Val McDermid awarded Ripper‑Award at Germany's Mord am Hellweg festival

Scottish crime novelist Val McDermid received the European Ripper‑Award, a €11,111 prize, during the bi‑annual Mord am Hellweg crime festival in Unna, Germany. The ceremony and a reading with McDermid are scheduled for 27 March 2027 at the Tanzcenter Kochtokrax.

The 12th edition of the festival highlights queer crime writing under the theme “Queer meets Crime”. Two evenings in late October feature authors Colin Hadler and Mathias Berg, publisher Else Laudan – a pioneer of queer crime literature in the German‑speaking world – and spoken‑word artist Miedya Mahmod. The programme runs from 19 September to 14 November with more than 120 readings, including appearances by Nele Neuhaus, Bjarne Mädel and other genre‑writers.

The award and the accompanying queer series aim to showcase the diversity of contemporary crime fiction and to honour McDermid’s long‑standing contribution to the genre, especially her female and lesbian protagonists.