Alan Parks wins McIlvanney Scottish Crime Book of the Year 2022 for MAY GOD FORGIVE

Alan Parks has triumphed at Bloody Scotland’s 2022 International Crime Writing Festival, winning the much sought after McIlvanney Scottish Crime Book of the Year Prize for his latest novel, MAY GOD FORGIVE.

The McIlvanney Prize recognises excellence in Scottish crime writing and includes a prize of £1,000 and nationwide promotion in Waterstones. The other finalists for this year’s prize were: THE HERETIC by Liam McIlvanney, A CORRUPTION OF BLOOD by Ambrose Parry and THE SECOND CUT by Louise Welsh.

Alan was announced as winner on the 15th of September at the Albert Halls in Stirling after all finalists led a torchlit procession there from Stirling Castle.

Ayo Onatade, chair of the McIlvanney Prize judges, described MAY GOD FORGIVE as: ‘A terrific continuation of Alan Parks’ police procedural ‘month’ series. MAY GOD FORGIVE is every bit as entertaining, gritty, darkly humorous and steeped in the grimy underbelly of Glasgow as the previous books.

‘A fantastic book with an intriguing cast of characters that not only keeps to a tight timeframe, but is fast, hard, edgy and thought-provoking; 1970s Glasgow has never been so thoroughly invoked. A truly gripping read.’

MAY GOD FORGIVE is the fifth in Alan Parks’ highly acclaimed Harry McCoy series and sees a desperate search for two kidnapped boys in an unruly Glasgow. It was published in the UK by Canongate earlier this year, and by Europa in the United States. The series is sold in more than ten countries around the world, and Alan is currently working on the sixth instalment.

About Alan Parks

Alan Parks was Creative Director at London Records in the mid 1990’s, then at Warner Music, where he created ground-breaking campaigns for artists including All Saints, New Order, The Streets, Gnarls Barclay and Cee Lo Green. He was also Managing Director of 679 Recordings, a joint venture with Warner Music. His debut novel BLOODY JANUARY propelled him onto the international literary crime fiction scene immediately and his work has been hailed by contemporary writers and critics alike.

BLOODY JANUARY was shortlisted for the Grand Prix de Littérature Policière, FEBRUARY’S SON was nominated for an Edgar Award, BOBBY MARCH WILL LIVE FOREVER was picked as a Times Best Book of the Year, won an Edgar Award and has been shortlisted for the Macavity Award for Best Mystery novel, and THE APRIL DEAD was shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year.

Alan was born in Scotland and attended The University of Glasgow where he was awarded a M.A. in Moral Philosophy. He still lives and works in the city that is so vividly depicted in the 1970s setting of his Harry McCoy thrillers.

Praise for MAY GOD FORGIVE

‘MAY GOD FORGIVE is the fifth instalment in a remarkable series that began with BLOODY JANUARY. The novels, as someone once said, can be read in any order; the important thing is to read them all.’ – Mark Sanderson, The Times, ‘The Best New Crime Fiction for May 2022’

‘MAY GOD FORGIVE is a bleak and violent book, full of grisly details not for the squeamish, but also tenderness, poignance and hard-earned wisdom.’ – Tom Nolan, The Wall Street Journal

‘Noir has long been the dominant colour in the palette of such Scottish writers as Ian Rankin and Denise Mina, but Parks manages to find a deeper shade of black, only slightly attenuated by Harry's willingness to go far off the grid to extract a wee bit of justice. A must for those who take their noir straight, no chaser; others should keep the Pepto handy.’ – Bill Ott, Booklist

‘Enjoyably readable… Parks is a gifted story-teller’ – Allan Massie, The Scotsman

‘Harry McCoy is the brightest dark star on the Tartan Noir scene for some time and in future critics of Scottish crime fiction will surely be referring to the triumvirate of Laidlaw, Rebus and McCoy … MAY GOD FORGIVE is crime fiction which pulls no punches, powerfully told and, at times, heartbreakingly poignant. One of the crime novels of 2022.’ – Mike Ripley, Getting Away With Murder

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BOBBY MARCH WILL LIVE FOREVER by Alan Parks wins Edgar Allan Poe Award

BOBBY MARCH WILL LIVE FOREVER by Alan Parks was named the winner of the Best Paperback Original category of the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Allan Poe Awards, in a banquet held last week at the New York Marriott Marquis Hotel in Times Square.

BOBBY MARCH WILL LIVE FOREVER is the third book in the Harry McCoy series. It was published by Canongate in the UK in March 2020, and by Europa in the US in April 2021. It was followed by THE APRIL DEAD, which was shortlisted for the Bloody Scotland McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year 2021. The fifth book in the Harry McCoy series, MAY GOD FORGIVE, was released in the UK on 28th April 2022, with the US edition following on 3rd May. The series is sold in more than ten countries around the world.

The 2022 Edgar Allan Poe Awards, now in its 76th year, seeks to honour the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction and television published or produced in 2021. They are awarded by the Mystery Writers of America, which encompasses some 3,000 members including authors of fiction and non-fiction books, screen and television writers, as well as publishers, editors, and literary agents. Past winners of the Best Paperback Original category include

BOBBY MARCH WILL LIVE FOREVER by Alan Parks

July 1973. The Glasgow drugs trade is booming and Bobby March, the city's own rock-star hero, has just overdosed in a central hotel.

Alice Kelly is thirteen years old, lonely. And missing.

Meanwhile the niece of McCoy's boss has fallen in with a bad crowd and when she goes AWOL, McCoy is asked – off the books – to find her.

McCoy has a hunch. But does he have enough time?

Praise for the Harry McCoy series

‘The meticulously described setting is so suggestive readers may even catch whiffs of stale cigarette smoke and patchouli. Fans of Scottish noir will be satisfied.’ – Publishers Weekly

‘Parks’ sprawling plot offers not tidy whodunit puzzles but a wide-angle view of a gritty city in the grip of crime, home to an entertaining cross section of characters. Broad-shouldered McCoy is suitably unflappable as he walks Glasgow’s mean streets.’ – Kirkus Reviews

‘Parks captures the feel of a city long vanished in a breathless and tense retro crime caper.’ – The Sun

‘A series that no crime fan should miss: dangerous, thrilling, but with a kind voice to cut through the darkness.’ – Scotsman

‘Pitch-black tartan noir, set in 70s Glasgow ... Compelling ... with an emotional heart that’s hard to ignore.’ – Daily Mail

About Alan Parks

Alan Parks was Creative Director at London Records in the mid 1990’s, then at Warner Music, where he created ground-breaking campaigns for artists including All Saints, New Order, The Streets, Gnarls Barclay and Cee Lo Green. He was also Managing Director of 679 Recordings, a joint venture with Warner Music. His debut novel BLOODY JANUARY propelled him onto the international literary crime fiction scene immediately and his work has been hailed by contemporary writers and critics alike.

BLOODY JANUARY was shortlisted for the Grand Prix de Littérature Policière, FEBRUARY’S SON was nominated for an Edgar Award, BOBBY MARCH WILL LIVE FOREVER was picked as a Times Best Book of the Year and THE APRIL DEAD was shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year. The Harry McCoy series is optioned for television.

Alan was born in Scotland and attended The University of Glasgow where he was awarded a M.A. in Moral Philosophy. He still lives and works in the city that is so vividly depicted in the 1970s setting of his Harry McCoy thrillers.

THE MERMAID OF BLACK CONCH by Monique Roffey Named Costa Book of the Year

We are delighted that THE MERMAID OF BLACK CONCH by Monique Roffey has been named Costa Book of the Year 2020. The Costa Book of the Year is chosen out of the winners of each category award, and this year was announced in an online ceremony featuring interviews with each category winner: Ingrid Persaud (First Novel Award), Lee Lawrence (Biography Award), Natasha Farrant (Children’s Book Award), late poet Eavan Boland’s publisher Michael Schmidt (Poetry Award), as well as Monique, winner of the Novel Award. 

Announcing Monique’s win, Chair of Judges Professor Suzannah Lipscomb described her novel as ‘a classic in the making, from a writer at the height of their powers’. Each of the judges also gave their view of the book. Stephen Mangan described it as ‘evocative’ and ‘beautifully written’. Angellica Bell said it ‘made [her] think’. Jill Dawson described the novel as a ‘bold, original, sexy book, speaking to so many important themes’. Simon Savidge said it provides ‘a perfect escape from the world’. Patrice Lawrence said: ‘it took me to the further reaches of my imagination’. Zaffar Kunial said the novel ‘seems to have created its own shape and energy in the universe’. Sadie Jones described the book as ‘surprising’ and ‘rich’. Horatio Clare said THE MERMAID OF BLACK CONCH was ‘a strange, chaotic and beautiful book, like life and myth in the best ways.’

Reporting on the win, BBC Arts Correspondent Rebecca Jones described THE MERMAID OF BLACK CONCH as ‘unusual’ but ‘also a joy to read, brimming with memorable characters and vivid descriptions. . . hugely entertaining and thought-provoking novel and a worthy winner.’ She added that ‘The Costa Book Awards have a reputation for picking popular reads: books you would recommend to a friend.’

THE MERMAID OF BLACK CONCH was published to wide acclaim by Peepal Tree Press in the UK and by W F Howes in audio. It was also shortlisted for the Goldsmiths Prize earlier this year, an award established to celebrate fiction which ‘extends the possibilities of the novel form’, and has also recently been longlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize.

A vivid, moving story of love and trust, family and friendship in a Caribbean island community, THE MERMAID OF BLACK CONCH is a world brought to unforgettable life by a master storyteller. A fisherman sings to himself in his boat, but attracts an unexpected sea-dweller — Aycayia, a beautiful young woman cursed to live as a mermaid, swimming the ocean for centuries. Theirs becomes a calm, unspoken bond. But when she hears David’s engine again one day and follows the vessel, she finds herself in a fierce battle for her life. Caught by American sports fishermen, she is strung up on the dock as a trophy, but David rescues her, and gently wins her trust as she starts to transform, painfully, back into a woman. But jealous eyes are watching them…

Interwoven with David and Aycayia’s love story is that of Miss Arcadia Rain, a white landowner bringing up her deaf son on a dwindling estate. As her young son connects with fellow outsider Aycayia, an old lover of Arcadia’s returns to the island and she too begins to feel her way into love and trust again.

See more about THE MERMAID OF BLACK CONCH on the Peepal Tree Press site.

The Costa Book Awards was established in 1971 and is awarded to ‘the most enjoyable books of the year by writers resident in the UK and Ireland.’ Past winners of the £30,000 Costa Book of the Year award include The Volunteer by Jack Fairweather, The Cut Out Girl by Bart van Es, Inside the Wave by Helen Dunmore, Days Without End by Sebastian Barry and The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge.

Praise for THE MERMAID OF BLACK CONCH

‘Monique Roffey is a unique talent and most daring and versatile of writers.’ — Bernardine Evaristo

‘THE MERMAID OF BLACK CONCH arrives bearing tragedy and beauty. Monique Roffey has created a new myth for an age of ruined oceans. She continues to be one of our most exciting new Caribbean voices.’ — A.L. Kennedy

‘Monique Roffey is a writer of verve, vibrancy and compassion, and her work is always a joy to read.’ — Sarah Hall

THE MERMAID OF BLACK CONCH is wonderfully written, with both soul and intense drama – it glistens almost, like the mermaid! I love its all-round charisma and also its great compassion for both humanity and the natural world.’ — Diana Evans

‘THE MERMAID OF BLACK CONCH is like a lost myth, found, and made fresh again for our times.’ —  Tessa McWatt, author of Shame on Me: An Anatomy of Race and Belonging

Photo: Marcus Bastel

About Monique Roffey

Monique Roffey is an award-winning novelist. House of Ashes (Scribner UK) was shortlisted for the Costa and the BOCAS Prize. Archipelago, winner of the OCM BOCAS prize for Caribbean Literature, was published by Scribner in the UK, Viking in the US, and translated into 5 languages. Her second novel The White Woman on the Green Bicycle was shortlisted for the Orange Prize and the Encore Prize, among other accolades, and film/TV rights have been optioned.

Read an interview with Monique Roffey here

Visit Monique’s website

Follow Monique on Twitter

THE MERMAID OF BLACK CONCH BY MONIQUE ROFFEY ANNOUNCED WINNER OF THE COSTA NOVEL AWARD

We are delighted that THE MERMAID OF BLACK CONCH by Monique Roffey has won the 2020 Costa Novel Award. Announcing the Category Winners on BBC Front Row, Chair of Judges Suzannah Lipscomb called the novel ‘an unforgettable story of a legend that comes to life’, and praised its ‘beautiful passages and prose’, as well as the ‘fantastically compelling plot’. The other Category Winners are Love After Love by Ingrid Persaud (First Novel), The Louder I Will Sing by Lee Lawrence (Biography), The Historians by Eavan Boland (Poetry) and Voyage of the Sparrowhawk by Natasha Farrant (Children’s).

Click the links to watch a short video of Monique Roffey introducing her novel and you can also listen to Front Row on BBC Radio 4, featuring Suzannah Lipscomb discussing the Costa Novel Award (from 8:45) and an interview with Monique Roffey (from 9:47).

THE MERMAID OF BLACK CONCH was published to wide acclaim by Peepal Tree Press in the UK and by W F Howes in audio. It was also shortlisted for the Goldsmiths Prize earlier this year, an award established to celebrate fiction which ‘extends the possibilities of the novel form’.

A vivid, moving story of love and trust, family and friendship in a Caribbean island community, THE MERMAID OF BLACK CONCH is a world brought to unforgettable life by a master storyteller. A fisherman sings to himself in his boat, but attracts an unexpected sea-dweller — Aycayia, a beautiful young woman cursed to live as a mermaid, swimming the ocean for centuries. Theirs becomes a calm, unspoken bond. But when she hears David’s engine again one day and follows the vessel, she finds herself in a fierce battle for her life. Caught by American sports fishermen, she is strung up on the dock as a trophy, but David rescues her, and gently wins her trust as she starts to transform, painfully, back into a woman. But jealous eyes are watching them…

Interwoven with David and Aycayia’s love story is that of Miss Arcadia Rain, a white landowner bringing up her deaf son on a dwindling estate. As her young son connects with fellow outsider Aycayia, an old lover of Arcadia’s returns to the island and she too begins to feel her way into love and trust again.

See more about THE MERMAID OF BLACK CONCH on the Peepal Tree Press site.

The winner of the Costa Book of the Year, chosen from one the Category Winners, will be announced on Tuesday 26th January 2021 and awarded a prize of £30,000. The Costa Book Awards was established in 1971 and is awarded to ‘the most enjoyable books of the year by writers resident in the UK and Ireland.’ Past winners of the Novel Award include Jonathan Coe, Sally Rooney, Jon McGregor, Sebastian Barry, Kate Atkinson and Ali Smith. Past winners of the Costa Book of the Year include The Volunteer by Jack Fairweather, The Cut Out Girl by Bart van Es, Inside the Wave by Helen Dunmore, Days Without End by Sebastian Barry and The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge.

Praise for THE MERMAID OF BLACK CONCH

‘Monique Roffey is a unique talent and most daring and versatile of writers.’ — Bernardine Evaristo

‘THE MERMAID OF BLACK CONCH arrives bearing tragedy and beauty. Monique Roffey has created a new myth for an age of ruined oceans. She continues to be one of our most exciting new Caribbean voices.’ — A.L. Kennedy

‘Monique Roffey is a writer of verve, vibrancy and compassion, and her work is always a joy to read.’ — Sarah Hall

THE MERMAID OF BLACK CONCH is wonderfully written, with both soul and intense drama – it glistens almost, like the mermaid! I love its all-round charisma and also its great compassion for both humanity and the natural world.’ — Diana Evans

‘THE MERMAID OF BLACK CONCH is like a lost myth, found, and made fresh again for our times.’ —  Tessa McWatt, author of Shame on Me: An Anatomy of Race and Belonging

About Monique Roffey

Credit: Marcus Bastel

Monique Roffey is an award-winning novelist. House of Ashes (Scribner UK) was shortlisted for the Costa and the BOCAS Prize. Archipelago, winner of the OCM BOCAS prize for Caribbean Literature, was published by Scribner in the UK, Viking in the US, and translated into 5 languages. Her second novel The White Woman on the Green Bicycle was shortlisted for the Orange Prize and the Encore Prize, among other accolades, and film/TV rights have been optioned.

Read an interview with Monique Roffey here

Visit Monique’s website

Follow Monique on Twitter