Nominated for Award Archives

Shamus Awards – 2022

Leave a Comment / Crime, Debut Author, Featured, Mystery, Nominated for Award, Short Stories/Collection, Suspense, Thriller

The 2022 Shamus Award Winners, for private eye novels and short stories first published in the United States in 2021, have been announced. PWA’s (Private Eye Writers of America) definition of a Private Eye: a person paid to investigate crimes who is not employed by a government agency. Congratulations to all the nominees and winners (noted in red).

BEST PI HARDCOVER
RUNNER by Tracy Clark
LAST REDEMPTION by Matt Coyle
PAY OR PLAY by Howard Michael Gould
FAMILY BUSINESS by S. J. Rozan
HEAD CASE by Michael Wiley

BEST ORIGINAL PI PAPERBACK
EVERY CITY IS EVERY OTHER CITY by John McFetridge
THE BURDEN OF INNOCENCE by John Nardizzi
ANGELS IN THE WIND by Manuel Ramos
FROG IN A BUCKET by Clive Rosengren
AN EMPTY GRAVE by Andrew Welsh-Huggins

BEST FIRST PI NOVEL
PORNO VALLEY by Philip Elliot
A DEAD MAN’S EYES by Lori Duffy Foster
SUBURBAN DICKS by Fabian Nicieza
THE ARRANGEMENT by M. Ravenel
LOST LITTLE GIRL by Gregory Stout

BEST PI SHORT STORY
DISPOSABLE WOMEN by Michael Bracken (ToughCrime.com)
SIXTEEN LIES by Matt Goldman (EQMM September/October)
SWEEPS WEEK by Richard Helms (EQMM July/August)
ORO DE TONTOS (FOOL’S GOLD) by Tom Larsen (AHMM November/December)
THE HIDDEN PLACES by Linda Stansberry (EQMM May/June)

Shamus Awards – 2022 Read More »

Book List: Author Liz Mugavero/Cate Conte

Leave a Comment / Book List, Cozy, Mystery, Nominated for Award, Paranormal, Reviews

Liz Mugavero, a delightful New England writer living in Massachusetts, has written three series, all three with animals as pals (and clue finders) for the lead characters. The first book in her first series, “Kneading to Die,” garnered her an Agatha nomination for Best First Mystery. It was clever, funny, and the beginning of one of the best cozy series out there, the Pawsatively Organic Mysteries. Who can forget the kibble on the body? Lolol

Cate Conte, Mugavero’s alter ego, pens the second series, the Cat Café Mysteries, also a big hit with the fans. Click on the titles (and a few reviews) to find out more about the enjoyable, wonderfully written books. A new title, “Gone, But Not Forgotten,” can be pre-ordered via the link below.

The third series, featuring a witch as the lead character, Full Moon Mysteries, is getting happy, great reviews.

Click on the titles to learn more about the books.

As Liz Mugavero:

Pawsatively Organic Mysteries:

Features Stan (Kristan) Connor, an Ex-Corporate PR Exec, & Nutty, her Maine Coon Cat. Among the fully fleshed out characters is a hunky bar owner boyfriend and his dog, making Stan’s life interesting as she navigates her new life in a small town and keeps finding bodies. Why the name for the series? Stan wants to open an organic animal treats business. Recipes included!

“Kneading to Die” – review here

“A Biscuit, A Casket” review here

“The Icing on the Corpse”

“Murder Most Finicky”

“Custom Baked Murder” review here

“Purring Around the Christmas Tree”

“Murder, She Meowed”

As Cate Conte: https://www.cateconte.com

The Cat Café Mysteries

Maddie James has a successful juice bar business on the west coast, but returns to her hometown of Daybreak Island off the coast of Massachusetts to take care of family matters. Maddie and a stray cat (based on one of Liz’ own cats) get caught up in murder! Maddie is a thoroughly enjoyable new character, with equally appealing love interests. The reason for the title of the series? Maddie is opening up a Cat Café, complete with cats for locals to adopt.

“Cat About Town” – review here

“Purrder She Wrote”

“Tell Tail Heart”

“A Whisker of a Doubt“

“Claws for Alarm“

“Gone, But Not Furgotten,” can be pre-ordered here.

You can read Liz Mugavero’s Author Profile here.

Cate Conte’s first title in The Full Moon Mystery series is the entertaining “Witch Hunt.”.

The second title, “Witch Trial,” is out now.

Happy Reading! 🙂

*Many thanks to Liz/Cate for the photos and book art! 🙂

Book List: Author Liz Mugavero/Cate Conte Read More »

2022 Hammett Prize

Leave a Comment / Bestselling Author, Crime, Featured, Legal, Mystery, Nominated for Award, Suspense, Wartime

The Hammett Prize is bestowed by The International Association of Crime Writers (North American Branch). The award was given in June, 2022 for a 2021 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 the winner (indicated in red) and all the nominees!

Razorblade Tears, by S.A. Cosby – a story of bloody retribution, heartfelt change—and maybe even redemption.
Stung, by William Deverell – a lawyer must defend seven boisterous environmentalists accused of sabotaging an Ontario plant that pumps out a pesticide that has led to the mass death of honeybees.
Five Decembers, by James Kestrel – a gripping thriller, a staggering portrait of war, and a heartbreaking love story.
Harlem Shuffle, by Colson Whitehead – entertaining novel of heists, shakedowns, and rip-offs set in Harlem in the 1960s.
The Sacrifice of Lester Yates, by Robin Yocum – new political thriller from the author of bestselling novel The Essay.

(book descriptions from Barnes & Noble and Amazon)

2022 Hammett Prize Read More »

2022 ThrillerFest Awards

2 Comments / Adventure, Bestselling Author, Crime, Debut Author, Featured, Nominated for Award, Suspense, Thriller

Thriller writers bring us thrills and chills and keep us awake long into the wee hours of the morning. We love those stay-awake reads! Check out the 2022 International Thriller Writer ThrillerFest Awards finalists and winners (indicated in red). Congratulations to all!

BEST HARDCOVER NOVEL
Megan Abbott – THE TURNOUT
S. A. Cosby – RAZORBLADE TEARS
Alice Feeney – ROCK PAPER SCISSORS
Rachel Howzell Hall – THESE TOXIC THINGS
Alma Katsu – RED WIDOW
Eric Rickstad – I AM NOT WHO YOU THINK I AM

BEST AUDIOBOOK
S. A. Cosby – RAZORBLADE TEARS (Narrated by Adam Lazarre-White)
Samantha Downing – SLEEPING DOG LIE (Narrated by Melanie Nicholls-King and Lindsey Dorcus)
Rachel Howzell Hall – HOW IT ENDS (Narrated by Joniece Abbott-Pratt)
Gregg Hurwitz – PRODIGAL SON (Narrated by Scott Brick)
Nadine Matheson – THE JIGSAW MAN (Narrated by Davine Henry)

BEST FIRST NOVEL
Abigail Dean – GIRL A
Eloísa Díaz – REPENTANCE
Amanda Jayatissa – MY SWEET GIRL
David McCloskey – DAMASCUS STATION
Eric Redman – BONES OF HILO

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL NOVEL
Joy Castro – FLIGHT RISK
Aaron Philip Clark – UNDER COLOR OF LAW
C. J. Cooke – THE LIGHTHOUSE WITCHES
Jess Lourey – BLOODLINE
Terry Roberts – MY MISTRESS’ EYES ARE RAVEN BLACK

BEST E-BOOK ORIGINAL NOVEL
Greig Beck – THE DARK SIDE: ALEX HUNTER 9
John Connell – WHERE THE WICKED TREAD
Wendy Dranfield – LITTLE GIRL TAKEN
E.J. Findorff – BLOOD PARISH
S. E. Green – MOTHER MAY I
Andrew Kaplan – BLUE MADAGASCAR
Karin Nordin – LAST ONE ALIVE

2022 ThrillerFest Awards Read More »

2022 – CrimeFest

Leave a Comment / Bestselling Author, Crime, Debut Author, Featured, Fiction, Mystery, Nominated for Award, Readers Under 12, Suspense, Thriller, Young Adult/Teen

CrimeFest celebrates the best of crime fiction first published in the UK. In general, the titles are sent in by the publishers for consideration, then read and reduced to the list of finalists you see below. A group of British crime fiction reviewers selects both the finalists and the winners.

The 2022 in-person convention was held May 12-15, 2022, in Bristol. The awards for titles published in 2021 were announced at the Gala that weekend. Each winner received a commemorative Bristol Blue Glass commemorative award. Some winning authors also received one thousand pounds. The winners are indicated in red.

Specsavers Crime Fiction Debut Award nominees:
– Abigail Dean for Girl A
– Janice Hallett for The Appeal
– Saima Mir for The Khan
– Rahul Raina for How to Kidnap the Rich
– Lara Thompson for One Night, New York
– David Heska Wanbli Weiden for Winter Counts

AUDIBLE SOUNDS OF CRIME AWARD
The Audible Sounds of Crime Award is for the best unabridged crime audiobook first published in the United Kingdom in 2021 in both printed and audio formats. The winning author and audiobook reader(s) share the £1,000 prize equally.

– Lee and Andrew Child for Better Off Dead, reader Jeff Harding
– Abigail Dean for Girl A, reader Holliday Grainger
– Paula Hawkins for Slow Fire Burning, reader Rosamund Pike
– Lisa Jewell for The Night She Disappeared, reader Joanna Froggatt
– Liane Moriarty for Apples Never Fall, reader Caroline Lee
– Richard Osman for The Man Who Died Twice, reader Lesley Manville
– K.L. Slater for The Marriage, reader Lucy Price-Lewis
– Karin Slaughter for False Witness, reader Kathleen Early

eDUNNIT AWARD
The eDunnit Award is for the best crime fiction ebook first published in both hardcopy and in electronic format in the United Kingdom in 2021.

– Megan Abbott for The Turnout
– Gianrico Carofiglio for The Measure of Time
– Michael Connelly for The Dark Hours
– Abigail Dean for Girl A
– Cath Staincliffe for Running Out of Road
– Andrew Taylor for The Royal Secret

LAST LAUGH AWARD
The Last Laugh Award is for the best humorous crime novel first published in the United Kingdom in 2021.

– Simon Brett for An Untidy Death
– Andrea Camilleri for Riccardino
– Christopher Fowler for Bryant & May: London Bridge is Falling Down
– Janice Hallett for The Appeal
– Mick Herron for Slough House
– Antti Tuomainen for The Rabbit Factor

Best Crime Novel for Children (ages 8-12):
– Frank Cottrell-Boyce for Noah’s Gold
– Maz Evans for VI Spy: Licence to Chill
– Anthony Horowitz for Nightshade
– Anthony Kessel for The Five Clues
– Jennifer Killick for Crater Lake Evolution
– M.G. Leonard for Twitch
– Alexandra Page (illustrator: Penny Neville-Lee) for Wishyouwas
– Ella Risbridger for The Secret Detectives

Best Crime Novel for Young Adults (ages 12-16):
– Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé for Ace of Spades
– Angeline Boulley for Firekeeper’s Daughter
– Andreina Cordani for The Girl Who…
– William Hussey for The Outrage
– Holly Jackson for As Good As Dead
– Patrice Lawrence for Splinters of Sunshine
– Jonathan Stroud for The Outlaws of Scarlett & Browne
– C.L. Taylor for The Island

Congratulations to all the nominees and winners!

2022 – CrimeFest Read More »

2022 Mystery Writers of America – Edgar Awards

Leave a Comment / Book List, Crime, Debut Author, Featured, Historical, Mystery, Nominated for Award, Non-fiction, Young Adult/Teen

The nominees for the 2022 Edgar Allan Poe Awards, honoring the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction and television from 2021, were announced in January, 2022. The winners were revealed on April 28, 2022 in New York City and are noted here in red.

BEST NOVEL
The Venice Sketchbook by Rhys Bowen
Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby
Five Decembers by James Kestrel
How Lucky by Will Leitch
No One Will Miss Her by Kat Rosenfield

BEST FIRST NOVEL BY AN AMERICAN AUTHOR
Deer Season by Erin Flanagan
Never Saw Me Coming by Vera Kurian
Suburban Dicks by Fabian Nicieza
What Comes After by JoAnne Tompkins
The Damage by Caitlin Wahrer

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL
Kill All Your Darlings by David Bell
The Lighthouse Witches by C.J. Cooke
The Album of Dr. Moreau by Daryl Gregory
Starr Sign by C.S. O’Cinneide
Bobby March Will Live Forever by Alan Parks
The Shape of Darkness by Laura Purcell

BEST FACT CRIME
The Confidence Men: How Two Prisoners of War Engineered the Most Remarkable Escape in History by Margalit Fox
Last Call: A True Story of Love, Lust, and Murder in Queer New York by Elon Green
Sleeper Agent: The Atomic Spy in America Who Got Away by Ann Hagedorn
Two Truths and a Lie: A Murder, a Private Investigator, and Her Search for Justice by Ellen McGarrahan
The Dope: The Real History of the Mexican Drug Trade by Benjamin T. Smith
When Evil Lived in Laurel: The “White Knights” and the Murder of Vernon Dahmer by Curtis Wilkie

BEST JUVENILE
Cold-Blooded Myrtle by Elizabeth C. Bunce
Concealed by Christina Diaz Gonzalez
Aggie Morton Mystery Queen: The Dead Man in the Garden by Marthe Jocelyn
Kidnap on the California Comet: Adventures on Trains #2 by M.G. Leonard & Sam Sedgman
Rescue by Jennifer A. Nielsen

BEST YOUNG ADULT
Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
When You Look Like Us by Pamela N. Harris
The Forest of Stolen Girls by June Hur
The Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe

BEST TELEVISION EPISODE TELEPLAY
“Dog Day Morning” – The Brokenwood Mysteries, Written by Tim Balme (Acorn TV)
“Episode 1” – The Beast Must Die, Written by Gaby Chiappe (AMC+)
“The Men Are Wretched Things” – The North Water Written by Andrew Haigh (AMC+)
“Happy Families” – Midsomer Murders, Written by Nicholas Hicks-Beach (Acorn TV)
“Boots on the Ground” – Narcos: Mexico, Written by Iturri Sosa (Netflix)

Please visit https://mysterywriters.org/mwa-announce-the-2022-edgar-award-nominations for information about nominees in the Short Story, Best Critical/Biographical, Mary Higgins Clark, and Sue Grafton Awards.

From the site: “MWA is the premier organization for mystery writers, professionals allied to the crime-writing field, aspiring crime writers, and those who are devoted to the genre. The organization encompasses some 3,000 members including authors of fiction and non-fiction books, screen and television writers, as well as publishers, editors, and literary agents.”

Congratulations to all the nominees and winners!

2022 Mystery Writers of America – Edgar Awards Read More »

The Agatha Awards – 2021 Books

Leave a Comment / Bestselling Author, Cozy, Debut Author, Featured, Historical, Mystery, Nominated for Award, Non-fiction, Readers Under 12, Short Stories/Collection, Young Adult/Teen

The winners of the Agatha Awards for 2021 Books (named for Agatha Christie) have been announced. The nominated books were first published in the United States by a living author between January 1 and December 31, 2021. The awards were given to mystery and crime writers during the live Malice Domestic conference on April 23, 2022.

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 (winners indicated in red)!

Best Contemporary Novel
Cajun Kiss of Death by Ellen Byron
Watch Her by Edwin Hill
The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny
Her Perfect Life by Hank Phillippi Ryan
Symphony Road by Gabriel Valjan

Best Historical Novel
Murder at Mallowan Hall by Colleen Cambridge
Clark and Division by Naomi Hirahara
The Bombay Prince by Sujata Massey
Death at Greenway by Lori Rader-Day
The Devil’s Music by Gabriel Valjan

Best First Novel
The Turncoat’s Widow by Mally Becker
A Dead Man’s Eyes by Lori Duffy Foster
Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala
Murder in the Master by Judy L. Murray
Mango, Mambo, and Murder by Raquel V. Reyes

Best Short Story
“A Family Matter” by Barb Goffman (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine Jan/Feb 2021)
“A Tale of Two Sisters” by Barb Goffman in Murder on the Beach (Destination Murders)
“Doc’s at Midnight” by Richie Narvaez in Midnight Hour (Crooked Lane Books)
“The Locked Room Library” by Gigi Pandian (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine July/Aug 2021)
“Bay of Reckoning” by Shawn Reilly Simmons in Murder on the Beach (Destination Murders)

Best Non-Fiction
The Combat Zone: Murder, Race, and Boston’s Struggle for Justice by Jan Brogan
Murder Most Grotesque: The Comedic Crime Fiction of Joyce Porter by Chris Chan
The Irish Assassins: Conspiracy, Revenge, and the Phoenix Park Murders that Stunned Victorian England by Julie Kavanaugh
How to Write a Mystery: A Handbook from Mystery Writers of America by MWA with editors Lee Child and Laurie R. King

Best Children’s/YA Mystery
Cold-Blooded Myrtle by Elizabeth C. Bunce
The Forest of Stolen Girls by June Hur
I Play One on TV by Alan Orloff
Leisha’s Song by Lynn Slaughter
Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche by Nancy Springer

The Agatha Awards – 2021 Books Read More »