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Agatha Awards
The Agatha Awards, named for Agatha Christie, are literary awards for mystery and crime writers who write in the cozy mystery subgenre. The Awards are handed out in Washington, D.C., by Malice Domestic Ltd. Click here to visit the official website.
Agatha Awards
Best Contemporary Novel
The Long Call by Call Number: MYSTERY CLEEVESIn North Devon, where two rivers converge and run into the sea, Detective Matthew Venn stands outside the church as his father's funeral takes place. Once loved and cherished, the day Matthew left the strict evangelical community he grew up in, he lost his family too. Now, as he turns and walks away again, he receives a call from one of his team. A body has been found on the beach nearby: a man with a tattoo of an albatross on his neck, stabbed to death. The case calls Matthew back into the community he thought he had left behind, as deadly secrets hidden at its heart are revealed, and his past and present collide.
Finalists
- Fatal Cajun Festival by Ellen Byron
- Fair Game by Annette Dashofy
- The Missing Ones by Edwin Hill
- A Better Man by Louise Penny
- The Murder List by Hank Phillippi Ryan
Best Historical Novel
Charity's Burden by The winter of 1889 is harsh in Amesbury, Massachusetts, but it doesn't stop Quaker midwife Rose Carroll from making the rounds to her pregnant and postpartum mothers. When Charity Skells dies from an apparent early miscarriage, Rose wonders about the symptoms that don't match the diagnosis. She learns that Charity's husband may be up to no good with a young woman whose mother appears to offer illegal abortions. A disgraced physician in town does the same, and Charity's cousin seems to have a nefarious agenda. With several suspects emerging, each with their own possible motives, Rose and police detective Kevin Donovan race against time to solve the case before another innocent life is taken.
Finalists
- Love and Death Among the Cheetahs by Rhys Bowen
- Murder Knocks Twice by Susanna Calkins
- The Pearl Dagger by L. A. Chandlar
- The Naming Game by Gabriel Valjan
Best First Novel
One Night Gone by One sultry summer, Maureen Haddaway arrives in the wealthy town of Opal Beach to start her life anew -- to achieve her destiny. There, she finds herself lured by the promise of friendship, love, starry skies, and wild parties. But Maureen's new life just might be too good to be true, and before the summer is up, she vanishes. Decades later, when Allison Simpson is offered the opportunity to house-sit in Opal Beach during the off-season, it seems like the perfect chance to begin fresh after a messy divorce. But when she becomes drawn into the mysterious disappearance of a girl thirty years before, Allison realizes the gorgeous homes of Opal Beach hide dark secrets. And the truth of that long-ago summer is not even the most shocking part of all ...
Finalists
- A Dream of Death by Connie Berry
- Murder Once Removed by S. C. Perkins
- When It’s Time for Leaving by Ang Pompano
- Staging is Murder by Grace Topping
Best Nonfiction
The Mutual Admiration Society: How Dorothy L. Sayers and her Oxford Circle Remade the World for Women by Dorothy L. Sayers is now famous for her Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane detective series, but she was equally well known during her life for an essay asking "Are Women Human?" Women's rights were expanding rapidly during Sayers's lifetime; she and her friends were some of the first women to receive degrees from Oxford. Yet, as historian Mo Moulton reveals, it was clear from the many professional and personal obstacles they faced that society was not ready to concede that women were indeed fully human. Dubbing themselves the Mutual Admiration Society, Sayers and her classmates remained lifelong friends and collaborators as they fought for a truly democratic culture that acknowledged their equal humanity.
Finalists
- Frederic Dannay, Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and the Art of the Detective Short Story by Laird R. Blackwell
- Blonde Rattlesnake: Burmah Adams, Tom White, and the 1933 Crime Spree that Terrified Los Angeles by Julia Bricklin
- Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud and the Last Trial of Harper Lee by Casey Cep
- The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold
Best Children/YA
The Last Crystal by When they board the L.A. bound Santa Fe Chief in Kansas City, the Harrison kids have never heard of the Last Crystal or the magic surrounding it. Worried about their father, who has been injured in World War II, they dread a summer with their boring, old Uncle James. But before the train is half way to L.A., J.D., Mary Carol, Robert, and Grace have crossed paths with a Nazi spy and one of the four has been kidnapped. Then, without warning, they find themselves off the train, drawn into a quest for the Crystal. To get home again, they must cross two thousand miles of wilderness and find the Crystal, with nothing to guide them but their wits, each other, and an old map that only the youngest can read.
Finalists
- Kazu Jones and the Denver Dognappers by Shauna Holyoak
- Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen MacManus
- Top Marks for Murder by Robin Stevens
- Jada Sly, Artist and Spy by Sherri Winston
Best Contemporary Novel
Mardi Gras Murder by ISBN: 9781515939269Southern charm meets the dark mystery of the bayou as a hundred-year flood, a malicious murder, and a most unusual Mardi Gras converge at the Crozat Plantation B&B. It's Mardi Gras season on the bayou, which means parades, pageantry, and gumbo galore. But when a flood upends life in the tiny town of Pelican, Louisiana-and deposits a body of a stranger behind the Crozat Plantation B&B-the celebration takes a decidedly dark turn. The citizens of Pelican are ready to Laissez les bon temps rouler-but there's beaucoup bad blood on hand this Mardi Gras. Maggie Crozat is determined to give the stranger a name and find out why he was murdered. The post-flood recovery has delayed the opening of a controversial exhibit about the little-known Louisiana Orphan Train. And when a judge for the Miss Pelican Mardi Gras Gumbo Queen pageant is shot, Maggie's convinced the murder is connected to the body on the bayou. Does someone covet the pageant queen crown enough to kill for it' Could the deaths be related to the Orphan Train, which delivered its last charges to Louisiana in 1929? The leads are thin on this Fat Tuesday-and until the killer is unmasked, no one in Pelican is safe.
Finalists
- Beyond the Truth by Bruce Robert Coffin
- Cry Wolf by Annette Dashofy
- Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny
- Trust Me by Hank Phillippi Ryan
Best Historical Novel
The Widows of Malabar Hill by Call Number: MYSTERY MASSEYPerveen Mistry, the daughter of a respected Zoroastrian family, has just joined her father's law firm, becoming one of the first female lawyers in India. Armed with a law degree from Oxford, Perveen also has a tragic personal history that makes her especially devoted to championing and protecting women's legal rights. Mistry Law has been appointed to execute the will of Mr. Omar Farid, a wealthy Muslim mill owner who has left three widows behind. But as Perveen is going through the paperwork, she notices something strange: all three of the wives have signed over their full inheritance to a charity. What will they live on if they forfeit what their husband left them? Perveen is suspicious, especially since one of the widows has signed her form with an X--meaning she probably couldn't even read the document. The Farid widows live in full purdah--in strict seclusion, never leaving the women's quarters or speaking to any men. Are they being taken advantage of by an unscrupulous guardian? Perveen tries to investigate, and realizes her instincts about the will were correct when tensions escalate to murder. Now it is her responsibility to figure out what really happened on Malabar Hill, and to ensure that no innocent women or children are in further danger.
Finalists
- Four Funerals and Maybe a Wedding by Rhys Bowen
- The Gold Pawn by LA Chandlar
- Turning the Tide by Edith Maxwell
- Murder on Union Square by Victoria Thompson
Best First Novel
Curses, Boiled Again! by Call Number: MYSTERY RANDALLAllie Larkin was living her dream as a ballet dancer when a bad fall put her out of business. Now she’s back home in Mystic Bay to heal a broken ankle while also helping her dear Aunt Gully get her Lazy Mermaid Lobster Shack off the ground. Nothing would help Gully more than winning the local food festival’s Best Lobster Roll contest. The competition is sure to be killer―especially after one of the contest judges dies after eating a roll from one of Gully’s biggest rivals. Soon, all eyes fall on Gully as the prime suspect. Allie may only have one good leg to stand on, but she’s not going to let her aunt go down for a crime she never could have cooked up. Can Allie, along with her devoted crew of friends, family, and customers, find a way to trap the killer and claw herself out of this hard-boiled murder case?
Finalists
- Little Comfort by Edwin Hill
- What Doesn't Kill You by Aimee Hix
- Deadly Solution by Keenan Powell
Best Nonfiction
Mastering Plot Twists: How to Use Suspense, Targeted Storytelling Strategies, and Structure to Captivate Your Readers by Publication Date: 2018-06-26The key to keeping people on the edge of their seat--from memoirs to thrillers and stage plays to screenplays--is filling your stories with unexpected twists and turns. Building on the award-winning instruction provided in Mastering Suspense, Structure & Plot, Cleland’s newest guide will help you create effective and credible twists, creating the kind of stories that will keep your readers up long into the night.
Finalists
- Writing the Cozy Mystery by Nancy J. Cohen
- Conan Doyle for the Defense by Margalit Fox
- Agatha Christie: A Mysterious Life by Laura Thompson
- Wicked Women of Ohio by Jane Ann Turzillo
Best Children/YA
Potion Problems (Just Add Magic) by ISBN: 1534417400Kelly Quinn and her best friends, Darbie and Hannah, are having the worst day ever! Their Secret Recipe Book accidentally gets included in frenemy, Charlotte’s used book drive. Not good. As if that’s not enough, the girls find out that their cooking program is on the chopping block at school, thanks to big budget cuts. Kelly & Company decide to take matters into their own hands and apply for famous TV chef Felice Foudini’s Recipe Challenge. The prize? $10,000 and webisodes on Felice’s site. With the Book and the special ingredients from their beloved mentor, Senora Perez’s, store LaCucina, the girls are sure to win. But when they turn to Senora Perez, for help, they discover La Cucina is in danger of closing! Then Kelly gets a mysterious delivery—a package with the missing Secret Recipe Book with a note: “From KE.” KE is one of the Book’s authors, but who is KE exactly? It’s up to Kelly, Darbie, and Hannah to get to the bottom of the mystery, save the cooking program, and help Senora P. keep her store!
Finalists
- Winterhouse by Ben Guterson
- A Side of Sabotage by C.M. Surrisi
Best Contemporary Novel
Glass Houses by Call Number: MYSTERY PENNYWhen a mysterious figure appears in Three Pines one cold November day, Armand Gamache and the rest of the villagers are at first curious. Then wary. Through rain and sleet, the figure stands unmoving, staring ahead. From the moment its shadow falls over the village, Gamache, now Chief Superintendent of the Surete du Quebec, suspects the creature has deep roots and a dark purpose. Yet he does nothing. What can he do? Only watch and wait. And hope his mounting fears are not realized. But when the figure vanishes overnight and a body is discovered, it falls to Gamache to discover if a debt has been paid or levied. Months later, on a steamy July day as the trial for the accused begins in Montreal, Chief Superintendent Gamache continues to struggle with actions he set in motion that bitter November, from which there is no going back.
Finalists
- Death Overdue by Allison Brook
- A Cajun Christmas Killing by Ellen Byron
- No Way Home Annette Dashofy
- Take Out by Margaret Maron
Best Historical Novel
In Farleigh Field by Call Number: MYSTERY BOWENWorld War II comes to Farleigh Place, the ancestral home of Lord Westerham and his five daughters, when a soldier with a failed parachute falls to his death on the estate. After his uniform and possessions raise suspicions, MI5 operative and family friend Ben Cresswell is covertly tasked with determining if the man is a German spy. The assignment also offers Ben the chance to be near Lord Westerham’s middle daughter, Pamela, whom he furtively loves. But Pamela has her own secret: she has taken a job at Bletchley Park, the British code-breaking facility. As Ben follows a trail of spies and traitors, which may include another member of Pamela’s family, he discovers that some within the realm have an appalling, history-altering agenda.
Finalists
- Murder in an English Village by Jessica Ellicott
- Called to Justice by Edith Maxwell
- The Paris Spy by Susan Elia MacNeal
- Dangerous to Know by Renee Patrick
Best First Novel
A Hollywood Homicide by Dayna Anderson doesn’t set out to solve a murder. All the semi-famous, mega-broke black actress wants is to help her parents keep their house. After witnessing a deadly hit-and-run, she figures pursuing the fifteen-grand reward isn’t the craziest thing a Hollywood actress has done for some cash. But as Dayna digs deeper into the victim’s life, she wants more than just reward money. She’s determined to find the poor woman’s killer too. When she connects the accident to a notorious Hollywood crime spree, Dayna chases down leads at paparazzi hot spots, celeb homes and movie premieres. She loves every second—until someone tries to kill her.
Finalists
- Adrift by Micki Browning
- The Plot is Murder by V.M. Burns
- Daughters of Bad Men by Laura Oles
- Protocol by Kathleen Valenti
Best Nonfiction
From Holmes to Sherlock: The Story of the Men and Women Who Created an Icon by Everyone knows Sherlock Holmes. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created a unique literary character who has remained popular for over a century and is appreciated more than ever today. But what made this fictional character, dreamed up by a small-town English doctor in the 1880s, into such a lasting success, despite the author’s own attempt to escape his invention?
Finalists
- The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books by Martin Edwards
- American Fire: Love, Arson, and Life in a Vanishing Land by Monica Hesse
- Rewrite Your Life: Discover Your Truth Through the Healing Power of Fiction by Jess Lourey
- Manderley Forever: A Biography of Daphne du Maurier by Tatiana de Rosnay
Best Children/YA
Sydney Mackenzie Knocks 'Em Dead by Sydney Mackenzie is an aspiring filmmaker and average California Girl. So when her parents drop the biggest bombshell ever—they have inherited a cemetery called Lay to Rest, which means a move to boring Delaware—Sydney is NOT happy. And to make matters worse? Their “new” house is actually right on the cemetery grounds—and it isn’t exactly California chic. But after settling in, Sydney discovers that the creepy old house might have more history than she once thought. And someone—or something—is encouraging her to delve deeper into a decades-old mystery that dates back to the Underground Railroad.
Finalists
- City of Angels by Kristi Belcamino
- The World's Greatest Detective by Caroline Carlson
- Audacity Jones Steals the Show by Kirby Larson
- The Harlem Charade by Natasha Tarpley
Best Contemporary Novel
A Great Reckoning by Call Number: MYSTERY PENNYWhen an intricate old map is found stuffed into the walls of the bistro in Three Pines, it at first seems no more than a curiosity. But the closer the villagers look, the stranger it becomes. Given to Armand Gamache as a gift the first day of his new job, the map eventually leads him to shattering secrets and to places even he is afraid to go. There he finds four young cadets in the Sûreté academy, and a dead professor. And, with the body, a copy of the old, odd map. Everywhere Gamache turns, he sees Amelia Choquet, one of the cadets. The focus of the investigation soon turns to Gamache himself and his mysterious relationship with Amelia, and his possible involvement in the crime. The frantic search for answers takes the investigators back to Three Pines and a stained glass window with its own horrific secrets.
Finalists
- Body on the Bayou by Ellen Byron
- Quiet Neighbors by Catriona McPherson
- Fogged In by Barbara Ross
- Say No More by Hank Phillippi Ryan
Best Historical Novel
Dandy Gilver and the Reek of Red Herrings by On the rain-drenched, wave-lashed, wind-battered Banffshire coast, tiny fishing villages perch on ledges which would make a seagull think twice and crumbly mansions cling to crumblier cliff tops while, out in the bay, the herring drifters brave the storms to catch their silver darlings. It's nowhere for a child of gentle Northamptonshire to spend Christmas. But when odd things start to turn up in barrels of fish - with a strong whiff of murder most foul - that's exactly where Dandy Gilver finds herself. Enlisted to investigate, she and her trusty cohort Alec Osborne are soon swept up in the fisherfolk's wedding season as well as the mystery.
Finalists
- Whispers Beyond the Veil by Jessica Estavo
- Get Me to the Grave on Time by D.E. Ireland
- Delivering the Truth by Edith Maxwell
- Murder in Morningside Heights by Victoria Thompson
Best First Novel
The Semester of Our Discontent by English professor Lila Maclean is thrilled about her new job at prestigious Stonedale University until she finds one of her colleagues dead. She soon learns that everyone, from the chancellor to the detective working the case, believes Lila—or someone she is protecting—may be responsible for the horrific event, so she assigns herself the task of identifying the killer.
Finalists
- Terror in Taffeta by Marla Cooper
- Murder in G Major by Alexia Gordon
- Decanting a Murder by Nadine Nettmann
- Design for Dying by Renee Patrick
Best Nonfiction
Mastering Suspense, Structure, and Plot: How to Write Gripping Stories That Keep Readers on the Edge of Their Seats by Suspense is one of the most powerful tools a writer has for captivating readers--but it isn't just for thrillers. From mainstream fiction to memoir, suspense creates the emotional tension that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. Mastering Suspense, Structure, & Plot is your hands-on guide to weaving suspense into your narrative. Award-winning author Jane K. Cleland teaches you how to navigate genre conventions, write for your audience, and build gripping tension to craft an irresistible page-turner.
Finalists
- A Good Man with a Dog: A Game Warden's 25 Years in the Maine Woods by Roger Guay with Kate Clark Flora
- Sara Paretsky: A Companion to the Mystery Fiction by Margaret Kinsman
Best Children/YA
The Secret of the Puzzle Box by In this sixth and final installment of the well-received, Agatha-award-winning series, the Code Busters (a group of intrepid sixth graders) solve secret messages and search for an ancestor's hidden legacy at Angel Island.
Finalists
- Trapped: A Mei-hua Adventure by P.A. DeVoe
- Spy Ski School by Stuart Gibbs
- Tag, You're Dead by J.C. Lane
- The Mystery of Hollow Places by Rebecca Podos
Best Contemporary Novel
Long Upon the Land by Call Number: MYSTERY MARONOn a quiet August morning, Judge Deborah Knott's father Kezzie makes a shocking discovery on a remote corner of his farm: the body of a man bludgeoned to death. Investigating this crime, Deborah's husband, Sheriff's Deputy Dwight Bryant, soon uncovers a long-simmering hostility between Kezzie and the slain man over a land dispute. The local newspaper implies that Deborah's family may have had something to do with the murder-and that Dwight is dragging his feet on the case.
Finalists
- Bridges Burned - Annette Dashofy
- The Child Garden - Catriona McPherson
- The Nature of the Beast - Louise Penny
- What You See - Hank Phillippi Ryan
Best Historical Novel
Dreaming Spies by Call Number: MYSTERY KINGRussell heads for Oxford to resume her long-delayed studies when she comes face-to-face with a young Japanese woman who is not all that she seems.
Finalists
- Malice at the Palace - Rhys Bowen
- The Masque of a Murderer - Susanna Calkins
- Mrs. Roosevelt's Confidante - Susan Elia MacNeal
- Murder on Amsterdam Avenue - Victoria Thompson
Best First Novel
On the Road with Del and Louise by Del’s a small time crook with a moral conscience—robbing convenience stores only for tuition and academic expenses. Brash and sassy Louise goes from being a holdup victim to Del’s lover and accomplice. All they want is a fresh start, an honest life, and a chance to build a family together, but fate conspires to put ever-steeper challenges in their path—and escalating temptations, too.
Finalists
- Death of a Dishonorable Gentleman - Tessa Arlen
- MacDeath - Cindy Brown
- Plantation Shudders - Ellen Byron
- Just Killing Time - Julianne Holmes
Best Nonfiction
The Golden Age of Murder: The Mystery of the Writers Who Invented the Modern Detective Story by This is the first book about the Detection Club, the world’s most famous and most mysterious social network of crime writers. Drawing on years of in-depth research, it reveals the astonishing story of how members such as Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers reinvented detective fiction.
Finalists
- The Great Detective: The Amazing Rise and Immortal Life of Sherlock Holmes - Zack Dundas
- A Is for Arsenic: The Poisons of Agatha Christie - Kathryn Harkup
- Unsolved Murders and Disappearances in Northeast Ohio - Jane Ann Turzillo
- The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook: Wickedly Good Meals and Desserts To Die For - Kate White (editor)
Best Children's/Young Adult Novel
Andi Unstoppable by Call Number: J FLOWERAndi Boggs and her best friend Colin Carter are at it again. School has begun for the two Killdeer middle-schoolers, and their science teacher has a great idea. He is a birder and wants his class to share in the fun. In a birding group with Colin and her biggest school rival, Ava, Andi sets out to be the first student in class to spot the elusive Kirtland's Wrabler...but end up spotting the town's resident ghost instead! Is the legend of the ghost of Dominika Shalley more than just a story? And does her sudden appearance have anything to do with the holes the friends find in the Shalley graveyard as they look for the rare bird?
Finalists
- Pieces and Players - Blue Balliett
- Need - Joelle Charbonneau
- Woof - Spencer Quinn
- Fighting Chance - B.K. Stevens
Best Contemporary Novel
Truth Be Told by Call Number: MYSTERY RYANA middle-class family's evicted from their suburban home. In digging up the facts on this story and on other foreclosures, reporter Jane Ryland soon learns the truth behind a big-bucks scheme and the surprising players who'll stop at nothing, including murder, to keep their goal a secret.
Finalists
- The Good, the Bad, and the Emus by Donna Andrews
- A Demon Summer - G.M. Malliet
- Designated Daughters - Margaret Maron
- The Long Way Home - Louise Penny
Best Historical Novel
Queen of Hearts by Call Number: MYSTERY BOWENLady Georgiana Rannoch, thirty-fifth in line for the British throne, knows how to play the part of an almost royal--but now she's off to Hollywood, where she must reprise her role as sleuth or risk starring in an all-too-convincing death scene
Finalists
- Wouldn't It Be Deadly - D.E. Ireland
- Murder in Murray Hill - Victoria Thompson
- Hunting Shadows - Charles Todd
- An Unwilling Accomplice - Charles Todd
Best First Novel
Well Read, Then Dead by Call Number: MYSTERY MORANFort Myers Beach Read 'Em and Eat bookstore café owners Mary Cabot and Bridget Mayfield investigate after a shy, elderly book club member is murdered.
Finalists
- Circle of Influence - Annette Dashofy
- Tagged for Death - Sherry Harris
- Finding Sky - Susan O'Brien
- Murder Strikes a Pose - Tracy Weber
Best Nonfiction
Writes of Passage: Adventures on the Writer's Journey by The path of a writing career can be rocky and twisty and full of dead ends. But it’s also well-traveled-and in Writes of Passage, fifty-nine mystery authors offer the secrets that helped them navigate their success. These tales reveal the “Writes of Passage” every author encounters, and Sisters in Crime hopes these beautifully told experiences will guide you along your way.
Finalists
- The Poisoner: the Life and Crimes of Victorian England’s Most Notorious Doctor - Stephen Bates
- Death Dealer: How Cops and Cadaver Dogs Brought a Killer to Justice - Kate Flora
- 400 Things Cops Know: Street Smart Lessons from a Veteran Patrolman - Adam Plantinga
- The Art of the English Murder: From Jack the Ripper and Sherlock Holmes to Agatha Christie and Alfred Hitchcock - Lucy Worsley
Best Children's/Young Adult Novel
The Code Busters Club, Case #4: The Mummy's Curse by Call Number: J WARNERA trip to a museum to learn about Ancient Egypt turns into a new case for the Code Busters when they discover that someone may be stealing artifacts and replacing them with cunning forgeries.
Finalists
- Found - Harlan Coben
- Andi Under Pressure - Amanda Flower
- Greenglass House - Kate Milford
- Uncertain Glory - Lea Wait
Best Contemporary Novel
The Wrong Girl by Call Number: MYSTERY RYANTipped off by a determined ex-colleague on a desperate quest to find her birth mother, Boston newspaper reporter Jane Ryland begins to suspect that a respected adoption agency is engaging in the ultimate betrayal--reuniting birth parents with the wrong children. For detective Jake Brogan and his partner, a young woman's brutal murder seems a sadly predictable case of domestic violence, one that results in two toddlers being shuttled into the foster care system. Then Jake finds an empty cradle at the murder scene. Where is the baby who should have been sleeping there? Jane and Jake are soon on a trail full of twists and turns that takes them deep into the heart of a foster care system in crisis and threatens to blow the lid off an adoption agency scandal.
Finalists
- Pagan Spring - G.M. Malliet
- How the Light Gets In - Louise Penny
- Clammed Up - Barbara Ross
- Through the Evil Days - Julia Spencer-Fleming
Best Historical Novel
A Question of Honor by Call Number: MYSTERY TODDWhile tending to the wounded on the battlefields of France during World War I, Bess Crawford discovers that the officer who killed five people in India and England is still alive, and, setting out to clear her father's name, instead makes a horrific discovery that changes everything.
Finalists
- Heirs and Graces - Rhys Bowen
- Death in the Time of Ice - Kaye George
- A Friendly Game of Murder - J.J. Murphy
- Murder in Chelsea - Victoria Thompson
Best First Novel
Death Al Dente by Call Number: MYSTERY BUDEWITZMurphy's Mercantile, known as the Merc, has been a staple in Jewel Bay for over a hundred years. To celebrate their recent makeover as a gourmet food market, Erin has organized a town festival, Festa di Pasta, featuring the culinary goods of Jewel Bay's finest--including her mother Fresca's delicious Italian specialties. But Erin's sweet success is soured when the shop's former manager, Claudette, is found dead behind the Merc on the Festa's opening night. With rival chef James Angelo stirring up rumors that Fresca's sauce recipes were stolen from Claudette, Erin's mother is under close scrutiny. Now Erin will have to hunt down some new suspects, or both her family and her store might wind up in hot water.
Finalists
- You Cannoli Die Once - Shelley Costa
- Board Stiff - Kendel Lynn
- Kneading to Die - Liz Mugavero
- Front Page Fatality - LynDee Walker
Best Nonfiction
The Hour of Peril: The Secret Plot to Murder Lincoln Before the Civil War by Call Number: 973.7092 STASHOWETwo-time Edgar award-winning author Daniel Stashower uncovers the riveting true story of the "Baltimore Plot," an audacious conspiracy to assassinate Abraham Lincoln on the eve of the Civil War.
Finalists
- Georgette Heyer - Jennifer Kloester
- Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes - Maria Konnikova
- Not Everyone's Cup of Tea: An Interesting & Entertaining History of Malice Domestic's First 25 Years - Verena Rose and Rita Owen (Editors)
Best Children's/Young Adult Novel
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Twelve-year-old Kyle gets to stay overnight in the new town library, designed by his hero (the famous gamemaker Luigi Lemoncello), with other students but finds that come morning he must work with friends to solve puzzles in order to escape
Finalists
Best Contemporary Novel
The Beautiful Mystery by Call Number: MYSTERY PENNYNo outsiders are ever admitted to the monastery of Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les-Loups, hidden deep in the wilderness of Quebec, where two dozen cloistered monks live in peace and prayer, and have become world-famous for their glorious voices. But when the renowned choir director is murdered, the lock on the monastery’s massive wooden door is drawn back to admit Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir of the Sûreté du Québec. There they discover disquiet beneath the silence, discord in the apparent harmony. One of the brothers, in this life of prayer and contemplation, has been contemplating murder...
Finalists
- The Diva Digs Up the Dirt - Krista Davis
- A Fatal Winter - G.M. Malliet
- The Buzzard Table - Margaret Maron
- The Other Woman - Hank Phillippi Ryan
Best Historical Novel
Dandy Gilver and an Unsuitable Day for a Murder by Call Number: MYSTERY MCPHERSODandy is caught between two feuding families who run rival department stores. Dandy's services are needed when the heiress to one of the stores goes missing. As Dandy starts to unravel the long-hidden family secrets, she begins to discover disturbing connections and it's not long before danger abounds.
Finalists
- The Twelve Clues of Christmas - Rhys Bowen
- Murder on Fifth Avenue - Victoria Thompson
- An Unmarked Grave - Charles Todd
- Elegy for Eddie - Jacqueline Winspear
Best First Novel
Lowcountry Boil by Private Investigator Liz Talbot is a modern Southern belle: she blesses hearts and takes names. When her grandmother is murdered, Liz high-tails it back to her South Carolina island home to find the killer. She’s fit to be tied when her police-chief brother shuts her out of the investigation, so she opens her own. Then her long-dead best friend pops in and things really get complicated. When more folks start turning up dead in this small seaside town, Liz must use more than just her wits and charm to keep her family safe, chase down clues from the hereafter, and catch a psychopath before he catches her.
Finalists
- Iced Chiffon - Duffy Brown
- A Scrapbook of Secrets - Mollie Cox Bryan
- A Killer Read - Erika Chase
- Faithful Unto Death - Stephanie Jaye Evans
Best Nonfiction
Books to Die For: The World's Greatest Mystery Writers on the World's Greatest Mystery Novels by In the most ambitious anthology of its kind yet attempted, the world’s leading mystery writers have come together to champion the greatest mystery novels ever written. In a series of personal essays that often reveal as much about the authors and their own work as they do about the books that they love, 119 authors from 20 countries have created a guide that will be indispensable for generations of readers and writers.
Finalists
- Blood Relations: The Selected Letters of Ellery Queen, 1947-1950 - Joseph Goodrich (Editor)
- More Forensics and Fiction: Crime Writers Morbidly Curious Questions Expertly Answered - D.P. Lyle
- Double Cross: The True Story of the D-Day Spies - Ben Macintyre
- The Grand Tour: Around the World with the Queen of Mystery Agatha Christie edited by Mathew Prichard
Best Children's/Young Adult Novel
The Code Busters Club, Case #2: The Haunted Lighthouse by Call Number: J WARNERAn enigmatic message leads the Code Busters on a treasure hunt on creepy Alcatraz Island, where they must use their problem-solving skills to unravel the mystery
