Shamus Nominees

The Private Eye Writers of America (PWA) yesterday announced the nominees for the 28th annual Shamus Awards, given annually to recognize outstanding achievement in private eye fiction. Previous winners include Harlan Coben, Michael Connelly, Robert Crais, Sue Grafton, Laura Lippman, Bill Pronzini and many more acclaimed authors. Here's your list of 2009 nominees:

Best Hardcover

• Salvation Boulevard by Larry Beinhart (Nation Books), featuring Carl Vanderveer
• Empty Ever After by Reed Farrel Coleman (Bleak House Books), featuring Moe Prager
• The Blue Door by David Fulmer (Harcourt), featuring Eddie Cero
• The Price of Blood by Declan Hughes (Wm. Morrow), featuring Ed Loy
• The Ancient Rain by Domenic Stansberry (St. Martins Minotaur) featuring Dante Mancuso

Best First PI Novel

• Stalking Susan by Julie Kramer (Doubleday), featuring Riley Spartz
• Swann’s Last Song by Charles Salzberg (Five Star), featuring Henry Swann
• The Eye of Jade by Diane Wei Liang (Simon & Schuster), featuring Mei Wang
• In the Heat by Ian Vasquez (St. Martins Minotaur), featuring Miles Young
• Veil of Lies by Jeri Westerson (St Martins Minotaur), featuring Crispin Guest

Best Paperback Original

• Snow Blind by Lori Armstrong (Medallion) featuring Julie Collins
• Shot Girl by Karen Olson (Obsidian) featuring Annie Seymour
• The Stolen by Jason Pinter (MIRA) featuring Henry Parker
• The Black Hand by Will Thomas (Touchstone/Simon &Schuster) featuring Cyrus Barker and Thomas Llewelyn.
• The Evil That Men Do by Dave White (Crown/Three Rivers Press) featuring Jackson Donne

Best Short Story

• “Family Values” by Mitch Alderman (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, June 2008), featuring Bubba Simms
• “Last Island South” by John C. Boland. (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Sep/Oct 2008), featuring Meggie Trevor
• “The Blonde Tigress” by Max Allan Collins (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, June 2008), featuring Nate Heller
• “Discovery” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Nov 2008), featuring Pita Cárdenas
• “Panic on Portage Path” by Dick Stodghill (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Jan/Feb 2008), featuring Jack Eddy and Bram Geary.

The awards will be presented at the PWA banquet on October 16 during the Bouchercon Convention. For tickets, contact PWA founder, Robert J. Randisi, [email protected].

Congrats, all!