Mystery Awards: Last Gasp of 2022

CRIME FICTION LOVER AWARDS 2022

The second annual Crime Fiction Lover Awards winners were announced on December 7, as voted by Crime Fiction Lover readers. (At the link, you’ll also find the parallel Editor’s Choice awards in these categories.)

BEST CRIME NOVEL

  • The Locked Room by Elly Griffiths

BEST DEBUT CRIME NOVEL

  • A Christmas Murder of Crows by DM Austin

BEST INDIE CRIME NOVEL

  • The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill

BEST CRIME NOVEL IN TRANSLATION

  • The Dark Flood by Deon Meyer, translated by KL Seegers

BEST CRIME SHOW

  • Shetland

BEST CRIME AUTHOR

  • Elly Griffiths

2022 LITTLE BROWN’S UEA CRIME FICTION AWARD

The winner of the 2022 Little Brown’s UEA Crime Fiction Award was named on December 13.

  • Nina Bhadreshwar for The Day of the Roaring

The £3,000 annual award is given to the best book by a graduating student from UEA’s Creative Writing Crime Fiction MA.

2022 REPRINT OF THE YEAR AWARD

The 2022 Reprint of the Year Award  for crime and mystery reprints was announced on December 31. Voters from 25 countries took part in the poll.

  • Death on Gokumon Island by Seishi Yokomizo (Trans. Louise Heal Kawai)

[Thanks given to Cora Buhlert for these stories.]

Give Thanks for Crime Fiction

2022 PETRONA AWARD SHORTLIST

The shortlist for the 2022 Petrona Award for Scandinavian crime fiction published in English has been announced: 

  • Maria Adolfsson – Fatal Isles. Translated by Agnes Broomé (Sweden, Zaffre)
  • Helene Flood – The Therapist. Translated by Alison McCullough (Norway, MacLehose Press)
  • Ruth Lillegraven – Everything Is Mine. Translated by Diane Oatley (Norway, AmazonCrossing)
  • Anders Roslund – Knock Knock. Translated by Elizabeth Clark Wessel (Sweden, Harvill Secker)
  • Lilja Sigurðardóttir – Cold As Hell. Translated by Quentin Bates (Iceland, Orenda Books)
  • Antti Tuomainen – The Rabbit Factor. Translated by David Hackston (Finland, Orenda Books)

The Petrona Award is open to crime fiction in translation, either written by a Scandinavian author or set in Scandinavia, and published in the UK in the previous calendar year.

The winning title will be announced on Thursday, December 8. The winning author and the translator of the winning title will both receive a cash prize.


2022 CRIME FICTION LOVER AWARDS

The shortlist for the Crime Fiction Lover Awards 2022 was announced on November 9, based on nominations made by Crime Fiction Lover readers

BEST CRIME NOVEL

  • The Accomplice by Steve Cavanagh
  • The Locked Room by Elly Griffiths
  • The Twist of a Knife by Anthony Horowitz
  • City on Fire by Don Winslow
  • The Shadows of Men by Abir Mukherjee
  • The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett

BEST DEBUT CRIME NOVEL

  • Breaking by Amanda Cassidy
  • A Christmas Murder of Crows by DM Austin
  • The Redeemer by Victoria Goldman
  • Bad for Good by Graham Bartlett
  • Don’t Know Tough by Eli Cranor
  • More Than You’ll Ever Know by Katie Gutierrez

BEST INDIE CRIME NOVEL

  • How to Murder a Marriage by Gabrielle St George
  • Unjust Bias by Liz Mistry
  • The Corpse with the Turquoise Toes by Cathy Ace
  • Five Moves of Doom by AJ Devlin
  • The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill
  • A Mourning Song by Mark Westmoreland

BEST CRIME NOVEL IN TRANSLATION

  • Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight by Riku Onda, translated by Alison Watts
  • Turf Wars by Olivier Norek, translated by Nick Caistor
  • Even the Darkest Night by Javier Cercas, translated by Anne McLean
  • The Old Woman with the Knife by Gu Byeong-Mo, translated by Chi-Young Kim
  • The Reptile Memoirs by Silje O Ulstein, translated by Alison McCullough
  • The Dark Flood by Deon Meyer, translated by KL Seegers

BEST CRIME SHOW

  • Shetland
  • Dahmer – Monster
  • Bosch: Legacy
  • Slow Horses
  • Black Bird
  • Reacher

BEST CRIME AUTHOR

  • Steve Cavanagh
  • Elly Griffiths
  • Ann Cleeves
  • SA Cosby
  • Michael Connelly
  • Val McDermid

[Thanks given to Cora Buhlert for these stories.]

Bonus Crime Fiction Awards News

It’s a quiet day – let’s catch up with the year-end crime fiction awards announcements.

CRIME FICTION LOVER AWARDS 2021

The inaugural Crime Fiction Lover Awards winners have been announced. The shortlists were selected by Crime Fiction Lover readers. One set of winners were chosen by public vote. There is also a set of Editor’s Choice.

Best Crime Novel

  • The Night Hawks by Elly Griffiths

Best Novel Editor’s Choice

  • Razorblade Tears by SA Cosby

Best Debut Crime Novel of 2021

  • The Source by Sarah Sultoon

Best Debut Editor’s Choice

  • Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden

Best Crime Novel in Translation of 2021

  • The Girl Who Died by Ragnar Jonasson, translated by Victoria Cribb

Best Crime Novel in Translation Editor’s Choice

  • Riccardino by Andrea Camilleri, translated by Stephen Sartarelli

Best Indie Crime Novel of 2021

  • Strangers of Braamfontein by Onyeka Nwelue

Best Indie Novel Editor’s Choice

  • The Quiet People by Paul Cleave

Best Crime Show of 2021

  • Line of Duty

Best Crime Show Editor’s Choice

  • Mare of Easttown

Best Author

  • Elly Griffiths

Best Author Editor’s Choice

  • Ian Rankin

CRIME TIME FM NOVEL OF THE YEAR AWARD

Crime Time FM, a crime fiction podcast, has announced the winners of the Crime Time FM Novel of the Year Award.

WINNER

  • Razorblade Tears SA Cosby (Headline)

RUNNER-UP

  • Vine Street Dominic Nolan (Headline)

OTHER SHORTLISTED BOOKS

  • The Village of Eight Graves by Seichi Yokomizo trans. Bryan Karetnyk (Pushkin Press)
  • The Turnout Megan Abbott (Faber & Faber)
  • The First Day of Spring by Nancy Tucker (Hutchinson)
  • Future Perfect by Felicia Yap (Wildfire)

 HARVILL SECKER BLOODY SCOTLAND CRIME WRITING AWARD

The winner of the 2021 Harvill Secker Bloody Scotland Crime Writing Award was announced December 2. The prize aims to discover exciting new crime fiction by writers of color.

  • The Light and Shade of Ellen Swithin by Dettie Gould

As the winner, Gould’s book will be published under the Harvill Secker imprint, in a publishing deal with an advance of £5,000.

JOFFE BOOKS PRIZE FOR CRIME FICTION WRITERS OF COLOR

The 2021 winner of the Joffe Books Prize for Crime Fiction Writers of Color is:

  • Christie J. Newport

The winner is offered a two-book publishing contract with Joffe Books, on its standard author agreement terms.

SCARLET STILETTO AWARDS

Sisters in Crime Australia have announced the winners of the 2021 Scarlet Stiletto Awards. This year, 241 short stories – equal to last year’s record – competed for a record $11,910 in prize money and benefits. 

Swinburne University of Technology First Prize ($1500) and ScriptWorks’s Great Film Idea Award ($500)

  • Hayley Young for “Monster Hunters”

Simon & Schuster Second Prize ($1000) 

  • Jaclyn Riley-Smith (Margate) for “On the inside”

The Sun Bookshop & Wild Dingo Press Third Prize ($600) 

  • Ellen Coates for “The Gospel of Cecily” 

Clan Destine Press Cross-Genre Award ($750) 

  • Ellen Coates

Affirm Press Young Writer’s Award ($500) for under 19s

  • Caitlyn Whitbread for “The Braxton Mystery”

The Melbourne Athenaeum Body-in-the-Library Library Award ($1250) 

  • Clare Fletcher for “Death’s Waiting Room”

The Melbourne Athenaeum Body-in-the-Library Library Runner-Up Award ($750)

  • Susan Green for “Creativity Now!”

Kerry Greenwood’s Malice Domestic Award ($750)

  • Jane Lee for “What I Did in Lokdown by Chloe Martin age 9 1/2”

The Every Cloud Production’s History with Mystery Award ($750)

  • Natalie Conyer for “The Séance”

Viliama Grakalic Best Art and Crime Story Award ($750)

  • Caroline de Costa for “The Fragrance of the Corpse Flower”

Booktopia Publisher Services Best Environmental Mystery Award ($750)

  • Stephanie Holm for “Mystery Off the Jillawong Road”

Writers Victoria’s Crime and Punishment Award for Most Satisfying Retribution 

  • Janet Moore for “Cash Sale”

The HQ Fiction Award for Best Thriller ($500)

  • Janice Shaw for “Put the Kettle On”

Queensland Chapter of Sisters in Crime’s Liz Navratil Award for the story with the Best Disabled Protagonist ($400)

  • Christine Fontana for “Waiting”

COMEDY WOMEN IN PRINT PRIZE

The winner of the 2021 Comedy Women in Print Prize is a cozy mystery by a Chinese-Indonesian writer. The value of the prize is £3,000.

  • Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Sutanto

Crime Fiction Awards News

PETRONA AWARD

The winner of the 2021 Petrona Award for the Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year is:

  • To Cook A Bear by Mikael Niemi, translated from the Swedish by Deborah Bragan-Turner (MacLehose Press)

The author Mikael Niemi receives a trophy and a pass to and a guaranteed panel at CrimeFest 2022. Mikael Niemi and Deborah Bragan-Turner will also receive a cash prize.

CRIME FICTION LOVER AWARDS 2021

The inaugural Crime Fiction Lover Awards shortlists was selected by Crime Fiction Lover readers. Anybody can vote for the winners here. The deadline to vote is December 1.

Best Crime Novel 0f 2021 shortlist

  • The Dark Remains by Ian Rankin and William McIlvanney
  • Razorblade Tears by SA Cosby
  • The Devil’s Advocate by Steve Cavanagh
  • I Know What I Saw by Imran Mahmood
  • True Crime Story by Joseph Knox
  • The Night Hawks by Elly Griffiths
  • 1979 by Val McDermid

Best Debut Crime Novel of 2021 shortlist

  • The Source by Sarah Sultoon
  • Black Drop by Leonora Nattrass
  • Edge of the Grave by Robbie Morrison
  • The Waiter by Ajay Chowdhury
  • Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden
  • Burying the Newspaper Man by Curtis Ippolito

Best Crime Novel in Translation of 2021 shortlist

  • Hotel Cartagena by Simone Buchholz, translated by Rachel Ward
  • Bullet Train by Kotaro Isaka, translated by Sam Malissa
  • The Rabbit Factor by Antti Tuomainen, translated by David Hackston
  • Riccardino by Andrea Camilleri, translated by Stephen Sartarelli
  • The Girl Who Died by Ragnar Jonasson, translated by Victoria Cribb
  • Cold As Hell by Lilja Sigurdardottir, translated by Quentin Bates
  • Little Rebel by Jerome Leroy, translated by Graham H Roberts

Best Indie Crime Novel of 2021 shortlist

  • Strangers of Braamfontein by Onyeka Nwelue
  • Black Reed Bay by Rod Reynolds
  • Evaders by EC Scullion
  • Little Lies by Valerie Keogh
  • The Butcher’s Prayer by Anthony Neil Smith
  • The Quiet People by Paul Cleave
  • The Corpse with the Iron Will by Cathy Ace

Best Crime Show of 2021 shortlist

  • Bosch
  • Line of Duty
  • Mare of Easttown
  • Paris Police 1900
  • Time
  • Endeavour

Crime Author of the Year of 2021 shortlist

  • Ian Rankin
  • MW Craven
  • Ann Cleeves
  • Elly Griffiths
  • William Shaw
  • SA Cosby

LITTLE, BROWN UEA CRIME PRIZE

The winner of the 2021 Little, Brown UEA Crime Prize has been announced: 

  • Hannah Brown has won the 2021 Little, Brown UEA Crime Fiction Award for her historical suspense novel My Name Is Emma

The award is for the best novel by a graduating student, with the winner receiving £3,000.  

Judges also awarded a highly commended prize to Duality – a Russian in Osaka by Denise Kuehl, a Japanese-set procedural with near-future touches.  

AL BLANCHARD AWARD

The winner of the 2021 Al Blanchard Award, a short mystery prize handed out at a con called the New England Crime Bake, has been announced.

  • “Herb Ecks Goes Underground” by Joseph S. Walker

The award is for a previously unpublished short crime story by a New England author or with a New England setting if the author is not from New England.

The winner receives a $100 cash award, publication in 2021’s Best New England Crime Stories anthology, free admission to the Crime Bake Conference, and a plaque.

2022 JOYCE CAROL OATES PRIZE LONGLIST

The 2022 Joyce Carol Oates Prize Longlist honoring mid-career authors in fiction has been announced. It includes several crime and mystery novels as well as a few that appear to be SFF:

LONGLISTED AUTHORS: 2022 JOYCE CAROL OATES PRIZE AND THEIR MOST RECENT TITLES:

  • Megan Abbott, The Turnout, Putnam
  • Kristen Arnett, With Teeth, Riverhead
  • Christopher Beha, The Index of Self-destructive Acts, Tin House
  • Matt Bell, Appleseed, Custom House
  • Venita Blackburn, How to Wrestle a Girl, MCD
  • Amina Cain, Indelicacy, FSG
  • Dan Chaon, Sleepwalk, Henry Holt
  • Joshua Cohen, The Netanyahus, New York Review Books
  • Lucy Corin, The Swank Hotel, Graywolf
  • Katie Crouch, Embassy Wife, FSG
  • Louis Edwards, Ramadan Ramsey, Amistad
  • Percival Everett, The Trees, Graywolf
  • Jonathan Evison, Legends of the North Cascades, Algonquin
  • Rivka Galchen, Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch, FSG
  • Kaitlyn Greenidge, Libertie, Algonquin
  • Lauren Groff, Matrix, Riverhead
  • Joshua Henken, Morningside Heights, Pantheon
  • Caitlin Horrocks, Life among the Terranauts, Little, Brown
  • Jessica Francis Kane, Rules for Visiting, Penguin Press
  • Katie Kitamura, Intimacies, Riverhead
  • Alexandra Kleeman, Something New Under the Sun, Hogarth
  • Shelia Kohler, Open Secrets, Penguin
  • Jean Hanff Korelitz, The Plot; Celadon
  • Zachary Lazar: Vengeance, Catapult
  • Jonathan Lethem, The Arrest, Ecco
  • Atticus Lish, The War for Gloria, Knopf
  • Jason Mott, Hell of a Book, Dutton
  • Ruth Ozeki, The Book of Form and Emptiness, Viking
  • Kathleen Rooney, Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey, Penguin
  • Maggie Shipstead, Great Circle, Knopf
  • Joan Silber, Secrets of Happiness, Counterpoint
  • Dana Spiotta, Wayward, Knopf
  • Brandon Taylor, Filthy Animals, Riverhead
  • Laura van den Berg, I Hold a Wolf by the Ears, FSG
  • Vendela Vida, We Run the Tides, Ecco
  • Bryan Washington, Memorial, Riverhead
  • Tiphanie Yanique, Monster in the Middle, Riverhead

Finalists are expected to be named in early March 2022, followed by a Winner named in April 2022. Recipients will participate in virtual or non-virtual events. The Prize Winner receives $50,000 and will be in brief residence at Cal and in the Bay Area at a time to be determined in 2022–23.

[Thanks to Cora Buhlert for the stories.]