Since 1998, the Short Mystery Fiction Society has awarded the annual Derringers—named after the popular pocket pistol—to outstanding published stories during the previous year. Derringer Coordinator, Paula Messina, revealed the winners today via the organization's newsgroup. Congrats to all the winners and finalists!
THE SILVER DERRINGER FOR EDITORIAL EXCELLENCE: Janet Hutchings
EDWARD D. HOCH MEMORIAL GOLDEN DERRINGER FOR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT: Art Taylor
HALL OF FAME: O. Henry (William Sydney Porter)
FLASH: Kargin the Necromancer by Mike McHone (Mystery Tribune, December 15, 2024)
Other finalists:
- Sweet Red Cherries by C.W. Blackwell (Punk Noir Magazine, November 28, 2024)
- Mob Mentality by James Patrick Focarile (Shotgun Honey, June 20, 2024)
- La Petite Mort by Susan Hatters Friedman (Bristol Noir, February 16, 2024)
- Lockerbie, 1988 by Mary Thorson (Cotton Xenomorph, October 13, 2024)
SHORT STORY: "The Wind Phone" by Josh Pachter (Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, September/October 2024)
Other finalists:
- "Skeeter's Bar and Grill" by Julie Hastrup (Larceny & Last Chances: 22 Stories of Mystery & Suspense, Superior Shores Press)
- "The Heist" by Bill Pronzini (Shamus and Anthony Commit Capers: Ten Tales of Criminals, Crooks, and Culprits, Level Best Books)
- "The Last Chance Coalition" by Judy Penz Sheluk (Larceny & Last Chances: 22 Stories of Mystery & Suspense, Superior Shores Press)
- "The Kratz Gambit" by Mark Thielman (Private Dicks and Disco Balls: Private Eyes in the Dyn-O-Mite Seventies, Down & Out Books)
LONG STORY: "Heart of Darkness" by Tammy Euliano (Scattered, Smothered, Covered & Chunked: Crime Fiction Inspired by Waffle House, Down & Out Books)
Other finalists:
- "How Mary’s Garden Grew" by Elizabeth Elwood (Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, January/February 2024)
- "Putting Things Right" by Peter W. J. Hayes (Thrill Ride - The Magazine, December 21, 2024)
- "Motive Factor X" by Joseph Andre Thomas (Howls from the Scene of the Crime: A Crime Horror Anthology, Howl Society Press)
- "Cold Comfort" by Andrew Welsh-Huggins (Private Dicks and Disco Balls: Private Eyes in the Dyn-O-Mite Seventies, Down & Out Books)
NOVELETTE: "The Cadillac Job" by Stacy Woodson (Chop Shop Episode 1, Down & Out Books, January 1, 2024)
Other finalists:
- "A Band of Scheming Women" by Joslyn Chase (Thrill Ride - The Magazine, March 21, 2024)
- "Christmas Dinner" by Robert Lopresti (Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, November/December 2024)
- "Barracuda Backfire" by Tom Milani (Chop Shop Episode 4, Down & Out Books, April 1, 2024)
- "Her Dangerously Clever Hands" by Karen Odden (Crimeucopia - Through the Past Darkly, Murderous Ink Press)
ANTHOLOGY: Murder, Neat: A SleuthSayers Anthology Edited by Michael Bracken and Barb Goffman, Level Best Books
Other finalists:
- Devil's Snare: Best New England Crime Stories 2024 Edited by Susan Oleksiw, Ang Pompano, Leslie Wheeler, Crime Spell Books
- Friend of the Devil: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of the Grateful Dead Edited by Josh Pachter, Down & Out Books
- Larceny & Last Chances: 22 Stories of Mystery & Suspense Edited by Judy Penz Sheluk, Superior Shores Press
- New York State of Crime: Murder New York Style 6 Edited by D.M. Barr and Joseph R.G. De Marco, Down & Out Books
- The 13th Letter Edited by Donna Carrick, Carrick Publishing
