2024 Lefty Award Nominations

Left Coast Crime 2024 announced the Lefty Awards finalists on January 15.

Members of the Left Coast Crime convention picked the nominees and will vote on the winners, which will be revealed at the awards ceremony in Seattle, WA on April 13.

Best Humorous Mystery Novel

  • Jennifer J. Chow, Hot Pot Murder (Berkley Prime Crime)
  • Lee Matthew Goldberg, The Great Gimmelmans (Level Best Books)
  • Leslie Karst, A Sense for Murder (Severn House)
  • Catriona McPherson, Hop Scot (Severn House)
  • Cindy Sample, Dying for a Decoration (Cindy Sample Books)
  • Wendall Thomas, Cheap Trills (‎Beyond the Page Books)

Best Historical Mystery Novel for books set before 1970 (The Bill Gottfried Memorial)

  • Cara Black, Night Flight to Paris (Soho Crime)
  • Bruce Borgos, The Bitter Past (Minotaur Books)
  • Susanna Calkins, Death Among the Ruins (Severn House)
  • Dianne Freeman, A Newlywed’s Guide to Fortune and Murder (Kensington)
  • Cheryl A. Head, Time’s Undoing (Dutton)
  • Naomi Hirahara, Evergreen (Soho Crime)

Best Debut Mystery Novel

  •  Lina Chern, Play the Fool (Bantam)
  • Margot Douaihy, Scorched Grace (Gillian Flynn Books)
  • Josh Pachter, Dutch Threat (Genius Book Publishing)
  • Ana Reyes, The House in the Pines (Dutton)
  • Nina Simon, Mother-Daughter Murder Night (William Morrow)

Best Mystery Novel (not in other categories)

  • Tracy Clark, Hide (Thomas & Mercer)
  • S.A. Cosby, All the Sinners Bleed (Flatiron Books)
  • Matt Coyle, Odyssey’s End (Oceanview Publishing)
  • Jordan Harper, Everybody Knows (Mulholland Books)
  • James L’Etoile, Face of Greed (Oceanview Publishing)
  • Gigi Pandian, The Raven Thief (Minotaur Books)

2023 Lefty Awards

Left Coast Crime 2023 announced the Lefty Awards finalists on March 18 at the awards ceremony in Tucson, AZ.

Best Humorous Mystery Novel

  • Ellen Byron, Bayou Book Thief (Berkley Prime Crime)

Best Historical Mystery Novel

  • Wanda M. Morris, Anywhere You Run (William Morrow)

Best Debut Mystery Novel

  • Ramona Emerson, Shutter (Soho Crime)

Best Mystery Novel
(not in other categories)

  • Kellye Garrett, Like a Sister (Mulholland Books)

2023 Lefty Award Nominations

Left Coast Crime 2023 announced the Lefty Awards finalists on January 17.

Members of the Left Coast Crime convention picked the nominees and will vote on the winners, which will be revealed at the awards ceremony in Tucson, AZ on March 18.

Best Humorous Mystery Novel

  • Ellen Byron, Bayou Book Thief (Berkley Prime Crime)
  • Jennifer J. Chow, Death by Bubble Tea (Berkley Prime Crime)
  • A.J. Devlin, Five Moves of Doom (NeWest Press)
  • T.G. Herren, A Streetcar Named Murder (Crooked Lane Books)
  • Catriona McPherson, Scot in a Trap (Severn House)

Best Historical Mystery Novel
(The Bill Gottfried Memorial) for books set before 1970

  • Dianne Freeman, A Bride’s Guide to Marriage and Murder (Kensington Books)
  • Catriona McPherson, In Place of Fear (Severn House)
  • Wanda M. Morris, Anywhere You Run (William Morrow)
  • Karen Odden, Under a Veiled Moon (Crooked Lane Books)
  • Ann Parker, The Secret in the Wall (Poisoned Pen Press)
  • Iona Whishaw, Framed in Fire (Touchwood)

Best Debut Mystery Novel

  • Erin E. Adams, Jackal (Bantam Books)
  • Eli Cranor, Don’t Know Tough (Soho Crime)
  • Ramona Emerson, Shutter (Soho Crime)
  • Meredith Hambrock, Other People’s Secrets (Crooked Lane Books)
  • Harini Nagendra, The Bangalore Detectives Club (Pegasus Crime)
  • Rob Osler, Devil’s Chew Toy (Crooked Lane Books)
  • Jane Pek, The Verifiers (Vintage Books)

Best Mystery Novel
(not in other categories)

  • Kellye Garrett, Like a Sister (Mulholland Books)
  • Laurie R. King, Back to the Garden (Bantam Books)
  • James L’Etoile, Dead Drop (Level Best Books)
  • Gigi Pandian, Under Lock & Skeleton Key (Minotaur Books)
  • Louise Penny, A World of Curiosities (Minotaur Books)
  • Alex Segura, Secret Identity (Flatiron Books)

2022 Lefty Awards

Left Coast Crime 2022 announced the Lefty Awards winners on April 9. 

BEST HUMOROUS MYSTERY NOVEL 

  • Raquel V. Reyes, Mango, Mambo, and Murder (Crooked Lane Books)

BEST HISTORICAL MYSTERY NOVEL for books set before 1970.

  • Naomi Hirahara, Clark and Division (Soho Crime)

BEST DEBUT MYSTERY NOVEL

  • Wanda M. Morris, All Her Little Secrets (William Morrow)

BEST MYSTERY NOVEL (not in other categories)

  • William Kent Krueger, Lightning Strike (Atria Books)

2022 Lefty Award Nominations

Left Coast Crime 2022 announced the Lefty Awards finalists on January 17.

Members of the Left Coast Crime convention picked the nominees and will vote on the winners, which will be revealed at the awards ceremony in Albuquerque on April 9.

Best Humorous Mystery Novel 

 • Ellen Byron, Cajun Kiss of Death (Crooked Lane Books)
 • Jennifer Chow, Mimi Lee Cracks the Code (Berkley Prime Crime)
 • Elle Cosimano, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It (Minotaur Books)
 • Cynthia Kuhn, How To Book a Murder (Crooked Lane Books)
 • Raquel V. Reyes, Mango, Mambo, and Murder (Crooked Lane Books)
 • Wendall Thomas, Fogged Off (Beyond the Page Books)

Best Historical Mystery Novel for books set before 1970.

 • Susanna Calkins, The Cry of the Hangman (Severn House)
 • John Copenhaver, The Savage Kind (Pegasus Crime)
 • Naomi Hirahara, Clark and Division (Soho Crime)
 • Sujata Massey, The Bombay Prince (Soho Crime)
 • Catriona McPherson, The Mirror Dance (Hodder & Stoughton)
 • Lori Rader-Day, Death at Greenway (William Morrow)

Best Debut Mystery Novel

 • Alexandra Andrews, Who Is Maud Dixon (Little, Brown and Company)
 • Marco Carocari, Blackout (Level Best Books)
 • Zakiya Dalila Harris, The Other Black Girl (Atria Books)
 • Mia P. Manansala, Arsenic and Adobo (Berkley Prime Crime)
 • Wanda M. Morris, All Her Little Secrets (William Morrow)

Best Mystery Novel (not in other categories)

 • Tracy Clark, Runner (Kensington Books)
 • S.A. Cosby, Razorblade Tears (Flatiron Press)
 • Matt Coyle, Last Redemption (Oceanview Publishing)
 • William Kent Krueger, Lightning Strike (Atria Books)
 • P.J. Vernon, Bath Haus (Doubleday)

2021 Lefty Awards

The 2021 Left Coast Crime convention, postponed till 2022, still announced the winners of this year’s Lefties today.

Lefty for Best Humorous Mystery Novel

  • Ellen Byron, Murder in the Bayou Boneyard (Crooked Lane Books)

Lefty for Best Historical Mystery Novel

(Bruce Alexander Memorial) for books covering events before 1970

  • Catriona McPherson, The Turning Tide (Quercus)

Lefty for Best Debut Mystery Novel

  • David Heska Wanbli Weiden, Winter Counts (Ecco)

Lefty for Best Mystery Novel

  • Louise Penny, All the Devils Are Here (Minotaur Books)

2021 Crime Fiction Award Update

The 2021 finalists for Left Coast Crime’s Lefty Awards, the Barry Awards, the shortlisted authors for the Lindisfarne Prize for Crime Fiction, and the finalists in the British Book Awards crime and thriller category have been announced.

2021 LEFTY AWARDS FINALISTS

LEFTY FOR BEST HUMOROUS MYSTERY NOVEL

  • Ellen Byron, Murder in the Bayou Boneyard (Crooked Lane Books)
  • Jennifer J. Chow, Mimi Lee Gets a Clue (Berkley Prime Crime)
  • Carl Hiaasen, Squeeze Me (Alfred A. Knopf)
  • Cynthia Kuhn, The Study of Secrets (Henery Press)
  • J. Michael Orenduff, The Pot Thief Who Studied the Woman at Otowi Crossing (Aakenbaaken & Kent)
  • Sung J. Woo, Skin Deep (Agora Books)

LEFTY FOR BEST HISTORICAL MYSTERY NOVEL

Bruce Alexander Memorial for books covering events before 1970

  • Susanna Calkins, The Fate of a Flapper (Minotaur Books)
  • Dianne Freeman, A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Murder (Kensington Books)
  • Laurie R. King, Riviera Gold (Bantam Books)
  • Catriona McPherson, The Turning Tide (Quercus)
  • Ann Parker, Mortal Music (Poisoned Pen Press)
  • James W. Ziskin, Turn to Stone (Seventh Street Books)

LEFTY FOR BEST DEBUT MYSTERY NOVEL

  • Daisy Bateman, Murder Goes to Market (Seventh Street Books)
  • Mary Keliikoa, Derailed (Camel Press)
  • Erica Ruth Neubauer, Murder at the Mena House (Kensington Books)
  • Richard Osman, The Thursday Murder Club (Viking)
  • Halley Sutton, The Lady Upstairs (Putnam)
  • David Heska Wanbli Weiden, Winter Counts (Ecco)

LEFTY FOR BEST MYSTERY NOVEL

  • Tracy Clark, What You Don’t See (Kensington Books)
  • S.A. Cosby, Blacktop Wasteland (Flatiron Books)
  • Matt Coyle, Blind Vigil (Oceanview Publishing)
  • Rachel Howzell Hall, And Now She’s Gone (Forge)
  • Louise Penny, All the Devils Are Here (Minotaur Books)

2021 BARRY AWARD NOMINATIONS

BEST NOVEL

The Boy From The Woods, Harlan Coben (Grand Central)
The Law Of Innocence, Michael Connelly (Little, Brown)
Blacktop Wasteland, S. A. Cosby (Flatiron Books)
And Now She’s Gone, Rachel Howzell Hall (Forge)
Moonflower Murders, Anthony Horowitz (Harper)
All The Devils Are Here, Louise Penny (Minotaur)

BEST FIRST NOVEL

Deep State, Chris Hauty (Atria/Emily Bester)
Murder In Old Bombay, Nev March (Minotaur)
The Thursday Murder Club, Richard Osman (Viking\Pamela Dorman)
The Eighth Detective, Alex Pavesi (Henry Holt)
Winter Counts, David Heska Wanbli Weiden (Ecco)
Darling Rose Gold, Stephanie Wrobel (Berkley)

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL

When No One Is Watching, Alyssa Cole (Morrow)
Mongkok Station, Jake Needham (Hp)
Hide Away, Jason Pinter (Thomas & Mercer)
Bad News Travels Fast, James Swain (Thomas & Mercer)
Darkness For Light, Emma Viskic (Pushkin Vertigo)
Turn To Stone, James W. Ziskin (Seventh Street Books)

BEST THRILLER

Double Agent, Tom Bradby (Atlantic Monthly)
Blind Vigil, Matt Coyle (Oceanview)
One Minute Out, Mark Greaney (Berkley)
The Last Hunt, Deon Meyer (Atlantic Monthly)
Eddie’s Boy, Thomas Perry (Mysterious Press)
The Wild One, Nick Petrie (Putnam)

2021 LINDISFARNE PRIZE FOR CRIME FICTION

The Lindisfarne Prize is a literary prize which recognizes outstanding writing in the genre of crime or thriller fiction. The shortlisted authors are:

  • Rob Scragg
  • Barbara Scott Emmett
  • Ellie Davies
  • David Cooper
  • Ed Walsh

The winning entry will be awarded a prize of £2500 to support the completion of their work and funding towards a year’s membership of both the Society of Authors (SoA) and the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), and smaller financial awards to shortlisted candidates. 

2021 BRITISH BOOK AWARDS

Crime And Thriller Category

  • Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith (Sphere)
  • The Sentinel by Lee Child and Andrew Child (Bantam)
  • The Patient Man by Joy Ellis (Joffe Books)
  • The Guest List by Lucy Foley (HarperFiction)
  • The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman (Viking)
  • A Song for the Dark Times by Ian Rankin (Orion Fiction)

[Thanks to Cora Buhlert for the story.]

2021 Lefty Award Nominees

The 2021 Left Coast Crime convention may have postponed till 2022, but they still announced the finalists for their 2021 awards, the Lefties:

The 2021 Lefty Award nominees were selected by members of the last in-person convention in San Diego and the next one scheduled for Albuquerque in April 2022. The awards will be voted on virtually and presented April 10, 2021. Here are the nominees:

Lefty for Best Humorous Mystery Novel

  • Ellen Byron, Murder in the Bayou Boneyard (Crooked Lane Books)
  • Jennifer J. Chow, Mimi Lee Gets a Clue (Berkley Prime Crime)
  • Carl Hiaasen, Squeeze Me (Alfred A. Knopf)
  • Cynthia Kuhn, The Study of Secrets (Henery Press)
  • J. Michael Orenduff, The Pot Thief Who Studied the Woman at Otowi Crossing (Aakenbaaken & Kent)
  • Sung J. Woo, Skin Deep (Agora Books)

Lefty for Best Historical Mystery Novel

(Bruce Alexander Memorial) for books covering events before 1970

  • Susanna Calkins, The Fate of a Flapper (Minotaur Books)
  • Dianne Freeman, A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Murder (Kensington Books)
  • Laurie R. King, Riviera Gold (Bantam Books)
  • Catriona McPherson, The Turning Tide (Quercus)
  • Ann Parker, Mortal Music (Poisoned Pen Press)
  • James W. Ziskin, Turn to Stone (Seventh Street Books)

Lefty for Best Debut Mystery Novel

  • Daisy Bateman, Murder Goes to Market (Seventh Street Books)
  • Mary Keliikoa, Derailed (Camel Press)
  • Erica Ruth Neubauer, Murder at the Mena House (Kensington Books)
  • Richard Osman, The Thursday Murder Club (Viking)
  • Halley Sutton, The Lady Upstairs (Putnam)
  • David Heska Wanbli Weiden, Winter Counts (Ecco)

Lefty for Best Mystery Novel

  • Tracy Clark, What You Don’t See (Kensington Books)
  • S.A. Cosby, Blacktop Wasteland (Flatiron Books)
  • Matt Coyle, Blind Vigil (Oceanview Publishing)
  • Rachel Howzell Hall, And Now She’s Gone (Forge)
  • Louise Penny, All the Devils Are Here (Minotaur Books)

To be eligible for the 2021 Lefty Awards, titles must have been published for the first time in the United States or Canada during 2020, in book or ebook format. (If published in other countries before 2020, a book is still eligible if it meets the US or Canadian publication requirement.)

[Thanks to Cora Buhlert for the story.]

2020 Lefty Awards

2020 Lefty Award

Left Coast Crime 2020 announced the winners of the Lefty Awards for mystery fiction on March 23.

The votes, which are usually cast by members at the convention, had to be submitted online because this year’s event in San Diego was abruptly cancelled at the end of the first day when local health officials began to restrict large gatherings in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

The winners are:

Lefty for Best Humorous Mystery Novel

  • Catriona McPherson, Scot & Soda (Midnight Ink)

Lefty for Best Historical Mystery Novel
(Bruce Alexander Memorial) for books covering events before 1970

  • Sujata Massey, The Satapur Moonstone (Soho Crime)

Lefty for Best Mystery Novel

  • Matt Coyle, Lost Tomorrows (Oceanview Publishing)

Lefty for Best Debut Mystery Novel

  • Carl Vonderau, Murderabilia (Midnight Ink)

2019 Lefty Award Nominees

Members of Left Coast Crime have selected the 2019 Lefty Award Nominees

The Lefty awards will be voted on at the Left Coast Crime convention and presented at the Awards Banquet on March 30 in Vancouver, BC.

Lefty for Best Humorous Mystery Novel

  • Mardi Gras Murder by Ellen Byron (Crooked Lane Books)
  • Hollywood Ending by Kellye Garrett (Midnight Ink)
  • Nighttown by Timothy Hallinan (Soho Crime)
  • Death al Fresco by Leslie Karst (Crooked Lane Books)
  • The Spirit in Question by Cynthia Kuhn (Henery Press)
  • Scott Free by Catriona McPherson (Midnight Ink)

Lefty for Best Historical Mystery Novel (Bruce Alexander Memorial) for books covering events before 1960

  • Four Funerals and Maybe a Wedding by Rhys Bowen (Berkeley Prime Crime)
  • The Long-Lost Love Letters of Doc Holliday by David Corbett (Black Opal Books)
  • Island of the Mad by Laurie R King (Bantam Books)
  • The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey (Soho Crime)
  • A Dying Note by Ann Parker (Poisoned Pen Press)
  • It Begins in Betrayal by Iona Whishaw (Touchwood Editions)

Lefty for Best Debut Mystery Novel

  • Broken Places by Tracy Clark (Kensington Books)
  • Cobra Clutch by A J Devlin (NeWest Press)
  • The Woman in the Window by A J Finn (William Morrow)
  • A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder by Dianne Freeman (Kensington Books)
  • What Doesn’t Kill You by Aimee Hix (Midnight Ink)
  • Deadly Solution by Keenan Powell (Level Best Books)
  • Give Out Creek by J G Toews (Mosaic Press)

Lefty for Best Mystery Novel

  • November Road by Lou Berney (William Morrow)
  • Wrong Light by Matt Coyle (Oceanview Publishing)
  • Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny (Minotaur Books)
  • Under a Dark Sky by Lori-Rader-Day (William Morrow Paperbacks)
  • A Reckoning in the Back Country by Terry Shames (Seventh Street Books)
  • A Stone’s Throw by James W. Ziskin (Seventh Street Books)

To be eligible, titles must have been published for the first time in the United States or Canada during 2018, in book or ebook format. (If published in other countries before 2018, a book is still eligible if it meets the US or Canadian publication requirement.)

[Thanks to Cora Buhlert for the story.]