Lawrence Block, the writer whose private eye Matt Scudder tirelessly battles his own inner demons along with the depravity of the big city, has been named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America.
Block, author of 11 Matt Scudder novels and many other works of fiction, received the group's highest honor at its 49th annual awards dinner, at the Sheraton New York Hotel in Manhattan. The mystery-writers group has some 2,500 members; about 750 people attended the awards dinner.The Grand Master award is given to writers who have made longstanding and significant contributions to the mystery genre; among the other Grand Masters are Tony Hillerman and Elmore Leonard.
Minette Walters was one of 11 winners of an Edgar Allan Poe Award. Her book "The Sculptress" (St. Martin's Press) was judged the best mystery novel published in 1993. Laurie King won an Edgar for "A Grave Talent" (St. Martin's), which was named the best first mystery novel of 1993.
Here are the other Edgar winners:
Best Original Paperback: Steven Womack, for "Dead Folks' Blues" (Ballantine Books).
Best Fact Crime: Bella Stumbo, for "Until the Twelfth of Never" (Pocket Books).
Best Critical or Biographical Work: Burl Barer, for "The Saint: A Complete History" (McFarland & Co.).
Best Young Adult Novel: Joan Lowery Nixon, for "The Name of the Game Was Murder" (Delacorte).
Best Juvenile Novel: Barbara Brooks Wallace, for "The Twin in the Tavern" (Atheneum).
Best Short Story: Block, for "Keller's Therapy" in Playboy magazine.
Best Episode in a Television Series: David Milch, for "4B or Not 4B," a segment of ABC's "NYPD Blue."
Best Television Feature: Allan Cubitt, for "Prime Suspect 2" on the Public Broadcasting Service's "Mystery" series.
Best Motion-Picture Screenplay: Ebbe Rose Smith, for "Falling Down" (Warner Brothers).