FREE BOOK and ANTHONY AWARD WINNERS

The Anthony Awards - named for Anthony Boucher, who was a mystery writer, editor and reviewer - were held in mid-November at the annual Bouchercon World Mystery Convention in Long Beach, CA. Organized differently from other programs, its members make nominations and final voting is held at the actual event. Details are too long to repeat, but the nominations and winners are:

BEST NOVEL
SUSPECT - Robert Crais - Putnam
A COLD AND LONELY PLACE - Sara J. Henry - Crown
THE WRONG GIRL - Hank Phillipi Ryan - Forge
THROUGH THE EVIL DAYS - Julia Spencer-Fleming - Minotaur

Winner: ORDINARY GRACE - William Kent Kruger - Atria

BEST FIRST NOVEL
GHOSTMAN - Roger Hobbs - Alfred A. Knopf
RAGE AGAINST THE DYING - Becky Masterman - Minotaur
RECONSTRUCTING AMELIA - Kimberly McCreight - HarperCollins
THE HARD BOUNCE - Todd Robinson - Tyrus

Winner: YESTERDAY’S ECHO - Matt Coyle - Oceanview

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL
THE BIG REAP - Chris F. Holm - Angry Robot
PURGATORY KEY - Darrell James - Midnight Ink
JOYLAND - Stephen King - Hard case Crime
THE WICKED GIRLS - Alex Marwood - Penguin

Winner: AS SHE LEFT IT - Catriona Mcpherson - Midnight Ink

BEST SHORT STORY
DEAD END - Craig Fautus Buck - Untreed Reads
ANNIE AND THE GRATEFUL DEAD - Denise Dietz - Amazon Digital
INCIDENT ON THE 405 - Travis Richardson - Macmillan
THE CARE AND FEEDING OF HOUSEPLANTS - Art Taylor - Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine

Winner: THE CAXTON PRIVATE LENDING LIBRARY & BOOK DEPOSITORY John Connolly - Bibliomysteries - Mysterious Bookshop

BEST CRITICAL OR NONFICTION WORK
MASTERMIND: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes - Maria Konnikova - Viking Adult
THE SECRET RESCUE - Cate Lineberry - Little, Brown
ALL THE WILD CHILDREN - Josh Stallings - Snubnose Press
TROUBLED DAUGHTERS, TWISTED WIVES - Sarah Weinman, Editor - Penguin

Winner: THE HOUR OF PERIL - Daniel Stashower - Minotaur

BEST CHILDREN’S OR YOUNG ADULT NOVEL
ESCAPE THEORY - Margaux Froley - Soho Teen
ESCAPE FROM MR. LEMONCELLO’S LIBRARY - Chris Grabenstein -
Random House Children’s Books
DANCER, DAUGHTER, TRAITOR, SPY - Elizabeth Kiern - Soho Teen
THE CODE BUSTER’S CLUB - Penny Warner - Egmont, USA

Winner: THE TESTING - Joelie Charbonneau - Houghton Mifflin

BEST TV EPISODE TELEPLAY
BREAKING BAD - “Felina” by Vince Gilligan
THE FALL - “Dark Descent” by Allan Cubit
THE FOLLOWING - Pilot by Kevin Williamson
JUSTIFIED - “Hole in the Wall” by Graham Yost

Winner: THE BLACKLIST - Pilot by Jon Bokenkamp

BEST AUDIO BOOK
HOUR OF THE RAT - Lisa Brackmann - Audible
MAN IN THE EMPTY SUIT - Sean Ferrell - AudioGO
CRESCENDO - Deborah J. Ledford - IOF Productions
DEATH AND THE LIT CHICK - G. M. Matliet - Dreamscape Media

Winner: THE CUCKOO’S CALLING - Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling) - Hachette Audio
(Note: Except for the above, publishers of the books which were nominated for Best Audio weren’t shown)

As for gender, there’s 17 women, 19 men, and 3 used “Chris” or initials.

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Thanks for sticking around. My book, THE ITALIAN JOB, will be free on Amazon for five days, November 27 through December 1st. Grab an early Christmas present and have a great Thanksgiving.