Kerrigan wins top crime novel award

Irish writer and journalist Gene Kerrigan last night won the UK’s Best Crime Novel of the Year award for The Rage, described …

Irish writer and journalist Gene Kerrigan last night won the UK’s Best Crime Novel of the Year award for The Rage, described in the nomination as “a suspense-driven storm of violence set in the backstreets of Dublin”.

Kerrigan’s novel was chosen from four shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger award that included Vengeance in Mind by NJ Cooper, The Flight by MR Hall and Bereft by Chris Womersley.

The Specsavers Crime Thriller Awards were announced at a ceremony at Grosvenor House Hotel in London by best-selling author MC Beaton. It was Kerrigan’s second short-listing for the UK award. He previously won the Irish Crime Novel of the Year award.