As awards season wraps up and fans of film literature and music let out a collective sigh, shrug and ‘meh’ punctuated with the occasional, You gotta be kidding! And the even rarer Alight! The Mystery Writers of America (MWA) announced winners at their annual banquet last week. The Edgars, (as in Poe), went to…
BEST NOVEL: The Last Child by John Hart
Nominees: The Missing by Tim Gautreaux, The Odds by Kathleen George, The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death by Charlie Huston, Nemesis by Jo Nesbo and A Beautiful Place to Die by Malla Nunn
BEST FIRST NOVEL BY AN AMERICAN AUTHOR: In the Shadow of Gotham by Stefanie Pintoff
Nominees: The Girl She Used to Be by David Cristofano, Starvation Lake by Bryan Gruley, The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf, A Bad Day for Sorry by Sophie Littlefield and Black Water Rising by Attica Locke
BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL: Body Blows by Mark Strange
Nominees: Bury Me Deep by Megan Abbott, Havana Lunar by Robert Arellano, The Lord God Bird by Russell Hill and The Herring-Seller's Apprentice by L.C. Tyler
BEST CRITICAL/BIOGRAPHICAL: The Lineup edited by Otto Penzler
Nominees: Talking about Detective Fiction by P.D. James, Haunted Heart by Lisa Rogak, The Talented Miss Highsmith by Joan Schenkar and The Stephen King Illustrated Companion by Bev Vincent
BEST FACT CRIME: Columbine by Dave Cullen
Nominees: Go Down Together by Jeff Guinn, The Fence by Dick Lehr, Provenance by Laney Salisbury and Aly Sujo and Vanished Smile by R.A. Scotti
BEST SHORT STORY: Amapola (from Phoenix Noir) by Luis Alberto Urrea
Nominees: Last Fair Deal Gone Down (from Crossroad Blues) by Ace Atkins, Femme Sole (from Boston Noir) by Dana Cameron, Digby, Attorney At Law by Jim Fusilli (from Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine) and Animal Rescue (from Boston Noir) by Dennis Lehane
Congratulations to all the nominees and winners!
So there ya go: Discuss. What was left out? What was a righteous win?
Jedidiah Ayres writes fiction and keeps the blog Hardboiled Wonderland
