The Excellence of Edgar

 

Mystery Writers of America revealed the winners of the 2025 Edgar Allan Poe Awards, honoring the best in mystery fiction, nonfiction, and television published or produced in 2024. The 78th Annual Edgar® Awards were celebrated last night at the New York Marriott Marquis Times Square. Congrats to all the winners and finalists!

BEST NOVEL: The In Crowd by Charlotte Vassell (Penguin Random House – Doubleday)

Other finalists:

• The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett (Penguin Random House – Random House Worlds/Del Rey
• Rough Trade by Katrina Carrasco (Farrar, Straus and Giroux – MCD)
• Things Don’t Break on Their Own by Sarah Easter Collins (Penguin Random House – Crown)
• My Favorite Scar by Nicolás Ferraro (Soho Press – Soho Crime)
• The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (Penguin Random House – Riverhead Books)
• Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera (Macmillan Publishers – Celadon Books)

BEST FIRST NOVEL BY AN AMERICAN AUTHOR:  Holy City by Henry Wise (Grove Atlantic – Atlantic Monthly Press)

Other finalists:

• Twice the Trouble by Ash Clifton (Crooked Lane Books)
• Cold to the Touch by Kerri Hakoda (Crooked Lane Books)
• The Mechanics of Memory by Audrey Lee (CamCat Books)
• A Jewel in the Crown by David Lewis (Kensington Books – A John Scognamiglio Book)
• The President’s Lawyer by Lawrence Robbins (Simon & Schuster – Atria Books)

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL:  The Paris Widow by Kimberly Belle (Harlequin Trade Publishing – Park Row Books)

Other finalists:

• The Vacancy in Room 10 by Seraphina Nova Glass (Harlequin Trade Publishing – Graydon House)
• Shell Games by Bonnie Kistler (HarperCollins – Harper Paperbacks)
• A Forgotten Kill by Isabella Maldonado (Amazon Publishing – Thomas & Mercer)
• The Road to Heaven by Alexis Stefanovich-Thomson (Dundurn Press Ltd.) 

BEST FACT CRIME:  The Infernal Machine: A True Story of Dynamite, Terror, and the Rise of the Modern Detective by Steven Johnson (Penguin Random House – Crown)

Other finalists: 

• Long Haul: Hunting the Highway Serial Killers by Frank Figliuzzi (HarperCollins – Mariner Books)
•  Devil Went Down to Georgia: Race, Power, Privilege, and the Murder of Lita McClinton by Deb Miller Landau (Pegasus Books – Pegasus Crime)
• The Amish Wife: Unraveling the Lies, Secrets, and Conspiracy that Let a Killer Go Free by Gregg Olsen (Amazon Publishing – Thomas & Mercer)
• Hell Put to Shame: The 1921 Murder Farm Massacre and the Horror of America’s Second Slavery by Earl Swift (HarperCollins – Mariner Books)
• The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age by Michael Wolraich (Union Square & Co.)

BEST CRITICAL/BIOGRAPHICAL:  James Sallis: A Companion to the Mystery Fiction by Nathan Ashman (McFarland Publishing)

Other finalists:  

• American Noir Film: From The Maltese Falcon to Gone Girl by M. Keith Booker (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers)
• Organized Crime on Page and Screen: Portrayals in Hit Novels, Films, and Television Shows by David Geherin (McFarland Publishing)
• On Edge: Gender and Genre in the Work of Shirley Jackson, Patricia Highsmith, and Leigh Brackett by Ashley Lawson (The Ohio State University Press)
• Ian Fleming; The Complete Man by Nicholas Shakespeare (HarperCollins – Harper)

BEST SHORT STORY:  “Eat My Moose,” Conjunctions: 82, Works & Days by Erika Krouse (Bard College)

Other finalists:  

• “Cut and Thirst,” Amazon Original Stories by Margaret Atwood (Amazon Publishing)
• “Everywhere You Look,” Amazon Original Stories by Liv Constantine (Amazon Publishing)
• Barriers to Entry,” Amazon Original Stories by Ariel Lawhon (Amazon Publishing)
• “The Art of Cruel Embroidery,” Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine – July-August 2024 by Steven Sheil (Dell Magazine)

BEST JUVENILE:  Mysteries of Trash and Treasure: The Stolen Key by Margaret Peterson Haddix (HarperCollins – Quill Tree Books)

Other finalists: 

• The Beanstalk Murder by P.G. Bell (Macmillan Publishers – Feiwel & Friends)
• Mystery of Mystic Mountain by Janet Fox (Simon & Schuster BFYR)
• The Spindle of Fate by Aimee Lim (Macmillan Publishers – Feiwel & Friends)
• Find Her by Ginger Reno (Holiday House)

BEST YOUNG ADULT:  49 Miles Alone by Natalie D. Richards (Sourcebooks – Sourcebooks Fire)

Other finalists:

• Looking for Smoke by K.A. Cobell (HarperCollins – Heartdrum)
• The Bitter End by Alexa Donne (Random House Books for Young Readers)
• A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur (Macmillan Publishers – Feiwel & Friends)
• Death at Morning House by Maureen Johnson (HarperCollins Publishers – Harper Teen)

BEST TELEVISION EPISODE TELEPLAY:  “Episode One” – Monsieur Spade, Written by Tom Fontana & Scott Frank (AMC)

Other finalists:

• “Episode Five” – Rebus, Written by Gregory Burke (Viaplay)
• Episode One” – Moonflower Murders, Written by Anthony Horowitz (Masterpiece PBS)
• “Mirror” – Murderesses, Written by Wiktor Piatkowski, Joanna Kozłowska, Katarzyna Kaczmarek (Viaplay)
• “Episode Two” – The Marlow Murder Club, Written by Robert Thorogood (Masterpiece PBS)

ROBERT L. FISH MEMORIAL AWARD – Endowed by the family of Robert L. Fish.

• “The Jews on Elm Street,” Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, September-October 2024 by Anna Stolley Persky (Dell Magazines)

THE SIMON & SCHUSTER MARY HIGGINS CLARK AWARD – Presented on behalf of Simon & Schuster.

• The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill (Sourcebooks – Poisoned Pen Press)

THE G.P. PUTNAM’S SONS SUE GRAFTON MEMORIAL AWARD – Presented on behalf of G.P. Putnam’s Sons.

• The Comfort of Ghosts by Jacqueline Winspear (Soho Press – Soho Crime)

THE LILIAN JACKSON BRAUN MEMORIAL AWARD – Endowed by the estate of Lilian Jackson Braun.

• The Murders in Great Diddling by Katarina Bivald (Sourcebooks – Poisoned Pen Press)

SPECIAL AWARDS – PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED IN JANUARY 2025

Grand Master

• Laura Lippman
  
• John Sandford
  

Raven Award

• Face in a Book Bookstore & Gifts

Ellery Queen Award

• Peter Wolverton of St. Martin’s Publishing Group

 

Crimefest Awards Shortlists

 

After sixteen successful years, Bristol’s iconic crime fiction convention, CrimeFest, will come to an end in 2025. But they're going out with a bang, including the annual CrimeFest Awards, with shortlists revealed this week. Winners will be presented at the convention Gala Awards Dinner on May 17. Congrats to all the finalists!

SPECSAVERS DEBUT CRIME NOVEL AWARD

In association with headline sponsor, the Specsavers Debut Crime Novel Award is for debut authors first published in the United Kingdom in 2023. The winning author receives a £1,000 prize.

• Tom Baragwanath for Paper Cage (Baskerville)
• Tasha Coryell for Love Letters to a Serial Killer (Orion Fiction)
• C. L. Miller for The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder (Pan Macmillan)
• Akira Otani (and translator Sam Bett) for The Night of Baba Yaga (Faber & Faber)
• Tracy Sierra for Nightwatching (Viking)
• Claire Wilson for Five by Five (Michael Joseph)

eDUNNIT AWARD

For the best crime fiction ebook first published in both hardcopy and in electronic format in the United Kingdom in 2024.

• Martin Edwards for Hemlock Bay (Head of Zeus)
• Laurie R. King for The Lantern’s Dance (Allison & Busby)
• Jean Hanff Korelitz for The Sequel (Faber & Faber)
• Bella Mackie for What A Way To Go (The Borough Press)
• Liz Moore for The God of the Woods (The Borough Press)
• Peter Swanson for A Talent for Murder (Faber & Faber)

LAST LAUGH AWARD

The Last Laugh Award is for the best humorous crime novel first published in the United Kingdom in 2024.

• Cathy Ace for The Case of the Secretive Secretary (Four Tails Publishing Ltd.)
• DG Coutinho for The Light and Shade of Ellen Swithin (Harvill Secker)
• Bella Mackie for What A Way To Go (The Borough Press)
• Orlando Murrin for Knife Skills for Beginners (Transworld)
• Mike Ripley for Mr Campion’s Christmas (Severn House)
• Antti Tuomianen (and translator David Hackston) for The Burning Stones (Orenda Books)

H.R.F. KEATING AWARD

The H.R.F. Keating Award is for the best biographical or critical book related to crime fiction first published in the United Kingdom in 2024. The award is named after H.R.F. ‘Harry’ Keating, one of Britain’s most esteemed crime novelists, crime reviewers and writer of books about crime fiction.

• Mark Aldridge for Agatha Christie’s Marple: Expert in Wickedness (HarperCollins)
• Jem Bloomfield for Allusion in Detective Fiction (Palgrave Macmillan)
• Ashley Bowden for Female Detectives in Early Crime Fiction 1841-1920 (Fabula Mysterium Press)
• Dan Coxon & Richard V. Hirst for Writing the Murder: Essays in Crafting Crime Fiction (Dead Ink)
• Sara Lodge for The Mysterious Case of the Victorian Female (Yale University Press)
• Lynda La Plante for Getting Away With Murder: My Unexpected Life on Page, Stage and Screen (Zaffre)

THALIA PROCTOR MEMORIAL AWARD FOR BEST ADAPTED TV CRIME DRAMA

This award is for the best television crime drama based on a book, and first screened in the UK in 2024. Eligible titles were collated from the Radio Times, and CrimeFest newsletter readers establish the shortlist and the winning title. The winning author and production company each receive a Bristol Blue Glass commemorative award.

• Bad Monkey, based on the book by Carl Hiaasen (Apple TV+)
• Dalgliesh (series 3), based on the Inspector Dalgliesh books by P.D. James (Channel 5)
• Lady in the Lake based on the book by Laura Lippman (Apple TV+)
• Moonflower Murders based on the book by Anthony Horowitz (BBC)
• Slow Horses (series 4), based on the Slough House books by Mick Herron (Apple TV+)
• The Turkish Detective, based on the Inspector Ikmen books by Barbara Nadel (BBC)

CRIMEFEST AWARDS FOR BEST CRIME NOVEL FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS

Eligible titles are submitted by publishers, and reviewers of fiction for children and young adults vote alongside volunteering members of the School Library Association (SLA) to establish the shortlist and the winning title. The winners receive a commemorative Bristol Blue Glass award.

BEST CRIME NOVEL FOR CHILDREN

This award is for the best crime novel for children (aged 8-12) first published in the United Kingdom in 2024.

• Sufiya Ahmed for Rosie Raja: Undercover Codebreaker (Bloomsbury Education)
• Natasha Farrant for The Secret of Golden Island (Faber & Faber)
• A.M. Howell for Mysteries at Sea: The Hollywood Kidnap Case (Usborne Publishing)
• M. G. Leonard for The Twitchers: Feather (Walker Books)
• Beth Lincoln for The Swifts: A Gallery of Rogues (Penguin Random House Children’s UK)
• Nicki Thornton for The Floating Witch Mystery (Faber & Faber)

BEST CRIME NOVEL FOR YOUNG ADULTS

This award is for the best crime novel for young adults (aged 12-16) first published in the United Kingdom in 2024.

• H.F. Askwith for A Cruel Twist of Fate (Penguin Random House Children’s UK)
• Denise Brown for It All Started With a Lie (Hashtag Press)
• A.J. Clack for Lie or Die (Firefly Press)
• Amie  Jordan for All the Hidden Monsters (Chicken House)
• Kayvion Lewis for Heist Royale (Simon & Schuster Children’s Books)
• Karen M. McManus for Such Charming Liars (Penguin Random House Children’s UK)