Named for Agatha Christie, these awards celebrate the best in the kind of mysteries typified by the British author. This generally means stories without explicit sex, excessive gore, or gratuitous violence.
Members of Malice Domestic, an annual mystery fan convention that’s been meeting since 1989, nominate authors in six categories including best contemporary novel, best historical novel, and best first novel. Those who actually attend the convention in Maryland select the winners.
This year’s award winners:
Best Contemporary Novel – THE WEEKEND RETREAT by Tara Laskowski. Like those British mysteries set in the weekend country homes of the upper class? This is an American version, where wealthy members of the Van Ness family and their guests have gathered at their 1,000-acre estate and winery in upstate New York. The story unfolds chapters alternating the points of view of three female attendees and a mysterious “party guest” bent on revenge.
Best Historical Novel – THE MISTRESS OF BHATIA HOUSE by Sujata Massey. This is book four in the series set in 1920s India that features Bombay’s only female solicitor, Perveen Mistry. The series tackles issues of class, race and gender through Mistry, who in this installment is trying to protect a mistreated young woman being set up for a crime she didn’t commit.
Best First Novel – CRIME AND PARCHMENT by Daphne Silver. This cozy mystery features Juniper Blume, a rare books librarian, who is returning to Rose Mallow, the small Chesapeake Bay town where she spent summers with her beloved grandmother. Juniper quickly becomes enmeshed in trying to find out how a rare Celtic manuscript ended up in the town cemetery.
Best Children’s/Young Adult Mystery – THE SASQUATCH OF HAWTHOURNE ELEMENTARY by K. B. Jackson. Sixth-grader Jake Nelson is a Sasquatch hunter and a regular 12-year-old trying to fit into his new home in Washington State. For grades 3-8.
Best Short Story – “TICKET TO RIDE” by Dru Ann Love and Kristopher Zgorski, appearing in the anthology, Happiness is a Warm Gun. Fun fact – Both authors are well-known and prolific book bloggers: Love writes at Dru’s Book Musings and Zgorski blogs at BoloBooks.com (as in, Be On the Lookout for these books).
Best Nonfiction – FINDERS: JUSTICE, FAITH AND IDENTITY IN IRISH CRIME FICTION by Anjili Babbar. Fans of Irish crime fiction, such as Tana French, may be fascinated at this book examining how and why “Irish crime writers resist many of the stereotypical devices of the genre.”
You can check out all the books nominated this year here.
Want even more? To see a downloadable list of nominees and winners for all categories since the awards began in 1988, click here.
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