About The Award
The recent explosion of creativity in Irish crime writing – sometimes called Emerald Noir – has been remarkable by any standards and Irish crime writers, particularly women writers, are now being internationally recognised and rewarded. Crime fiction is currently one of the hottest genres in all publishing.
Sponsored by
The 2021 Shortlist
Irish Independent Crime Fiction Book of the Year 2020
After the Silence
By Louise O'Neill
Nessa Crowley’s murderer has been protected by silence for ten years.
On the day of Henry and Keelin Kinsella’s wild party at their big house a violent storm engulfed the island of Inisrún, cutting it off from the mainland. When morning broke Nessa Crowley’s lifeless body lay in the garden, her last breath silenced by the music and the thunder.
It was impossible to get off the island that night. The killer couldn’t have escaped Inisrún, but no-one was charged with the murder. The mystery that surrounded the death of Nessa remained hidden. But the islanders knew who to blame for the crime that changed them forever.
Ten years later a documentary crew arrives, determined to find evidence that will prove Henry’s guilt and Keelin’s complicity in the murder of beautiful Nessa.
Previous Winners
2020 – After the Silence by Louise O’Neill
2019 – Cruel Acts by Jane Casey
2018 – Skin Deep by Liz Nugent
2017 – The Therapy House by Julie Parsons
2016 – The Trespasser by Tana French
2015 – After the Fire by Jane Casey
2014 – Unravelling Oliver by Liz Nugent
2013 – The Doll’s House by Louise Phillips
2012 – Broken Harbour by Tana French
2011 – Bloodland by Alan Glynn
2010 – Dark Times in the City by Gene Kerrigan
2009 – Blood Runs Cold by Alex Barclay