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Recent Edgar Awards winners
Read the mystery and thriller novels and stories that won Edgar Allan Poe Awards over the last few years.
Published on May 3, 2024
Flags on the Bayou: A Novel
James Lee Burke2024 Best Novel Winner: As America nears the end of the Civil War and the Union occupies much of Louisiana, violence and destruction are rampant. When formerly enslaved woman Hannah Laveau is accused of murder, she goes on the run with abolitionist Florence Milton, facing danger at every turn. Burke once again crafts a gritty historical thriller with layered characters who must make morally gray choices. “Flags on the Bayou” is Burke’s third Edgar winner for Best Novel, following “Black Cherry Blues” and “Cimarron Rose.”
The Peacock and the Sparrow: A Novel
I.S. Berry2024 Best First Novel Winner: Shane Collins is a CIA agent ready to retire from his station in Bahrain amid the Arab Spring uprisings. But Shane’s personal and professional stakes soar ever higher when he falls for a local artist who reveals a new side of the conflict the agent never considered. Berry, a former CIA officer herself, weaves several threads together in this spy thriller that gives an authentic glimpse of modern espionage work.
Hallowed Ground: A Kate Burkholder Short Story
Linda Castillo2024 Best Short Story Winner: In this quick foray into Castillo’s “Kate Burkholder” series, Police Chief Burkholder is busy prepping for her upcoming wedding to John Tomasetti. But then a local man’s dog finds a human jaw bone — an event made all the creepier as Halloween approaches. It’s up to Kate and John to find the rest of the body and, more importantly, discover how the person died.
An Evil Heart: A Novel
Linda Castillo2024 G.P. Putnam’s Sons Sue Grafton Memoriam Award Winner: Clearly, Castillo’s “Kate Burkholder” series is one to watch. In the 15th installment, Kate investigates the murder of Aden Karn — a young Amish man who was on his Rumspringa. Despite Aden’s good reputation, Kate, who previously left the Amish community, discovers dark secrets revealing a different side to the victim.
Glory Be: A Glory Broussard Mystery, Book 1
Danielle Arceneaux2024 Lilian Jackson Braun Memorial Award Winner: Arceneaux’s debut begins a cozy crime series starring an unlikely bookie-turned-detective who’s born and raised in the Louisiana bayou. When Glory Broussard’s best friend, a nun named Amity Gay, dies, authorities quickly claim suicide, but Glory isn’t convinced. The self-proclaimed “old, fat, Black woman” takes up the case, which shines unwelcome attention on local elites.
Notes on an Execution: An Edgar Award Winner
Danya Kukafka2023 Best Novel Winner: With only 12 hours left to live, death row inmate Ansel Packer is confident he will escape his date with death and the blight on his character. But the narrative isn’t interested in making you sympathize with this man who is definitely a serial killer: Instead, it refocuses on telling the story from the perspective of several women in his life. Kukafka’s novel is a sharp takedown of a media culture obsessed with humanizing cold-hearted, murderous men.
Or Else: A Thriller
Joe Hart2023 Best Paperback Original Winner: In this small-town thriller, mystery writer Andy Drake finds himself in over his head after an affair with a childhood friend, Rachel. Following a threatening note to end the affair (or else), the murder of Rachel’s husband, and Rachel’s disappearance, Andy has to put his penchant for mysteries to the test to figure out what’s really going on. Hart knows how to thread tension and keeps readers guessing about the who and why behind Rachel’s disappearance.
Tell Me Everything: The Story of a Private Investigation
Erika Krouse2023 Best Fact Crime Winner: “Tell Me Everything” pushes the boundaries of what a true crime narrative and a personal memoir can be. It tells the interwoven narratives of Krouse’s involvement with a high-profile sexual assault case against members of a college football program, and her experience with abuse growing up. The psychological revelations are illuminating and sobering.
The Life of Crime: Detecting the History of Mysteries and their Creators
Martin Edwards2023 Best Critical/Biographical Winner: If you’re looking at this list of Edgar Award winners, chances are you love living a life of crime — vicariously, that is, through mystery novels and the like. “The Life of Crime” is an encompassing history of the crime novel genre and its evolving tropes through the years, written by an award-winning crime novelist and genre superfan.
Buried in a Good Book
Tamara Berry2023 Lilian Jackson Braun Memorial Award Winner: “Buried in a Good Book” won the inaugural Lilian Jackson Braun Award, which goes to the best full-length, contemporary cozy mystery. When mystery writer Tess Harrow takes her daughter, Gertrude, to a cabin in the woods with no wi-fi, they find far more than they bargained for, including a detached limb and Bigfoot.
A Dreadful Splendor: A Novel
B.R. Myers2023 Mary Higgins Clark Award Winner: “A Dreadful Splendor” is a spooky mystery set in an old manor with a dash of romance, which makes for a heady brew. Genevieve Timmons, who pretends to be a spiritualist so she can pocket valuables from her customers, has to choose between jail time and accepting a shady proposition requiring her fake talents. Of course, she chooses to hold a sham séance and gets sucked into a mysterious mess.
Deer Season
Erin Flanagan2022 Best First Novel Winner: Peggy, a 16-year-old girl stuck in small-town Nebraska, goes missing and many residents are blaming Hal Bullard, a disabled farmhand. Flanagan’s debut includes all the standard setup for a missing persons mystery but stands out for its rich character studies (the story is told from the points of view of Peggy’s younger brother and Alma, a transplant from Chicago).
Last Call: A True Story of Love, Lust, and Murder in Queer New York
Elon Green2022 Best Fact Crime Winner: This is the true story of “The Last Call Killer,” a serial murderer who targeted gay and bisexual men in the 1990s. Green’s coverage highlights and humanizes the victims, exploring how crimes against fringe members of society often go ignored.
Concealed
Christina Diaz Gonzalez2022 Best Juvenile Winner: Twelve-year-old Katrina moves quickly to reconstruct the past that she can’t remember, because it’s threatening to catch up with her and her family. Katrina lives under the Witness Protection Program but, in the wake of a car accident at age 10, can’t remember the details of why. When her parents disappear, she’s determined to piece it all together. Intriguing and thrilling.
Firekeeper's Daughter
Angeline Boulley2022 Best Young Adult Winner: Boulley spent 10 years crafting this exquisite YA thriller, and all that writing and rewriting has paid off. Daunis Fontaine is a biracial, unenrolled member of the Ojibwe tribe who’s determined to put an end to a new drug trafficking ring that’s devastating her community. There are equal parts brutality and beauty to be found in this twisty, unique novel.
Clark and Division
Naomi Hirahara2022 Mary Higgins Clark Award Winner: Hirahara weaves a story of multifaceted injustice with a crime investigation unfolding alongside the protagonist’s burgeoning independence. Post WWII, Aki’s family is finally released from an internment camp for Japanese Americans. Before they can start fresh, her older sister is killed in an accident-ruled-suicide — but Aki is determined to uncover the truth. “Clark and Division” is based on true events.
Runner
Tracy Clark2022 G.P. Putnam’s Sons Sue Grafton Memoriam Award Winner: The Sue Grafton Award honors novels in a series with an empathetic and tough female protagonist. “Runner” follows P.I. Cass Raines as she tries to find Ramona, a runaway teen, at the behest of both the teen’s foster and biological mothers. With a kind heart, Cass works to save Ramona from the bitter cold of Chicago and the nefarious actors trying to track her down. The first novel starring Cass, “Borrowed Time,” also won this award in 2020.
Please See Us
Caitlin Mullen2021 Best First Novel Winner: Jane Does 1 through 6 were found strangled to death in a marsh in Atlantic City, and a young psychic struggling to pay her rent and a failed artist-turned-spa-worker may be these women’s only hope at justice. In “Please See Us,” all the women’s sides of the story are told; they cannot be silenced, even after dying at the hands of dangerous men. Caitlin Mullen’s work is a powerful statement and a harsh look at Atlantic City’s crumbling facade.
Death in Mud Lick: A Coal Country Fight against the Drug Companies That Delivered the Opioid Epidemic
Death in Mud Lick: A Coal Country Fight against the Drug Companies That Delivered the Opioid Epidemic
Eric Eyre2021 Best Fact Crime Winner: This book about the opioid crisis in America is one of the most in-depth, society-shaking pieces of journalism in the 21st century. Author Eric Eyre won a Pulitzer Prize for his investigations into how so many West Virginians became addicted to opioids; in “Death in Mud Lick,” he covers the full story, from the pill-pushing agenda of drug companies to a small-town’s success fighting back.
Phantom Lady: Hollywood Producer Joan Harrison, the Forgotten Woman Behind Hitchcock
Christina Lane2021 Best Critical/Biographical Work Winner: Alfred Hitchcock’s career as a director is legendary and widely studied by cinephiles the world over. But as always, there’s a talented woman waiting in the wings of history for her due: Meet Joan Harrison, the protege and collaborator who helped build Hitchcock’s brand. In “Phantom Lady,” Harrison’s story as a writer-producer whose work shaped the horror genre finally takes the spotlight.
Premeditated Myrtle
Elizabeth C. Bunce2021 Best Juvenile Winner: Myrtle is only 12 years old, but she’s well on her way to becoming an amateur detective. When a mysterious death happens just next door, she’s determined to get to the bottom of it. This is the charming first book in the “Myrtle Hardcastle” series, offering a strong heroine to young readers.
The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne: A Mystery
Elsa Hart2021 Mary Higgins Clark Award Winner: This delightful period whodunnit is set in 1703, when science and intellectual curiosity had just begun to cross paths. When Lady Cecily Kay finally finds herself invited to the magnificent London home of collector Barnaby Mayne, she’s beside herself with excitement to explore his collection of rare plants. But he’s murdered at his own dinner party, and she’s thrust into the middle of a mystery that’s more complicated than it seems. The devil’s in the details, and Lady Kay has the skills of observance to get to the bottom of Mayne’s murder.
The Stranger Diaries
Elly Griffiths2020 Best Novel Winner: “The Stranger Diaries” is a delightfully chilling take on Gothic mysteries. An English teacher who loves Gothic writer R.M. Holland finds herself at the center of a real-life murder case, inspired by the fictional ones she loves. The perfect mixture of spooky, supernatural, and just plain horrifying.
Miracle Creek: A Novel
Angie Kim2020 Best First Novel Winner: An engrossing legal drama and psychological thriller about the challenges faced by parents of special needs children and immigrants alike. When a hyperbaric chamber treating many people with various conditions explodes and kills two, it’s immediately clear that someone blew it up on purpose. The novel shows different characters’ questionable perspectives throughout the murder trial. Author Angie Kim, once a trial lawyer herself, conveys the courtroom tension with expert skill.
The Hotel Neversink
Adam O'Fallon Price2020 Best Paperback Original Winner: More a series of interconnected short stories than a novel, with the titular Hotel Neversink as the starring character. It follows the rise and fall of the hotel’s fortunes through several decades, centered around a murder that took place on the premises. Take a grand tour of this once illustrious place to stay in the Catskills.
Cutting Edge: New Stories of Mystery and Crime by Women Writers
Joyce Carol Oates2020 Best Short Story Winner: “One of These Nights” by Livia Llewellyn earned the award and is featured in this collection focused on female writers of noir cutting down the patriarchy.
Me and Sam-Sam Handle the Apocalypse
Susan Vaught2020 Best Juvenile Winner: Author Susan Vaught is no stranger to the Edgar Awards, having already won for “Footer Davis Probably is Crazy.” “Me and Sam-Sam Handle the Apocalypse” follows Jesse Broadview as she tries to solve one of the worst crimes of all: Figuring out who stole the library’s funds. (Not the library!!) The story is also lauded for its fantastic portrayal of a character on the spectrum and her cute dog.
The Night Visitors: An Edgar Award Winner
Carol Goodman2020 Mary Higgins Clark Award Winner: Goodman’s novel was recognized for being “most closely written in the Mary Higgins Clark tradition.” On a snowy night, a mother and son escaping from an abusive man end up in the middle of the woods in yet another precarious situation.
Borrowed Time
Tracy Clark2020 G.P. Putnam's Sons Sue Grafton Memoriam Award Winner: P.I. Cass Raines, once a cop, is trying to get over a rough patch in her career, but she ends up taking on a tough case that was ruled an accidental death but some suspect was something more. Cass is set to be a big literary P.I. star.
Bearskin: An Edgar Award Winner
James A. McLaughlin2019 Best First Novel Winner: In this taut thriller, Rice Moore takes a job in a remote forest preserve in Virginia, only to come up against bears, poachers, and a cartel in his quest to stay alive. The vivid detail makes you feel like you’re right on the mountain with the bears and the bees and other critters. It won the Edgar for best first novel by an American author.
If I Die Tonight: An Edgar Award Winner
Alison Gaylin2019 Best Paperback Original Winner: Social media creates a much simpler narrative than meets the public eye in this Edgar winner for best paperback original. Told from multiple perspectives, there are plenty of secrets to reveal and twists to marvel at in this standalone psychological thriller about a once-upon-a-time pop star accusing a high school loner of carjacking and murder.
Tinderbox: The Untold Story of the Up Stairs Lounge Fire and the Rise of Gay Liberation
Tinderbox: The Untold Story of the Up Stairs Lounge Fire and the Rise of Gay Liberation
Robert W. Fieseler2019 Best Fact Crime Winner: Before the Pulse nightclub shooting in 2016, the biggest mass murder of the LGBTQ+ community in the U.S. was a little-known incident in New Orleans at the Up Stairs Lounge in 1973. Learn more about this flashpoint incident in this book.
Sadie: A Novel
Courtney Summers2019 Best Young Adult Winner: One of the most gripping, thought-provoking, and experimentally told stories of recent years, “Sadie” more than earned the award. A fierce young woman goes missing on her journey to find her sister’s killer, and a radio personality picks up her trail to create a popular podcast called “The Girls.” A heartrending thriller perfect for anyone addicted to the podcast “Serial.”
The Widows of Malabar Hill
Sujata Massey2019 Mary Higgins Clark Award Winner: Take a trip to 1920s Bombay with a memorable cast of characters, including Perveen Mistry, a lawyer who’s sure to join your list of favorite heroines.
Shell Game: A V.I. Warshawski Novel
Sara Paretsky2019 G.P. Putnam’s Sons Sue Grafton Memoriam Award Winner: “Shell Game” is the inaugural winner of the Sue Grafton Memorial Award, which is given to the best book in a series that has a female protagonist. Detective V.I. Warshawski investigates a case that’s very much of our modern times involving everyone from ISIS backers to ICE agents.
Sources
- Ghostly Presences in Addis Ababa: A Conversation with Maaza Mengiste
- 2020, Los Angeles Review of Books
- Colette Bancroft wins Mystery Writers of America award
- 2021, St. Pete Catalyst