The Agatha Awards honor the “traditional mystery,” books typified by the works of Agatha Christie and others. The genre is loosely defined as mysteries that contain no explicit sex, excessive gore or gratuitous violence, and are not classified as “hard-boiled.”
BEST CONTEMPORARY MYSTERY NOVEL
Tara Laskowski. The Weekend Retreat
BEST HISTORICAL MYSTERY NOVEL
Sujata Massey. The Mistress of Bhatia House
DEBUT
Daphne Silver. Crime and Parchment
NONFICTION
Anjili Babbar. Finders: Justice, Faith, and Identity in Irish Crime Fiction
CHILDREN | YOUNG ADULT
Kate Jackson. The Sasquatch of Hawthorne Elementary
SHORT STORY
Dru Ann Love and Kristopher Zgorski. “Ticket to Ride” in Happiness Is a Warm Gun: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of the Beatles
The Agatha Awards honor the “traditional mystery,” books typified by the works of Agatha Christie and others. The genre is loosely defined as mysteries that contain no explicit sex, excessive gore or gratuitous violence, and are not classified as “hard-boiled.”
A ballot listing each category’s nominees will be given to all members of Malice Domestic 36, which will be held April 26-28, 2024 in Bethesda, MD.
The Agatha Award Nominees (for works published in 2023)
BEST CONTEMPORARY MYSTERY NOVEL
Ellen Byron. Wined and Died in New Orleans
Annette Dashofy. Helpless
Tara Laskowski. The Weekend Retreat
Korina Moss. Case of the Bleus
Gigi Pandian. The Raven Thief
BEST HISTORICAL MYSTERY NOVEL
Susanna Calkins. Death Among the Ruins
Celeste Connally. Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord
Amanda Flower. I Heard A Fly Buzz When I Died
Cheryl Head. Time’s Undoing
Sujata Massey. The Mistress of Bhatia House
DEBUT
Danielle Arceneaux. Glory Be
Kristin Kisska. The Hint of Light
Josh Pachter. Dutch Threat
Daphne Silver. Crime and Parchment
Nina Simon. Mother-Daughter Murder Night
NONFICTION
Anjili Babbar. Finders: Justice, Faith, and Identity in Irish Crime Fiction
David Bordwell. Perplexing Plots: Popular Storytelling and the Poetics of Murder
Mark Dawidziak. A Mystery of Mysteries: The Death and Life of Edgar Allan Poe
Robert Morgan. Fallen Angel: The Life of Edgar Allan Poe
CHILDREN | YOUNG ADULT
Elizabeth C. Bunce. Myrtle, Means, and Opportunity
Kate Jackson. The Sasquatch of Hawthorne Elementary
Alex Segura. Araña/Spider-Man 2099: Dark Tomorrow
Nancy Springer. Enola Holmes and the Mark of the Mongoose
Taryn Souders. The Mystery of the Radcliffe Riddle
SHORT STORY
Shelley Costa, “The Knife Sharpener” in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Jul/Aug 2023
Tina deBellegarde. “A Good Judge of Character” in Malice Domestic: Mystery Most Traditional
Barb Goffman. “Real Courage” in Black Cat Mystery Magazine issue 14
Dru Ann Love and Kristopher Zgorski. “Ticket to Ride” in Happiness Is a Warm Gun: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of the Beatles
Richie Narvaez. “Shamu, World’s Greatest Detective” in Killin’ Time in San Diego: Bouchercon 2023
Guest of Honor Hank Phillipi Ryan (right) being interviewed
By Teresa Peschel: Bill and I are Peschel Press. This was our third Malice Domestic. If you’re a fan of cozy mysteries and looking for your tribe, Malice is the place to be.
Officially, it runs Friday morning through Sunday afternoon at the end of April. This year’s dates were April 28-30. Unofficially, Malice gets started on Thursday evening when Maureen Jennings hosts a showing of a current Murdoch Mysteries episode. In this case, she wrote the episode we saw but I don’t know if that’s always true. Afterwards, Maureen Jennings answers questions from the audience about the episode, how TV adapts her books, and similar topics.
Maureen Jennings (right) at one of the many, many panels
Malice runs about 600 people attending, roughly divided between true-blue fans and authors. The authors range wildly from debut authors (including indies) to longtime stalwarts in the mystery world. There’s always a guest of honor, lifetime achievement guest, international guest of honor, fan guest of honor, toastmaster, Poirot award (sometimes), Amelia award, toastmaster, and of course, the Agatha awards in five categories.
Events start promptly Friday at 9 a.m. with the first round of panels on dozens of subjects. At the same time, the Dealer Room, Hospitality Suite, and Silent Auction Room open for the day.
Silent Auction room
Other programs include introducing Malice to first-time attendees, volunteer information, speed-dating with authors, and Kensington handing out armloads of free books. During the day, a rotating cast of authors show up in the Dealers’ Room to sign books.
Having the authors sign in the Dealers’ Room means more traffic and a better chance of sales.
Author signings
Saturday and Sunday have a similar, fully-packed schedule with panels, interviews, signings, speed-dating, and swag galore.
Friday’s evening events include Opening Ceremonies, Dinner on your own, a memorial program for Elizabeth Peters, and the live charity auction with an exquisite array of fancy pastries on each table. Many people attend for the auction. Others of us attend to scarf up the pastries.
Live auction pastry tray
Saturday morning started with a fancy breakfast (The Last Croissant Disappears at Nine). The evening events started with cocktails in the grand foyer, followed by the Agatha Awards Banquet including awarding the prize teapots to the winners, followed by the Agatha Afterward party.
Saturday evening events had a musical background courtesy of Georgetown Prep’s prom going on in the ballroom next door. You could really tell the difference between the Malice crowd and Georgetown Prep. Our average age was 60. Theirs was 18.
Sunday began with a free breakfast sponsored by Kensington to promote all the debut authors. The day ended on Sunday afternoon with the Agatha tea and closing ceremonies.
There are Malice attendees who’ve been to all 35 conventions. It’s a fun crowd, full of old friends meeting each other again. Attendees come from across the U.S., along with Canada and a few from further away.
You never know who you will meet. I got a picture of myself with noted local author, Misty Simon (aka Gabby Allan). We took the picture with me holding The Sun, ensuring we’ll get our picture in The Sun (circulation is about 7,000+).
Misty Simon (aka Gabby Allan), left, The Sun, and Teresa Peschel, right.
Will we go next year? Yes, we will. It’s fun and we sell books. We debuted Agatha Christie, She Watched: One Woman’s Plot to Watch 201 Agatha Christie Movies Without Murdering the Director, Screenwriter, Cast, or Her Husband and it did well.
Should you go? If you like mysteries and you’re in the area, you can dip your toe in the water by buying a day pass on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday and getting a feel for the convention.
Visit Malice’s website for more details covering everything from registration to advertising.
Mechanicsburg Mystery Bookshop tablePeschel Press Dealer’s tableThe Sisters in Crime tableAuthor swag in the hospitality suite
The Agatha Awards honor the “traditional mystery,” books typified by the works of Agatha Christie and others. The genre is loosely defined as mysteries that contain no explicit sex, excessive gore or gratuitous violence, and are not classified as “hard-boiled.”
A ballot listing each category’s nominees will be given to all members of Malice Domestic 35, which will be held April 28-30, 2023. The winners will be announced April 29.
The Agatha Award Nominees (for works published in 2022)
BEST CONTEMPORARY NOVEL
Bayou Book Thief by Ellen Byron (Berkley Prime Crime)
Death By Bubble Tea by Jennifer J. Chow (Berkley)
Fatal Reunion by Annette Dashofy (Level Best Books)
Dead Man’s Leap by Tina de Bellegarde (Level Best Books)
A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny (Minotaur)
BEST HISTORICAL NOVEL
The Counterfeit Wife by Mally Becker (Level Best Books)
Because I Could Not Stop for Death by Amanda Flower (Berkley)
The Lindbergh Nanny by Mariah Fredericks (Minotaur)
In Place of Fear by Catriona McPherson (Mobius)
Under a Veiled Moon by Karen Odden (Crooked Lane Books)
BEST FIRST NOVEL
Cheddar Off Dead by Korina Moss (St. Martin’s)
Death in the Aegean by M. A. Monnin (Level Best Books)
The Bangalore Detectives Club by Harini Nagendra (Constable)
Devil’s Chew Toy by Rob Osler (Crooked Lane Books)
The Finalist by Joan Long (Level Best Books)
The Gallery of Beauties by Nina Wachsman (Level Best Books)
BEST SHORT STORY
“Beauty and the Beyotch,” by Barb Goffman (Sherlock Holmes Magazine, Feb. 2022)
“There Comes a Time,” by Cynthia Kuhn (Malice Domestic Murder Most Diabolical) Wildside Press
“Fly Me to the Morgue,” by Lisa Q Mathews,( Malice Domestic Mystery Most Diabolical) Wildside Press
“The Minnesota Twins Meet Bigfoot,” by Richie Narvaez, (Land of 10,000 Thrills, Bouchercon Anthology) Down & Out Books
“The Invisible Band,” by Art Taylor (Edgar & Shamus Go Golden) Down & Out Books
BEST NON-FICTION
The Life of Crime: Detecting the History of Mysteries and Their Creators by Martin Edwards (HarperCollins)
The Handbook to Agatha Christie: The Bloomsbury Handbook to Agatha Christie by Mary Anna Evans and J. C. Bernthal (Bloomsbury Academic)
The Science of Murder: The Forensics of Agatha Christie by Carla Valentine (Sourcebooks)
Promophobia: Taking the Mystery Out of Promoting Crime Fiction, Diane Vallere Ed.(Sisters in Crime)
Agatha Christie: An Elusive Woman, by Lucy Worsley (Pegasus Crime)
BEST CHILDREN’S/YA MYSTERY
Daybreak on Raven Island by Fleur Bradley (Viking Books for Young People)
In Myrtle Peril by Elizabeth C. Bunce (Algonquin Young Readers)
#shedeservedit by Greg Herren (Bold Strokes Books)
Sid Johnson and the Phantom Slave Stealer by Frances Schoonmaker (Auctus Publishers)
Enola Holmes and the Elegant Escapade by Nancy Springer (Wednesday Books)
The 2021 Agatha Awards were presented April 23 during Malice Domestic in Bethesda, MD.
The Agatha Awards honor the “traditional mystery,” books typified by the works of Agatha Christie and others. The genre is loosely defined as mysteries that contain no explicit sex, excessive gore or gratuitous violence, and are not classified as “hard-boiled.”
THE AGATHA AWARDS (for works published in 2021)
BEST CONTEMPORARY NOVEL
Cajun Kiss of Death by Ellen Byron (Crooked Lane Books)
BEST HISTORICAL NOVEL
Death at Greenway by Lori Rader-Day (HarperCollins)
BEST FIRST NOVEL
Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala (Berkley)
BEST SHORT STORY
“Bay of Reckoning” by Shawn Reilly Simmons in Murder on the Beach (Destination Murders)
BEST NON-FICTION
How to Write a Mystery: A Handbook from Mystery Writers of America by MWA with editors Lee Child and Laurie R. King (Simon & Schuster)
BEST CHILDREN’S/YA MYSTERY
I Play One on TV by Alan Orloff (Down & Out Books)
The Agatha Awards honor the “traditional mystery,” books typified by the works of Agatha Christie and others. The genre is loosely defined as mysteries that contain no explicit sex, excessive gore or gratuitous violence, and are not classified as “hard-boiled.”
THE AGATHA AWARDS (for works published in 2020)
BEST CONTEMPORARY NOVEL
All the Devils are Here by Louise Penny (Minotaur)
BEST HISTORICAL NOVEL
The Last Mrs. Summers by Rhys Bowen (Berkeley)
BEST FIRST NOVEL
Murder at the Mena House by Erica Ruth Neubauer (Kensington)
Mystery Writers of America (MWA) announced the recipients of two special awards on November 23. Charlaine Harris and Jeffery Deaver are the 2021 Grand Masters, and the 2020 Raven Award recipient is Malice Domestic, a mystery convention. The awards will be presented at the 75th Annual Edgar Awards Ceremony on April 29, 2021.
One of the new grand masters is of sff interest as well, because Charlaine Harris has written a lot of paranormal mysteries, most notably the Sookie Stackhouse series.
MWA Grand Master Award
MWA President Meg Gardiner said —
Mystery Writers of America is thrilled to honor Jeffery Deaver and Charlaine Harris as MWA’s 2021 Grand Masters. Over the course of decades, Deaver and Harris have gripped tens of millions of readers while broadening the reach of the genre with transformative books—notably, Deaver’s Lincoln Rhyme series, and Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse novels—and while generously encouraging and supporting fellow writers and the reading public. We’re delighted to recognize their achievements.
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. “
Jeffery Deaver has published more than forty novels since the early 1990’s, including two series besides the Lincoln Rhyme novels, numerous stand-alone and short story collections.
Crime author Jeffery Deaver in 2012. By Garry Knight – Flickr: Jeffery Deaver, CC BY-SA 2.0,
On being notified of the honor, Deaver said:
When I was a (relatively) young writer new to this business of penning novels, many years ago, the first professional organization I joined was Mystery Writers of America. Signing on felt to me like coming home—being welcomed into a community of fellow authors willing to share their expertise and offer support in a profession that was largely, well, a ‘mystery’ to me. Besides, how could I not join? MWA was the real deal; for proof, one had only to look at those in the ranks of the Grand Masters: Agatha Christie, Rex Stout, Ellery Queen, James M. Cain . . . and so many others whose works populated my bookshelves. Yet it never once occurred to me, in all my years as a member and my two terms as president, that I might be invited into those very ranks. I wish to express by boundless gratitude to MWA for this honor, which stands, without question, as the highpoint of my career.
Charlaine Harris has published 13 novels in the Southern Vampire series (adapted into the popular HBO series True Blood), which proved so popular that at one point her novels took half of the top ten slots on New York Times’ bestseller list. Her other series include the Aurora Teagarden novels, the Lily Bard (Shakespeare) books, the Midnight Texas trilogy (adapted for television) and numerous others, as well as several standalones.
Charlaine Harris. Photo by Omaha Star. Public Domain,
Harris said of her selection:
This is like winning the lottery and the Pulitzer Prize in one day. I am so honored and thrilled to join the ranks of revered writers who are Grand Masters. I thank the MWA Board from the bottom of my heart.
The Raven Award
Malice Domestic mystery conference, founded in 1989 and held every spring since, will receive the 2021 Raven Award, which recognizes outstanding achievement in the mystery field outside the realm of creative writing.
Malice Domestic focuses primarily on traditional mysteries, their authors and fans, and also presents the Agatha Awards, with six categories.
The Agatha Awards honor the “traditional mystery,” books typified by the works of Agatha Christie and others. The genre is loosely defined as mysteries that contain no explicit sex, excessive gore or gratuitous violence, and are not classified as “hard-boiled.”
