The Mystery Writers of America has announced the winners of the 2025 Edgar Allan Poe Awards, honoring the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction and television published or produced in 2024. Congratulations to all the nominees.
___________________________________
BEST NOVEL
___________________________________
The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett (Penguin Random House – Random House Worlds/Del Rey
Rough Trade by Katrina Carrasco (Farrar, Straus and Giroux – MCD)
Things Don’t Break on Their Own by Sarah Easter Collins (Penguin Random House – Crown)
My Favorite Scar by Nicolás Ferraro (Soho Press – Soho Crime)
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (Penguin Random House – Riverhead Books)
Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera (Macmillan Publishers – Celadon Books)
The In Crowd by Charlotte Vassell (Penguin Random House – Doubleday)
Winner: The In Crowd by Charlotte Vassell (Penguin Random House – Doubleday)
___________________________________
BEST FIRST NOVEL BY AN AMERICAN AUTHOR
___________________________________
Twice the Trouble by Ash Clifton (Crooked Lane Books)
Cold to the Touch by Kerri Hakoda (Crooked Lane Books)
The Mechanics of Memory by Audrey Lee (CamCat Books)
A Jewel in the Crown by David Lewis (Kensington Books – A John Scognamiglio Book)
The President’s Lawyer by Lawrence Robbins (Simon & Schuster – Atria Books)
Holy City by Henry Wise (Grove Atlantic – Atlantic Monthly Press)
Winner: Holy City by Henry Wise (Grove Atlantic – Atlantic Monthly Press)
___________________________________
BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL
___________________________________
The Paris Widow by Kimberly Belle (Harlequin Trade Publishing – Park Row Books)
The Vacancy in Room 10 by Seraphina Nova Glass (Harlequin Trade Publishing – Graydon House)
Shell Games by Bonnie Kistler (HarperCollins – Harper Paperbacks)
A Forgotten Kill by Isabella Maldonado (Amazon Publishing – Thomas & Mercer)
The Road to Heaven by Alexis Stefanovich-Thomson (Dundurn Press Ltd.)
Winner: The Paris Widow by Kimberly Belle (Harlequin Trade Publishing – Park Row Books)
Version 1.0.0
___________________________________
BEST FACT CRIME
___________________________________
Long Haul: Hunting the Highway Serial Killers by Frank Figliuzzi (HarperCollins – Mariner Books)
The Infernal Machine: A True Story of Dynamite, Terror, and the Rise of the Modern Detective by Steven Johnson (Penguin Random House – Crown)
A Devil Went Down to Georgia: Race, Power, Privilege, and the Murder of Lita McClinton by Deb Miller Landau (Pegasus Books – Pegasus Crime)
The Amish Wife: Unraveling the Lies, Secrets, and Conspiracy that Let a Killer Go Free by Gregg Olsen (Amazon Publishing – Thomas & Mercer)
Hell Put to Shame: The 1921 Murder Farm Massacre and the Horror of America’s Second Slavery by Earl Swift (HarperCollins – Mariner Books)
The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age by Michael Wolraich (Union Square & Co.)
(Read an excerpt from the book on CrimeReads.)
___________________________________
BEST CRITICAL/BIOGRAPHICAL
___________________________________
James Sallis: A Companion to the Mystery Fiction by Nathan Ashman (McFarland Publishing)
American Noir Film: From The Maltese Falcon to Gone Girl by M. Keith Booker (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers)
Organized Crime on Page and Screen: Portrayals in Hit Novels, Films, and Television Shows by David Geherin (McFarland Publishing)
On Edge: Gender and Genre in the Work of Shirley Jackson, Patricia Highsmith, and Leigh Brackett by Ashley Lawson (The Ohio State University Press)
Ian Fleming; The Complete Man by Nicholas Shakespeare (HarperCollins – Harper)
Winner: James Sallis: A Companion to the Mystery Fiction by Nathan Ashman (McFarland Publishing)
Version 1.0.0
___________________________________
BEST SHORT STORY
___________________________________
“Cut and Thirst,” Amazon Original Stories by Margaret Atwood (Amazon Publishing)
“Everywhere You Look,” Amazon Original Stories by Liv Constantine (Amazon Publishing)
“Eat My Moose,” Conjunctions: 82, Works & Days by Erika Krouse (Bard College)
“Barriers to Entry,” Amazon Original Stories by Ariel Lawhon (Amazon Publishing)
“The Art of Cruel Embroidery,” Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine – July-August 2024 by Steven Sheil (Dell Magazine)
Winner: “Eat My Moose,” Conjunctions: 82, Works & Days by Erika Krouse (Bard College)
___________________________________
BEST JUVENILE
___________________________________
The Beanstalk Murder by P.G. Bell (Macmillan Publishers – Feiwel & Friends)
Mystery of Mystic Mountain by Janet Fox (Simon & Schuster BFYR)
Mysteries of Trash and Treasure: The Stolen Key by Margaret Peterson Haddix (HarperCollins – Quill Tree Books)
The Spindle of Fate by Aimee Lim (Macmillan Publishers – Feiwel & Friends)
Find Her by Ginger Reno (Holiday House)
___________________________________
BEST YOUNG ADULT
___________________________________
Looking for Smoke by K.A. Cobell (HarperCollins – Heartdrum)
The Bitter End by Alexa Donne (Random House Books for Young Readers)
A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur (Macmillan Publishers – Feiwel & Friends)
Death at Morning House by Maureen Johnson (HarperCollins Publishers – Harper Teen)
49 Miles Alone by Natalie D. Richards (Sourcebooks – Sourcebooks Fire)
Winner: 49 Miles Alone by Natalie D. Richards (Sourcebooks – Sourcebooks Fire)
___________________________________
BEST TELEVISION EPISODE TELEPLAY
___________________________________
“Episode Five” – Rebus, Written by Gregory Burke (Viaplay)
“Episode One” – Monsieur Spade, Written by Tom Fontana & Scott Frank (AMC)
“Episode One” – Moonflower Murders, Written by Anthony Horowitz (Masterpiece PBS)
“Mirror” – Murderesses, Written by Wiktor Piatkowski, Joanna Kozłowska, Katarzyna Kaczmarek (Viaplay)
“Episode Two” – The Marlow Murder Club, Written by Robert Thorogood (Masterpiece PBS)
Winner: “Episode One” – Monsieur Spade, Written by Tom Fontana & Scott Frank (AMC)
(Read Nathan Ward’s “The Flitcrafting of Sam Spade” on CrimeReads)
___________________________________
ROBERT L. FISH MEMORIAL AWARD
___________________________________
“The Legend of Penny and the Luck of the Draw Casino,” Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, May-June 2024 by Pat Gaudet (Dell Magazines)
“Head Start,” Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, September-October 2024 by Kai Lovelace (Dell Magazines)
“Murder Under Sedation,” Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, March-April 2024 by Lawrence Ong (Dell Magazines)
“The Jews on Elm Street,” Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, September-October 2024 by Anna Stolley Persky (Dell Magazines)
“Sparrow Maker,” Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, November-December 2024 by Jake Stein (Dell Magazines)
Winner: “The Jews on Elm Street,” Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, September-October 2024 by Anna Stolley Persky (Dell Magazines)
___________________________________
THE SIMON & SCHUSTER MARY HIGGINS CLARK AWARD
___________________________________
The Rose Arbor by Rhys Bowen (Amazon Publishing – Lake Union)
The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco by Michelle Chouinard (Macmillan Publishers – Minotaur Books)
The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill (Sourcebooks – Poisoned Pen Press)
Return to Wyldcliffe Heights by Carol Goodman (HarperCollins – William Morrow Paperbacks)
Death in the Details by Katie Tietjen (Crooked Lane Books)
Winner: The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill (Sourcebooks – Poisoned Pen Press)
___________________________________
THE G.P. PUTNAM’S SONS SUE GRAFTON MEMORIAL AWARD
___________________________________
Disturbing the Dead by Kelley Armstrong (Macmillan Publishers – Minotaur Books)
A Game of Lies by Clare Mackintosh (Sourcebooks – Sourcebooks Landmark)
Proof by Beverly McLachlin (Simon & Schuster Canada – Simon & Schuster)
A World of Hurt by Mindy Mejia (Grove Atlantic – Atlantic Monthly Press)
All the Way Gone by Joanna Schaffhausen (Macmillan Publishers – Minotaur Books)
The Comfort of Ghosts by Jacqueline Winspear (Soho Press – Soho Crime)
Winner: The Comfort of Ghosts by Jacqueline Winspear (Soho Press – Soho Crime)
___________________________________
THE LILIAN JACKSON BRAUN MEMORIAL AWARD
___________________________________
The Murders in Great Diddling by Katarina Bivald (Sourcebooks – Poisoned Pen Press)
Death and Fromage by Ian Moore (Sourcebooks – Poisoned Pen Press)
Booked for Murder by P.J. Nelson (Macmillan Publishers – Minotaur Books)
Murder on Devil’s Pond by Ayla Rose (Crooked Lane Books)
The Treasure Hunters Club by Tom Ryan (Grove Atlantic – Atlantic Monthly Press)
Winner: The Murders in Great Diddling by Katarina Bivald (Sourcebooks – Poisoned Pen Press)
___________________________________
SPECIAL AWARDS
___________________________________
GRAND MASTER
Laura Lippman
John Sandford
ELLERY QUEEN AWARD
Peter Wolverton, St. Martin’s Press
RAVEN AWARD
Face in a Book Bookstore & Gifts, El Dorado Hills, CA
