Crime

Barry Awards (Crime Fiction) – 2021

Established in 1997, the Barry Awards are usually presented at the annual Bouchercon World Mystery Convention, this year to be held in New Orleans, Louisiana. But alas, Covid struck again and the conference was cancelled. In light of the cancellation, the winners of the Barry Awards-2021 were  announced earlier today and are indicated in red. Voted on by readers of the Deadly Pleasures mystery magazine, the award was named in honor of Barry Gardner, an American critic and lover of great crime fiction.


Best Novel

THE BOY FROM THE WOODS, Harlan Coben
THE LAW OF INNOCENCE, Michael Connelly
BLACKTOP WASTELAND, S. A. Cosby
AND NOW SHE’S GONE, Rachel Howzell Hall
MOONFLOWER MURDERS, Anthony Horowitz
ALL THE DEVILS ARE HERE, Louise Penny


Best First Novel

DEEP STATE, Chris Hauty
MURDER IN OLD BOMBAY by Nev March
THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB, Richard Osman
THE EIGHTH DETECTIVE, Alex Pavesi
WINTER COUNTS, David Heska Wanbli Weiden
DARLING ROSE GOLD, Stephanie Wrobel


Best Paperback Original

WHEN NO ONE IS WATCHING, Alyssa Cole
MONGKOK STATION, Jake Needham
HIDE AWAY, Jason Pinter
BAD NEWS TRAVELS FAST, James Swain
DARKNESS FOR LIGHT, Emma Viskic
TURN TO STONE, James W. Ziskin


Best Thriller

DOUBLE AGENT, Tom Bradby
BLIND VIGIL, Matt Coyle
ONE MINUTE OUT, Mark Greaney
THE LAST HUNT, Deon Meyer
EDDIE’S BOY, Thomas Perry
THE WILD ONE, Nick Petrie

 

Congratulations to all the nominees and winners!  🙂

 

Barry Awards (Crime Fiction) – 2021 Read More »

2021 Hammett Prize

The Hammett Prize is bestowed by The International Association of Crime Writers (North American Branch). The award was given in July for a 2020 work of literary excellence in the field of crime writing by an American or Canadian author. The prize is the famous ‘Thin Man’ bronze trophy, and bragging rights. 🙂

Congratulations to all the nominees and the winner (indicated in red):

 

MURDER IN OLD BOMBAY by Nev March
Based on a true story that occurred in colonial India, a hospitalized soldier investigates a murder.

 

THE MOUNTAINS WILD by Sarah Stewart Taylor
A New York detective returns to Dublin to investigate the disappearance of her cousin after new evidence appears 20 years later.

 

THREE HOURS IN PARIS by Cara Black
In World War II, a female sniper out for revenge, is sent to Paris to assassinate the Fűhrer, but misses. Told in real time.

 

WHEN THESE MOUNTAINS BURN by David Joy
Set in Appalachia, an addict, a frustrated father, and a lawman converge around the circumstances of the opioid epidemic.

 

WINTER COUNTS by David Heska Wanbli Weiden
A vigilante on a Native American reservation searches for the source of a heroin supply.

 

 

2021 Hammett Prize Read More »

Shamus Awards – 2021

The Private Eye Writers of America was founded in 1981 by Robert J. Randisi, who also created the Shamus Award. From the website: “A Private Eye is defined as a private citizen (not a member of the military, federal agency, or civic or state police force) who is paid to investigate crimes. A Private Investigator can be a traditional private eye, a TV or newspaper reporter, an insurance investigator, an employee of an investigative service or agency (think Pinkertons), or similar character.”  Congratulations to all the nominees and winners (indicated in red)

 

BEST PI HARDCOVER
“What You Don’t See” by Tracy Clark
“Do No Harm” by Max Allan Collins
“Blind Vigil” by Matt Coyle
“House on Fire” by Joseph Finder
“And Now She’s Gone” by Rachel Howzell Hall

 

          BEST ORIGINAL PI PAPERBACK
          “Farewell Las Vegas” by Grant Bywaters
          “All Kinds of Ugly” by Ralph Dennis
          “Brittle Karma” by Richard Helms
          “Remember My Face” by John Lantigua
          “Damaged Goods” by Debbi Mack

 

 BEST PI SHORT STORY
 “A Dreamboat Gambol” by O’Neil De Noux in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine
“Mustang Sally” by John M. Floyd in Black Cat Mystery Magazine
“Setting the Pick” by April Kelly in Mystery Weekly Magazine
“Show and Zeller” by Gordon Linzer in Black Cat Mystery Magazine
“Nashua River Floater” by Tom MacDonald in Coast to Coast Noir


BEST FIRST  PI NOVEL
 “Squatter’s Rights” by Kevin R. Doyle

 “Derailed” by Mary Keliikoa
 “I Know Where You Sleep” by Alan Orloff
 “The Missing American” by Kwei Quartey
 “Winter Counts” by David Heska Wanbli Weiden

Shamus Awards – 2021 Read More »

The Agatha Awards – 2020 Books

The winners for the Agatha Awards for 2020 Books (named for Agatha Christie) have been announced. The awards were given to mystery and crime writers during the virtual More than Malice conference in July, 2021. The nominated books were first published in the United States by a living author between January 1 and December 31, 2020.

 

The Agatha Awards recognize the “traditional mystery,” meaning that there is no graphic sex and no excessive violence in the writing. Thrillers or hard-boiled detectives cannot be found here, but instead, picture Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot at work.

 

Congratulations to all the nominees and winners (indicated in red)!

Best Contemporary Novel
Gift of the Magpie by Donna Andrews

Murder in the Bayou Boneyard by Ellen Byron
From Beer to Eternity by Sherry Harris
All the Devils are Here by Louise Penny
The Lucky One by Lori Rader-Day

 

Best Historical Novel
The Last Mrs. Summers by Rhys Bowen

Fate of a Flapper by Susanna Calkins
A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Murder by Dianne Freeman
Taken Too Soon by Edith Maxwell
The Turning Tide by Catriona McPherson

 

Best First Novel
A Spell for Trouble by Esme Addison

Winter Witness by Tina deBelgarde
Derailed by Mary Keliikoa
Murder at the Mena House by Erica Ruth Neubauer
Murder Most Sweet by Laura Jensen Walker

 

Best Short Story
“Dear Emily Etiquette” by Barb Goffman (Ellery Queen Mag)

“The Red Herrings at Killington Inn” by Shawn Reilly Simmons Masthead: Best New England Crime Stories (Level Best Books)
“The Boy Detective & The Summer of ‘74” by Art Taylor (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine Jan/Feb)
“Elysian Fields” by Gabriel Valjan California Schemin’: The 2020 Bouchercon Anthology (Wildside Press)
“The 25 Year Engagement” by James Ziskin In League with Sherlock Holmes: Stories Inspired by the Sherlock Holmes Canon (Pegasus Crime)
 
Best Children’s/YA Mystery
Midnight at the Barclay Hotel
by Fleur Bradley

Premeditated Myrtle by Elizabeth C. Bunce
Saltwater Secrets by Cindy Callaghan
From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks
Holly Hernandez and the Death of Disco by Richard Narvaez

 

The Agatha Awards – 2020 Books Read More »

2021 – CrimeFest

Now in its 14th year, the awards honor the best crime books released in 2020 in the UK. From their site: “CRIMEFEST is a convention for people who like to read an occasional crime novel as well as for die-hard fanatics.” In most cases, eligible titles were submitted by publishers, and a team of British crime fiction reviewers voted to establish the shortlists.

Affected by Covid as so many other events have, the 2021 winners were announced online in May.

Congratulations to all the nominees and winners (Indicated in red)!

 

DEBUT CRIME NOVEL AWARD

Eva Bjorg Aegisdottir  “The Creak on the Stairs”

Marion Brunet “Summer of Reckoning”

Robin Morgan-Bentley “The Wreckage”

Richard Osman “The Thursday Murder Club”

Mara Timon “City of Spies”

Trevor Wood “The Man on the Street”

 

LAST LAUGH AWARD  (humorous crime fiction)

Ben Aaronovitch “False Value”

ChristopherFowler “Bryant & May-Oranges and Lemons”

Elly Griffiths “The Postscript Murders”

Carl Hiaasen “Squeeze Me”

RichardOsman “The Thursday Murder Club”

Malcolm Pryce “The Corpse in the Garden of Perfect Brightness”

Khurrum Rahman “Ride or Die”

OlgaWojtas “Miss Blaine’s Prefect and the Vampire Menace”

 

eDUNNIT AWARD (ebooks)

Gabriel Bergmoser “The Hunted”

Sharon Bolton “The Split”

P. Carter “Little Boy Lost”

Steve Cavanagh “Fifty-Fifty”

Michael Connelly “Fair Warning”

James Lee Burke “A Private Cathedral”

Ian Rankin “A Song for the Dark Times”

Holly Watt “The Dead Line”

 

H.R.F. KEATING AWARD (critical or biography)

Mark Aldridge “Agatha Christie’s Poirot: The Greatest Detective in the World”

MartinEdwards (editor) “Howdunit: A Masterclass in Crime Writing by Members of the Detection Club”

Colin Larkin “Cover Me: The Vintage Art of Pan Books: 1950-1965”

Andrew Lycett “Conan Doyle’s Wide World”

Heather Martin “The Reacher Guy”

Sheila Mitchell “HRF Keating: A Life of Crime”

Craig Sisterson “Southern Cross Crime: The Pocket Essential Guide to the Crime Fiction, Film & TV of Australia and New Zealand”

Peter Temple “The Red Hand: Stories, reflections and the last appearance of Jack Irish”

 

BEST CRIME NOVEL FOR CHILDREN (ages 8-12)

Sophie Deen “Agent Asha: Mission Shark Bytes”

Elly Griffiths “A Girl Called Justice -The Smugglers’ Secret”

Anthony Horowitz “Nightshade”

Jack Noel “My Headteacher is an Evil Genius”

Serena Patel “Anisha, Accidental Detective”

Serena Patel “School’s Cancelled”

Onjali Q. Rauf “The Night Bus Hero”

Dave Shelton “The Pencil Case”

 

 

2021 – CrimeFest Read More »

2021 ThrillerFest Awards

Thriller writers bring us thrills and chills and keep us awake long into the wee hours of the morning. Check out the 2021 ITW Thriller Awards finalists and winners (indicated in red)!

BEST HARDCOVER NOVEL
S.A. Cosby – BLACKTOP WASTELAND
Joe Ide – HI FIVE
Richard Osman – THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB
Ivy Pochoda – THESE WOMEN
Lisa Unger – CONFESSIONS ON THE 7:45

BEST FIRST NOVEL
Jasmine Aimaq – THE OPIUM PRINCE
Don Bentley – WITHOUT SANCTION
Kyle Perry – THE BLUFFS
Francesca Serritella – GHOSTS OF HARVARD
David Heska Wanbli Weiden – WINTER COUNTS
 
BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL NOVEL
Alyssa Cole – WHEN NO ONE IS WATCHING
Layton Green – UNKNOWN 9: GENESIS 
John Marrs – WHAT LIES BETWEEN US
Andrew Mayne – THE GIRL BENEATH THE SEA
Benjamin Stevenson – EITHER SIDE OF MIDNIGHT
  
BEST E-BOOK ORIGINAL NOVEL
Sean Black – AVENUE OF THIEVES
Jeff Buick – A KILLING GAME
Diane Capri – FULL METAL JACK
Jake Needham – MONGKOK STATION
Kirk Russell – NO HESITATION

Congratulations to all!

 

2021 ThrillerFest Awards Read More »

2021 Left Coast Crime Awards

The pandemic continues to affect conferences. The 2021 Left Coast Crime convention was cancelled, but you’ll be happy to note that the Lefties were still awarded for the great mysteries  produced in 2020. Congratulations to all the nominees and the winners (indicated in red).

Lefty for Best Humorous Mystery Novel
  °  Ellen Byron, Murder in the Bayou Boneyard
  °  Jennifer J. Chow, Mimi Lee Gets a Clue
  °  Carl Hiaasen, Squeeze Me
  °  Cynthia Kuhn, The Study of Secrets
  °  J. Michael Orenduff, The Pot Thief Who Studied the Woman at Otowi Crossing
  °  Sung J. Woo, Skin Deep

 

Lefty for Best Historical Mystery Novel (events before 1970)
  °  Susanna Calkins, The Fate of a Flapper
  °  Dianne Freeman, A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Murder
  °  Laurie R. King, Riviera Gold
  °  Catriona McPherson, The Turning Tide
  °  Ann Parker, Mortal Music
  °  James W. Ziskin, Turn to Stone

 

Lefty for Best Debut Mystery Novel
  °  Daisy Bateman, Murder Goes to Market
  °  Mary Keliikoa, Derailed
  °  Erica Ruth Neubauer, Murder at the Mena House
  °  Richard Osman, The Thursday Murder Club
  °  Halley Sutton, The Lady Upstairs
  °  David Heska Wanbli Weiden, Winter Counts

 

Lefty for Best Mystery Novel
  °  Tracy Clark, What You Don’t See
  °  S.A. Cosby, Blacktop Wasteland
  °  Matt Coyle, Blind Vigil
  °  Rachel Howzell Hall, And Now She’s Gone
  °  Louise Penny, All the Devils Are Here

2021 Left Coast Crime Awards Read More »

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