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The Agatha Awards – 2020 Books

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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

Macavity Awards – 2021

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The Macavity Awards are nominated by members and friends of Mystery Readers International, and subscribers to Mystery Readers Journal. The winners will be announced in August at BoucherCon in New Orleans.

Congratulations to all the nominees.

Mystery Readers International, Mystery Readers Journal, and the Macavity Awards, were created by Anthony Award winner, Janet Rudolph.

Best Novel
“Before She Was Helen” by Caroline B. Cooney
“Blacktop Wasteland” by S.A. Cosby
“Blind Vigil” by Matt Coyle
“All the Devils Are Here” by Louise Penny
“These Women” by Ivy Pochoda
“When She Was Good” by Michael Robotham

Best First
“Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line” by Deepa Anappara
“Murder in Old Bombay” by Nev March
“The Thursday Murder Club” by Richard Osman
“Winter Counts” by David Heska Wanbli Weider
“Darling Rose Gold” by Stephanie Wrobel

Best Short Story
“Dear Emily Etiquette” by Barb Goffman (Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Sept/Oct 2020)
“The Boy Detective & The Summer of ‘74” by Art Taylor (Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Jan/Feb 2020)
“Elysian Fields” by Gabriel Valjan (California Schemin’: The 2020 Bouchercon Anthology, edited by Art Taylor; Wildside Press)
“Dog Eat Dog” by Elaine Viets (The Beat of Black Wings: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Joni Mitchell, edited by Josh Pachter; Untreed Reads Publishing)
“The Twenty-Five Year Engagement,” by James W. Ziskin (In League with Sherlock Holmes: Stories Inspired by the Sherlock Holmes Canon, edited by Laurie R. King; Pegasus Crime)

Sue Feder Memorial Award for Best Historical Mystery
“The Last Mrs. Summers” by Rhys Bowen
“The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne” by Elsa Hart
“The Turning Tide” by Catriona McPherson
“Mortal Music” by Ann Parker
“The Mimosa Tree Mystery” by Ovidia Yu
“Turn to Stone” by James Ziskin

2021 Left Coast Crime Awards

Leave a Comment / Cozy, Crime, Debut Author, Featured, Fiction, Historical, Mystery, Nominated for Award, Suspense, Thriller

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 Hammett Prize

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The Hammett Prize is bestowed by The International Association of Crime Writers (North American Branch). The award will be given later this year 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:

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.

“New York Times Best Fiction & Nonfiction of 2020”

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The editors of The Times Book Review chose the best fiction and nonfiction titles of 2020, from among the titles they had reviewed. The titles are a mix of bestsellers and wannabes, from debut and/or international writers, but more importantly, the NYT Book Review editors fell in love with the story or the writing.

Listed in alphabetical order by author. Click on the titles to read the reviews and learn more about the books.

FICTION

“Homeland Elegies” by Ayad Akhtar

“The Vanishing Half” by Brit Bennett

“Deacon King Kong” by James McBride

“A Children’s Bible” by Lydia Millet

“Hamnet” by Maggie O’Farrell

NONFICTION

“Hidden Valley Road” by Robert Kolker

“War” by Margaret MacMillan

“A Promised Land” by Barack Obama

“Shakespeare in a Divided America” by James Shapiro

“Uncanny Valley” by Anna Wiener

Macavity Awards – 2020

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Each year the members of Mystery Readers International, subscribers of Mystery Readers Journal (and friends of MRI) nominate their favorite mysteries in five categories from the previous year for the Macavity Awards. The winners of this coveted award were announced at opening ceremonies at the Virtual Sacramento Bouchercon, in October, 2020, and are indicated in red.

Mystery Readers International, Mystery Readers Journal, and the Macavity Awards, were created by Anthony Award winner, Janet Rudolph.

Best Mystery Novel
Your House Will Pay by Steph Cha
This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger
Lady in the Lake by Laura Lippman
The Chain by Adrian McKinty
The Murder List by Hank Philippi Ryan
Sarah Jane by James Sallis

Best First Mystery
The Ninja Daughter by Tori Eldridge
My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing
Miracle Creek by Angie Kim
One Night Gone by Tara Laskowski
Call Me Evie by J.P. Pomare
American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson

Best Mystery Short Story
“West Texas Barbecue” by Michael Chandos (The Eyes of Texas, edited by Michael Bracken—Down & Out Books)
“Alex’s Choice” by Barb Goffman (Crime Travel, edited by Barb Goffman—Wildside Press)
“The Cardboard Box” by Terence Faherty (EQMM, Jan/Feb 2019)
“Whiteout” by G.M. Malliet (EQMM, Jan/Feb 2019)
“Brother’s Keeper” by Dave Zeltserman (EQMM, May/June 2019)
“Better Days,” by Art Taylor (EQMM, May/June 2019)

Best Mystery Nonfiction/Critical
Hitchcock and the Censors by John Billheimer
Frederic Dannay, Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and the Art of the Detective Short Story by Laird R. Blackwell
Beyond the Thirty-Nine Steps: A Life of John Buchan by Ursula Buchan
Norco ’80: The True Story of the Most Spectacular Bank Robbery in American History by Peter Houlahan
The Mutual Admiration Society: How Dorothy L. Sayers and Her Oxford Circle Remade the World for Women, by Mo Moulton
Indecent Advances: A Hidden History of True Crime and Prejudice Before Stonewall by James Polchin

Sue Feder Memorial Award for Best Historical Mystery
Murder Knocks Twice by Susanna Calkins
The Pearl Dagger by L.A. Chandlar
A Lady’s Guide to Gossip and Murder by Dianne Freeman
Satapur Moonstone by Sujata Massey
Charity’s Burden by Edith Maxwell
The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prescott

Congratulations to all for writing such a marvelous group of works from which to choose!

Book List: Edith Maxwell

Leave a Comment / Award Winner, Bestselling Author, Book List, Cozy, Historical, Mystery, Quaker, Short Stories/Collection

Edith Maxwell is a prolific writer of absorbing, wonderful mysteries. Each of her series feature strong, independent women, with true-to-life intelligent, sometimes challenging, families and an always intriguing boyfriend. The stories are layered, the characters are complex, and the mysteries are well drawn. Click on the book titles and fall into a great read.

as Edith Maxwell:

Quaker Midwife Mysteries The Agatha-nominated historical series features unconventional Quaker midwife Rose Carroll in late 1880s Amesbury, Massachusetts.
“Delivering the Truth” review here

“Called to Justice”

“Turning the Tide”

“Charity’s Burden” Agatha Award winner!

“Judge Thee Not“

“Taken Too Soon“

The Local Foods Mysteries feature novice organic farmer Cameron Flaherty and take place in the town of Westbury, Massachusetts.

“A Tine to Live, A Tine to Die” review here

“’Til Dirt Do Us Part”

“Farmed and Dangerous”

“Murder Most Fowl”

“Mulch Ado About Murder”

as Maddie Day:

The Country Store Mysteries feature Robbie Jordan and Pans ‘N Pancakes, her country store/ restaurant in fictional South Lick, Indiana.
“Flipped for Murder”

“Grilled for Murder” review here

“When the Grits Hit the Fan”

“Biscuits and Slashed Browns”

“Death over Easy”

“Strangled Eggs and Ham”

“Nacho Average Murder”

“Candy Slain Murder“

Cozy Capers Book Group Mysteries are set on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and feature Mackenzie Almeida and her sleuthing book club members.

“Murder on Cape Cod” review here

“Murder at the Taffy Shop“

as Tace Baker:

The Lauren Rousseau Mysteries feature Quaker linguistics professor Lauren Rousseau, a self-reliant, multi-talented woman who finds herself involved in college politics, local Massachusetts intrigue, and bodies.

“Speaking of Murder” review here

“Bluffing is Murder” review here

Short Fiction

The following stories of “murderous revenge and other crimes” were originally published in anthologies or magazines. Many have been republished as standalone short stories.

“An Ominous Silence” appears in Snowbound: Best New England Crime Stories

“The Unfortunate Death of Mrs. Edna Fogg” in Malice Domestic 12: Mystery Most Historical

“Murder in the Summer Kitchen” in Murder Among Friends: Mysteries Inspired by the Life and Works of John Greenleaf Whittier.

“The Mayor and the Midwife” in Blood on the Bayou: Bouchercon Anthology 2016

“Adam and Eva,” – free read on Kings River Life Magazine.

“A Questionable Death” was originally published in the History and Mystery, Oh My! anthology and is a free read over at Kings River Life Magazine.

“Just Desserts for Johnny”

“Pickled” in That Mysterious Woman

“A Fire in Carriagetown” first appeared as “Breaking the Silence” in Best New England Crime Stories 2014: Stone Cold

“The Stonecutter,” first appeared in Fish Nets: the Second Guppy Anthology

“Reduction in Force” was first published in Thin Ice: Crime Stories by New England Writers

“Yatsuhashi for Lance” was originally published as “Obake for Lance” in Riptide: Crime Stories by New England Writers.

“An Idea for Murder,” first appeared (written as Tace Baker) in the Burning Bridges: A Renegade Fiction Anthology.

“The Importance of Blood”

“A Divination of Death” appears in Malice Domestic 13: Mystery Most Geographical.

“Sushi Lessons” appears in Malice Domestic 14: Mystery Most Edible.

“An Intolerable Intrusion” appears in Edgar Allen Cozy.

For more information about Edith and her writing life, read the Author Profile here.

Happy Reading! 🙂