Mystery Writers of America announced the winners of the 2019 Edgar Allan Poe Awards on April 25 in New York City. The award honors the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction and television published or produced in 2018.

BEST NOVEL

• Down the River Unto the Sea by Walter Mosley (Hachette Book Group – Mulholland)

BEST FIRST NOVEL BY AN AMERICAN AUTHOR

• Bearskin by James A. McLaughlin (HarperCollins Publishers – Ecco)

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL

• If I Die Tonight by Alison Gaylin (HarperCollins Publishers – William Morrow)

BEST FACT CRIME

• Tinderbox: The Untold Story of the Up Stairs Lounge Fire and the Rise of Gay Liberation by Robert W. Fieseler (W.W. Norton & Company – Liveright)

 BEST CRITICAL/BIOGRAPHICAL

• Classic American Crime Fiction of the 1920s by Leslie S. Klinger (Pegasus Books)

BEST SHORT STORY

• “English 398: Fiction Workshop” – Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine by Art Taylor (Dell Magazines)

BEST JUVENILE

• Otherwood by Pete Hautman (Candlewick Press)

BEST YOUNG ADULT

• Sadie by Courtney Summers (Wednesday Books)

BEST TELEVISION EPISODE TELEPLAY

•  “The One That Holds Everything” – The Romanoffs, Teleplay by Matthew Weiner & Donald Joh (Amazon Prime Video)

ROBERT L. FISH MEMORIAL AWARD

• “How Does He Die This Time?” – Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine by Nancy Novick (Dell Magazines)

Other Awards presented tonight:

THE SIMON & SCHUSTER MARY HIGGINS CLARK AWARD

• The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey (Soho Press – Soho Crime)

THE G.P. PUTNAM’S SONS SUE GRAFTON MEMORIAL AWARDS

• Shell Game by Sara Paretsky (HarperCollins – William Morrow)

2019 Grand Master

MWA’s Grand Master Award represents the pinnacle of achievement in mystery writing and was established to acknowledge important contributions to this genre, as well as for a body of work that is both significant and of consistent high quality.

• Martin Cruz Smith

Raven Award

The Raven Award recognizes outstanding achievement in the mystery field outside the realm of creative writing.

• Marilyn Stasio

Ellery Queen Award

The Ellery Queen Award was established in 1983 to honor “outstanding writing teams and outstanding people in the mystery-publishing industry.”

• Linda Landrigan