Jack O'Connell (December 25, 1959 – January 1, 2024) was an American author of
noir crime fiction and
speculative fiction
Speculative fiction is a term that has been used with a variety of (sometimes contradictory) meanings. The broadest interpretation is as a category of fiction encompassing genres with elements that do not exist in reality, recorded history, na ...
novels. He lived in
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...
, with his wife, Nancy, and two children. He was a student, and taught, at
College of the Holy Cross
The College of the Holy Cross is a private, Jesuit liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts, about 40 miles (64 km) west of Boston. Founded in 1843, Holy Cross is the oldest Catholic college in New England and one of the oldest ...
in Worcester. O'Connell died on January 1, 2024, at the age of 64.
Career
O'Connell stated that the post-industrial urban decay of Worcester was an influence on
Quinsigamond, the fictional city where his novels are set.
From 1997 to 2008, he served as the editor of ''Holy Cross Magazine''.
Bibliography
Novels
* ''Box Nine'' (Mysterious Press, 1992)
* ''Wireless'' (Mysterious Press, 1993)
* ''The Skin Palace'' (Mysterious Press, 1996)
* ''Word Made Flesh'' (Mysterious Press, 1999)
* ''The Resurrectionist'' (Algonquin Books, 2008)
Anthologies (as editor)
* ''Dark Alleys of Noir'' (Delta Productions, 2002)
Awards
*
Shirley Jackson Award
The Shirley Jackson Awards are literary awards named after Shirley Jackson in recognition of her legacy in writing. These awards for outstanding achievement in the literature of psychological suspense, horror and the dark fantastic are presented ...
(2008, Finalist)
*
Prix Mystère de la critique
The Prix Mystère de la critique was established in 1972 by ', published by from 1948 to 1976, and is one of the oldest French awards for a detective novel. It continues to be awarded each year by its founder, Georges Rieben and his team, and ha ...
(2010, France)
*
Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire (2010, France)
References
External links
*
Interview with Worcester's Writers Project 2011
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1959 births
2024 deaths
American speculative fiction writers
American detective fiction writers
People from Worcester, Massachusetts