Photo: Ali Karim
London, Wednesday, 21st October, 2009: JOHN HART has won the 2009 CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger and a cheque for £2000. He was presented with his award at The Specsavers Crime Thriller Awards 2009, a prestigious event hosted by comedian Alan Davies at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel.
The broadest definition of the thriller novel is used for books eligible for the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger; these can be set in any period and include, but are not limited to, spy fiction and/or action/ adventure stories. Ian Fleming said there was one essential criterion for a good thriller - that ‘one simply has to turn the page’; this is one of the main characteristics that the judges were looking for. A book is eligible if it was first published in the UK in English between June 1 2008 and May 31 2009.
John Hart is the Edgar-Award winning author of two international bestsellers, The King of Lies and Down River. His books have been translated into twenty-six languages and published in over thirty countries. He was born in North Carolina in 1965, and lives with his wife and two young children in Rowan County. He has degrees in French, accounting and law, and worked as a banker, stockbroker and attorney before beginning his writing career. He also says he ... spent long days sanding teak on the Carolina coast, working on helicopters in Alaska and drawing pints in a London pub. I think I liked the pub job best.
The Last Child is his third book. His web site is www.johnhartfiction.com
The CWA Dagger Awards are the longest established literary awards in the UK and are internationally recognised as a mark of excellence and achievement. The other shortlisted books, in what the judges called ‘An exceptionally strong, literary short list’, were:
Michael Connelly: The Brass Verdict (Orion)
Gillian Flynn: Dark Places (Weidenfeld & Nicolson)
Charlie Newton: Calumet City (Bantam Press)
Daniel Silva: Moscow Rules (Michael Joseph)
Olen Steinhauer: The Tourist (HarperCollins)
Andrew Williams: The Interrogator (John Murray)
These are described in more detail on the short list page.
Judges’ comments: Accomplished and ambitious piece of southern gothic. It is beautifully rendered, with a cast of memorable characters - full of pathos, atmosphere and mystery. A cracking and original story.
Synopsis: Thirteen-year-old Johnny Merrimon has to face things no boy his age should face. In the year since his twin sister’s abduction his world has fallen apart: his father has disappeared and his fragile mother is spiralling into ever deeper despair. Johnny keeps strong.
Armed with a map, a bike and a flashlight, he stalks the bad men of Raven County. The police might have given up on Alyssa; he never will. Someone, somewhere, knows something they’re not telling. Only one person looks out for Johnny. Detective Clyde Hunt shares his obsession with the case.
But when Johnny witnesses a hit-and-run and insists the victim was killed because he’d found Alyssa, even Hunt thinks he’s lost it. And then another young girl goes missing ...
Corinne B Turner (Administrative Chair): manages intellectual property development and is Managing Director of Ian Fleming Publications Ltd.
Sarah Fairbairn: Editorial Manager at Ian Fleming Publications Ltd.
Philip Gooden: writer of fiction and non-fiction, and a past Chairman of the CWA.
Samantha Weinberg: writer and winner of the 2003 CWA Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction. She is the author of the Moneypenny Diaries trilogy (writing as Kate Westbrook).
Rob Williams: until recently Penguin's first Creative Director and is now a Screenwriter, currently working on BBC continuing drama series.
David Wilson: Head of Creative and Business Affairs at Eon Workshop. He has worked in feature film production for the past sixteen years on eleven films, including recently as assistant producer of Casino Royale.