The Reviewers' Choice Award
The Reviewers' Choice Award is given annually by Romantic Times Book Reviews and honors the best books of the year. There are several best mystery categories, the winners of which are listed below.
2008
Amateur Sleuth: Too Pretty to Die by Susan McBride (Avon, February 2008)
Contemporary Mystery: Sleep Softly by Gwen Hunter (Mira, February 2008)
First Mystery: Stalking Susan by Julie Kramer (Doubleday, July 2008)
Historical Mystery: Where Serpents Sleep by C. S. Harris (Obsidian, November 2008)
PI / Procedural Novel: The Dirty Secrets Club by Meg Gardiner (Dutton, June 2008)
Suspense / Thriller: Dark Summer by Iris Johansen (St. Martin's Minotaur, October 2008)
2007
Amateur Sleuth: Bowled Over
by Kasey Michaels (Kensington, October 2007)
Contemporary Mystery: I Heard That Song Before by Mary Higgins Clark (Simon & Schuster, April 2007)
First Mystery: Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn (Mira, January 2007)
Historical Mystery: Why Mermaids Sing by C. S. Harris (Obsidian, November 2007)
PI/Procedural
Novel: The Ever-Running Man by Marcia Muller (Warner, July 2007)
Suspense: The Alibi Man by Tami Hoag (Bantam, April 2007)
2006
Amateur Sleuth: Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris (Ace, May 2006)
Contemporary Mystery: Snow Blind by P. J. Tracy (Putnam, August 2006)
First Mystery: Blown Away
by Shane Gericke (Pinnacle, May 2006)
Historical Mystery: North by Northanger by Carrie Bebris (Forge 2006)
PI/Procedural Novel: The Finishing School by Michele Martinez (Morrow, January 2006)
Suspense: The Kill by Allison Brennan (Ballantine, March 2006)
2005
Amateur Sleuth: Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris (Berkley Prime Crime, October 2005)
Contemporary Mystery: Bloodlines by Jan Burke (Simon & Schuster, January 2005)
First Mystery: Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn (Warner Aspect, November 2005)
Historical Mystery: The Sudbury School Murders by Ashley Gardner (Berkley Prime Crime, June 2005)
PI/Procedural Novel: Entombed by Linda Fairstein (Scribner, January 2005)
Suspense: Vanish by Tess Gerritsen (Ballantine, August 2005)
2004
Amateur Sleuth: Double Shot by Diane Mott Davidson (William Morrow, November 2004)
Contemporary Mystery: Body Double by Tess Gerritsen (Ballantine, August 2004)
First Mystery: Skinny-Dipping by Claire Matturro (William Morrow, November 2004)
Historical Mystery: The Shifting Tide by Anne Perry (Ballantine, May 2004)
PI Novel: By a Spider's Thread by Laura Lippman (William Morrow, September 2004)
Suspense: Head Games by Eileen Dreyer (St. Martin's Press, March 2004)
2003
Amateur Sleuth: A Bloodhound to Die For by Virginia Lanier (HarperCollins, August 2003)
Contemporary Mystery: A Faint Cold Fear by Karin Slaughter (William Morrow, October 2003)
First Mystery: Haunted Ground by Erin Hart (Scribner, May 2003)
Historical Mystery: Children of the Storm by Elizabeth Peters (William Morrow, April 2003)
PI Novel: The White Road by John Connolly (Atria, March 2003)
Suspense: The Breathtaker by Alice Blanchard (Warner, November 2003)
2002
Amateur Sleuth: Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris (Ace, April 2002)
Contemporary Mystery: Whisper of Evil by Kay Hooper (Bantam, July 2002)
First Mystery: How to Murder a Millionaire by Nancy Martin (Signet, October 2002)
Historical Mystery: Bone of Contention by Roberta Gellis (Forge, September 2002)
PI Novel: The Big Dig by Linda Barnes (St. Martin's Press, October 2002)
Suspense: The Survivors Club by Lisa Gardner (Bantam, June 2002)
2001
Amateur Sleuth: Arkansas Traveler by Earlene Fowler (Berkley Prime Crime, April 2001)
Contemporary Mystery: Witness for the Defense by Jonnie Jacobs (Kensington, May 2001)
First Mystery: Bubbles Unbound by Sarah Strohmeyer (Signet, July 2001)
Historical Mystery: Murphy's Law by Rhys Bowen (St. Martin's Minotaur, December 2001).
PI Novel: Total Recall by Sara Paretsky (Delacorte, November 2001)
Suspense: The Surgeon by Tess Gerritsen (Ballantine, August 2001)
2000
Amateur Sleuth: Film Strip by Nancy Bartholomew (St. Martin's Press, October 2000)
Contemporary Mystery: Unbreathed Memories by Marcia Talley (Dell, June 2000)
First Mystery: Death on a Silver Tray by Rosemary Stevens (Berkley Prime Crime, May 2000)
Historical Mystery: He Shall Thunder in the Sky by Elizabeth Peters (HarperCollins, May 2000)
PI Novel: The Wrong Dog by Carol Lea Benjamin (Walker, October 2000)
Suspense: Dead Air by Rochelle Krich (HarperCollins, March 2000)
1999
Amateur Sleuth: Hush Puppy by Laurien Berenson (Kensington, October 1999)
Contemporary Mystery: Bones by Jan Burke (Simon & Schuster, September 1999)
First Mystery: Murder with Peacocks by Donna Andrews (St. Martin's Press, January 1999)
Historical Mystery: Search the Dark by Charles Todd (St. Martin's Press, May 1999)
PI Novel: O is for Outlaw by Sue Grafton (Henry Holt, October 1999)
Suspense: Gravity by Tess Gerritsen (Simon & Schuster, August 1999)