Recognizing excellence in the field of mystery fiction and publishing, the 2021 Strand Critics Awards are judged by selected group of book critics and journalists, this year including talent from NPR, USA Today, the LA Times, and Wall Street Journal.

The nominees are:

BEST MYSTERY NOVEL (2020)

• Snow by John Banville (Hanover Square Press)
• You Again by Debra Jo Immergut (Ecco)
• Trouble Is What I Do by Walter Mosley (Mulholland Books)
• The Missing American by Kwei Quartey (Soho Crime)
• A Song for the Dark Times by Ian Rankin (Little, Brown and Company)
• Survivor Song by Paul Tremblay (William Morrow)
• Confessions on the 7:45 by Lisa Unger (Park Row)

BEST DEBUT NOVEL (2020)

• Amnesty by Aravind Adiga (Scribner)
• Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam (Ecco)
• When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole (William Morrow)
• Empire of Wild by Cherie Dimaline (William Morrow)
• A Burning by Megha Majumdar (Knopf)
• A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers (The Unnamed Press)
• Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas (Custom House)

THE STRAND MAGAZINE’S PUBLISHER OF THE YEAR AWARD

• Josh Stanton, CEO of Blackstone Publishing

THE STRAND MAGAZINE’S LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

• Stephen King
• Joyce Carol Oates
• Alexander McCall Smith

The Strand Critics Awards ceremony will be held virtually in early September.

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[Thanks to Cora Buhlert for the story.]