About This Blog

Mostly lists and information about award books and other interesting lists of books, color coded as follows:

RED–Read since ~2000
PINK–Read before that
BLUE–To Be Read and Added to Goodreads

NOTE: Listings may not be complete and sources aren't always quoted but I'm working on that.

Search This Blog

Book Montage

Catherine 's to-read book montage

The Endless Steppe: Growing Up in Siberia
The Vanishing of Katharina Linden
Blitzcat
Only You Can Save Mankind
Nice and Mean
Cruisers Book 1
The City of Ember
Crispin: The End of Time
Lost Goat Lane
Amelia Rules! Volume 1: The Whole World's Crazy
Middleworld
How I, Nicky Flynn, Finally Get a Life
Crunch
Countdown
As Simple as It Seems
Wolf Brother
Lob
Sparks
The Ogre of Oglefort
The Pickle King


Catherine 's favorite books »

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Age Book of the Year award (2009)

Steven Amsterdam's apocalyptic novel, Things We Didn't See Coming, won the A$20,000 (US$16,546) Age Book of the Year award, as well as the fiction category prize. Published by Sleepers, a small Melbourne house, the book was described by the judges as ''suspenseful and involving, it succeeds both as a compelling vision of the future and as a study of human resourcefulness and endurance," acocording to the Age. Guy Rundle won the $10,000 non-fiction prize for Down to the Crossroads, and Peter Porter won the $10,000 poetry prize for Better Than God.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Baccante literary prize

Brunonia Barry, author of The Lace Reader, has won the 2009 Baccante literary prize and will receive it September 26 during the sixth annual International Women's Fiction Festival, located in Matera, Italy. The prize judges called the book "an amazing journey through the world of publishing, a debut that turned a self-published story into a massive global success. . . . It's the story of a wounded woman, a symbol of women readers everywhere, who seeks to understand and interpret the world around her by delving deep inside herself. . . . The Lace Reader is a richly evocative book guaranteed to sweep the reader along in a headlong rush of events, against the brilliantly-described backdrop of modern-day Salem, Massachussetts and with a fascinating cast of characters, guaranteed to keep readers captivated all the way to the shocking ending."

Lesley Blume's Recommended List of Classic Children's Literature:

from NPR

The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner, paperback, 154 pages, Albert Whitman & Company, List Price: $4.99

The Witches by Roald Dahl, paperback, 208 pages, Puffin, List Price: $6.99

The Devil's Storybook by Natalie Babbitt, paperback, 112 pages, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, List Price: $7.95

Daddy Long-Legs by Jean Webster, paperback, 116 pages, Aegypan, List Price: $9.95

Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers, paperback, 176 pages, HarperTeen, List Price: $5.99

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster and Jules Feiffer, hardcover, 256 pages, Random House, List Price: $19.95

The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pene du Bois, paperback, 192 pages, Puffin, List Price: $6.99

From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, by E.L. Konigsburg, paperback, 176 pages, Aladdin, List Price: $9.99

Watership Down by Richard Adams, paperback, 476 pages, Scribner, List Price: $16

The House with the Clock in Its Walls by John Bellairs, illustrated by Edward Gorey, paperback, 192 pages, Puffin, List Price: $5.99

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

European Union Prize for Literature (2009)

The names of twelve European authors to receive the first ever European Union Prize for Literature have been announced by the European Commission. The Hungarian winner is Noémi Szécsi's novel, Communist Monte Cristo.

The aim of the prize is "to put the spotlight on the creativity and diverse wealth of Europe’s contemporary literature, to promote the circulation of literature within Europe and encourage greater interest in non-national literary works." The prize will be granted in three phases, in the years 2009, 2010 and 2011, with 11 or 12 winners each time. By 2011, a winner will have been announced for each the 34 countries participating in the EU Culture Programme.

In order to select the 2009 winners, national juries were set up to choose a talent in the field of contemporary literature (fiction) in their country. The value of the Prize is a lump sum of 5 000 Euros for each winner. Additionally, measures will be also taken within the EU's Culture Programme to stimulate the translation of the winning authors' works. The prizes will be presented during an award ceremony in Brussels on 28 September.

The countries participating in the first edition 2009 of the award are:
Austria, Croatia, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia and Sweden.

The first twelve winners of the European Prize for Literature are:

AUSTRIA
Paulus Hochgatterer
Book awarded: Die Sü  e des Lebens (2006) – in English: the Sweetness of Life
Biography: Paulus Hochgatterer , born in 1961, lives as a writer and child therapist in Vienna. He has received diverse literary prizes and commendations, most recently the Elias Canetti Stipend of the town of Vienna, and is the author of several novels and story collection.

CROATIA
Mila Pavicevic
Book awarded: Djevojčica od leda i druge bajke (2006) – in English: Ice Girl and Other Fairy-tales
Biography: Mila Pavićević was born in Dubrovnik on the 4 th of July 1988. She reads Comparative literature and Greek language and literature at the Zagreb University. She received several literary awards for young writers in Croatia.

FRANCE
Emmanuelle Pagano
Book awarded: Les Adolescents troglodytes (2007)
Biography: Emmanuelle Pagano was born in Aveyron in September 1969. She lives today in Ardèche, with three children, born in April 1991, September 1995 and May 2003. She graduated in Fine Arts, and has done university researches in the field of esthetics in the cinema as well as the multimedia.

HUNGARY
Szécsi Noémi
Book awarded: Kommunista Monte Cristo (2006) – In English Communist Monte Cristo
Biography: Szécsi Noémi (1976), writer and translator. She graduated in Finnish and English in Budapest, and studied cultural anthropology in Helsinki. She published her first novel, Finno-Ugrian Vampire in 2002, reprinted in 2003 due to its success. The script based on the novel was shortlisted by the workshop of Sundance Institute . Communist Monte Cristo , published in 2006 – besides being a historical novel and a saga of a family – is an artistic interpretation of the history of communist idea in Hungary based on elaborate research.

IRELAND
Karen Gillece
Book awarded: Longshore Drift (2006)
Biography: Karen Gillece was born in Dublin in 1974. She studied Law at University College Dublin and worked for several years in the telecommunications industry before turning to writing full-time. She was short listed for the Hennessy New Irish Writing Award in 2001, and her short stories have been widely published in literary journals and magazines. Longshore Drift has been translated into German, and is published by Verlagsgruppe Random House.

ITALY
Daniele Del Giudice
Book Awarded: Orizzonte mobile (2009) - in English : Movable Horizon
Biography: Daniele Del Giudice was born in Rome in 1949. The first novel he published was Lo stadio di Wimbledon (Einaudi 1983). This book was followed by Atlante occidentale (Einaudi, 1985), a novel about changes of perceptions and feelings, an anthropological mutation caused by science and widespread technology, set in Geneva in the enormous nuclear accelerator in the heart of Europe where a young physicist works on matters tiniest elements and where new languages and objects are created. This attention to the scientific sector, to innovations in daily behaviour and shared perceptions, is also present in later novels and short stories such as Nel museo di Reims (Mondadori, 1989), Staccando l’ombra da terra (Einaudi, 1994), and Mania (Einaudi, 1997), Daniele del Giudice’s books have won many awards: the Viareggio Prize in 1983, the 1995 Bagutta Prize, the Selezione Campiello Prize in 1995 and in 1997 and, in 2002, the Accademia dei Lincei award for fiction. In addition to his novels, Del Giudice has published essays on Italo Svevo, Thomas Bernhardt, Robert. L. Stevenson and Primo Levi. He lives in Venice, where he teaches Theatrical Literature at the Theatre Faculty of the IUAV, the University Institute of Architecture.

LITHUANIA
Laura Sintija Černiauskaitė
Book Awarded: Kvėpavimas į marmurą (2006) - In English Breathing into Marble
Biography: Prose writer, playwright. She was born in Vilnius, on December 8, 1976. In 1994 she left Vilnius Senvage School and in 1996 – enrolled into Vilnius University Department of Extramural Studies to study the Lithuanian language and literature. In 1998-1999 she worked as a freelance publicist at magazine Malonumas , in 2000 – as a language editor at children magazine Genys , in 2001-2002 as a journalist at magazine for young mother Tavo vaikas. In 1993 she won the republic competition of young philologists and was awarded with 1st rank diploma for the best pupil prose. In 1994 she also won a competition of the First Book organized by the Writers Union. In 2001 a play Liberate the Golden Foal (Išlaisvink auksinį kumeliuką) won a play competition organized by The Fairies Theatre and Vilnius University Philology Department. In 2003 a prose and plays selection Liučė Skates (Liučė čiuožia) is published and appears among 12 best books of the year selected by the experts of Lithuanian Literature Institute. The same year play Liučė Skates is staged in a National Youth theatre. In 2004 Liučė Skates (Liučė Čiuožia) wins a first prize among 300 participators in an international play fair Theatretrefen organized in Berlin. Since 2004 – the member of Lithuanian Writers‘ Union

NORWAY
Carl Frode Tiller
Book Awarded: - Innsirkling (2007) - in English : Encirclement
Biography: Carl Frode Tiller (born January 4, 1970 in Namsos) is a author, historian and musician. His works are in Nynorsk (lit. "New Norwegian"), one of the two official Norwegian standard languages . Tiller debuted in 2001 with the novel Skråninga (Downward Slope), which was recognized as the best initial work of the year with the Tarjei Vesaas' Debute Prize . Downward Slope was nominated for the Brageprisen (the Brage Prize is a juried award). In November 2007 Tiller was awarded the Brageprisen for his novel Innsirkling (Encirclement). In the fall of 2007 Innsirkling received the Norwegian Critics Prize for Literature and was nominated for the premiere Scandinavian literature prize, the Nordic Council's Literature Prize .

POLAND
Jacek Dukaj
Book Awarded: LÓD (2007) – In English ICE
Biography: Jacek Dukaj (born in 1974) is one of Poland’s most interesting contemporary prose writers, whose books are always eagerly anticipated events. Dukaj studied philosophy at the Jagiellonian University . He successfully debuted at the age of 16 with a short story Złota Galera ( Golden Galley ). He is known for the complexity of his books, and it is often said that a single short story of Dukaj contains more ideas than many other writers put into their books in their lifetime. Popular themes in his works include the technological singularity , nanotechnology and virtual reality , and because of this his books often can be classified as hard science fiction .

PORTUGAL
Dulce Maria Cardoso.
Book Awarded: Os Meus Sentimentos (2005 )
Biography: Dulce was born in Trás-os-Montes, in 1964, in the same bed where both her mother and her grandmother were born. She regrets the lack of memories related with her journey, in Vera Cruz, to Angola. From her childhood she remembers the mango tree in the backyard, the sea and the involving space that shaped her soul. She returned to Portugal in 1975. Later, she graduated in the Law Faculty, in the University of Lisbon; she wrote screenplays and spent some time with uselessness . Dulce also wrote short stories. She has faith, a family and a pocket full of friends. She kept on writing and enjoying uselessness . She lives in Lisbon. Her premiere novel, Campo de Sangue , published in 2002 and written with the support of a Fund of Literary Creation, from the Portuguese Culture Ministry, was distinguished with the Grand Prize “ Acontece de Romance ”.

SLOVAKIA
Pavol Rankov
Book Awarded: Stalo sa prvého septembra (alebo inokedy) (2008) - In English It Happened on September the First (or whenever)
Biography: Pavol Rankov (b. 01.09.1964 Poprad, Slovakia)
Pavol Rankov is a writer of prose fiction, essayist, journalist, information scientist and university pedagogue, after completing his secondary schooling in Bratislava studied library science at the Philosophical Faculty of Bratislava's Comenius University (1983-1987). He worked as a methodologist in the Slovak National Library in Martin (1987-1990) and in the Slovak Pedagogic Library in Bratislava (1991-1992). From 1993 he has worked at the Department of Library Science and Scientific Information at Comenius University in Bratislava. He participates in projects with Slovak Radio. He lives in Bratislava.

SWEDEN
Helena Henschen
Book Awarded: I skuggan av ett brott (2004). In English The Shadow of a Crime
Biography: Helena Henschen was born in 1940 and raised in Stockholm. She has an artistic background and has worked as a graphic designer. Henschen has both written and illustrated children's books and she was one of the founders of the famous Swedish design company Mah-Jong . Os Meus Sentimentos (2005 )
Biography: Dulce was born in Trás-os-Montes, in 1964, in the same bed where both her mother and her grandmother were born. She regrets the lack of memories related with her journey, in Vera Cruz, to Angola. From her childhood she remembers the mango tree in the backyard, the sea and the involving space that shaped her soul.
She returned to Portugal in 1975. Later, she graduated in the Law Faculty, in the University of Lisbon; she wrote screenplays and spent some time with uselessness . Dulce also wrote short stories. She has faith, a family and a pocket full of friends. She kept on writing and enjoying uselessness . She lives in Lisbon.
Her premiere novel, Campo de Sangue , published in 2002 and written with the support of a Fund of Literary Creation, from the Portuguese Culture Ministry, was distinguished with the Grand Prize “ Acontece de Romance ”.

SLOVAKIA
Pavol Rankov
Stalo sa prvého septembra (alebo inokedy) (2008) - In English It Happened on September the First (or whenever)
Biography: Pavol Rankov (b. 01.09.1964 Poprad, Slovakia)
Pavol Rankov is a writer of prose fiction, essayist, journalist, information scientist and university pedagogue, after completing his secondary schooling in Bratislava studied library science at the Philosophical Faculty of Bratislava's Comenius University (1983-1987). He worked as a methodologist in the Slovak National Library in Martin (1987-1990) and in the Slovak Pedagogic Library in Bratislava (1991-1992). From 1993 he has worked at the Department of Library Science and Scientific Information at Comenius University in Bratislava. He participates in projects with Slovak Radio. He lives in Bratislava.

SWEDEN
Helena Henschen
I skuggan av ett brott (2004). In English The Shadow of a Crime
Biography: Helena Henschen was born in 1940 and raised in Stockholm. She has an artistic background and has worked as a graphic designer. Henschen has both written and illustrated children's books and she was one of the founders of the famous Swedish design company Mah-Jong .

Jean Améry Award (2008-2009)

Nobel laureate Imre Kertész was awarded the €12,000 (US$17,047) Jean Améry Prize for essay writing, according to Hungarian Literature Online. Imre Kertész is the ninth to receive the 12 thousand euro prize – sponsored by the Austrian Erste Bank and the Stuttgart publisher Klett-Cotta – which is conferred every second year at the Frankfurt Book Fair. The previous prize was given to Slovenian writer Drago Jančar.

The jury, headed by Austrian writer and essayist Robert Menasse, stated: "The oeuvre of Kertész as an essay-writer works on the basis of Enlightenment thinking, which has learnt the lessons of the barbarism of Fascism and Communism, and works for a Europe that will either become an enlightened and free Europe or it will not exist at all." (via Words Without Borders).

Jean Améry (b. Hans Mayer, 1912–1978) was an essayist of Austrian origin who, as Kertész, survived the Nazi concentration camps. He became known after the publication of his book translated into English as At the Mind's Limits: Contemplations by a Survivor on Auschwitz and Its Realities (1966), in which he explored the nature and the methods of Nazism.

Saturday, August 8, 2009

The Shamus Awards (1982-2008)

from http://www.thrillingdetective.com/trivia/triv72.html:
Bestowed by the Private Eye Writers of America

The Private Eye Writers of America (PWA) was founded in 1981 by Robert J. Randisi to recognize the private eye genre and its writers, and is probably best known for its annual Shamus Awards. Membership is open to fans, writers, and publishing professionals. There are three levels of membership: Active, Associate, and International.

In general, the PWA defines a "private eye" as any mystery protagonist who is a professional investigator, but not a police officer or government agent. The full definition is, and I quote, "a person paid for investigative work but not employed by a unit of government. Thus books and stories about private investigators (licensed and unlicensed), lawyers and reporters who do their own legwork, and other hired agents are eligible; works centering on law enforcement officers or amateur sleuths are not."

Winners listed first in lists that follow. Short Story winners not included.

1982 SHAMUS AWARDS

THE EYE (Lifetime Achievment Award)

* Ross Macdonald
Accepted in his absence by his friend and colleague Dennis Lynds

BEST P.I. HARDCOVER

* Hoodwink by Bill Pronzini (Nameless Detective)
* A Stab in the Dark by Lawrence Block (Matt Scudder)
* 30 for a Harry by Richard Hoyt (John Denson)
* Hard Trade by Arthur Lyons (Jake Asch)
* Early Autumn by Robert B. Parker (Spenser)

BEST ORIGINAL P.I. PAPERBACK

* California Thriller by Max Byrd (Mike Haller)
* Carpenter, Detective by Hamilton T. Caine (Ace Carpenter)
* Brown's Requiem by James Ellroy (Fritz Brown)
* The Old Dick by L.A. Morse (Jake Spanner)
* Murder in the Wind by George Ogan (Johnny Bordelon)

1983 SHAMUS AWARDS

THE EYE (Lifetime Achievment Award)
* Mickey Spillane

BEST P.I. HARDCOVER
* Eight Million Ways to Die by Lawrence Block (Matt Scudder)
* A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton (Kinsey Millhone)
* Gravedigger by Joseph Hansen (David Brandstetter)
* A Piece of the Silence by Jack Livingston (Joe Binney)
* Ceremony by Robert B. Parker (Spenser)

BEST ORIGINAL P.I. PAPERBACK
* The Cana Diversion by William Campbell Gault (Brock Callahan)
* Nevsky's Return by Dimitri Gat (Yuri Nevsky)
* Pieces of Death by Jack Lynch (Peter Bragg)
* Smoked Out by Warren Murphy (Julian "Digger" Burroughs)

1984 SHAMUS AWARDS

THE EYE (Lifetime Achievment Award)
* William Campbell Gault

BEST P.I. HARDCOVER
* True Detective by Max Allan Collins (Nate Heller)
* Dancing Bear by James Crumley (Milo Milodragovitch)
* The Glass Highway by Loren D. Estleman (Amos Walker)
* The Dark Fantastic by Stanley Ellin
* The Widening Gyre by Robert B. Parker (Spenser)

BEST ORIGINAL P.I. PAPERBACK
* Dead in Centerfield by Paul Engelman (Mark Renzler)
* Finders Weepers by Max Byrd (Mike Haller)
* Death And The Single Girl by Elliot Lewis (Fred Bennett)
* Trace by Warren Murphy (Devlin "Trace" Tracy)
* The Steinway Collection by Robert J. Randisi (Miles Jacoby)

1985 SHAMUS AWARDS

THE EYE (Lifetime Achievment Award)
* Howard Browne

BEST P.I. HARDCOVER
* Sugartown by Loren D. Estleman (Amos Walker; Amos Walker)
* True Crime by Max Allan Collins (Nate Heller)
* Die Again, Macready by Jack Livingston
* Nightlines by John Lutz (Alo Nudger)
* Full Contact by Robert J. Randisi (Miles Jacoby)

BEST ORIGINAL P.I. PAPERBACK
* Ceiling of Hell by Warren Murphy
* Squeeze Play by Paul Benjamin
* San Quentin by Jack Lynch
* Trace and 47 Miles of Rope by Warren Murphy
* The Man Who Risked His Partner by Reed Stephens

BEST FIRST P.I. NOVEL
* A Creative Kind of Killer by Jack Early
* Blunt Darts by Jeremiah Healy (John Francis Cuddy)
* The Nebraska Quotient by William J. Reynolds

1986 SHAMUS AWARDS

THE EYE (Lifetime Achievment Award)
* Richard S. Prather

BEST P.I. HARDCOVER
* B is for Burglar by Sue Grafton (Kinsey Millhone)
* The Naked Liar by Harold Adams
* Hardball by Doug Hornig
* A Catskill Eagle by Robert B. Parker (Spenser)
* Bones by Bill Pronzini (Nameless)

BEST ORIGINAL P.I. PAPERBACK
* Poverty Bay by Earl Emerson (Thomas Black)
* The Rainy City by Earl Emerson (Thomas Black)
* The Kill by Douglas Heyes
* Trace: Pigs Get Fat by Warren Murphy (Devlin "Trace" Tracy)
* Blue Heron by Philip Ross

BEST FIRST P.I. NOVEL
* Hardcover by Wayne Warga
* New, Improved Murder by Ed Gorman (Jack Dwyer)
* Sleeping Dog by Dick Lochte
* Embrace the Wolf by Benjamin Schutz (Leo Haggerty)
* Flood by Andrew Vachss (Burke)

ST. MARTINS' PRESS/PWA BEST FIRST P.I. NOVEL CONTEST
* An Infinite Number of Monkeys by Les Roberts (Saxon)

1987 SHAMUS AWARDS

THE EYE (Lifetime Achievment Award)
* Bill Pronzini, creator of the Nameless Detective series

BEST P.I. HARDCOVER
* The Staked Goat by Jeremiah Healy (John Francis Cuddy)
* When the Sacred Ginmill Closes by Lawrence Block (Matt Scudder)
* In La-La Land We Trust by Robert Campbell
* The Million Dollar Wound by Max Allan Collins (Nate Heller)
* C is for Corpse by Sue Grafton (Kinsey Millhone)

BEST ORIGINAL P.I. PAPERBACK
* The Back Door Man by Rob Kantner (Ben Perkins)
* Melting Point by Kenn Davis
* Nervous Laughter by Earl Emerson (Thomas Black)
* Dark Fields by T.J. MacGregor
* Trace: Too Old a Cat by Warren Murphy (Devlin "Trace" Tracy)

BEST FIRST P.I. NOVEL
* Jersey Tomatoes by J.W. Rider
* No One Rides for Free by Larry Beinhart
* Tourist Season by Carl Hiassen

ST. MARTINS' PRESS/PWA BEST FIRST PRIVATE EYE NOVEL CONTEST
* Fear of the Dark by Gar Anthony Haywood (Aaron Gunner)

1988 SHAMUS AWARDS

THE EYE (Lifetime Achievment Awards)
* Dennis Lynds
* Wade Miller (Robert Wade and Bob Miller)

BEST P.I. HARDCOVER
* A Tax in Blood by Benjamin Schutz (Leo Haggerty)
* Lady Yesterday by Loren D. Estleman (Amos Walker)
* Ride the Lightning by John Lutz (Alo Nudger)
* A Trouble Of Fools by Linda Barnes
* The Autumn Dead by Ed Gorman (Jack Dwyer)
* Ride The Lightning by John Lutz

BEST ORIGINAL P.I. PAPERBACK
* Wild Night by L.J. Washburn
* The Monkey's Raincoat by Robert Crais (Elvis Cole)
* Snake Eyes by Gaylord Dold (Mitch Roberts)
* Recount by David Everson (Robert Miles)
* Madelaine by Joseph Louis

BEST FIRST P.I. NOVEL
* Death on the Rocks by Michael Allegretto
* The House Of Blue Lights by Robert Bowman
* Shawnee Alley Fire by John Douglas
* Detective by Parnell Hall (Stanley Hastings)
* An Infinite Number Of Monkeys by Les Roberts (Saxon)

ST. MARTINS' PRESS/PWA BEST FIRST PRIVATE EYE NOVEL CONTEST
* Katwalk by Karen Kijewski (Kat Colorado)

1989 SHAMUS AWARDS

THE EYE (Lifetime Achievment Award)
* No Award Given

BEST P.I. HARDCOVER
* Kiss by John Lutz
* Neon Mirage by Max Allan Collins (Nate Heller)
* Deviant Behavior by Earl Emerson (Thomas Black)
* Swan Dive by Jeremiah Healy (John Francis Cuddy)
* Blood Shot by Sara Paretsky

BEST ORIGINAL P.I. PAPERBACK
* Dirty Work by Rob Kantner (Ben Perkins)
* The Last Private Eye by John Birkett
* Bonepile by Gaylord Dold (Mitch Roberts)
* Rebound by David Everson (Robert Miles)
* The Crystal Blue Persuasion by W. R. Philbrick

BEST FIRST P.I. NOVEL
* Fear of the Dark by Gar Anthony Haywood (Aaron Gunner)
* Lost Daughter by Michael Cormany
* Burning Season by Wayne D. Dundee (Joe Hannibal)
* Wall of Glass by Walter Satterthwait (Joshua Croft)
* Slow Dance in Autumn by Philip Lee Williams

ST. MARTINS' PRESS/PWA BEST FIRST PRIVATE EYE NOVEL CONTEST
* Kindred Crime by Janet Dawson (Jeri Howard)

1990 SHAMUS AWARDS

THE EYE (Lifetime Achievment Award)
* No Award Given

BEST P.I. HARDCOVER
* Extenuating Circumstances by Jonathan Valin (Harry Stoner)
* Out On The Cutting Edge by Lawrence Block (Matt Scudder)
* The Skintight Shroud by Wayne Dundee (Joe Hannibal)
* The Shape Of Dread by Marcia Muller (Sharon McCone)
* The Killing Man by Mickey Spillane (Mike Hammer)

BEST ORIGINAL P.I. PAPERBACK
* Hell's Only Half Full by Rob Kantner (Ben Perkins)
* Muscle And Blood by Gaylord Dold (Mitch Roberts)
* Behind The Fac by Richard Hilary
* Tough Enough by W. R. Philbrick
* A Collector Of Photographs by Deborah Valentine

BEST FIRST P.I. NOVEL
* Katwalk by Karen Kijewski (Kat Colorado)
* Medicine Dog by Geoff Peterson
* Cold Night by Al Sarrantonio
* Rock Critic Murders by Jesse Sublett

ST. MARTINS' PRESS/PWA BEST FIRST PRIVATE EYE NOVEL CONTEST
* The Loud Adios by Ken Kuhlken (Tom Hickey)

1991 SHAMUS AWARDS

THE EYE (Lifetime Achievment Award)
* Roy Huggins

BEST P.I. HARDCOVER
* G is for Gumshoe by Sue Grafton (Kinsey Millhone)
* Dead Irish by John Lescroart
* The Desert Look by Bernard Schopen
* Polo's Wild Card by Jerry Kennealy (Nick Polo)
* Poor Butterfly by Stuart Kaminsky (Toby Peters)
* A Ticket to the Boneyard by Lawrence Block (Matt Scudder)

BEST ORIGINAL P.I. PAPERBACK
* Rafferty: Fatal Sisters by W. Glenn Duncan (Rafferty)
* Made in Detroit by Rob Kantner (Ben Perkins)
* Bimbo Heaven by Marvin Albert
* The Blue Room by Monroe Thompson
* The Queen's Mare by John Birkett

BEST FIRST P.I. NOVEL
* Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosely (Easy Rawlins)
* Body Scissors by Jerome Doolittle
* Kindred Crimes by Janet Dawson (Jeri Howard)
* The Stone Veil by Ronald Tierney

ST. MARTINS' PRESS/PWA BEST FIRST PRIVATE EYE NOVEL CONTEST
* A Sudden Death at the Norfolk Cafe by Winona Sullivan (Sister Cecile)

1992 SHAMUS AWARDS

THE EYE (Lifetime Achievment Award)
* Joseph Hansen

BEST P.I. HARDCOVER
* Stolen Away by Max Allan Collins (Nate Heller)
* Dance at the Slaughterhouse by Lawrence Block (Matt Scudder)
* Where Echoes Live by Marcia Muller (Sharon McCone)
* A Fistful of Empty by Benjamin Schutz (Leo Haggerty)
* Second Chance by Jonathan Valin (Harry Stoner)

BEST ORIGINAL P.I. PAPERBACK
* Cool Blue Tomb by Paul Kemprecos
* Black Light by Daniel Hearn
* House of Cards by Kay Hooper
* The Thousand Yard Stare by Rob Kantner (Ben Perkins)

BEST FIRST P.I. NOVEL
* Suffer Little Children by Thomas Davis (Dave Strickland)
* The January Corpse by Neil Albert (Dave Garrett)
* Dead on the Island by Bill Crider
* Best Performance by a Patsy by Stan Cutler
* Cool Breeze on the Underground by Don Winslow

ST. MARTINS' PRESS/PWA BEST FIRST PRIVATE EYE NOVEL CONTEST
* Storm Warning by A.C. Ayres (eventually published as Hour of the Manatee)

1993 SHAMUS AWARDS

THE EYE (Lifetime Achievment Award)
* Marcia Muller

BEST P.I. HARDCOVER
* The Man Who was Taller Than God by Harold Adams (Carl Wilcox)
* Cassandra in Red by Michael Collins (Dan Fortune)
* Lullaby Town by Robert Crais (Elvis Cole)
* Shallow Graves by Jeremiah Healy (John Francis Cuddy)
* Special Delivery by Jerry Kennealy (Nick Polo)

BEST ORIGINAL P.I. PAPERBACK
* The Last Tango of Delores Delgado by Marele Day (Claudia Valentine)
* Lay It on the Line by Catherine Dain (Freddie O'Neal)
* Dirty Money by Mark Davis
* The Brutal Ballet by Wayne D. Dundee (Joe Hannibal)

BEST FIRST P.I. NOVEL
* The Woman Who Married a Bear by John Straley (Cecil Younger)
* Return Trip Ticket by David C. Hall
* Switching the Odds by Phyllis Knight
* The Long-Legged Fly by James Sallis (Lew Griffin)

BEST P.I. SHORT STORY
* "Mary, Mary, Shut the Door" by Benjamin Schutz (Deadly Allies; Leo Haggerty)
* "The Messenger" by Jacklyn Butler (October 1992, AHMM)
* "Safe House" by Loren D. Estleman (Deadly Allies; Amos Walker)
* "A Little Missionary Work" by Sue Grafton (Deadly Allies; Kinsey Millhone)
* "Rest Stop" by Jeremiah Healy (May 1992, AHMM; John Francis Cuddy)

ST. MARTINS' PRESS/PWA BEST FIRST PRIVATE EYE NOVEL CONTEST
* The Harry Chronicles by Allan Pedrazas (Harry Rice)

1994 SHAMUS AWARDS

THE EYE (Lifetime Achievment Award)
* Stephen J. Cannell

BEST P.I. NOVEL
* The Devil Knows You're Dead by Lawrence Block (Matt Scudder)
* Foursome by Jeremiah Healy (John Francis Cuddy)
* Wolf In The Shadows by Marcia Muller (Sharon McCone)
* Moth by James Sallis (Lew Griffin)
* The Lies That Bind by Judith Van Gieson (Neil Hamel)

BEST ORIGINAL P.I. PAPERBACK
* Brothers And Sinners by Rodman Philbrick
* The Half-hearted Detective by Milton Bass
* A Minyon For The Dead by Richard Fliegel
* Shadow Games by Edward Gorman
* Torchtown Boogie by Steven Womack (Harry James Denton)

BEST FIRST P.I. NOVEL
* Satan's Lambs by Lynn Hightower (Lena Padget)
* Brotherly Love by Randye Lordon (Sydney Sloane)
* By Evil Means by Sandra West Prowell (Phoebe Siegal)

ST. MARTINS' PRESS/PWA BEST FIRST PRIVATE EYE NOVEL CONTEST
* The Heaven Stone by David Daniel (Alex Rasmussen)

1995 SHAMUS AWARDS
Presented June 17, 1995, at EYECON, by the Private Eye Writers of America.

THE EYE (Lifetime Achievment Award)
* John Lutz and Robert B. Parker

BEST P.I. NOVEL
* K Is For Killer by Sue Grafton (Kinsey Millhone)
* A Long Line Of Dead Men by Lawrence Block (Matt Scudder)
* Carnal Hours by Max Allan Collins (Nate Heller)
* The Killing Of Monday Brown by Sandra West Prowell (Phoebe Siegal)
* The Lake Effect by Les Roberts

BEST FIRST P.I. NOVEL
* A Drink Before the War by Dennis Lehane (Patrick Kenzie & Angela Gennaro)
* The Heaven Stone by David Daniel (Alex Rasmussen)
* One For The Money by Janet Evanovich (Stephanie Plum)
* The Fall-down Artist by Thomas Lipinski (Carroll Dorsey)
* When Death Comes Stealing by Valerie Wilson Wesley (Tamara Hayle)

BEST ORIGINAL P.I. PAPERBACK
* Served Cold by Ed Goldberg (Lenny Schneider)
* Double Plot by Leo Axler
* Lament For A Dead Cowboy by Catherine Dain (Freddie O'Neal)
* Dead Ahead by Bridget Mckenna (Caley Burke)
* Deadly Devotion by Patricia Wallace

ST. MARTINS' PRESS/PWA BEST FIRST PRIVATE EYE NOVEL CONTEST
* Diamond Head by Charles Knief (John Caine)

1996 SHAMUS AWARDS
Winners were announced in a special ceremony at Bouchercon 27 World Mystery Convention (St. Paul, MN, Oct. 10-13, 1996).

THE EYE (Lifetime Achievment Award)
* No Award Given

BEST P.I. NOVEL
* Concourse by S.J. Rozan (Lydia Chin and Bill Smith)
* The Vanishing Smile by Earl Emerson (Thomas Black)
* Come To Grief by Dick Francis (Sid Halley)
* Movie by Parnell Hall (Stanley Hastings)
* The Neon Smile by Dick Lochte (Terry Manion)

BEST P.I. PAPERBACK ORIGINAL
* Native Angels by William Jaspersohn (Peter Boone)
* Zero Tolerance by J.D. Knight
* Interview With Mattie by Shelley Singer (Barrett Lake)
* Charged With Guilt by Gloria White (Ronnie Ventana)
* Way Past Dead by Steven Womack (Harry James Denton)

BEST FIRST P.I. NOVEL
* The Innocents by Richard Barre (Wil Hardesty)
* Who In Hell Is Wanda Fuca? by G.M. Ford (Leo Waterman)
* If Looks Could Kill by Ruthe Furie (Fran Kirk)
* Penance by David Housewright (Holland Taylor)
* The Harry Chronicles by Allan Pedrazas (Harry Rice)

ST. MARTINS' PRESS/PWA BEST FIRST PRIVATE EYE NOVEL CONTEST
* No Award Given

1997 SHAMUS AWARDS
Winners announced October30, 1997, at Bouchercon 28 World Mystery Convention held in Monterey, California.

THE EYE (Lifetime Achievment Award)
* Stephen Marlowe, the author of the Chet Drum series

BEST P.I. NOVEL:
* Damned in Paradise by Max Allan Collins (Nate Heller)
* Sunset Express by Robert Crais (Elvis Cole)
* Flesh Wounds, by Stephen Greenleaf (John Marshall Tanner)
* Invasion Of Privacy, by Jeremiah Healy (John Francis Cuddy)
* Sentinels, by Bill Pronzini (Nameless)
* When Wallflowers Die, by Sandra West Prowell (Phoebe Siegal)

BEST P.I. PAPERBACK ORIGINAL
* Fade Away, by Harlan Coben (Myron Bolitar)
* Chain Of Fools, by Steven Womack (Harry James Denton)
* Natural Death by Ruthe Fury (Fran Kirk)

BEST FIRST P.I. NOVEL
* This Dog For Hire, by Carol Lea Benjamin (Rachel Alexander)
* Keeper by Greg Rucka (Atticus Kodiak)
* The Low End Of Nowhere by Michael Stone (Streeter)
* This Far, No Further by John Wessel (Harding)

ST. MARTINS' PRESS/PWA BEST FIRST PRIVATE EYE NOVEL CONTEST
* A Cold Day in Paradise by Steve Hamilton (Alex McKnight)

1998 SHAMUS AWARDS
The Private Eye Writers of America announced the 1998 Shamus Awards winners at the Shamus Awards ceremony during the Bouchercon in Philadelphia, October 1-4, 1998.

BEST P.I. NOVEL
* Come Back Dead by Terrance Faherty (Scott Elliott)
* Indigo Slam by Robert Crais (Elvis Cole)
* Deception Pass by Earl Emerson (Thomas Black)
* Sacred by Dennis Lehane (Patrick Kenzie & Angela Gennaro)
* Down For The Count by Maxine O'Callaghan (Deliah West)
* No Colder Place by S.J. Rozan (Lydia Chin and Bill Smith)

BEST P.I. PAPERBACK ORIGINAL
* Charm City by Laura Lippman (Tess Monaghan)
* Back Spin by Harlan Coben (Myron Bolitar)
* A Whisper Of Rage by Tim Hemlin (Neil Marshall)
* Father Forgive Me by Randye Lordon (Sydney Sloane)
* Sunset And Santiago by Gloria White (Ronnie Ventana)

BEST P.I. FIRST NOVEL
* Big Red Tequilla by Rick Riordan (Tres Navarre)
* Baltimore Blues by Laura Lippman (Tess Monaghan)
* Legwork by Katy Munger (Casey Jones)

ST. MARTINS' PRESS/PWA BEST FIRST PRIVATE EYE NOVEL CONTEST
* The Losers' Club by Lise S. Baker (Cal Brantley)

1999 SHAMUS AWARDS
As presented at Eyecon'99 in July in St. Louis.

THE EYE (Lifetime Achievment Award)
* Maxine O'Callaghan, the author of the Delilah West series.

BEST P.I. NOVEL
* Boobytrap by Bill Pronzini (Nameless)
* Gone Baby Gone by Dennis Lehane (Patrick Kenzie & Angela Gennaro)
* No Badge, No Gun by Harold Adams (Carl Wilcox)
* Flying Blind by Max Allan Collins (Nate Heller)
* The Only Good Lawyer by Jeremiah Healy (John Francis Cuddy)

BEST FIRST P.I. NOVEL
* A Cold Day In Paradise by Steve Hamilton (Alex McKnight)
* Like A Hole In The Head by Jen Banbury
* Dead Low Tide by Jamie Katz (Dan Kardon)
* Zen And The Art Of Murder by Elizabeth Cosin (Zen Moses)

BEST P.I. PAPERBACK ORIGINAL
* Murder Manual by Steve Womack (Harry James Denton)
* Too Easy by Philip Depoy (Flap Tucker)
* Butcher's Hill by Laura Lippman (Tess Monaghan)
* The Widower's Two-Step by Rick Riordan (Tres Navarre)
* Death In A City Of Mystics by Janice Steinberg

ST. MARTINS' PRESS/PWA BEST FIRST PRIVATE EYE NOVEL CONTEST
* Street Legal by Robert Truluck (Duncan Sloan)

FRIENDS OF PWA (a new award)
* Michael Seidman, Editor at Walker, former editor of The Armchair Detective
* Joe Pittman, Senior Editor at Signet

2000 SHAMUS AWARDS
The Private Eye Writers of America announced the winners of its 2000 Shamus Awards during the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention, September 7-10 in Denver, Colorado.

THE EYE (Lifetime Achievment Award)
* Edward D. Hoch

BEST P.I. NOVEL
* California Fire And Life by Don Winslow (Jack Wade)
* L.A. Requiem by Robert Crais (Elvis Cole)
* Monster by Jonathan Kellerman (Alex Delaware)
* Prayers For Rain by Dennis Lehane (Patrick Kenzie & Angela Gennaro)
* Stone Quarry by S.J. Rozan (Lydia Chin and Bill Smith)

BEST P.I. PAPERBACK ORIGINAL
* In Big Trouble by Laura Lippman (Tess Monaghan)
* Deadbeat by Leo Atkins (Connor Gibbs)
* Fulton County Blues by Ruth Birmingham (Sunny Childs)
* The Last Song Dogs by Sinclair Browning (Trade Ellis)
* Steel City Confessions by Thomas Lipinski (Carroll Dorsey)

BEST P.I. FIRST NOVEL
* Every Dead Thing by John Connolly (Charlie Parker)
* East Of A by Russell Atwood (Payton Sherwood)
* The Immortal Game by Mark Coggins (August Riordan)
* Maximum Insecurity by P.J. Grady (Matty Madrid)
* The Answer Man by Roy Johansen (Ken Parker)

ST. MARTINS' PRESS/PWA BEST FIRST PRIVATE EYE NOVEL CONTEST
* Catching Water in a Net by J.L. Abramo (Jake Diamond)

2001 SHAMUS AWARDS
The Private Eye Writers of America were to be presented at that year's Shamus Awards at PWA's 20th Anniversary Banquet during Bouchercon, but decided to forego the event "due to the tragedies that occurred in NY and Washington." Instead they announced the winners in a press release.

BEST HARDCOVER P.I. NOVEL
* Havana Heat by Carolina Garcia-Aguilera, (Lupe Solano)
* A Smile On The Face Of The Tiger by Loren Estleman (Amos Walker)
* The Deader The Better by G. M. Ford (Leo Waterman)
* Ellipsis by Stephen Greenleaf (John Marshall Tanner)
* Listen To The Silence by Marcia Muller (Sharon McCone)

BEST P.I. PAPERBACK ORIGINAL
* Death In The Steel City by Thomas Lipinski (Carroll Dorsey)
* The Blazing Tree by Mary Jo Adamson (Michael Merrick)
* The Sporting Club by Sinclair Browning (Trade Ellis)
* The Hindenburg Murders by Max Allan Collins (Leslie Charteris, P.I.?)
* Bad To The Bone by Katy Munger (Casey Jones)
* Dirty Money by Steven Womack (Harry James Denton)

BEST P.I. FIRST NOVEL
* Street Level by Bob Truluck (Duncan Sloan)
* Brigham's Day by John Gates (Brigham Bybee)
* The Heir Hunter by Chris Larsgaard (Nick Merchant)
* Resurrection Angel by William Mize (Monty Crocetti and Denton Ward)
* Lost Girls by Andrew Pyper (Bartholomew Crane)

2002 SHAMUS AWARDS

THE EYE (Lifetime Achievement)
* Lawrence Block

BEST HARDCOVER P.I. NOVEL
* Reflecting The Sky by S.J. Rozan (Bill Smith and Lydia Chin)
* Angel In Black by Max Allan Collins (Nate Heller)
* Ashes Of Aries by Martha C. Lawrence (Dr. Elizabeth Chase)
* The Devil Went Down To Austin by Rick Riordan (Tres Navarre)
* Cold Water Burning by John Straley (Cecil Younger)

BEST P.I. PAPERBACK ORIGINAL
* Archangel Protocol by Lyda Morehouse (Dierdre McMannus)
* Ancient Enemy by Robert Westbrook (Howard Moon Deer )
* Keepers by Janet Lapierre (Patience and Verity Mackellar)

BEST P.I. FIRST NOVEL
* Chasing the Devil's Tail by David Fulmer (Valentin St. Cyr)
* Epitaph by James Siegel (William Riskin)
* Rat City by Curt Colbert (Jake Rossiter)
* A Witness Above by Andy Straka (Frank Pavlicek)
* Pilikia Is My Business by Mark Troy (Val Lyon)

FRIEND OF PWA
* Jan Grape

ST. MARTINS' PRESS/PWA CONTEST FOR BEST FIRST PRIVATE EYE NOVEL
* The Sterling Inheritance by Michael Siverling (Jason Wilder)

2003 SHAMUS AWARDS
The Shamus Awards were presented in October at the PWA banquet to be held in Las Vegas, Nevada, during Bouchercon, the World Mystery Convention.

THE EYE (Lifetime Achievement)
* Sue Grafton

BEST P.I. NOVEL
* Blackwater Sound by James W. Hall (Thorn)
* North Of Nowhere by Steve Hamilton (Alex McKnight)
* The Last Place by Laura Lippman (Tess Monaghan)
* Hell To Pay by George Pelecanos (Derek Strange and Terry Quinn)
* Winter And Night by S.J. Rozan (Lydia Chin and Bill Smith)

BEST FIRST P.I. NOVEL
* The Distance by Eddie Muller (Billy Nichols)
* Westerfield's Chain by Jack Clark (Nick Acropolis)
* The Bone Orchard by D. Daniel Judson (Declan "Mac" MacManus)
* Open And Shut by David Rosenfeld (Andy Carpenter)
* Private Heat by Robert Bailey (Art Hardin)

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL P.I. NOVEL
* The Poisoned Rose by D. Daniel Judson (Declan "Mac" MacManus)
* Cash Out by Paul Boray (John "Tomb" Tomei)
* Juicy Watusi by Richard Helms (Pat Gallegher)
* The Lusitania Murders by Max Allan Collins (S.S. Van Dine, P.I. -- yeah, right)
* Paint It Black by P.J. Parish (Louis Kincaid)

ST. MARTINS' PRESS/PWA CONTEST FOR BEST FIRST PRIVATE EYE NOVEL
* Tonight I Said Goodbye by Michael Koryta (Lincoln Perry)

2004 SHAMUS AWARDS
The 2004 Shamus Awards were announced at the Bouchercon in Toronto.

THE EYE (Lifetime Achievment Award)
* Donald Westlake

BEST P.I. NOVEL
* The Guards by Ken Bruen (Jack Taylor)
* Scavenger Hunt by Robert Ferrigno (Jimmy Gage)
* Blood is the Sky by Steve Hamilton (Alex McKnight)
* Fatal Flaw by William Lashner (Victor Carl)
* A Visible Darkness by Jonathon King (Max Freeman )

BEST FIRST P.I. NOVEL
* Black Maps by Peter Spiegelman (John March)
* Spiked by Mark Arsenault (Eddie Bourque)
* Lovers Crossing by James C. Mitchell (Roscoe Brinker)

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL P.I. NOVEL
* Cold Quarry by Andy Straka (Frank Pavlicek)
* Thicker Than Water by PJ Parrish (Louis Kincaid)
* Wet Debt by Richard Helms (Pat Gallegher)
* Dragonfly Bones by David Cole (Laura Winslow)

ST. MARTINS' PRESS/PWA CONTEST FOR BEST FIRST PRIVATE EYE NOVEL
* First Kill by Michael Kronenwetter (Hank Berlin)

2005 SHAMUS AWARDS
The 2005 Shamus Awards will be announced at the Bouchercon in Chicago. And lemme say, I like the idea of a lot of fresh blood this time. But a lot of these private eyes are NOT private eyes at all.

THE EYE (Lifetime Achievement)
* Sara Paretsky

BEST P.I. NOVEL
* While I Disappear by Ed Wright (John Ray Horn)
* Fade To Clear by Leonard Chang (Allen Choice)
* The Wakeup by Robert Ferrigno (Frank Thorpe)
* After The Rain by Chuck Logan (Phil Broker)
* Choke Point by James Mitchell (Roscoe Brinker)

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL P.I. NOVEL

* Fade To Blonde by Max Phillips (construction worker Ray Corson)
* Call The Devil by His Oldest Name by Sallie Bissell (Assistant D.A.Cherokee Mary Crow)
* Shadow Of The Dahlia by Jack Bludis (Rick Page)
* The London Blitz Murders by Max Allan Collins (amateur sleuth Agatha Christie)
* Island Of Bones by P. J. Parrish (Louis Kincaid)

BEST FIRST P.I. NOVEL

* The Dead by Ingrid Black (true-crime writer Saxon)
* Little Girl Lost by Richard Aleas (John Blake)
* The Last Goodbye by Reed Arvin (Jack Hammond)
* Aspen Pulp by Patrick Hasburgh (Jake Wheeler)
* Some Danger Involved by Will Thomas (Thomas Llewelyn and Cyrus Barker)

2006 SHAMUS AWARDS
The 2006 Shamus Awards were announced at the Bouchercon in Madison, Wisconsin on seoptember 29, in a rollicking affair that saw Mickey Spillane honoured, Max Allan Collins presented with The Eye for Lifetime Achievment, and PWA founder Robert Randisi roasted slowly -- and none too gently -- over an open flame. A grand old time was had by Al. And Bob had a good time too.

THE EYE (Lifetime Achievment Award)
* Max Allan Collins

BEST P.I. NOVEL
* The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly (Mickey Haller)
* Oblivion by Peter Abrahams (Nick Petrov)
* The Forgotten Man by Robert Crais (Elvis Cole)
* In A Teapot by Terence Faherty (Scott Elliott)
* The Man with the Iron-On Badge by Lee Goldberg (Harvey Mapes)
* Cinnamon Kiss by Walter Mosley (Easy Rawlins)

BEST FIRST P.I. NOVEL
* Forcing Amaryllis by Louise Ure (Calla Gentry)
* Blood Ties by Lori G. Armstrong (Julie Collins)
* Still River by Harry Hunsicker (Lee Henry Oswald)
* The Devil's Right Hand by J. D. Rhoades (Jack Keller)

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL P.I. NOVEL
* The James Deans by Reed Farrell Coleman (Moe Prager)
* Falling Down by David Cole (Laura Winslow)
* Deadlocked by Joel Goldman (Lou Mason)
* Cordite Wine by Richard Helms (Eamon Gold)
* A Killing Rain by PJ Parrish (Louis Kincaid)

2007 SHAMUS AWARDS
The 2007 Shamus Awards were presented in the course of the annual PWA banquet, held in Anchorage, Alaska, during the Bouchercon convention.

THE EYE
* Stuart M. Kaminsky

THE HAMMER
A new annual prize celebrating a memorable private eye character or a series. Named after Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, of course.
* Shell Scott by Richard S. Prather

BEST P.I. NOVEL
* The Dramatist by Ken Bruen (Jack Taylor)
* The Darkest Place by Daniel Judson (Reggie Clay)
* The Do-Re-Me by Ken Kuhlken (Clifford and Tom Hickey)
* Vanishing Point by Marcia Muller (Sharon McCone)
* Days of Rage by Kris Nelscott (Smokey Dalton)

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL
* An Unquiet Grave by P.J. Parrish (Louis Kincaid)
* Hallowed Ground by Lori G. Armstrong (Julie Collins)
* The Prop by Pete Hautman (Peeky Kane)
* The Uncomfortable Dead by Paco Ignacio Taibo II and Subcomandante Marcos (Hector Belascoaran Shayne)
* Crooked by Brian M. Wiprud (Nicholas Palihnic)

BEST FIRST NOVEL
* The Wrong Kind of Blood by Declan Hughes (Ed Loy)
* Lost Angel by Mike Doogan (Nik Kane)
* A Safe Place for Dying by Jack Fredrickson (Dek Elstrom)
* Holmes on the Range by Steve Hockensmith (Gustav "Old Red" Amlingmeyer)
* 18 Seconds by George D. Shuman (Sherry Moore)

2008 SHAMUS AWARDS
The 2008 awards were presented at the PWA banquet, October 10, 2008, in Baltimore, Maryland, during the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention.

BEST P.I. NOVEL
* Soul Patch by Reed Farrel Coleman (Moe Prager)
* Head Games by Thomas B. Cavanagh (Mike Garrity)
* The Color of Blood by Declan Hughes (Ed Loy)
* A Welcome Grave by Michael Koryta (Lincoln Perry)
* A Killer's Kiss by William Lashner (Victor Carl)

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL
* Songs of Innocence by Richard Aleas (John Blake)
* Exit Strategy by Kelley Armstrong (Nadia Stafford)
* Stone Rain by Linwood Barclay (Zack Walker)
* Deadly Beloved by Max Allan Collins (Ms. Tree)
* Blood of Paradise by David Corbett (Jude McManus)

BEST FIRST P.I. NOVEL
* Big City, Bad Blood by Sean Chercover (Ray Dudgeon)
* The Cleaner by Brett Battles (Jonathan Quinn)
* Keep It Real by Bill Bryan (Ted Collins)
* When One Man Dies by Dave White (Jackson Donne)
* The Last Striptease by Michael Wiley (Joe Kozmarski)

Thursday, August 6, 2009

USA Today Book Roundup: Historical Fiction

By Jocelyn McClurg, Deirdre Donahue, Carol Memmott and Korina Lopez, USA TODAY.
In this week's mix: Love and war, the lives of nuns, a Dickens of a novel, and three British women with three different reasons for being in India.

Gifts of War
By Mackenzie Ford
Nan. A. Talese/Doubleday, 447 pp., $26

The best war stories are often love stories, and Mackenzie Ford has come up with a doozy. During the Christmas truce of 1914, a German soldier hands his photo to a young English officer, Hal Montgomery, with a request: Give it to his English girlfriend. After Hal is shot and wounded, he returns to England to find the girl, Sam, who has a baby son. He falls instantly in love and can't bear to tell Sam her German lover is alive. The tension builds as Hal and Sam and baby Will create a life — will the truth ever out? — making for an absorbing, morally complex read. — Jocelyn McClurg

Sacred Hearts
By Sarah Dunant
Random House, 415 pp., $25

With Sacred Hearts, Brit writer Sarah Dunant rounds out her trilogy about women during the Italian Renaissance. In 2003's The Birth of Venus, she dealt with Florentine noblewomen, and in 2006's In the Company of the Courtesan, Venetian prostitutes. Now she explores the lives of nuns in 1570 Ferrara. Alas, Hearts' plot lacks the narrative drive of the first two. A wealthy family imprisons their 16-year-old daughter in a convent against her will after an ill-advised love affair. The girl's rage upends the convent. But this tale about a cloister induces claustrophobia. — Deirdre Donahue

FIND MORE STORIES IN: Mahatma Gandhi

Girl in the Blue Dress: A Novel Inspired by the Life and Marriage of Charles Dickens
By Gaynor Arnold
Crown, 414 pp., $25.99

British novelist Gaynor Arnold, inspired by letters Dickens wrote to his wife, Catherine, spins a marvelously credible tale of what the Dickens marriage might have been like through the fictional story of Dodo Gibson, the wife of Victorian literary lion Alfred Gibson. The novel starts with the death of Gibson, who, like Dickens, was a 19th-century superstar. Arnold provocatively imagines what it must have been like to be married to a man who thought as much of himself as his fans did — and how a determined wife might have made the best of it. — Carol Memmott

East of the Sun
By Julia Gregson
Simon & Schuster trade paperback original, 512 pp., $16

It's 1928. British colonial grip on India is slipping. India, torn between the opposing forces of Gandhi, Muslum traditions and Western influences, struggles with its identity. In the midst of it: three women who have left their native England for different reasons. Naive Rose is betrothed to Jack, a stoic army officer. Brash Tor is desperate to find a husband so she won't have to return to her mother in England. Mysterious Viva, haunted by the past, seeks closure and a career as a writer. Julia Gregson expertly weaves their stories together in this vivid tale. — Korina Lopez

Linda Buckley-Archer's top 10 time-travelling stories

About this article
Linda Buckley-Archer's top 10 time-travelling stories
This article was first published on guardian.co.uk at 10.00 BST on Wednesday 5 August 2009. It was last updated at 13.11 BST on Wednesday 5 August 2009.

The children's writer explores tales of journeys through time from HG Wells to Jeanette Winterson

In Linda Buckley-Archer's time-travelling adventure, Gideon the Cutpurse, two 21st-century children are lost in 1763. In its sequel, The Tar Man, an 18th-century villain wreaks havoc on 21st-century London. The trilogy concludes with Time Quake, in which a corrupt 18th-century aristocrat takes a fancy to contemporary New York. Appalled that the "bothersome little colony" has become a superpower, the villainous Lord Luxon resolves to sabotage the American War of Independence.

"My first proper short story was about a man obsessed with marking the new millennium (he missed it). Ever since, though I'm not sure why, the theme of time has managed to creep into almost everything I've written. We are so used to moving backwards and forwards in time in our heads - revisiting times past and speculating on our future - that the notion of time travel is easy to imagine and accept."

1. The Time Machine by HG Wells
It's impossible to leave out this seminal time-travelling story from of one of science fiction's founding fathers. Having invented a machine capable of moving through the fourth dimension, a gentleman scientist journeys to the distant future where he discovers that mankind has evolved in disturbing ways. Wells's imagination was extraordinary. Published in 1895 (10 years before Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity) The Time Machine reflects Wells's fascination with both science and social issues.

2. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain
Predating The Time Machine by five years, Twain's novel about Hank Morgan, a plain-speaking American who finds himself in an age of chivalry in the court of King Arthur, is still laugh-out-loud funny.

3. Orlando by Virginia Woolf
It's difficult to pin down Woolf's "biography" which is at once satirical and playful (with time, sexuality and literary form) as well as being a love letter (to Vita Sackville West). There's a joie de vivre in the writing that is just lovely. Anyway, who could fail to fall for Orlando? With "eyes like drenched violets" he/she starts life as a shapely-legged Elizabethan nobleman, changes sex around the early 1800s, marries a sea captain and is last seen as a writer, circa 1928.

4. Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams
I was a student when I first heard Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy on Radio 4 and recall rushing round to a friend's flat exclaiming "switch the radio on!" Douglas Adams is sorely missed and I often wonder what he would have been writing now. In this comic-sci-fi-fantasy-detective novel, Adams's wild plotting draws on quantum physics, Coleridge, not to mention a time machine that stops working when the telephone is mended, in order to prove the fundamental interconnectedness of all things.

5. The House on the Strand by Daphne Du Maurier
In this rare example of chemically induced time travel, a man finds it increasingly difficult to resist journeying back to 14th-century Cornwall. From the opening paragraph Du Maurier sweeps you along in a vivid narrative. No one tells stories or creates atmosphere better. The novel features Kilmarth, the house on the Cornish coast where Du Maurier spent the last years of her life.

6. Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce
Tom is bored and in quarantine at his uncle and aunt's flat. One night he discovers that when the clock strikes 13 he is able to enter a sunlit garden where he meets Hatty. Soon he realises that he has somehow stumbled into the 19th century and that with each successive visit Hatty is a different age. In this beloved children's classic, Pearce explores questions about time and childhood and longing in prose which is often poignant and beautiful.

7. Van Loon's Lives by Hendrik Willem van Loon
Published in the US in 1942 (and with a moving dedication to his suffering homeland), Dutch writer and illustrator Van Loon describes a series of dinner parties given for the A-List of history. The perfect illustrations have great captions, too - "It was Leonardo, coming down in his glider" or "Thomas Jefferson tried out my best fiddle". To be consumed in small mouthfuls, it is full of whimsy, charm and humour. Ripe for reprint.

8. Tanglewreck by Jeanette Winterson
You can instantly sense the fun Jeanette Winterson had researching and writing this children's book, which features, among other things, an orphaned heroine called Silver, woolly mammoths, a rabbit called Bigamist and an evil woman who sees Time as big business. The pace is furious and the story teems with ideas, flights of fancy, and references to quantum physics.

9. Making History by Stephen Fry
Time travel novels generally fall into two categories. The first is a kind of time tourism during which great care is taken not to alter the past for fear of future consequences. The second involves yanking open the lid of Pandora's box and has characters tampering with the past for a bespoke future. Worth reading simply for the pleasure of being in the company of Stephen Fry's ever-probing mind, Making History takes the counterfactual approach and asks: What If Hitler had never been born?

10. How To Build a Time Machine by Paul Davies
Last but not least, a work of non-fiction to persuade you that you don't have to suspend your disbelief entirely when reading time-travelling stories. This is eminent physicist Professor Paul Davies's response to the question: Is time travel scientifically possible? Accessible and utterly fascinating.

Crimespree Magazine Award

Trigger City by Sean Chercover won the 2009 Crimespree magazine award for favorite book of 2008. Other winners were Chasing Darkness by Robert Crais (best in ongoing series), Brian Azzarello (favorite comics writer), Money Shot by Christa Faust (favorite original paperback, mass market or trade) and Once Upon a Crime, Minneapolis, Minn. (favorite mystery bookstore). You can see the runners-up in all categories at Crimespree's blog, Central Crime Zone.

Aug 3, 2009


The 2009 Crimespree Awards and..

The votes are in the winners have been determined.
Each Category will also have the four runners up, the winners in bold with an asterisk.

Favorite book of 2008
*Trigger City – Sean Chercover*
Yellow Medicine - Anthony Neil Smith
Envy The Night - Michael Koryta
Chasing Darkness by Robert Crais
Toros & Torsos by Craig McDonald


Best in an ongoing series
*Chasing Darkness by Robert Crais
Trigger City – Sean Chercover
Toros & Torsos - Craig McDonald
The Duffy Dombrowski Mystery Series by Tom Schreck
Another Thing to Fall – Laura Lippman

Favorite comics writer
*Brian Azzarello*
Tim Broderick
B. Clay Moore
Ed Brubaker
Jason Aaron

Favorite original Paperback (mass market or trade)
*Money Shot – Christa Faust*
Severance Package - Duane Swierczynski
Go Go Girls – Victor Gischler
The Stolen – Jason Pinter
The Evil That Men Do – Dave White


Favorite Mystery Bookstore
*ONCE UPON A CRIME, Minneapolis *
The Mystery Bookstore – (Los Angeles)
Murder by the book – Houston
Centuries & Sleuths, Forest Park, IL
M IS FOR MYSTERY, San Mateo, California