Mystery Writers of America has named two new Grand Masters – Laura Lippman and John Sandford — plus the winners of the Ellery Queen Award and Raven Award.
2025 GRAND MASTERS
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.
Laura Lippman is a New York Times best-selling novelist who has been named one of the “essential” crime writers of the last 100 years. She has published 25 novels, two short story collections, a book of essays, and one children’s book. Her work has won or been shortlisted for every major prize given to crime novelists working in English. A limited series, based on her 2019 novel Lady in the Lake, aired on AppleTV in 2024. She lives in Baltimore and New Orleans.
On being notified of the honor, Laura Lippman said, “It was a little humbling how many cliches rushed into my brain when I found out I was to be named a Grand Master by Mystery Writers of America. Things like ‘This is a dream come true!’ and ‘I can’t believe this is happening!’ were, alas, my initial responses. And even now that I’ve been given some time to absorb the news—it still feels like a dream come true. I have always been proud to be associated with the crime-writing community and MWA, both of which have given me so much over the past three decades. Truly—obviously—words fail me.”
John Sandford is the pseudonym for the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist John Camp. He is the author of 35 Prey novels, the Kidd novels, the Virgil Flowers novels, and six other books, including three YA novels co-authored with his wife Michele Cook. Camp won the Pulitzer Prize in journalism in 1986 and was one of four finalists for the prize in 1980. He also was the winner of the Distinguished Writing Award of the American Society of Newspaper Editors for 1985.
On learning of the honor, Sandford said, “Believe me when I say I’m extremely flattered to be included in the company of so many great storytellers, people I’ve read and admired for years. My thanks to the MWA and all its members.”
RAVEN AWARD
The Raven Award recognizes outstanding achievement in the mystery field outside the realm of creative writing. For 2025, Mystery Writers of America selected Face in a Book in El Dorado Hills, CA.
“We are utterly shocked, humbled and delighted to learn that Face in a Book is receiving the Raven Award from the Mystery Writers of America,” Tina Ferguson, store owner, said. “Face in a Book is proud to celebrate over a decade of dedicated service to the literary community. Since opening its doors in 2012, the bookstore has worked tirelessly to create a vibrant, welcoming space for both mystery writers and readers. Through special events, author signings, and a curated selection of mystery novels, Face in a Book has become a hub for fans of the genre to connect, discover, and dive deep into the thrilling world of whodunits, exotic locations, and complex characters.”
ELLERY QUEEN AWARD
The Ellery Queen Award was established in 1983 to honor “outstanding writing teams and outstanding people in the mystery-publishing industry.”
This year the Board chose to honor Peter Wolverton, who began his career 35 years ago at St. Martin’s Press. In that time, Wolverton has held many roles—from Editor to Associate Publisher to Editorial Director and now Executive Editor and Vice President—publishing many amazing authors such as John Hart, Donna Andrews, Arnaldur Indridason, Julia Spencer-Fleming and many, many more.
The winners will accept their awards at the 79th Annual Edgar Awards Ceremony on May 1 in New York City.
[Based on a press release.]