Agatha Award
Literary awards for mystery and crime writers
Agatha Christie
The Agatha Awards , named for Agatha Christie , are literary awards for mystery and crime writers who write in the traditional mystery subgenre: "books typified by the works of Agatha Christie . . . loosely defined as mysteries that contain no explicit sex, excessive gore or gratuitous violence, and are not classified as 'hard-boiled.' "[1] At an annual convention in Washington, D.C.,[2] the Agatha Awards are handed out by Malice Domestic Ltd , in six categories: Best Novel; Best First Mystery; Best Historical Novel; Best Short Story; Best Non-Fiction; Best Children's/Young Adult Mystery. Additionally, in some years the Poirot Award is presented to honor individuals other than writers who have made outstanding contributions to the mystery genre, but it is not an annual award.
Early meetings of the Malice Domestic Committee occurred in fall 1987, with the first convention held on April 21–23, 1989, in Silver Spring, MD.[3] [4] Malice Domestic Ltd was incorporated in 1992. It is governed by a volunteer board of directors.[5]
Awards
Winners and, where known, nominated titles for each year:
Best First Novel
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
Agatha Award for Best First Novel, 2020-2029[6]
Year
Author
Title
Result
Ref.
2020
Erica Neubauer
Murder at the Mena House
Winner
[20]
Esme Addison
A Spell for Trouble
Finalist
[21] [22]
Tina Debellegarde
Winter Witness
Finalist
[21] [22]
Mary Keliikoa
Derailed
Finalist
[21] [22]
Laura Jensen Walker
Murder Most Sweet
Finalist
[21] [22]
2021
Mia P. Manansala
Arsenic and Adobo
Winner
[23]
Mally Becker
The Turncoat's Widow
Finalist
Lori Duffy Foster
A Dead Man's Eyes
Finalist
Judy L. Murray
Murder in the Master
Finalist
Raquel V. Reyes
Mango, Mambo, and Murder
Finalist
2022
Korina Moss
Cheddar Off Dead
Winner
M. A. Monnin
Death in the Aegean
Finalist
Harini Nagendra
The Bangalore Detectives Club
Finalist
Rob Osler
Devil's Chew Toy
Finalist
Joan Long
The Finalist
Finalist
Nina Wachsman
The Gallery of Beauties
Finalist
2023
Daphne Silver
Crime and Parchment
Winner
Danielle Arceneaux
Glory Be
Finalist
Kristin Kisska
The Hint of Light
Finalist
Josh Pachter
Dutch Threat
Finalist
Nina Simon
Mother-Daughter Murder Night
Finalist
Best Contemporary Novel
2010s
2020s
Best Novel
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
Best Historical Novel
2010s
2020s
Best Non-Fiction
1990s
2000s
2010s
Agatha Award for Best Non-Fiction, 2010-2019[6]
Year
Author
Title
Result
Ref.
2010
John Curran
Agatha Christie's Secret Notebooks: 50 Years of Mysteries in the Making
Winner
[13]
Deborah Blum
The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York
Finalist
[14]
Stephen Doyle and David A. Crowder
Sherlock Holmes for Dummies
Finalist
[14]
Katherine Hall Page
Have Faith in Your Kitchen
Finalist
[14]
Yunte Huang
Charlie Chan: The Untold Story of the Honorable Detective and His Rendezvous with American History
Finalist
[14]
2011
Leslie Budewitz
Books, Crooks and Counselors: How to Write Accurately About Criminal Law and Courtroom Procedure
Winner
[15]
John Curran
Agatha Christie: Murder in the Making: More Stories and Secrets from Her Notebooks
Finalist
Michael Dirda
On Conan Doyle; or The Whole Art of Storytelling
Finalist
A. B. Emrys
Wilkie Collins, Vera Caspary and the Evolution of the Casebook Novel
Finalist
Charlaine Harris
The Sookie Stackhouse Companion
Finalist
[26] [27]
2012
John Connolly
Books to Die For: The World's Greatest Mystery Writers on the World's Greatest Mystery Novels
Winner
Joseph Goodrich
Blood Relations: The Selected Letters of Ellery Queen, 1947-1950
Finalist
D. P. Lyle
More Forensics and Fiction: Crime Writers Morbidly Curious Questions Expertly Answered
Finalist
Ben Macintyre
Double Cross: The True Story of the D-Day Spies
Finalist
Mathew Prichard
The Grand Tour: Around the World with the Queen of Mystery Agatha Christie
Finalist
2013
Daniel Stashower
The Hour of Peril: The Secret Plot to Murder Lincoln Before the Civil War
Winner
Jennifer Kloester
Georgette Heyer
Finalist
Maria Konnikova
Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes
Finalist
Verena Rose and Rita Owen
Editors, Not Everyone's Cup of Tea: An Interesting & Entertaining History of Malice Domestic's First 25 Years
Finalist
2014
Hank Phillippi Ryan (editor)
Writes of Passage: Adventures on the Writer's Journey
Winner
Stephen Bates
The Poisoner: The Life and Crimes of Victorian England's Most Notorious Doctor
Finalist
Kate Flora
Death Dealer: How Cops and Cadaver Dogs Brought a Killer to Justice
Finalist
Adam Plantinga
400 Things Cops Know: Street Smart Lessons from a Veteran Patrolman
Finalist
Lucy Worsley
The Art of the English Murder
Finalist
2015
Martin Edwards
The Golden Age of Murder: The Mystery of the Writers Who Invented the Modern Detective Story
Winner
Zack Dundas
The Great Detective: The Amazing Rise and Immortal Life of Sherlock Holmes
Finalist
Kathryn Harkup
A is for Arsenic: The Poisons of Agatha Christie
Finalist
Jane Ann Turzillo
Unsolved Murders and Disappearances in Northeast Ohio
Finalist
Kate White (editor), Mystery Writers of America
The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook: Wickedly Good Meals and Desserts to Die For
Finalist
2016
Jane K. Cleland
Mastering Suspense, Structure, and Plot: How to Write Gripping Stories that Keep Readers on the Edge of Their Seats
Winner
Roger Guay with Kate Clark Flora
A Good Man with a Dog: A Game Warden's 25 Years in the Maine Woods
Finalist
Margaret Kinsman
Sara Paretsky: A Companion to the Mystery Fiction
Finalist
2017
Mattias Bostrom
From Holmes to Sherlock: The Story of the Men and Women Who Created an Icon
Winner
Tatiana de Rosnay
Manderley Forever: A Biography of Daphne du Maurier
Finalist
Martin Edwards
The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books
Finalist
Monica Hesse
American Fire: Love, Arson and Life in a Vanishing Land
Finalist
Jess Lourey
Through the Healing Power of Fiction
Finalist
2018
Jane Cleland
Mastering Plot Twists
Winner
Nancy J. Cohen
Writing the Cozy Mystery
Finalist
Margalit Fox
Conan Doyle for the Defense
Finalist
Laura Thompson
Agatha Christie: A Mysterious Life
Finalist
Jane Ann Turzillo
Wicked Women of Ohio
Finalist
2019
Mo Moulton
The Mutual Admiration Society: How Dorothy L. Sayers and her Oxford Circle Remade the World for Women
Winner
Laird R. Blackwell
Frederic Dannay, Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and the Art of the Detective Short Story
Finalist
Julia Bricklin
Blonde Rattlesnake: Burmah Adams, Tom White, and the 1933 Crime Spree that Terrified Los Angeles
Finalist
Casey Cep
Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud and the Last Trial of Harper Lee
Finalist
Hallie Rubenhold
The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper
Finalist
2020s
Agatha Award for Best Non-Fiction, 2020-2029[6]
Year
Author
Title
Result
Ref.
2020
Christina Lane
Phantom Lady: Hollywood Producer Joan Harrison, the Forgotten Woman Behind Hitchcock
Winner
[20]
Leslie Brody
Sometimes You Have to Lie: The Life and Times of Louise Fitzhugh, Renegade Author of Harriet the Spy
Finalist
[22]
Martin Edwards
Howdunit: A Masterclass in Crime Writing by Members of the Detection Club
Finalist
[22]
Sheila Mitchell
H.R.F. Keating: A Life of Crime
Finalist
[22]
Kate Winkler Dawon
American Sherlock: Murder, Forensics, and the Birth of American CSI
Finalist
[22]
2021
Lee Child and Laurie R. King (editor)
How to Write a Mystery: A Handbook from Mystery Writers of America
Winner
Jan Brogan
The Combat Zone: Murder, Race, and Boston’s Struggle for Justice
Finalist
Chris Chan
Murder Most Grotesque: The Comedic Crime Fiction of Joyce Porter
Finalist
Julie Kavanaugh
The Irish Assassins: Conspiracy, Revenge, and the Phoenix Park Murders that Stunned Victorian England
Finalist
2022
Diane Vallere
Promophobia: Taking the Mystery Out of Promoting Crime Fiction
Winner
Martin Edwards
The Life of Crime: Detecting the History of Mysteries and Their Creators
Finalist
Mary Anna Evans and J. C. Bernthal
The Bloomsbury Handbook to Agatha Christie
Finalist
Carla Valentine
Summary of the Science of Murder: The Forensics of Agatha Christie
Finalist
2023
Anjili Babbar
Finders: Justice, Faith and Identity in Irish Crime Fiction
Winner
David Bordwell
Perplexing Plots: Popular Storytelling and the Poetics of Murder
Finalist
Mark Dawidziak
A Mystery of Mysteries: The Death and Life of Edgar Allan Poe
Finalist
Robert Morgan
Fallen Angel: The Life of Edgar Allan Poe
Finalist
Best Short Story
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
Agatha Award for Best Short Story, 2010-2019[6]
Year
Author
Title
Publication
Result
Ref.
2010
Mary Jane Maffini
So Much in Common
Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine , Sept./Oct. 2010
Winner
Dana Cameron
Swing Shift
Crimes by Moonlight: Mysteries from the Dark Side (Berkley )
Finalist
[14]
Sheila Connolly
Size Matters
Thin Ice: Crime Stories by New England Writers (Level Best Books)
Finalist
[14]
Barb Goffman
Volunteer of the Year
Chesapeake Crimes: They Had it Comin' (Wildside Press )
Finalist
[14]
Elizabeth Zelvin
The Green Cross
Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine , Aug. 2010
Finalist
[14]
2011
Dana Cameron
Disarming
Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine , June 2011
Winner
[15]
Krista Davis
Dead Eye Gravy
Fish Tales: The Guppy Anthology (Wildside Press )
Finalist
[16]
Barb Goffman
Truth and Consequences
Mystery Times Ten (Buddhapuss Ink)
Finalist
[16]
Roberta Isleib
The Itinerary
Mystery Writers of America Presents the Rich and the Dead (Grand Central Publishing )
Finalist
[16]
Daryl Wood Gerber
Palace by the Lake
Fish Tales: The Guppy Anthology (Wildside Press )
Finalist
[16]
2012
Dana Cameron
Mischief in Mesopotamia
Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine , Nov. 2012
Winner
Sheila Connolly
Kept in the Dark
Best New England Crime Stories 2013: Blood Moon (Level Best Books)
Finalist
Barb Goffman
The Lord is My Shamus
Chesapeake Crimes: This Job is Murder (Wildside Press )
Finalist
B.K. Stevens
Thea's First Husband
Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine , June 2012
Finalist
Art Taylor
When Duty Calls
Chesapeake Crimes: This Job is Murder (Wildside Press )
Finalist
2013
Art Taylor
The Care and Feeding of House Plants
Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine , March/April 2013
Winner
Barb Goffman
Evil Little Girl
Don't Get Mad, Get Even (Wildside Press )
Finalist
Barb Goffman
Nightmare
Don't Get Mad, Get Even (Wildside Press )
Finalist
Gigi Pandian
The Hindi Houdini
Fish Nets: The Second Guppy Anthology (Wildside Press )
Finalist
Barbara Ross
Bread Baby
Best New England Crime Stories 2014: Stone Cold (Level Best Books)
Finalist
2014
Art Taylor
The Odds Are Against Us
Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine , Nov. 2014
Winner
Kathy Lynn Emerson
The Blessing Witch
Best New England Crime Stories 2015: Rogue Wave (Level Best Books)
Finalist
Barb Goffman
The Shadow Knows
Chesapeake Crimes: Homicidal Holidays (Wildside Press )
Finalist
Edith Maxwell
Just Desserts for Johnny
Finalist
Art Taylor
Premonition
Chesapeake Crimes: Homicidal Holidays (Wildside Press )
Finalist
2015
Barb Goffman
A Year Without Santa Claus?
Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine , Jan./Feb. 2015
Winner
Terrie Farley Moran
A Killing at the Beausoleil
Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine , Nov. 2015
Finalist
Edith Maxwell
A Questionable Death
History & Mystery, Oh My (Mystery & Horror, LLC)
Finalist
Harriette Sackler
Suffer the Poor
History & Mystery, Oh My (Mystery & Horror, LLC)
Finalist
B.K. Stevens
A Joy Forever
Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine , March 2015
Finalist
2016
Art Taylor
Parallel Play
Chesapeake Crimes: Storm Warning (Wildside Press )
Winner
Gretchen Archer
Double Jinx: A Bellissimo Casino Crime Caper Short Story
Henery Press
Finalist
Barb Goffman
The Best-Laid Plans
Malice Domestic 11: Murder Most Conventional (Wildside Press )
Finalist
Edith Maxwell
The Mayor and the Midwife
Blood on the Bayou: Bouchercon Anthology 2016 (Down & Out Books)
Finalist
B.K. Stevens
The Last Blue Glass
Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine , April 2016
Finalist
2017
Gigi Pandian
The Library Ghost of Tanglewood Inn
Winner
Gretchen Archer
Double Deck the Halls
Henery Press
Finalist
Barb Goffman
Whose Wine Is It Anyway?
50 Shades of Cabernet
Finalist
Debra H. Goldstein
The Night They Burned Miss Dixie's Place
Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine , May/June 2017
Finalist
Art Taylor
A Necessary Ingredient
Coast to Coast: Private Eyes from Sea to Shining Sea (Down & Out Books)
Finalist
2018
Leslie Budewitz
All God's Sparrows
Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine , May/June 2018
Winner
Tara Laskowski [fr]
The Case of the Vanishing Professor
Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine , May/June 2018
Winner
Susanna Calkins
A Postcard for the Dead
Florida Happens: Tales of Mystery, Mayhem, and Suspense from the Sunshine State (Three Rooms Press )
Finalist
Barb Goffman
Bug Appétit
Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine , November/December 2018
Finalist
Art Taylor
English 398: Fiction Workshop
Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine , July/August 2018
Finalist
2019
Shawn Reilly Simmons
The Last Word
Malice Domestic 14: Mystery Most Edible
Winner
Kaye George
Grist for the Mill
A Murder of Crows (Darkhouse Books)
Finalist
Barb Goffman
Alex’s Choice
Crime Travel (Wildside Press )
Finalist
Cynthia Kuhn
The Blue Ribbon
Malice Domestic 14: Mystery Most Edible (Wildside Press )
Finalist
Art Taylor
Better Days
Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine , May/June 2019
Finalist
2020s
Agatha Award for Best Short Story, 2020-2029[6]
Year
Author
Title
Publication
Result
Ref.
2020
Barb Goffman
Dear Emily Etiquette
Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine , September/October 2020
Winner
Shawn Reilly Simmons
The Red Herrings at Killington Inn
Masthead: Best New England Crime Stories
Finalist
[22]
Art Taylor
The Boy Detective & the Summer of '74
Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine , January/February 2020
Finalist
[22]
Gabriel Valjan
Elysian Fields
California Schemin': the 2020 Bouchercon Anthology (Wildside Press )
Finalist
[22]
James Ziskin
The 25 Year Engagement
In League with Sherlock Holmes: Stories Inspired by the Sherlock Holmes Canon (Pegasus Crime)
Finalist
[22]
2021
Shawn Reilly Simmons
Bay of Reckoning
Murder on the Beach (Destination Murders)
Winner
Barb Goffman
A Family Matter
Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine , January/February 2021
Finalist
Barb Goffman
A Tale of Two Sisters
Murder on the Beach (Destination Murders)
Finalist
Richie Narvaez
Doc's at Midnight
Midnight Hour
Finalist
Gigi Pandian
The Locked Room Library
Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine , July/August 2021
Finalist
2022
Barb Goffman
Beauty and the Beyotch
Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine, Issue 29
Winner
Cynthia Kuhn
There Comes a Time
Malice Domestic: Mystery Most Diabolical
Finalist
Lisa Q. Mathews
Fly Me to the Morgue
Malice Domestic: Mystery Most Diabolical
Finalist
Richie Narvaez
The Minnesota Twins Meet Bigfoot
Land of 10,000 Thrills: Bouchercon Anthology 2022
Finalist
Art Taylor
The Invisible Band
Edgar & Shamus Go Golden
Finalist
2023
Dru Ann Love and Kristopher Zgorski
Ticket to Ride
Happiness Is a Warm Gun: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of The Beatles
Winner
Shelley Costa
The Knife Sharpener
Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine , July/August 2023
Finalist
Tina deBellegarde
A Good Judge of Character
Malice Domestic 17: Murder Most Traditional
Finalist
Barb Goffman
Real Courage
Black Cat Mystery Magazine, October 2023
Finalist
Richie Narvaez
Shamu, World’s Greatest Detective
Killin’ Time in San Diego
Finalist
Best Children/Young Adult Fiction
2000s
2010s
2020s
Special Awards
Malice Domestic Award for Lifetime Achievement
Malice Domestic Poirot Award
See also
References
^ "Agatha Awards" . malicedomestic.org . Archived from the original on 6 May 2020. Retrieved 11 January 2022 .
^ Malice Domestic Archived 2015-10-05 at the Wayback Machine
^ Morman, Mary (1998). "In the Beginning". Ten Years of Malice (Domestic) . Bethesda, MD: Malice Domestic Ltd.: 8.
^ "Malice History at a Glance". Ten Years of Malice (Domestic) . Bethesda, MD: Malice Domestic Ltd.: 10 1998.
^ "Malice Domestic Ltd: Agatha Awards" . Malicedomestic.org. Archived from the original on 2017-01-21. Retrieved 2012-06-05 .
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y "Agatha Awards" . Stop, You're Killing Me! . Archived from the original on 2022-12-25. Retrieved 2022-12-25 .
^ "Rediscover: Blanche on the Lam" . Shelf Awareness . March 13, 2020. Archived from the original on 2022-12-25. Retrieved 2022-12-25 .
^ "Obituary Note: Barbara Neely" . Shelf Awareness . March 10, 2020. Archived from the original on 2022-12-25. Retrieved 2022-12-25 .
^ "Obituary Note: Irene Marcuse Silver" . Shelf Awareness . March 11, 2021. Retrieved 2022-12-25 .
^ "Riding Gain" . Mystery Scene Magazine . Archived from the original on 2022-12-25. Retrieved 2022-12-25 .
^ "Post-Holiday Hum: Brisk December Sales and an Eventful 2011" . Shelf Awareness . January 6, 2011. Archived from the original on 2022-12-25. Retrieved 2022-12-25 .
^ a b c d e "The 2009 Agatha Award Winners" . Mystery Scene Magazine . 13 May 2010. Archived from the original on 2022-12-25. Retrieved 2022-12-25 .
^ a b c d Cogdil, Oline. "Agatha, La Times Winners" . Mystery Scene Magazine . Archived from the original on 2022-12-25. Retrieved 2022-12-25 .
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y Cogdill, Oline. "Agatha Award Nominees Announced" . Mystery Scene Magazine . Archived from the original on 2022-12-25. Retrieved 2022-12-25 .
^ a b c d e f Cogdill, Oline. "Agatha Award Winners" . Mystery Scene Magazine . Archived from the original on 2022-12-25. Retrieved 2022-12-25 .
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Malice Nominees, Dagger Winner" . Mystery Scene Magazine . Archived from the original on 2022-12-25. Retrieved 2022-12-25 .
^ "Poppy Redfern and the Midnight Murders" . Shelf Awareness . December 27, 2019. Archived from the original on 2022-12-25. Retrieved 2022-12-25 .
^ "Literature & Libations: History with a Twist" . Shelf Awareness . April 11, 2017. Archived from the original on 2022-12-25. Retrieved 2022-12-25 .
^ "Lineage Most Lethal: An Ancestry Detective Mystery" . Shelf Awareness . August 4, 2020. Archived from the original on 2022-12-25. Retrieved 2022-12-25 .
^ a b c d e f g Schaub, Michael (2021-07-19). "Agatha Award Winners Are Revealed" . Kirkus Reviews . Archived from the original on 2022-12-25. Retrieved 2022-12-25 .
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Schaub, Michael (2021-03-29). "Nominees for Agatha Awards Are Revealed" . Kirkus Reviews . Archived from the original on 2021-03-29. Retrieved 2022-12-25 .
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab "The Agatha Award Nominees" . Poisoned Pen Press . 2021-03-27. Archived from the original on 2022-12-24. Retrieved 2022-12-25 .
^ a b c d e "Agatha Award Winners" . Poisoned Pen Press . 2022-04-25. Archived from the original on 2023-02-08. Retrieved 2022-12-25 .
^ Qiao, Vicky (2021-07-21). "Louise Penny wins Agatha Award for best contemporary mystery novel for All the Devils Are Here" . CBC Books . Archived from the original on 2022-12-25. Retrieved 2022-12-25 .
^ a b c d "Quebec's Louise Penny 'thrilled' by 4th Agatha Award" . CBC Books . May 1, 2011. Archived from the original on 2022-12-25. Retrieved 2022-12-25 .
^ "Book Brahmin: Charlaine Harris" . Shelf Awareness . May 7, 2012. Archived from the original on 2022-12-25. Retrieved 2022-12-25 .
^ Cogdil, Oline. "Sookie, Charlaine Harris' Companion" . Mystery Scene Magazine . Archived from the original on 2022-12-25. Retrieved 2022-12-25 .
^ a b "Obituary Notes: Joan Hess" . Shelf Awareness . November 28, 2017. Archived from the original on 2022-12-25. Retrieved 2022-12-25 .
Characters Locations Novels As Mary Westmacott Short story collections Plays Radio and television plays Other books Depictions Related