Lee Child's "One Shot" became a Tom Cruise blockbuster film. Photo: AFP
The ex-TV producer joins Frederick Forsyth, Ian Rankin, Ruth Rendell and P.D. James on a list of 27 previous
winners.
"Lee is one of the few British crime thriller authors to have become a global brand name; he is also an extremely charming and open person and a tireless promoter of our genre," said CWA Chair Peter James.
The author's prominence increased in 2012 when Tom Cruise took on the role of recurring protagonist Jack Reacher in a film of the same name, based on the story told in "One Shot."
"Never Go Back," Jack Reacher's eighteenth outing, is currently scheduled for publication in August 2013.