William Landay

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William Landay
William landay.jpg
BornWilliam Scott Landay
(1963-07-23) July 23, 1963 (age 58)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
OccupationLawyer, author
Education Yale University (BA)
Boston College (JD)
Genrecrime drama
Notable awards New Blood Dagger (best debut crime novel, 2003)
Strand Magazine Critics Award (best mystery novel, 2012)
Children2
Signature William Landay Signature.png
Website
www.williamlanday.com

William Scott Landay [1] [2] (born July 23, 1963) [3] [4] is an American novelist and former lawyer.

Contents

Early life and education

Landay graduated from the Roxbury Latin School in Boston, Yale University and Boston College Law School. [5]

Career

Prior to becoming a writer, Landay served for seven years as an Assistant District Attorney in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. [6]

His first novel, Mission Flats, was awarded the John Creasey Dagger (now called the New Blood Dagger) as the best debut crime novel of 2003 by the British Crime Writers Association.

His second novel, The Strangler, was shortlisted for the Strand Magazine Critics Award as the best crime novel of 2007. [7]

Landay's third novel, Defending Jacob , was released in January 2012. It was well received by critics [8] [9] and became an immediate New York Times best seller. [10] It was awarded the Strand Magazine Critics Award for best mystery novel of 2012 and was nominated for several other awards, including the Barry Award and Hammett Prize, both for best crime novel; the International Thriller Writers Award for best thriller; the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction; and the Goodreads Choice Award for both best mystery/thriller and best author. [11]

Personal life

He lives with his wife and two sons in Boston. [12]

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References

  1. Martindale-Hubbell Online Directory
  2. 1981 Roxbury Latin High School Yearbook
  3. Mehegan, David, "His cases have become mysterious: Lawyer-turned-novelist digs up dirt in old Boston", The Boston Globe, March 20, 2007; "Author Profile: William Landay", Bookreporter.com, February 2, 2007.
  4. Wilson Company, H. W. (January 1, 2007). World Authors 2000-2005 (Wilson Authors). H. W. Wilson Company. ISBN   9780824210779.
  5. Mehegan, David, "His cases have become mysterious: Lawyer-turned-novelist digs up dirt in old Boston", The Boston Globe, March 20, 2007.
  6. Harris, Nancy, "William Landay Speaks About 'Defending Jacob': Crime fiction takes on a child murderer", The Boston Globe, June 17, 2012.
  7. "Strand Magazine Announces Nominees for 2007 Critics Award: Award honors excellence in the field of mystery fiction", Strand Magazine, March 20, 2008.
  8. Maslin, Janet, "A Savvy Prosecutor, but Clueless About His Son: ‘Defending Jacob,’ by William Landay", The New York Times, February 12, 2012.
  9. Anderson, Patrick, "Book review: ‘Defending Jacob,’ by William Landay", The Washington Post, February 05, 2012.
  10. "Hardcover Fiction Best Sellers", The New York Times, February 26, 2012.
  11. Cf. author's website.
  12. Interview: William Landay, Author of Defending Jacob

Further reading