsbury Circus)
Crime & Thriller BOOK OF THE YEAR
Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith (Sphere, Little, Brown)
Contenders:
The Sentinel by Lee Child and Andrew Child (Transworld, Penguin Random House)
The Patient Man by Joy Ellis (Joffe Books)
The Guest List by Lucy Foley (HarperFiction, HarperCollins)
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman (Viking, Penguin Random House)
A Song for the Dark Times by Ian Rankin (Orion Fiction)
Pageturner of the Year
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owen (Corsair, Little, Brown)
Contenders
False Value by Ben Aaronovitch (Gollancz, Orion)
Rag and Bone Christmas by Dilly Court (HarperFiction, Harper Collins)
All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle (Hodder & Stoughton)
Darkdawn by Jay Kristoff (HarperVoyager)
Just My Luck by Adele Parks (HQ, HarperCollins)
AUTHOR OF THE YEAR: RICHARD OSMAN
Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club was published in October 2020 on the busiest day in the publishing calendar. It went straight to number one, and now holds the record for the longest consecutive run there (16 weeks). A TV presenter, producer, comedian and writer, Osman was best known as the creator and co-presenter of “Pointless”.
The Thursday Murder Club has changed that. A light-hearted crime thriller featuring four septuagenarians, it sold 45,000 hardbacks in its first week to become the fastest-selling crime novel on record and, six weeks later, the Christmas Number One. Described by its editor Katy Loftus as an “antidote to Brexit”, the novel captures, Loftus says, an “innate sense of Britishness that is both nostalgic and contemporary; so right for now. I feel as though it is a rallying cry for togetherness and inclusiveness,” concluded its editor.
Osman was conscious of not being a “celebrity who writes”; he wanted the book to stand on its own terms. According to his publisher, Osman exhibited “an extraordinary work ethic and a good heart. His charm with booksellers and buyers, his kindness to every member of the team, his willingness to do many things he found uncomfortable, and the adoration felt by his fans, all contributed to a single message: this book will make you feel better.”
The British Book Awards (aka The Nibbies, aka THE publishing event of the year) will take place virtually this year on 13 May. The book trade shone from every possible corner in 2020, with publishers, retailers, agents and authors pushing far beyond what we'd ever imagined possible in the most extreme conditions. We cannot wait to bring everyone together to celebrate the industry's achievements as we announce the winners of our fabulous Nibbies trophies.
Books of the Year – The 2021 shortlists in full:
Fiction BOOK OF THE YEAR
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett (Dialogue Books)
The Lying Life of Adults by Elena Ferrante, translated by Ann Goldstein (Europa Editions)
The Evening and the Morning by Ken Follett (Macmillan, Pan Macmillan)
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (Canongate)
The Mirror and The Light by Hilary Mantel (4th Estate, HarperCollins)
Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell (Tinder Press, Headline)
Début BOOK OF THE YEAR
Ghosts by Dolly Alderton (Fig Tree, Penguin Random House)
The Girl With the Louding Voice by Abi Daré (Sceptre, Hodder & Stoughton)
Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan (W&N, Orion)
Rainbow Milk by Paul Mendez (Dialogue, Little, Brown)
Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid (Bloomsbury Circus)
Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart (Picador, Pan Macmillan)
Crime & Thriller BOOK OF THE YEAR
The Sentinel by Lee Child and Andrew Child (Transworld, Penguin Random House)
The Patient Man by Joy Ellis (Joffe Books)
The Guest List by Lucy Foley (HarperFiction, HarperCollins)
Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith (Sphere, Little, Brown)
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman (Viking, Penguin Random House)
A Song for the Dark Times by Ian Rankin (Orion Fiction)
Pageturner of the Year
False Value by Ben Aaronovitch (Gollancz, Orion)
Rag and Bone Christmas by Dilly Court (HarperFiction, Harper Collins)
All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle (Hodder & Stoughton)
Darkdawn by Jay Kristoff (HarperVoyager)
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owen (Corsair, Little, Brown)
Just My Luck by Adele Parks (HQ, HarperCollins)
The winners of the nine Book of the Year awards will contest the overall Book of the Year category at a virtual ceremony on 13th May.
