A YORK author’s eighth novel has scooped a major book prize.

Kate Atkinson, whose Case Histories detective tale was adapted into a TV series starring Jason Isaacs, claimed the Costa novel award for Life After Life, which is set in wartime Britain.

The accolade comes 20 years after Kate’s debut novel, Behind The Scenes At The Museum, was named overall winner of the same prize and won the book of the year title.

The Costa awards are divided into five categories and the winners of each are eligible for the book of the year award, which will be announced later this month.

If Kate wins book of the year again, she will become the first female author to do so twice and only the third writer to achieve the fear, the others being Seamus Heaney and Ted Hughes.

The winners of each category also receive £5,000 and the overall winner gets a further £30,000.