The writer received the award for his thriller set in Extremadura.

César Pérez Gellida has had a well-established career over the years as one of the best voices in the crime genre in Spain. This success was compounded by the fact that he won the prestigious—and longest-running—Nadal Award, presented every year on the night of January 6th in Barcelona.

He did so without abandoning his trademark dark tone in a story titled ‘Bajo la tierra seca’, in the form of what is now called rural noir.

The organization stated that it prevailed over 824 other manuscripts after deliberations by a jury composed of writers Inés Martín Rodrigo (last year's winner), Care Santos, Lorenzo Silva, Andrés Trapiello, and editor Emili Rosales. The prize is worth €30,000.

By Mariola Díaz-Cano Arévalo, April 2nd, 2025

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