The Barry Best Revealed

Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine revealed the winners of the 2026 Barry Awards at the Bouchercon conference opening ceremonies in Calgary, Canada, last night. The awards are named after reviewer Barry Gardner, which celebrate the best works being published in the field of crime fiction each year. Congratulations to all the winners and finalists!

Best Mystery:  King Of Ashes, S. A. Cosby (Flatiron Books)

Other Finalists:

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

Best First Mystery:  The Vanishing Place, Zoe Rankin (Berkley)

Other Finalists: 

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

Best Paperback Original Mystery:  The Dentist, Tim Sullivan (Atlantic Crime)

Other Finalists: 

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)

Best Thriller:  Midnight Black, Mark Greaney (Berkley)

Other Finalists: 

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