British writer Mick Herron named winner of 21st Pepe Carvalho Prize

British novelist Mick Herron has been awarded Barcelona's 21st Pepe Carvalho Prize, recognizing his "essential contribution" to contemporary crime, thriller, and spy fiction.

Best known for the Slough House novels, Herron has captivated readers with his antiheroic MI5 agent Jackson Lamb – a "grubby, sarcastic, brilliant" figure who manages Britain's misfit intelligence officers.

The series, adapted into the hit Apple TV+ show Slow Horses starring Gary Oldman, has turned Herron into a global phenomenon.”

Awarded by Barcelona's BCNegra festival, the Pepe Carvalho Prize jury praised Herron's "lucid, cohesive, and sharply ironic" body of work, praising his talent for dissecting contemporary power structures while delivering a "deeply human, disenchanted perspective" on espionage.

The award ceremony will take place at Barcelona's Saló de Cent on February 5.

As part of BCNegra, Barcelona's Crime Fiction Festival, Herron will speak on February 6 in conversation with journalist Juan Carlos Galindo, followed by a screening of the first two episodes of Slow Horses.

In addition to Slough House, Herron has penned the Zoë Boehm series and a collection of standalone novels, many of which have inspired recent screen adaptations, including Down Cemetery Road starring Emma Thompson.

His work has earned prestigious accolades such as the Crime Writers' Association's Gold Dagger (2013) for Dead Lions and the Diamond Dagger (2025) for lifetime achievement.

Previous recipients of the Pepe Carvalho Prize include Jo Nesbø, Leonardo Padura, Don Winslow, Joyce Carol Oates, and Ian Rankin.

The 21st edition of BCNegra will take place from February 2 to 8 at venues across the city.