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Agatha Winners Announced

Monday, May 3rd, 2010

The 2009 Agatha Awards were given May 1, 2010, during the Malice Domestic conference.

Here are the winners and, as usual, congratulations to all the winners, as well to the nominees:

Best Novel:
A Brutal Telling by Louise Penny (Minotaur Books)

Best First Novel:
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley (Delacorte Press)

Best Non-fiction:
Dame Agatha’s Shorts by Elena Santangelo (Bella Rosa Books)

Best Short Story:
“On the House” by Hank Phillippi Ryan, Quarry (Level Best Books)

Best Children’s/Young Adult:
The Hanging Hill by Chris Grabenstein (Random House)

Posted in Agatha Awards | 1,556 Comments »

Agatha, L.A. Times Book Prize nominees

Sunday, February 28th, 2010

The season for award nominations continues with the announcements for the Agatha and the L.A. Times Book Prize nominees.

Let me say right up front that each nominee is indeed a winner.

It takes an excellent book to receive a nomination, to rise above the literally thousands of mysteries published each year.

I know, because I am one of the judges of the L.A. Times Book Prize’s mystery/thriller category along with my colleagues Sarah Weinman and Dick Adler.

So here’s the Agatha nominees, followed by the L.A. Times nominees.

The 2010 Agatha Awards are for works published in 2009. The winners will be announced during Malice Domestic, April 30 to May 2 in Arlington, VA.

Mystery Scene’s annual “Meet the New Authors” Breakfast will be held on Saturday, May 1st. All attendees of Malice Domestic are invited to attend and meet this year’s talented crop of new novelists. Mystery Scene Contributing Editor Cheryl Solimini will host.

AGATHA NOMINEESSwan for the Money, Donna Andrews, St. Martin’s Minotaur
Bookplate Special, Lorna Barrett, Berkley Prime Crime
Royal Flush, Rhys Bowen, Berkley Prime Crime
A Brutal Telling, Louise Penny, Minotaur Books
Air Time, Hank Phillippi Ryan, MIRA

Best Novel

Best First Novel
For Better For Murder, Lisa Bork, Midnight Ink
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, Alan Bradley, Delacorte Press
Posed for Murder, Meredith Cole, St. Martin’s Minotaur
The Cold Light of Mourning, Elizabeth Duncan, St. Martin’s Press
In the Shadow of Gotham, Stefanie Pintoff, Minotaur Books

Best Nonfiction
Duchess of Death, Richard Hack, Phoenix Books
Talking About Detective Fiction, P.D. James, Knopf
Blood on the Stage, 1925 – 1950, Amnon Kabatchnik, Scarecrow Press
Dame Agatha’s Shorts, Elena Santangelo, Bella Rosa Books
The Talented Miss Highsmith, Joan Schenkar, St. Martin’s Press

Best Short Story
“Femme Sole,” Dana Cameron, Boston Noir, Akashic Books
“Handbaskets, Drawers and Killer Cold,” Kaye George, Crooked
“The Worst Noel,” Barb Goffman, The Gift of Murder, Wolfmont Press
“On the House,” Hank Phillippi Ryan, Quarry, Level Best Books
“Death Will Trim Your Tree,” Elizabeth Zelvin, The Gift of Murder, Wolfmont Press

Best Children’s/Young Adult Novel
The Morgue and Me, John C. Ford, Viking Juvenile
The Hanging Hill, Chris Grabenstein, Random House
The Case of the Poisoned Pig, Lewis B. Montgomery, Kane Press
The Other Side of Blue, Valerie O. Patterson, Clarion Books
The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline, Nancy Springer, Philomel

And here are the nominees in the mystery/thriller category for the L.A. Times Book Prize. The site contains the nominees for the other categories, but, frankly, the mystery/thriller category is the most important, right?

The prizes will be awarded in an invitation-only ceremony in connection with the 15th annual LA Times Festival of Books, which takes place April 24-25. Last year, more than 130,000 people attended the festival, which is held at UCLA; many of the book prize finalists will participate in panels, discussions and book signings.

It was an honor to serve as a judge with Sarah and Dick.

L.A. Times Book Prize
Mystery/thriller category

Mystery/Thriller
“Bury Me Deep” by Megan Abbott
“The Hidden Man” by David Ellis
“Black Water Rising” by Attica Locke
“A Darker Domain” by Val McDermid
“The Ghosts of Belfast” by Stuart Neville

Posted in Agatha Awards, Mystery Scene Magazine | 1,723 Comments »

Malice Domestic 2009 Awards

Sunday, May 3rd, 2009

The 2009 Malice Domestic Awards were announced this evening at the Crystal Gateway Marriot Hotel in Arlington, Virgina. Brian and I are having an excellent time and very happy with our Poirot Award teapots!

The nominees and winners were:

Best Novel:
Six Geese A-Slaying by Donna Andrews (Minotaur Books)
A Royal Pain by Rhys Bowen (Penguin Group)
The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny (Minotaur Books)
Buckingham Palace Gardens by Anne Perry (Random House)
I Shall Not Want by Julia Spencer-Fleming (Minotaur Books)

Best First Novel:
Through a Glass, Deadly by Sarah Atwell (Berkley Trade)
The Diva Runs Out of Thyme by Krista Davis (Penguin Group)
Pushing Up Daisies by Rosemary Harris (Minotaur Books)
Death of a Cozy Writer by G.M. Malliet (Midnight Ink)
Paper, Scissors, Death by Joanna Campbell Slan (Midnight Ink)

Best Non-fiction:
African American Mystery Writers: A Historical & Thematic Study by Frankie Y. Bailey (McFarland & Co.)
How to Write Killer Historical Mysteries by Kathy Lynn Emerson (Perseverance Press)
Anthony Boucher: A Biobibliography by Jeff Marks (McFarland & Co.)
Edgar Allan Poe: An Illustrated Companion to His Tell-Tale Stories by Dr. Harry Lee Poe (Metro Books)
The Suspicions of Mr. Whitcher, or The Murder at Road Hill House by Kate Summerscale (Walker & Co.)

Best Short Story:
“The Night Things Changed” by Dana Cameron, Wolfsbane & Mistletoe (Penguin Group)
“Killing Time” by Jane Cleland, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine – November 2008
“Dangerous Crossing” by Carla Coupe, Chesapeake Crimes 3 (Wildside Press)
“Skull & Cross-Examinations” by Toni L.P. Kelner, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine – February 2008
“A Nice Old Guy” by Nancy Pickard, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine – August 2008

Best Children’s/Young Adult:
Into the Dark by Peter Abrahams (Harper Collins)
A Thief in the Theater (A Kit Mystery) by Sarah Masters Buckey (American Girl Publishers)
The Crossroads by Chris Grabenstein (Random House Children’s Books)
The Great Circus Train Robbery by Nancy Means Wright (Hilliard & Harris)

Congratulations to all!

Posted in Agatha Awards, Announcements, Awards, Cozy Mysteries, Malice Domestic, Writers Conference | 3,570 Comments »

Dreaming of Malice, the Edgars, L.A. Times Books Festival

Friday, April 24th, 2009

I don’t know about you, but I often wish I could be in two places at once. Wouldn’t that be lovely? You could be spending time having fun while also at work.

But during the next week or so, I wish I could be five places at once. There are just too many mystery-related events that I would love to attend, not to mention the wonderful non-mystery event I’ll be at.

First, I would love to be at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books.

I’ve never been, but have heard only wonderful comments about this festival that will be April 25 and 26. The myriad authors and panels certainly appeal to me and I would have enjoyed moderating a panel or two.

But, I also have a personal connection. Along with Sarah Weinman and Dick Adler, I am one of the judges for the mystery/thriller category of the L.A. Times Book Prize. It would be lovely to be able to see the winner receive the award. (Oh, like you think I am going to give you the name here? Or even give away the winner’s gender? Just wait…)

I also wanted to attend the Edgar Awards symposium (April 29) and the banquet (April 30). I haven’t been able to attend for three years and had hoped to be able to return this year.

The Edgars are fun, at least I think so. Plus, I’ll take any excuse to wear my long dress.

But most of all, I wanted to attend Malice Domestic May 1 to 3 in
Arlington, Va.

I love Malice and its honoring of the traditional mystery. It has been at least five years, maybe more, since I have been able to make it to Malice and I miss this terrific conference.

The panels are insightful, the authors receptive and the fans are nice.

I have never had a bad time at Malice.

This year, Nancy Pickard is the guest of honor; Elaine Viets the toastmaster and Anne Perry will receive the lifetime achievement.

But again, I have a personal reason for wanting to attend this year’s Malice.

I would like to be there to cheer on Kate and Brian when they receive the Malice Domestic Poirot Award.

According to the Malice Domestic Website, “this award is presented to honor individuals other than writers who have made outstanding contributions to the Malice Domestic genre. The award is bestowed by the Malice Domestic Board of Directors and presented at the Malice Domestic conference. The Poirot Award is not an annual award.”

And I must say, the award is well deserved.

Let me also add congratulations to all the winners and the nominees.

So, I won’t be attending any of these mystery-related events.

Instead, I will be in Sarasota, Florida, for the American Theater Critics Association’s annual conference, which is normally held in June. But this year, ATCA’s conference falls smack in the middle of these other events.

My husband, Bill, is a theater critic and this conference is a great excuse to see live theater twice a day.

It helps that I am as interested in theater as he is. Heck, we even met in the theater.

We were among the handful of journalism majors who were also involved with the theater at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He was an actor; I was his dresser.

But that’s another story.

Oh, well, maybe next year I can be in L.A., or New York City, or Arlington.

PHOTOS: Nancy Pickard, top, Anne Perry

Posted in Agatha Awards, Awards, Edgar Allan Poe Awards | 969 Comments »

2009 Agatha Award Nominations

Thursday, February 26th, 2009

Malice Domestic has announced the nominees for the 2009 Agatha Awards for works published in 2008. Winners are voted on by attendees of Malice XXI (21): May 1-3, 2009 and will be announced at the Agatha Banquet on May 2.

The Agatha Awards honor the “traditional” or “cozy” mystery. (Think Agatha Christie.) The genre is loosely defined as mysteries that:

contain no explicit sex
contain no excessive gore or gratuitous violence
usually feature an amateur detective
take place in a confined setting and contain characters who know one another

Note from Kate: Conventions differ on how they designate awards. Some assign the year of publication, some the year the award was given. For consistency’s sake and to help our readers, Mystery Scene designates awards by the year in which they were (or will be) GIVEN. Hence, the 2009 Agatha Nominees announced here are for the Agatha Awards to be announced on May 2, 2009.

Best Novel

Six Geese A-Slaying by Donna Andrews (Minotaur Books)
A Royal Pain by Rhys Bowen (Penguin Group)
The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny (Minotaur Books)
Buckingham Palace Gardens by Anne Perry (Random House)
I Shall Not Want by Julia Spencer-Fleming (Minotaur Books)

Best First Novel

Through a Glass, Deadly by Sarah Atwell (Berkley Trade)
The Diva Runs Out of Thyme by Krista Davis (Penguin Group)
Pushing Up Daisies by Rosemary Harris (Minotaur Books)
Death of a Cozy Writer by G.M. Malliet (Midnight Ink)
Paper, Scissors, Death by Joanna Campbell Slan (Midnight Ink)

Best Non-fiction

African American Mystery Writers: A Historical & Thematic Study by Frankie Y. Bailey (McFarland & Co.)
How to Write Killer Historical Mysteries by Kathy Lynn Emerson (Perseverance Press)
Anthony Boucher, A Bibliography by Jeff Marks (McFarland & Co.)
Edgar Allan Poe: An Illustrated Companion to His Tell-Tale Stories by Dr. Harry Lee Poe (Metro Books)
The Suspicions of Mr. Whitcher by Kate Summerscale (Walker & Co.)

Best Short Story

“The Night Things Changed” by Dana Cameron, Wolfsbane & Mistletoe (Penguin Group)
“Killing Time” by Jane Cleland, Alfred Hitchock Mystery Magazine – November 2008
“Dangerous Crossing” by Carla Coupe, Chesapeake Crimes 3 (Wildside Press)
“Skull & Cross Examination” by Toni Kelner, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine – February 2008
“A Nice Old Guy” by Nancy Pickard, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine – August 2008

Best Children’s/Young Adult

Into the Dark by Peter Abrahams (Harper Collins)
A Thief in the Theater (A Kit Mystery) by Sarah Masters Buckey (American Girl Publishers)
The Crossroads by Chris Grabenstein (Random House Children’s Books)
The Great Circus Train Robbery by Nancy Means Wright (Hilliard & Harris)

Posted in Agatha Awards, Awards, Cozy Mysteries, Malice Domestic | 2,421 Comments »