One week ago today, on September 19th, The Strand Magazine hosted their annual Strand Critics Awards ceremony, this year via Zoom.
The Strand is a leading source of the latest news on thrillers and mysteries and is a hotspot for all things related to the genre. It has published many exciting works from such giants as John Steinbeck, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler and Mark Twain.
In their pursuit of excellent in mystery writing and publishing, they have recently published fiction by Shirley Jackson, Kerry Greenwood, Peter Heller, Kurt Anthony Krug and Paul Giamatti.
The 2022 Critics Awards were judged by a select group of book critics from NPR, The Boston Globe, the Associated Press, CNN and The Wall Street Journal.
Without further ado, here are the winners of the 2022 Strand Critics Awards:
Best Novel (2022): Razorblade Tears by S. A. Cosby (Flatiron Books)
Razorblade Tears was published in 2021 to commercial and critical acclaim and won several other awards. “I want to give my sincere thanks to The Strand and all the readers who have connected with my work,” said Cosby. “Writing can be a lonely business, but it is incredibly gratifying when you see your work connect with people.”
Fellow nominees for the category of Best Novel were:
The Dark Hours by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown and Co.)
The Low Desert by Tod Goldberg (Counterpoint)
These Toxic Things by Rachel Howzell Hall (Thomas and Mercer)
Dream Girl by Laura Lippman (William Morrow)
1979 by Val McDermid (Atlantic Monthly)
Best Debut Novel (2022): Bullet Train by Kōtarō Isaka, Translated by Sam Malissa (Harry Abrams)
Japanese author Kōtarō Isaka took home debut novel honors for Bullet Train. “I had been eager to find out how my work would be received by American readers,” said Isaka. “I’m very happy that Bullet Train won the Strand Critics Award.”
Fellow nominees in the category of Best Debut Novel were:
Who Is Maud Dixon? by Alexandra Andrews (Little, Brown and Co.)
The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris (Atria Books)
Lightseekers by Femi Kayode (Mulholland Books)
Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Del Rey)
All Her Little Secrets by Wanda M. Morris (William Morrow)
Lifetime Achievement Award: Sandra Brown, author of Overkill
In a writing career spanning several decades, Sandra Brown has stood out as one of the most creative practitioners of the romantic suspense novel. Over 50 of her novels have been New York Times Bestsellers, with two of her novels adapted into television films. “Being given a Lifetime Achievement Award from The Strand is a distinction I would never have imagined receiving because the previous awardees are the royalty of storytellers,” said Brown. “I’m humbled, thrilled and grateful to have my name added to that list.”
Lifetime Achievement Award: Nelson DeMille, author of The Cuban Affair
In 1978 Nelson DeMille’s first novel, By The Rivers of Babylon, was published and launched a career that has seen his books hit #1 on The New York Times Bestseller list 7 times. In a career that has seen him write 22 novels, he has rightly earned the reputation as one of our generation’s most talented and successful thriller authors.
“The Strand is one of my favorite literary magazines,” said DeMille, “So it’s a double honor to be recognized by The Strand with a Lifetime Achievement Award.”
Publisher of the Year Award (2022): Morgan Entrekin
This year’s recipient is Morgan Entrekin, publisher of Grove/Atlantic. For several decades, Grove/Atlantic under Entrekin’s visionary leadership has earned a reputation as one of the most dynamic, successful, and innovative independent publishers in the United States. Over the past four decades, he’s published scores of literary legends and authors whose works are destined to become classics including, Samuel Beckett, Jorge Luis Borges, William Burroughs, Joyce Carol Oates, Kiran Desai, Anne Enright, Francisco Goldman, Donna Leon, Catherine Millet, Kenzaburo Oe, Val McDermid, Mark Billingham, Harold Pinter, and Tom Stoppard.
“I have been an avid reader of crime fiction since I picked up a waterlogged Travis McGee novel by the great John D. MacDonald at a Florida vacation house when I was 11 or 12 years old,” says Entrekin. “Over the last 20 years, we have built a wonderful list of great authors at Grove/Atlantic and I am excited and honored to be selected Publisher of the Year.”
“Morgan Entrekin is a legend in the publishing world,” said Managing Editor, Andrew F. Gulli. “His enthusiasm for the written word is touching, the support he gives to his authors unique, and the excellent and dedicated team at Grove/Atlantic is a reflection of his visionary leadership.”
This information first appeared on The Strand Magazine, as a result of their awards ceremony that took place via Zoom.
BookTrib expresses thanks to The Strand for their invitation — and congratulations to all of the winners!
