The Barry Award is a prestigious literary prize celebrating excellence in crime fiction. Established in 1997 and named in honor of American critic Barry Gardner, the award recognizes outstanding works that exemplify the best of the genre.
The Best British Crime Novel Award recognizes the finest crime fiction novel first published in English in the United Kingdom. The author’s nationality does not affect eligibility – what matters is that the book originated in the UK market and demonstrates exceptional storytelling within the genre.
The Best First Novel Award honors a debut crime novel that demonstrates exceptional promise and skill from a new author. The work must be the writer’s first published full-length crime fiction book.
The Best Paperback Original Award is given to the best crime or thriller novel first published in paperback rather than hardcover. Reprints and mass-market editions of previously released books are not eligible.
The Barry Awards were created by Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine, an American publication dedicated to crime and mystery fiction. The magazine’s editor, George Easter, established the awards in 1997 to recognize the best in the genre.
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