2014 · Long Beach, California

BEST NOVEL

Winner:

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Ordinary Grace – William Kent Krueger - Atria

Nominees:

 

Suspect – Robert Crais - Putnam

A Cold and Lonely Place – Sara J. Henry - Crown

The Wrong Girl – Hank Phillippi Ryan - Forge

Through the Evil Days – Julia Spencer-Fleming - Minotaur

Ordinary Grace – William Kent Krueger - Atria

 

BEST FIRST NOVEL

Winner:

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Yesterday’s Echo – Matt Coyle - Oceanview

Nominees:

 

Ghostman – Roger Hobbs - Alfred A. Knopf

Rage Against the Dying – Becky Masterman - Minotaur

Reconstructing Amelia – Kimberly McCreight - HarperCollins

The Hard Bounce – Todd Robinson - Tyrus

Yesterday’s Echo – Matt Coyle - Oceanview

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BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL

Winner:

 

As She Left It – Catriona McPherson Midnight Ink

Nominees:

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The Big Reap – Chris F. Holm - Angry Robot

Purgatory Key – Darrell James - Midnight Ink

Joyland – Stephen King - Hard Case Crime

The Wicked Girls – Alex Marwood - Penguin

As She Left It – Catriona McPherson Midnight Ink

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BEST SHORT STORY

Winner:

 

“The Caxton Private Lending Library & Book Depository” – John Connolly, Bibliomysteries - Mysterious Bookshop

Nominees:

 

“Dead End” – Craig Faustus Buck - Untreed Reads

“Annie and the Grateful Dead” – Denise Dietz, The Sound and the Furry: Stories To Benefit the International Fund for Animal Welfare - Amazon Digital

“Incident on the 405” – Travis Richardson, Criminal Element’s Malfeasance Occasional: Girl Trouble - Macmillan

"The Care and Feeding of Houseplants” – Art Taylor, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, March/April 2013

“The Caxton Private Lending Library & Book Depository” – John Connoll, Bibliomysteries - Mysterious Bookshop

 

BEST CRITICAL OR NONFICTION WORK

Winner:

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The Hour of Peril: The Secret Plot To Murder Lincoln Before the Civil War – Daniel Stashower - Minotaur

Nominees:

 

Mastermind: How To Think Like Sherlock Holmes – Maria Konnikova - Viking Adult

The Secret Rescue: An Untold Story of American Nurses and Medics Behind Nazi Lines – Cate Lineberry - Little Brown

All the Wild Children – Josh Stallings - Snubnose Press

Troubled Daughters, Twisted Wives: Stories from the Trailblazers of Domestic Suspense – Sarah Weinman, ed. - Penguin

The Hour of Peril: The Secret Plot To Murder Lincoln Before the Civil War – Daniel Stashower - Minotaur

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BEST CHILDREN’S OR YOUNG ADULT NOVEL

Winner:

 

The Testing – Joelle Charbonneau - Houghton Mifflin

Nominees:

 

Escape Theory – Margaux Froley - Soho Teen

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library – Chris Grabenstein - Random House Children’s Books

Dancer, Daughter, Traitor, Spy – Elizabeth Kiem - Soho Teen

The Code Busters Club: Mystery of the Pirate’s Treasure – Penny Warner - Egmont USA

The Testing – Joelle Charbonneau - Houghton Mifflin

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BEST TV EPISODE TELEPLAY, FIRST AIRED IN 2013

Winner:

 

The Blacklist – Pilot by Jon Bokenkamp – Sept. 2013 - Davis Entertainment, NBC

Nominees:

 

Breaking Bad – “Felina” by Vince Gilligan – Sept. 2013 - AMC

The Fall – “Dark Descent” by Allan Cubitt – May 2013 - Netflix Original

The Following – Pilot by Kevin Williamson – Jan. 2013 - Warner Bros. Television, Fox

Justified – “Hole in the Wall” by Graham Yost – Jan. 2013 - Warner Bros. Television, Fox

The Blacklist – Pilot by Jon Bokenkamp – Sept. 2013 - Davis Entertainment, NBC

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BEST AUDIO BOOK

Winner:

 

The Cuckoo’s Calling – Robert Galbraith – Robert Glenister, narrator - Hachette Audio

Nominees:

 

Hour of the Rat – Lisa Brackmann – Tracy Sallows, narrator - Audible

Man in the Empty Suit – Sean Ferrell – Mauro Hantman, narrator - AudioG

Crescendo – Deborah J. Ledford – Christina Cox, narrator - IOF Productions

Death and the Lit Chick – G.M. Malliet – Davina Porter, narrator - Dreamscape Media

The Cuckoo’s Calling – Robert Galbraith – Robert Glenister, narrator - Hachette Audio

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2013 · Albany, New York

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BEST NOVEL

Winner:

 

The Beautiful Mystery – Louise Penny - Minotaur

Nominees:

 

Dare Me – Megan Abbott - Reagan Arthur

The Trinity Game – Sean Chercover - Thomas & Mercer

Gone Girl – Gillian Flynn - Crown

The Other Woman – Hank Phillippi Ryan - Forge

The Beautiful Mystery – Louise Penny - Minotaur

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BEST FIRST NOVEL

Winner:

 

The Expats – Chris Pavone - Crown

Nominees:

 

Don’t Ever Get Old – Daniel Friedman - Thomas Dunne

The Professionals – Owen Laukkanen - Putnam

The 500 – Matthew Quirk - Reagan Arthur

Black Fridays – Michael Sears - Putnam

The Expats – Chris Pavone - Crown

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BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL

Winner:

 

Big Maria – Johnny Shaw - Thomas & Mercer

Nominees:

 

Whiplash River – Lou Berney - William Morrow

Murder for Choir – Joelle Charbonneau - Berkley Prime Crime

And She Was – Alison Gaylin - Harper

Blessed are the Dead – Malla Nunn - Emily Bestler

Big Maria – Johnny Shaw - Thomas & Mercer

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BEST SHORT STORY

Winner:

 

“Mischief in Mesopotamia” – Dana Cameron, EQMM, Nov 2012

Nominees:

 

“Kept in the Dark” – Sheila Connolly, Best New England Crime Stories: Blood Moon - Level Best

“The Lord is My Shamus” – Barb Goffman, Chesapeake Crimes: This Job is Murder, p.97 - Wildside

"Peaches” – Todd Robinson, Grift, Spring 2012, p.80

“The Unremarkable Heart” – Karin Slaughter, Mystery Writers of America Presents: Vengeance, p.177 - Mulholland

"Mischief in Mesopotamia” – Dana Cameron, EQMM, Nov 2012

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BEST CRITICAL NONFICTION WORK

Winner:

 

Books to Die For: The World’s Greatest Mystery Writers on the World’s Greatest Mystery Novels – John Connolly and Declan Burke, eds. - Hodder & Stoughton/Emily Bestler

Nominees:

 

Blood Relations: The Selected Letters of Ellery Queen, 1947-1950 – Joseph Goodrich, ed. - Perfect Crime

More Forensics and Fiction: Crime Writers Morbidly Curious Questions Expertly Answered – D.P. Lyle, M.D. - Medallion

The Grand Tour: Around the World with the Queen of Mystery Agatha Christie – Mathew Prichard, ed. - Harper

In Pursuit of Spenser: Mystery Writers on Robert B. Parker and the Creation of an American Hero – Otto Penzler, ed. - Smart Pop

Books to Die For: The World’s Greatest Mystery Writers on the World’s Greatest Mystery Novels – John Connolly and Declan Burke, eds. - Hodder & Stoughton/Emily Bestler

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2012 · Cleveland, Ohio

BEST NOVEL

Winner:

 

A Trick of the Light – Louise Penny - Minotaur

Nominees:

 

The End of Everything – Megan Abbott - Reagan Arthur/Little, Brown

Hurt Machine – Reed Farrel Coleman - Tyrus

The Drop – Michael Connelly - Little, Brown

One Was a Soldier – Julia Spencer-Fleming - Thomas Dunne/Minotaur

A Trick of the Light – Louise Penny - Minotaur

 

BEST FIRST NOVEL

Winner:

 

Learning to Swim – Sara J. Henry - Crown

Nominees:

 

Nazareth Child – Darrell James - Midnight Ink

All Cry Chaos – Leonard Rosen - The Permanent Press

Who Do, Voodoo? – Rochelle Staab - Berkley Prime Crime

The Informationist – Taylor Stevens - Crown

Purgatory Chasm – Steve Ulfelder - Thomas Dunne/Minotaur

Before I Go to Sleep – S.J. Watson - HarperCollins

Learning to Swim – Sara J. Henry - Crown

 

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL

Winner:

 

Buffalo West Wing – Julie Hyzy - Berkley Prime Crime/Tekno

Nominees:

 

The Company Man – Robert Jackson Bennett - Orbit/Hachette

Choke Hold – Christa Faust - Hard Case Crime/Titan

Death of the Mantis – Michael Stanley - HarperCollins

Fun & Games – Duane Swierczynski - Mulholland

Vienna Twilight – Frank Tallis - Random House

Buffalo West Wing – Julie Hyzy - Berkley Prime Crime/Tekno

 

BEST SHORT STORY

Winner:

 

“Disarming” – Dana Cameron, EQMM June’11, p.244

Nominees:

 

“The Case of Death and Honey” – Neil Gaiman, A Study In Sherlock, p.167 - Bantam

"Palace on the Lake” – Daryl Wood Gerber, Fish Tales: The Guppy Anthology, p.184 - Wildside

“Truth and Consequences” – Barb Goffman, Mystery Times Ten, p.121 - Buddhapuss Ink

"The Itinerary” – Roberta Isleib, MWA Presents The Rich and The Dead, p.189 - Grand Central

“Happine$$” – Twist Phelan, MWA Presents The Rich and The Dead, p.276 - Grand Central

“Disarming” – Dana Cameron, EQMM June’11, p.244

 

BEST CRITICAL NONFICTION WORK

Winner:

 

The Sookie Stackhouse Companion – Charlaine Harris, ed. - Ace

Nominees:

 

Books, Crooks and Counselors: How to Write Accurately About Criminal Law and Courtroom Procedure – Leslie Budewitz - Quill Driver/Linden

Agatha Christie: Murder in the Making: More Stories and Secrets from Her Notebooks – John Curran - HarperCollins

On Conan Doyle: or, The Whole Art of Storytelling – Michael Dirda - Princeton University Press

Detecting Women: Gender and the Hollywood Detective Film – Philippa Gates - SUNY Press

The Sookie Stackhouse Companion – Charlaine Harris, ed. - Ac

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2011 · Saint Louis, Missouri

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BEST NOVEL

Winner:

 

Bury Your Dead – Louise Penny [Minotaur Books]

Nominees:

 

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter – Tom Franklin - William Morrow

Faithful Place – Tana French - Viking

The Lock Artist – Steve Hamilton - Minotaur Books

I’d Know You Anywhere – Laura Lippman - William Morrow

Bury Your Dead – Louise Penny - Minotaur Books

 

BEST FIRST NOVEL

Winner:

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Damage Done – Hilary Davidson [Forge Books]

Nominees:

 

Rogue Island – Bruce DeSilva - Forge Books

The Poacher’s Son – Paul Doiron - Minotaur Books

The Sherlockian – Graham Moore - Twelve

Snow Angels – James Thompson - Putnam

Damage Done – Hilary Davidson - Forge Books

 

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL

Winner:

 

Expiration Date – Duane Swierczynski [Minotaur Books]

Nominees:

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Long Time Coming – Robert Goddard - Bantam

The Hanging Tree – Bryan Gruley - Touchstone

Drive Time – Hank Phillippi Ryan - Mira
Vienna Secrets – Frank Tallis - Random House

Expiration Date – Duane Swierczynski - Minotaur Books

 

BEST SHORT STORY

Winner:

 

“Swing Shift” – Dana Cameron, Crimes By Moonlight: Mysteries from the Dark Side [Berkley]

Nominees:

 

“The Scent of Lilacs” – Doug Allyn, EQMM Sep/Oct’10

“The Hitter” – Chris F. Holm, Needle: A Magazine of Noir Summer’10

“So Much in Common” – Mary Jane Maffini, EQMM Sep/Oct’10

“Homeless” – Patricia L. Morin, Mystery Montage: A Collection of Short Story Mystery Genres - Top

“The Frame Maker” – Simon Wood, The Back Alley Webzine Vol III No.3

“Swing Shift” – Dana Cameron, Crimes By Moonlight: Mysteries from the Dark Side - Berkley

 

BEST GRAPHIC NOVEL

Winner:

 

The Chill – Jason Starr [Vertigo]

Nominees:

 

Scalped Vol 6: The Gnawing – Jason Aaron - Vertigo

Richard Stark’s Parker, Vol 2: The Outfit – Darwyn Cooke - IDW Press

Tumor – Joshua Hale Fialkov, Noel Tuazon - Archaia Studios Press

Sickness in the Family – Denise Mina - Vertigo

Beasts of Burden – Jill Thompson, Evan Dorkin - Dark Horse

The Chill – Jason Starr - Vertigo

 

BEST CRITICAL/NONFICTION

Winner:

 

Agatha Christie’s Secret Notebooks – John Curran [Harper Collins]

Nominees:

 

The Wire: Truth Be Told – Rafael Alvarez - Grove Press

Sherlock Holmes for Dummies – Steven Doyle, David A. Crowder - For Dummies

Charlie Chan: The Untold Story of the Honorable Detective and His Rendezvous with American History – Yunte Huang - W W Norton

Thrillers: 100 Must Reads – David Morrell - Oceanview

Agatha Christie’s Secret Notebooks – John Curran - Harper Collins

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BEST WEBSITE/BLOG

Winner:

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Stop, You’re Killing Me! – Lucinda Surber, Stan Ulrich [www.stopyourekillingme.com]

Nominees:

 

Jen’s Book Thoughts – Jen Forbus - www.jensbookthoughts.com

The Rap Sheet – J. Kingston Pierce - therapsheet.blogspot.com

Sirens of Suspense – Chantelle Aimée Osman - www.sirensofsuspense.com

Spinetingler – Sandra Ruttan - www.spinetinglermag.com

Stop, You’re Killing Me! – Lucinda Surber, Stan Ulrich - www.stopyourekillingme.com

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2010 · San Francisco, California

BEST NOVEL

Winner:

 

The Brutal Telling – Louise Penny -   Minotaur Books

Nominees:

 

The Last Child – John Hart - Minotaur Books

The Mystic Arts Of Erasing All Signs Of Death – Charlie Huston - Ballantine Books

The Girl Who Played With Fire – Stieg Larsson, translated by Reg Keeland - Quercus/Knopf

The Shanghai Moon – S.J. Rozan - Minotaur Books

The Brutal Telling – Louise Penny -  Minotaur Books

 

BEST FIRST NOVEL

Winner:

 

A Bad Day For Sorry – Sophie Littlefield - Minotaur Books

Nominees:

 

The Sweetness At The Bottom Of The Pie – Alan Bradley - Delacorte Press

Starvation Lake – Bryan Gruley - Touchstone

The Twelve/The Ghosts Of Belfast – Stuart Neville - Harvill Secker/Soho Press

In The Shadow Of Gotham – Stefanie Pintoff - Minotaur Books

A Bad Day For Sorry – Sophie Littlefield - Minotaur Books

 

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL

Winner:

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Starvation Lake – Bryan Gruley - Touchstone

Nominees:

 

Bury Me Deep – Megan Abbott - Simon & Schuster

Tower – Ken Bruen and Reed Farrel Coleman - Busted Flush Press

Quarry In The Middle – Max Allan Collins - Hard Case Crime

Death And The Lit Chick – G.M. Malliet - Midnight Ink

Air Time – Hank Phillippi Ryan - Mira

Starvation Lake – Bryan Gruley - Touchstone

 

BEST SHORT STORY

Winner:

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“On the House” – Hank Phillippi Ryan, Quarry: Crime Stories by New England Writers, book’s 5th story - Level Best Books

Nominees:

 

“Last Fair Deal Gone Down” – Ace Atkins, Crossroad Blues, pp.1-20 follow Afterword - Busted Flush Press

“Femme Sole” – Dana Cameron, Boston Noir, pp.95-115 - Akashic Books

“Animal Rescue” – Dennis Lehane, Boston Noir, pp.38-64 - Akashic Books

“Amapola” – Luis Alberto Urrea, Phoenix Noir, pp.103-125 - Akashic Books

“On the House” – Hank Phillippi Ryan, Quarry: Crime Stories by New England Writers, book’s 5th story - Level Best Books

 

BEST CRITICAL NONFICTION WORK

Winner:

 

Talking About Detective Fiction – P.D. James - Bodleian Library/Knopf

Nominees:

 

The Line Up: The World’s Greatest Crime Writers Tell the Inside Story of Their Greatest Detectives – Otto Penzler, ed. - Little, Brown and Co

Haunted Heart: The Life and Times of Stephen King – Lisa Rogak - Thomas Dunne Books

Dame Agatha’s Shorts: An Agatha Christie Short Story Companion – Elena Santangelo - Bella Rosa Books

The Talented Miss Highsmith: The Secret Life and Serious Art of Patricia Highsmith – Joan Schenkar - St. Martin’s Press

Talking About Detective Fiction – P.D. James - Bodleian Library/Knopf

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