Local Mystery Writer Ellen Hart in a Master Class

By Carol Van Why
Minneapolis-based mystery author, Ellen Hart has joined other elite mystery writers represented in the 1666 Coffman Library’s collection.  On April 27, 2017, in New York City she was awarded the Mystery Writers of America’s (MWA) Grand Master Award.  Other notables to have received this award are:  Agatha Christie, John Le Carre, P. D. James and Tony Hillerman.

The MWA is the group known for presenting the annual Edgar Awards for best mysteries in various categories.  Winning an Edgar Award recognizes an author for one book while the Grand Master Award recognizes lifetime achievement and consistent quality.
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If you haven’t read any of Hart’s mysteries, consider borrowing one of the Jane Lawless series, which features a restaurateur as sleuth.  Five of the titles in this series have won Lambda Literary awards.  Ellen is also a friend of another favorite author in the Library’s Mystery/Spy/Adventure section–William Kent Krueger.  Perhaps we can expect the MWA to grant him their Grand Master Award in a few years.