Edgar Awards 2026: What Mystery Writers Selected as The Best

The annual Edgar awards, named for Edgar Allen Poe and bestowed by the Mystery Writers of America (MWA), may be the most prestigious honors for mystery writers. Winners are selected by volunteer committees of professional writers in a broad range of categories, from best novel to best young adult to best episode in a TV series. This year’s winners were announced at an April 29 banquet in New York City.

I’ve included what I believe to be the top awards for mystery novels below, but you can see a complete list of all categories, nominees and winners here. The Big Empty, winner of Best Novel, features a pair of male protagonists in a long-running series. But women lead the action in both Best First Novel by an American Author and Best Paperback Original.

BEST NOVEL

The Big Empty by Robert Crais. Book 20 in the author’s long-running series featuring private investigators Elvis Cole and Joe Pike. From Bookshop.org, “Traci Beller was thirteen when her father disappeared in the sleepy town of Rancha, not far from Los Angeles. The evidence says Tommy Beller abandoned his family, but Traci never believed it. The police couldn’t find her dad and neither could the detectives her mother hired, but now, ten years later, Traci is a super-popular influencer with millions of followers and the money to hire a new detective: Elvis Cole.”

The other nominees:

BEST FIRST NOVEL BY AN AMERICAN AUTHOR

Dead Money by Jakob Kerr. From Bookshop.org, “As the unofficial “problem solver” for Silicon Valley’s most ruthless venture capitalist, Mackenzie Clyde’s an expert at wrangling tech bros and their multimillions—even as her own shot at a windfall remains just out of reach. But now she’s playing for higher stakes. Because the lightning-rod CEO of tech’s hottest startup has just been murdered, leaving behind billions in “dead money” frozen in his will—and Mackenzie’s boss is the company’s chief investor.”

The other nominees:

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL

The Backwater by Vikki Wakefield. From Bookshop.org: “When a fire in a remote trailer park community kills nine people, including 17-year-old Sabine Kelly’s mother and sister, Sabine confesses to the murders. Shortly after, she escapes custody, flees her broken hometown, and disappears into the thick forest and winding backwaters of her childhood refuge, the river. Recently let go from marriage, motherhood and her career, journalist Rachel Weidermann has long suspected Sabine made her way back to the river–and now, twelve years after the “Trailer Park Murders,” she has the time and the tenacity to corner a fugitive and land the story of the year, hoping the success would allow her to stitch back together the ragged edges of her life.”

The other nominees:

THE SUE GRAFTON MEMORIAL AWARD

*To qualify for this award, the book must feature “a strong, independent woman who is a professional investigator,” according to MWA.

Gone in the Night by Joanna Schaffhausen. Book 5 in the series featuring Chicago Police Detective Annalisa Vega. From Bookshop.org, “Detective Annalisa Vega hasn’t forgiven her brother for his role in a murder, and he hasn’t forgiven her for turning him in, so she’s surprised when he asks her to visit him in prison. Turns out, he has a possible case for her: one of his fellow inmates, Joe Green, may be innocent of the murder that landed him behind bars.” I’m an Annalisa Vega fan – here’s my review of the first book in the series.

The other nominees:

THE MARY HIGGINS CLARK AWARD

*Criteria for this award include an independent protagonist who solves problems by her own courage and intelligence, no on-scene violance, strong four-letter words or explicit sex scenes, according to this MWA webpage.

All This Could Be Yours by Hank Phillippi Ryan. From Bookshop.org, “Debut sensation Tessa Calloway is on a whirlwind book tour for her instant bestseller, All This Could Be Yours. In a different city every night, Tessa receives standing ovations from adoring fans while her husband Henry and their two children cheer her on from their brand-new dream house. But there’s a chilling problem with Tessa’s triumphant book tour—she soon discovers she is being stalked by someone who’s obsessed not only with sabotaging her career, but also with destroying her perfect family back home.”

The other nominees:

THE LILIAN JACKSON BRAUN MEMORIAL AWARD

*This categories honors the author of “The Cat Who …” novels and is awarded to the best cozy in a modern setting. 

A Senior Citizen’s Guide to Life on the Run by Gwen Florio. From Bookshop.org, “Senior citizen Alice Sanders can finally settle into her well-deserved retirement home in New Jersey . . . until her past catches up with her in this enthralling and quirky cozy mystery.” On a personal note, Gwen and I both worked at the same Denver newspaper for a brief span, and she’s as kind and generous as you might guess from her work.

The other nominees:

WANT MORE EDGAR WINNERS?

For more Edgar winners and nominees, read my posts from 2025, 2024 and 2023. To see annual winners and nominees stretching back to 1946, visit the database.

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