Richard Brooks 4th February 2018
■ Fed up with violence against women in crime novels, and graphic descriptions of their often naked corpses? Launched later this month by the novelist/screenwriter Bridget Lawless and the actress Doon Mackichan is a book prize, the Staunch (geddit?), for a thriller in which “no woman is beaten, stalked, sexually exploited, raped or murdered”. In principle, it’s a good idea to raise awareness of often gratuitous assaults on females in crime books, but maybe the tide has already turned towards more psychological thrillers. Still, good luck to the duo in crowdfunding their award.