The Barry Best

Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine announced the finalists for the 2026 Barry Awards, named after reviewer Barry Gardner, which celebrate the best works being published in the field of crime fiction each year. Winners will be revealed at the Bouchercon conference in Calgary, Canada, on October 22, 2026.  Congratulations to all the finalists!

Best Mystery

The Impossible Thing, Belinda Bauer (Atlantic Monthly)
Crooks, Lou Berney (William Morrow)
King Of Ashes, S. A. Cosby (Flatiron Books)
The Black Wolf, Louise Penny (Minotaur Books)
The White Crow, Michael Robotham (Scribner)
Presumed Guilty, Scott Turow (Grand Central)

Best First Mystery

Leverage, Amran Gowani (Atria Books)
All The Other Mothers Hate Me, Sarah Harman (Putnam)
Dead Money, Jakob Kerr (Bantam)
The Vanishing Place, Zoe Rankin (Berkley)
Stillwater, Tanya Scott (Atlantic Monthly)
Julie Chan Is Dead, Liann Zhang (Atria Books)

Best Paperback Original Mystery

Crimson Thaw, Bruce Robert Coffin (Severn River)
Splintered Justice, Kim Hays (Seventh Street Books)
Making A Killing, Cara Hunter (William Morrow)
If Two Are Dead, Rick Mofina (MIRA)
Wolf Six, Alex Shaw (Boldwood Books)
The Dentist, Tim Sullivan (Atlantic Crime)

Best Thriller

Witness 8, Steve Cavanagh (Atria Books)
The Oligarch’s Daughter, Joseph Finder (Harper)
Midnight Black, Mark Greaney (Berkley)
Clown Town, Mick Herron (Soho Crime)
Head Cases, John McMahon (Minotaur Books)
The Mailman, Andrew Welsh-Huggins (Mysterious Press)