I am very pleased that Last Will by Liza Marklund has won the prestigious Petrona Award.
This award is in memory of Maxine Clarke, who very sadly died last December. I greatly miss her kindness, cheerfulness, constant encouragement, and of course her brilliant reviews.
Maxine was a champion of Scandinavian crime fiction, bloggers, and women in crime fiction, and I think it is appropriate that Last Will written by Liza Marklund and featuring Annika Bengtzon won this inaugural Petrona.
When at the end of last year I picked my favourite books of 2012 Last Will was high on my list and I commented:
Last Will by Liza Marklund tr. Neil Smith
Annika Bengtzon, the most popular and attractive journalist in Scandinavia continues the struggle to balance her career and family. In this brilliant book the reader learns about Alfred Nobel, his prize, how a media outlet is organised, and tales of scientific rivalry. No wonder Liza Marklund was one of Maxine’s favourite authors.
You can get read Maxine’s review of Last Will here.
[photo shows Maxine at Crime Fest along with one of her favourite translators Don Bartlett]