Toronto author Gil Adamson's debut novel, The Outlander, has won the 17th Dashiell Hammett Prize for best literary crime narrative (fiction or non-fiction), awarded annually by the North American branch of International Association of Crime Writers. Adamson received the bronze trophy emblematic of the prize -the prize itself has no monetary value - on the weekend in Toronto at the annual convention of the IACW's North American wing.
Adamson, 47, faced stiff competition: Also nominated were The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon, Stalin's Ghost: An Arkady Renko Mystery by Martin Cruz Smith, End Game by Michael Dibdin and Dahlia's Gone by Katie Estill.
The Outlander was published last June by Toronto's House of Anansi Press. It's also a finalist for Ontario's Trillium Book Award and the Amazon.ca/Books in Canada First Novel Prize.