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)