I’m an indie crime thriller writer, and I’m not a member of the MWA. I also haven’t read anything by Linda Fairstein, who is up for an Edgar Grand Masters Award, but I have read Martin Cruz Smith, who has also been nominated for the award, and I know Smith’s a good writer.
Certain individuals don’t want Fairstein to receive the award because as a DA in New York she oversaw the prosecution of the Central Park Five in 1989.
Since the MWA is a writer’s organization, it should judge the merits of Linda’s writing skills rather than her DA skills. If people have problems with her DA skills, they should address those skills using a forum other than the MWA.
Bryan Cassiday 