Crime Fiction Awards: The Best in Mysteries, Suspense Novels and Thrillers

List of Awards

Agatha

Anthony

Arthur Ellis

Audie

Barry

Benjamin Franklin

Best Books

Blóðdropinn

Bloody Scotland Crime Novel

Bloody Words

Bruce Alexander

CrimeFest

CWA Dagger

Danish Crime Novel

Daphne du Maurier

David

Davitt

Dilys

Edgar

EPIC

Falcon

Finnish Crime Novel

ForeWord

Friedrich Glauser

Glass Key

Grand Prix de Lit. Policière

Grant Allen

Gumshoe

Hammett

Harper Lee

Indie Lit

International Book

IPPY

Irish Book

John Spray

LA Times

Lambda

Lefty

Lovey

Macavity

National (UK)

National Indie

Ned Kelly

Nero

Next Generation

Ngaio Marsh

Petrona Award

Poloni Prize

Premier

Premio Azzeccagarbugli

Premio Fedeli

Prix Mystère

Quill

Reader Views

Reviewers' Choice

Riverton Prize

SCIBA

Shamus

SMM Crime Novel

SMM Private Eye

SMM Traditional

Spotted Owl

Strand Critics

Swedish Crime Novel

Theakstons

Thriller

Tony Hillerman

Home - ♦ - About - ♦ - Search - ♦ - Omnimystery Home

The Macavity Awards

The Macavity Award is named for the "mystery cat" of T.S. Eliot (Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats). Each year the members of Mystery Readers International organization vote for their favorite mysteries in several categories.

 

    2016
  • Best Mystery Novel Nominee:
    • The Long and Faraway Gone by Lou Berney (William Morrow)
    • Little Black Lies by Sharon Bolton (Minotaur Books)
    • The Hot Countries by Tim Hallinan (Soho Crime)
    • The Child Garden by Catriona McPherson (Midnight Ink)
    • Life or Death by Michael Robotham (Mulholland Books)
    • The Cartel by Don Winslow (Knopf)
  • Best First Mystery Novel Nominee:
    • Concrete Angel by Patricia Abbott (Polis Books)
    • Past Crimes by Glen Erik Hamilton (William Morrow)
    • The Killing Kind by Chris Holm (Mulholland Books)
    • Where All Light Tends To Go by David Joy (Putnam)
    • The Unquiet Dead by Ausma Zehanat Khan (Minotaur Books)
    • On the Road with Del and Louise by Art Taylor (Henery Press)
  • Best Critical/Biographical Nominee:
    • The Golden Age of Murder: The Mystery of the Writers Who Invented the Modern Detective Story by Martin Edwards (HarperCollins)
    • A is for Arsenic: The Poisons of Agatha Christie by Kathryn Harkup (Bloomsbury)
    • Meanwhile There Are Letters: The Correspondence of Eudora Welty and Ross Macdonald by Suzanne Marrs and Tom Nolan, editors (Arcade)
    • Forensics: What Bugs, Burns, Prints, DNA, and More Tell Us About Crime by Val McDermid (Grove Press)
    • The Lost Detective: Becoming Dashiell Hammett by Nathan Ward (Bloomsbury)
  • Best Mystery Short Story Nominee:
    • "The Little Men" by Megan Abbott (Open Road)
    • "On Borrowed Time" by Mat Coward (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine)
    • "Sob Sister" by Loren D. Estleman (Detroit Is Our Beat)
    • "A Year Without Santa Claus?" by Barb Goffman (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine)
    • "Quack and Dwight" by Travis Richardson (Jewish Noir)
    • "A Joy Forever" by B. K. Stevens (Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine)
  • Sue Feder Historical Memorial Award Nominee:
    • The Masque of a Murderer by Susanna Calkins (Minotaur Books)
    • A Gilded Grave by Shelley Freydont (Berkley)
    • Tom & Lucky (and George & Cokey Flo) by C. Joseph Greaves (Bloomsbury)
    • The Lady from Zagreb by Philip Kerr (Putnam)
    • Secret Life of Anna Blanc by Jennifer Kincheloe (Seventh Street Books)
    • Dreaming Spies by Laurie R. King (Bantam)
    2015
  • Best Mystery Novel: The Killer Next Door by Alex Marwood (Penguin)
  • Best First Mystery Novel: Invisible City by Julia Dahl (Minotaur Books)
  • Best Mystery-Related Non-Fiction: Writes of Passage: Adventures on the Writer's Journey by Hank Phillippi Ryan, editor (Henery Press)
  • Best Mystery Short Story: "Honeymoon Sweet" by Craig Faustus Buck (Murder at the Beach, The Bouchercon Anthology 2014, edited by Dana Cameron; Down & Out Books)
  • Sue Feder Historical Memorial Award: A Deadly Measure of Brimstone by Catriona McPherson (Minotaur Books)
    2014
  • Best Mystery Novel: Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger (Atria Books)
  • Best First Mystery Novel: A Killing at Cotton Hill by Terry Shames (Seventh Street Books)Review of A Killing at Cotton Hill by Terry Shames
  • Best Mystery-Related Non-Fiction: The Hour of Peril: The Secret Plot to Murder Lincoln Before the Civil War by Daniel Stashower (Minotaur Books)
  • Best Mystery Short Story: "The Care and Feeding of Houseplants" by Art Taylor (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, March/April 2013)
  • Sue Feder Historical Memorial Award: Murder as a Fine Art by David Morrell (Little, Brown)
    2013
  • Best Mystery Novel: The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny (Minotaur Books)
  • Best First Mystery Novel: Don't Ever Get Old by Daniel Friedman (Minotaur Books)
  • Best Mystery-Related Non-Fiction: Books to Die For: The World's Greatest Mystery Writers on the World's Greatest Mystery Novels by John Connolly and Declan Burke, editors (Atria Books)
  • Best Mystery Short Story: "The Lord Is My Shamus" by Barb Goffman (Chesapeake Crimes: This Job Is Murder, Wildside Press)
  • Sue Feder Historical Memorial Award: An Unmarked Grave by Charles Todd (HarperCollins)
    2012
  • Best Mystery Novel: Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead by Sara Gran (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
  • Best First Mystery Novel: All Cry Chaos by Leonard Rosen (The Permanent Press)Review of All Cry Chaos by Leonard Rosen
  • Best Mystery-Related Non-Fiction: The Sookie Stackhouse Companion by Charlaine Harris (Ace)
  • Best Mystery Short Story: Disarming by Dana Cameron (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, June 2011)
  • Sue Feder Historical Mystery Award: Dandy Gilver and the Proper Treatment of Bloodstains by Catriona McPherson (Minotaur Books)Review of Dandy Gilver and the Proper Treatment of Bloodstains by Catriona McPherson
    2011
  • Best Mystery Novel: Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny (Minotaur Books)
  • Best First Mystery Novel: Rogue Island by Bruce DeSilva (Forge Books)
  • Best Mystery Non-Fiction: Agatha Christie's Secret Notebooks: 50 Years of Mysteries in the Making by John Curran (HarperCollins)
  • Best Mystery Short Story: "Swing Shift" in Crimes by Moonlight: Mysteries from the Dark Side by Dana Cameron (Berkley)
  • Sue Feder Historical Mystery: City of Dragons by Kelli Stanley (Minotaur Books)
    2010
  • Best Mystery Novel: Tower by Ken Bruen and Reed Farrell Coleman (Busted Flush Press)
  • Best First Mystery Novel: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley (Delacorte Press)Review of The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie  by Alan Bradley
  • Best Mystery Non-Fiction: Talking about Detective Fiction by P. D. James (Knopf)
  • Best Mystery Short Story: "On the House" in Quarry: Crime Stories by New England Writers by Hank Phillippi Ryan (Level Best Books)
  • Sue Feder Historical Mystery: A Trace of Smoke by Rebecca Cantrell (Forge)
    2009
  • Best Mystery Novel: Where Memories Lie by Deborah Crombie (William Morrow)
  • Best First Mystery Novel: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (Knopf)Review of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
  • Best Mystery Non-Fiction: African American Mystery Writers: A Historical and Thematic Study by Frankie Y. Bailey (McFarland)
  • Best Mystery Short Story: "The Night Things Changed" in Wolfsbane & Mistletoe by Dana Cameron (Penguin)
  • Sue Feder Historical Mystery: A Royal Pain by Rhys Bowen (Berkley)
    2008
  • Best Mystery Novel: What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman (Morrow)
  • Best First Mystery Novel: In the Woods by Tana French (Viking)
  • Best Mystery Non-Fiction: The Essential Mystery Lists: For Readers, Collectors, and Librarians by Roger Sobin, editor (Poisoned Pen Press)
  • Best Mystery Short Story: "Please Watch Your Step" by Rhys Bowen (The Strand Magazine, Spring 2007)
  • Sue Feder Historical Mystery: Mistress and the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin (Putnam)
    2007
  • Best Mystery Novel: The Virgin of Small Plains by Nancy Pickard (Ballantine)
  • Best First Mystery Novel: Mr. Clarinet by Nick Stone (HarperCollins)
  • Best Non-Fiction: Mystery Muses: 100 Classics that Inspire Today's Mystery Writers by Jim Huang and Austin Lugar, editors (Crum Creek Press)
  • Best Mystery Short Story: "Til Death Do Us Part" in MWA Presents Death Do Us Part: New Stories about Love, Lust, and Murder by Tim Maleeny (Little, Brown)
  • Sue Feder Historical Mystery: Oh Danny Boy by Rhys Bowen (Minotaur Books)
    2006
  • Best Mystery Novel: The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown)
  • Best First Mystery Novel: Immoral by Brian Freeman (Minotaur Books)
  • Best Non-Fiction: Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her by Melanie Rehak (Harcourt)
  • Best Mystery Short Story: "There Is No Crime on Easter Island" by Nancy Pickard (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, September/October 2005)
  • Sue Feder Historical Mystery: Pardonable Lies by Jacqueline Winspear (Henry Holt)
    2005
  • Best Mystery Novel: The Killing of the Tinkers by Ken Bruen (Minotaur Books)
  • Best First Mystery Novel: Dating Dead Men by Harley Jane Kozak (Doubleday)
  • Best Non-Fiction: Forensics for Dummies by D. P. Lyle (Wiley Publishing)
  • Best Mystery Short Story: "The Widow of Slane" by Terence Faherty (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, March/April 2004)
    2004
  • Best Mystery Novel: The House Sitter by Peter Lovesey (Soho)
  • Best First Mystery Novel: Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear (Soho)
  • Best Critical/Biographical: Make Mine a Mystery: A Reader's Guide to Mystery and Detective Fiction by Gary Warren Niebuhr (Libraries Unlimited)
  • Best Mystery Short Story: "The Grass Is Always Greener" by Sandra Balzo (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, March 2003)
    2003
  • Best Mystery Novel: Winter and Night by S. J. Rozan (Minotaur Books)
  • Best First Mystery Novel: In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming (Minotaur Books)
  • Best Critical/Biographical: They Died in Vain: Overlooked, Underappreciated, and Forgotten Mystery Novels by Jim Huang, editor (Crum Creek Press)
  • Best Mystery Short Story: "Voice Mail" in Scam and Eggs by Janet Dawson (Five Star)
    2002
  • Best Mystery Novel: Folly by Laurie R. King (Bantam)
  • Best First Mystery Novel: Open Season by C. J. Box (Putnam)
  • Best Critical/Biographical: Writing the Mystery: A Start to Finish Guide for Both Novice and Professional by G. Miki Hayden (Intrigue Press)
  • Best Mystery Short Story: "The Abbey Ghosts" by Jan Burke (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, January 2001)
    2001
  • Best Mystery Novel: A Place of Execution by Val McDermid (Minotaur Books)
  • Best First Mystery Novel: A Conspiracy of Paper by David Liss (Random House)
  • Best Non-Fiction: The American Regional Mystery by Marvin Lachman (Crossover Press)
  • Best Mystery Short Story: "A Candle for Christmas" by Reginald Hill (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, January 2000)
    2000
  • Best Mystery Novel: The Flower Master by Sujata Massey (HarperCollins)
  • Best First Mystery Novel: Inner City Blues by Paula L. Woods (W. W. Norton)
  • Best Non-Fiction: Ross Macdonald by Tom Nolan (Scribner)
  • Best Mystery Short Story: "Maubi and the Jumbies" by Kate Grilley (Murderous Intent, Fall 1999)
    1999
  • Best Mystery Novel: Blood Work by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown)
  • Best First Mystery Novel: Sympathy for the Devil by Jerrilyn Farmer (Avon)
  • Best Critical/Biographical: Killer Books by Jean Swanson and Dean James
  • Best Mystery Short Story: "Of Course You Know that Chocolate Is a Vegetable" by Barbara D'Amato (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, November 1998)
    1998
  • Best Mystery Novel: Dreaming of the Bones by Deborah Crombie (Scribner)
  • Best First Mystery Novel: Dead Body Language by Penny Warner (Bantam)
  • Best Non-Fiction: Deadly Women by Jan Grape, Dean James and Ellen Nehr
  • Best Mystery Short Story: "Two Ladies of Rose Cottage" in Malice Domestic 6 by Peter Robinson (Pocket)
    1997
  • Best Mystery Novel: Bloodhounds by Peter Lovesey (Mysterious Press)
  • Best First Mystery Novel: Death in Little Tokyo by Dale Furutani (St. Martin's Press)
  • Best Non-Fiction: Detecting Women 2 by Willetta L. Heising (Purple Moon Press)
  • Best Mystery Short Story: "Cruel & Unusual" in Guilty as Charged by Carolyn Wheat (Pocket)
    1996
  • Best Mystery Novel: Under the Beetle's Cellar by Mary Willis Walker (Doubleday)
  • Best First Mystery Novel: The Strange Files of Fremont Jones by Dianne Day (Doubleday)
  • Best Critical/Biographical: Detective Women by Willetta L. Heising (Purple Moon Press)
  • Best Mystery Short Story: "Evans Tried an O-Level" in Morse's Greatest Mystery and Other Stories by Colin Dexter (Crown)
    1995
  • Best Novel: She Walks These Hills by Sharyn McCrumb
  • Best First Novel: Do Unto Others by Jeff Abbott
  • Best Critical/Biographical: By a Woman's Hand by Dean James and Jean Swanson
  • Best Short Story Tie:
    • "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" by Deborah Adams
    • "Unharmed" by Jan Burke
    1994
  • Best Novel: The Sculptress by Minette Walters
  • Best First Novel: Death Comes as Epiphany by Sharan Newman
  • Best Critical/Biographical: The Fine Art of Murder by Ed Gorman, editor
  • Best Short Story: "Checkout" by Susan Dunlap
    1993
  • Best Novel: Bootlegger's Daughter by Margaret Maron
  • Best First Novel: Blanche on the Lam by Barbara Neely
  • Best Critical/Biographical: Doubleday Crime Club Compendium by Ellen Nehr
  • Best Short Story: "Henrie O's Holliday" by Carolyn Hart
    1992
  • Best Novel: I.O.U. by Nancy Pickard
  • Best First Novel Tie:
    • Murder on the Iditarod Trail by Sue Henry
    • Zero at the Bone by Mary Willis Walker
  • Best Critical/Biographical: Talking Mysteries: A Conversation with Tony Hillerman by Tony Hillerman and Ernie Bulow
  • Best Short Story: "Deborah's Judgement" by Margaret Maron
    1991
  • Best Novel: If Ever I Return Pretty Peggy-O by Sharyn McCrumb
  • Best First Novel: Postmortem by Patricia Cornwell
  • Best Critical/Biographical: Agatha Christie: The Woman and Her Mysteries by Gillian Gill
  • Best Short Story: "Too Much to Bare" by Joan Hess
    1989
  • Best Novel: A Thief of Time by Tony Hillerman
  • Best First Novel: The Killings at Badger's Drift by Caroline Graham
  • Best Critical/Biographical: Silk Stalkings by Victoria Nichols and Susan Thompson
  • Best Short Story: "Déjà Vu" by Doug Allyn
    1988
  • Best Novel: Marriage is Murder by Nancy Pickard
  • Best First Novel: The Monkey's Raincoat by Robert Crais
  • Best Critical/Biographical: Son of Gunin Cheek by Bill Pronzini
  • Best Short Story: "The Woman in the Wardrobe" by Robert Barnard
    1987
  • Best Novel: A Taste for Death by P. D. James
  • Best First Novel Tie:
    • The Ritual Bath by Faye Kellerman
    • A Case of Loyalties by Marilyn Wallace
  • Best Critical/Biographical: 1001 Midnights by Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini
  • Best Short Story: "The Parker Shotgun" by Sue Grafton

If present, Mystery Book Reviews by Mysterious Reviews indicates a review by Mysterious Reviews.

Page Author: Lance Wright. Site Publisher: Crime Fiction Awards (Mystery Awards) — The Omnimystery Family of Mystery Websites.

Copyright Notice