CyberGumshoe's Mumblings in March/April 2023
Louise Penny Wins Agatha
Malice Domestic announced the winners for the 2023 Agatha Awards as follows:
Best Contemporary Novel: A World of Curiosities, by Louise Penny (Minotaur)
Best Historical Novel: Because I Could Not Stop for Death, by Amanda Flower (Berkley)
Best First Novel: Cheddar Off Dead, by Korina Moss (St. Martin's Press)
Best Nonfiction: Promophobia, edited by Diane Vallere (Sisters in Crime)
Best Short Story: "Beauty and the Beyotch," by Barb Goffman (Sherlock Holmes Magazine, February 2022)
Best Children/Young Adult: Enola Holmes and the Elegant Escapade, by Nancy Springer (Wednesday Books)
Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient: Ann Cleeves
The winners were announced on Saturday, April 29 at the Malice Banquet held in Bethesda, Maryland. (April 30, 2023)
W. Edward Blain Wins EQMM Readers Award
Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine (EQMM) has announced the winners for the winners for the 2023 EQMM Readers Awards as follows:
First Place: "The Secret Sharer," by W. Edward Blain (July/August 2022 issue)
Second Place: "Blind Baseball," by Doug Allyn (May/June 2022 issue)
Third Place: "Schrodinger, Cat," by Anna Scotti (March/April 2022 issue)
(April 30, 2023)
Danya Kukafka Wins Edgar
Mystery Writers of America announced the winners for the 2023 Edgar Awards as follows:
Best Novel: Notes on an Execution, by Danya Kukafka (William Morrow)
Best First Novel: Don't Know Tough, by Eli Cranor (Soho Crime)
Best Paperback Original: Or Else, by Joe Hart (Thomas & Mercer)
Best Fact Crime: Tell Me Everything, by Erika Krouse (Flatiron Books)
Best Critical/Biographical: The Life of Crime, by Martin Edwards (Collins Crime Club)
Best Short Story: "Red Flag," by Gregory Fallis (Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, March/April 2022)
Best Juvenile: Aggie Morton Mystery Queen: The Seaside Corpse, by Marthe Jocelyn (Tundra Books)
Best Young Adult: The Red Palace, by June Hur (Feiwel & Friends)
Best Television Episode Teleplay: "Episode 1" (in Magpie Murders), written by Anthony Horowitz (Masterpiece/PBS)
Rober L. Fish Memorial Award Recipient: "Dogs in the Canyon," by Mark Harrison (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, September/October 2022)
Mary Higgins Clark Award: A Dreadful Splendor, by B.R. Myers (William Morrow)
Sue Grafton Memorial Award: Hideout, by Louisa Luna (Doubleday)
Lilian Jackson Braun Memorial Award: Buried in a Good Book, by Tamara Berry (Poisoned Pen Press)
Two Grand Master Award Recipients: Michael Connelly and Joanne Fluke
Two Raven Award Recipients: Crime Writers of Coplor and Eddie Muller
Ellery Queen Award Recipient: The Strand Magazine
The winners were announced at the Edgar Awards Banquet at the New York Marriott Marquis Times Square on Thursday, April 27. (April 28, 2023)
Theakston Crime Award Longlists Announced
Harrogate International Festival announced the longlist of the 2023 Theakston Crime Award for best crime novel of the year published in paperback from May 01, 2022 to April 30, 2023 by UK and Irish authors as follows:
The Murder Book, by Mark Billingham (Little Brown)
The Botanist, by M.W. Craven (Constable)
Into the Dark, by Fiona Cummins (Pan Books)
The Paris Apartment, by Lucy Foley (HarperFiction)
The Locked Room, by Elly Griffiths (Quercus)
The Twyford Code, by Janice Hallett (Viper)
Bad Actors, by Mick Herron (Baskerville)
The Family Remains, by Lisa Jewell (CenturyFiction)
Black Hearts, by Doug Johnstone (Orenda)
The Lost Man of Bombay, by Vaseem Khan (Hodder & Stoughton)
The Last Party, by Clare Mackintosh (Sphere)
All I Said Was True, by Imran Mahmood (Raven)
Wrong Place Wrong Time, by Gillian McAllister (Michael Joseph)
1989, by Val McDermid (Little Brown)
The Heretic, by Liam McIlvanney (HarperFiction)
Blue Water, by Leonora Nattrass (Viper)
May God Forgive, by Alan Parks (Canongate)
Truly Darkly Deeply, by Victoria Selman (Quercus)
Reputation, by Sarah Vaughan (Simon & Schuster)
The It Girl, by Ruth Ware (Simon & Schuster)
The shortlist of the six titles will be announced on Thursday, June 15, and the winner on Thursday July 20 at Old Swan Hotel in Harrogate, England. (April 28, 2023)
CWA Dagger Award Longlists Announced
The Crime Writers' Association of Britain (CWA) has announced the longlists for the 2023 Dagger Awards. The 12 longlistees in the best crime novel category are as follows:
Oxblood, by Tom Benn (Bloomsbury Publishing)
Shoot the Moonlight Out, by William Boyle (Oldcastle Books/No Exit Press)
The Ink Black Heart, by Robert Galbraith (Sphere)
The Kingdoms of Savannah, by George Dawes Green (Headline Publishing/Headline Fiction)
The Lost Man of Bombay, by Vaseem Khan (Hodder & Stoughton)
The Bookseller of Inverness, by SG MacLean (Quercus/Quercus Fiction)
A Killing in November, by Simon Mason (Quercus/riverrun)
The Clockwork Girl, by Anna Mazzola (Orion/Orion Fiction)
The Winter Guest, by WC Ryan (Bonnier Books UK/Zaffre)
A Killing Rain, by Faye Snowdon (Flame Tree Press)
The Bone Road, by NE Solomons (Birlinn Ltd Polygon)
The Silent Brother, by Simon Van der Velde (Northodox Press)
To see the longlists in all the categories, click here. The shortlists will announced during a "live gala dinner event" held on Friday, May 12, during CrimeFest 2023 in Bristol. And the winners will be announced at the Dagger Awards Dinner, on Thursday, July 06 at the Leonardo City Hotel in London. (April 23, 2023)
Alex Segura Wins LAT Book Prize
Los Angeles Times Festival of Books has announced the winners for the 2023 LAT Book Prizes. The winner in the mystery/thriller category is:
SECRET IDENTITY, by Alex Segura (Flatiron)
James Ellroy has received the 2023 Robeert Kirsch Award for lifetime achievement. The winners in all the categories were announced on Friday, April 21 at the University of Southern California's Bovard Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. (April 23, 2023)
CWC Awards of Excellence Shortlists Announced
The Crime Writers of Canada (CWC) has announced the shortlists for the 2023 CWC Awards of Excellence in Canadian Crime Writing (formerly known as the Arthur Ellis Awards) and Derrick Murdock Award recipient. The shortlist in the best crime novel category is as follows:
TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY, by Linwood Barclay (HarperCollins Canada)
GOING TO BEAUTIFUL, by Anthony Bidulka (Stonehouse Publishing)
AN UNTHINKABLE THING, by Nicole Lundrigan (Viking Canada)
PLEASE JOIN US, by Catherine McKenzie (Simon & Schuster Canada)
DAUTHTERS OF THE OCCUPATION, by Shelly Sanders (HarperCollins Canada)
And the 2023 Derrick Murdoch Award recipient is Jack Batten, for his significant contributions to the crime/mystery/thriller genre
To see all the shortlists and the 2023 , click here. The winners will be announced on Thursday, May 25, 2023. (April 21, 2023)<
Anne Perry Dies
Anne Perry (born Juliet Marion Hulme) died on April 10 at a hospital in Los Angeles, California, USA from complications of a heart attack in December. She wanted to realize her wish to become a writer and tried to write historical novels while working as an airline attendant, cab dispatcher, insurance underwriter and the like. Her first published novel was THE CATER STREET HANGMAN (St. Martin's, 1979), a historical novel with the element of mystery, introducing Thomas Pitt, a police inspector in Victorian London, England, which became a series character until the last one, MURDER ON THE SERPENTINE (2016). The sixteenth novel of the Pitt series, PENTECOST ALLEY, was nominated for the 1997 Edgar Award in the best novel category. She was so prolific that she started several series, one of which featured William Monk, an amnestiac private detective in Victorian London, starting with THE FACE OF A STRANGER (Columbine, 1990), and ending with DARK TIDE RISING (Ballantine, 2018). The third series character was Matthew Reavley, a British intelligence officer during the World War I, starting with NO GRAVES AS YET (Ballanine, 2003). Her latest novel is THE FOURTH ENEMY (Ballentine, 2023), the sixth one featuring Daniel Pitt, son of Thomas and Charlotte Pitt and a junior barrister in 1910s London. And her forthcoming novel is THE TRAITOR AMONG US (Ballantine, 2023), the fifth Elena Standish (a British spy in the 1930s) book to be out this September. One of her short stories, "Heroes," first appeared in MURDER AND OBSESSION (Delacorte, 1999; edited by Otto Penzler) won the 2000 Edgar Award in the short story category. She was 84. (April 13, 2023)
Another CrimeFest Award Shortlist Announced
CrimeFest has announced another shortlist for the 2022 CrimeFest Awards. The shortlistees in the Thalia Proctor Memorial Award (for the best adapted tv crime drama) cagegory are as follows:
-Babylon Berlin (series 4), based on the books by Volker Kutscher. Produced by X-Filme Creative Pool, ARD Degeto Film, Beta Film, Sky Deutschland, Westdeutscher Rundfunk. Shown on Sky Atlantic.
-Grace (series 2), based on the books by Peter James. Produced by ITV Studios. Shown on ITV.
-Karin Pirie, based on the books by Val McDermid. Produced by ITV Studios. Shown on ITV.
-Magpie Murders, based on the books by Anthony Horowitz. Produced by Britbox and Eleventh Hour Films. Shown on BritBox.
-Reacher, based on the books by Lee Child. Produced by Amazon Studios, Blackjack Films, Paramount Television, and Skydance Television. Shown on Amazon Prime.
-Shetland (season 7), based on the books by Ann Cleeves. Produced by Silverprint Pictures. Shown on BBC.
-Slow Horses (seasons 1 & 2), based on the books by Mick Herron. Produced by See-Saw. Shown on Apple TV+.
-Vienna Blood (season 3), based on the books by Frank Tallis. Produced by Endor Productions, Seven.One Studios. Shown on BBC.
To see the shortlistees in all the categories, click here. The winners will be announced on Saturday, May 13 during the Gala Awards Dinner of this year's CrimeFest to be held in Bristol, England. (April 06, 2023)
Rita Lakin Dies
Rita Lakin died on March 23. One of the first female TV writers in Hollywood produced and/or wrote a lot of TV shows such as Dynasty, The Rookies, Flamingo Road, Dr. Kildare, Peyton Place, The Mod Squad in the 1960s and 70s. She was co-nominated (with Harve Bennett) for the 1970 Edgar Award in the TV episode category for "In This Corner...Sol Albert" in "The Mod Squad." After she moved to San Rafael, Marin County, she began to writing mystery novels featuring Gladdy Gold, Florida's oldest private eye in Fort Lauderdale, starting with GAETTING OLD IS MURDER (Dell 2005) and ending with GETTING OLD WILL HAUNT YOU (Severn, 2019), the ninth in the series. The fifth soft-boiled Gold novel, GETTING OLD IS A DISASTER won the 2010 Lefty award as the best humorous mystery novel. She was 93. (April 01, 2023)
K.C. Constantine Dies
K.C. Constantine (real name: Carl Constantine Kasok) died on May 23 at a hospital in Greenburg, Pennsylvania. The former journalist and English teacher wrote his first novel, THE ROCKSBURG RAILROAD MURDERS (Saturday Review Press, 1972), featuring Mario Balzic, a small-town police chief in Rocksburg, Pennsylvania. He followed it with 17 novels, mostly featuring Balzic and some featuring acting police chief Ruggiero "Rugs" Carlucci. The eighth novel in the "Rocksburg" series, JOEY'S CASE (Mysterious Press, 1988) was nominated for the 1989 Edgar Award in the best novel category. He was very private person and little is known about his private life. His last novel, ANOTHER DAY'S PAIN will be published by The Mysterious Press early next year posthumously. He was 88. (March 26, 2023)
Kellye Garrett Wins Lefty
Left Coast Crime 2023 has announced the winners for its 2023 Lefty Awards as follows:
Best Humorous Mystery Novel: BAYOU BOOK THIEF, by Ellen Byron (Berkley Prime Crime)
Best Historical Mystery Novel: ANYWHERE YOU RUN, by Wanda M. Morris (Morrow)
Best Debut Mystery Novel: SHUTTER, by Ramona Emerson(Soho Crime)
Best Mystery Novel: LIKE A SISTER, by Kellye Garrett (Mulholland)
Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient: J.A. Jance
The winners were announced during an awards banquet on Saturday, March 18 during Left Coast Crime Convention to be held in Tucson, Arizona from March 16 thru 19. (March 19, 2023)
John Jakes Dies
John Jakes died on March 11 at a hospice facility near his home in Sarasota, Florida. He was most famous as a best-selling author of a number of historical novels including the Kent Family Chronicles and The North and South trilogy. The former copywriter had been writing short stories since his college days and contributing them to several genre magazines like Fantastic Adventures, Max Brand's Western Magazine, Manhunt, The Saint Magazine, Thrilling Detective, Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine to name just a few. He wrote the four pint-size private eye Johnny Havoc novels starting with JOHNNY HAVOC (Belmont, 1960; reissued in 1990 from Armchair Detective Library) and ending with MAKING IT BIG (Belmont, 1968; reissued as JOHNNY HAVOC AND THE SIREN IN RED, Armchair Detecive Library, 1991). He also ghost-wrote three New York private eye Lou Largo novels in 1961 and 1962 for William Ard (1922-1960). He was 90. (March 18, 2023)
ITW Thriller Award Nominees Announced
The International Thriller Writers (ITW) has announced the nominees for the 2023 Thriller Awards. The nominees in the hardcover nocel category are as follows:
THE VIOLENCE, by Delilah S. Dawson (Del Rey)
THINGS WE DO IN THE DARK, by Jennifer Hillier (Minotaur)
THE FERVOR, by Alma Katsu (Penguin/Putnam)
THE CHILDREN ON THE HILL, by Jennifer McMahon (Simon & Schuster)
TWO NIGHTS IN LISBON, by Chris Pavone (MCD)
SUNDIAL, by Catriona Ward (Macmillan)
To see the nominees in all the categories, click here. The winners will be announced at ThrillerFest XVIII on Saturday, June 3, 2023 at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel, New York City. (March 17, 2023)
CrimeFest Award Shortlists Announced
CrimeFest has announced the shortlists for the 2022 CrimeFest Awards. The shortlistees in the eDunnit Awared (for the best crime fiction ebook first published in both hardcopy and in electronic format) are as follows:
The Cliff House, by Chris Brookmyre (Abacus)
Desert Star, by Michael Connelly (Orion Fiction)
The Botanist, by M.W. Craven (Constable)
The Book of the Most Precious Substance, by Sara Gran (Faber & Faber)
A Heart Full of Headstones, by Ian Rankin (Orion Fiction)
Nine Lives, by Peter Swanson (Faber & Faber)
To see the shortlistees in all the categories, click here. The winners will be announced on Saturday, May 13 during the Gala Awards Dinner of this year's CrimeFest to be held in Bristol, England. (March 15, 2023)
Hammett Prize Finalists Announced
The International Association of Crime Writers/North America (IACW/NA) announced the 2023 Hammett Prize five finalists for books published in 2022 for literary excellence in crime writing, as follows:
OPPERHEAD ROAD, by Brad Smith (At Bay Press, Winnipeg)
GANGLAND, by Chuck Hogan (Grand Central)
DON'T KNOW TOUGH, by Eli Cranors (Soho Crime)
PAY DIRT ROAD, by Samantha Jayne Allen (Minotaur)
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BENNETTS, by Lisa Scottoline (G.P. Putnam's Sons)
The Hammett Prize winner will be decided early summer, and the location of the presentation will be announced soon after. (March 12, 2023)
Christopher Fowler Dies
Christopher Fowler died on March 03 in London, England after the battle with cancer. He was most famous as the author of the Arthur Bryant and John May mystery series starting with FULL DARK HOUSE (2003) and ending with Bryant & May: Peculiar London (2022). Bryant and May are veteran detectives in the fictional PeculiarCrimes Unit in London, solving unusual crimes from the Second World War to the present day. The first in the series, FULL DARK HOUSE, was nominated for 2004 Barry Award for best British crime novel, and wan the 2004 August Derleth Award from the British Fantasy Society. He received the 2015 Dagger in the Library from the Crime Writers' Association of Britain. His third memoir, WORD MONKEY, will be out from Doubleday this August posthumously. (March 05, 2023)
Barry Award Nominees Announced
Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine has announced the nominees for the 2023 Barry Awards in three categories. The nominees in the best mystery/crime category are as follows:
THE ACCOMPLICE, by Steve Cavanagh (Orion)
DESERT STAR, by Michael Connelly (Little,Brown)
THE DARK FLOOD, by Deon Meyer (Atlantic Monthly)
SHIFTY'S BOYS, by Chris Offutt (Grove Press)
SECRET IDENTITY, by Alex Segura (Flatiron Books)
CITY ON FIRE, by Don Winslow (William Morrow)
To see the Barry Award nominees in all the categories, click here. The winners will be voted by Deadly Pleasures readers and announced on Thursday, August 31 during the opening ceremonies of 2023 Bouchercon to be held in San Diego, California. (March 03, 2023)
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