The Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) announced the shortlists for the prestigious CWA Dagger awards. The ten Daggers awarded annually by the CWA are regarded by the publishing world as the foremost British awards for crime-writing. The winners will be announced at the Dagger Award ceremony at the Grange City Hotel, London, on October 24, when Robert Goddard will also be presented with the 2019 Diamond Dagger for lifetime achievement, the highest honour in British crime writing. Shots Magazine has a handy reference of all the finalists.
The International Association of Crime Writers, North America announced the winner of this year's Dashiell Hammett Award for Literary Excellence in Crime Writing, this year dedicated to the late longtime Executive Director Mary A. Frisque. The winning novel was November Road by Lou Berney, with the other finalists including William Boyle's The Lonely Witness; Robert Olen Butler's Paris in the Dark; Lisa Unger's Under My Skin; Sam Wiebe's Cut You Down.
The finalists for the Macavity Awards, nominated by members of Mystery Readers International, subscribers to Mystery Readers Journal and friends of MRI, were announced with winners to be handed out at opening ceremonies at Bouchercon in Dallas, TX, October 31. For all the nominees for Best Novel, Best First Novel, Best Nonfiction, Best Short Story, and the Sue Feder Memorial Award for Best Historical Mystery, head on over to the Mystery Fanfare website.
The Australian Crime Writers Association has released the longlist for the 2019 Ned Kelly Awards, with winners to be announced September 6 during the BAD Sydney Crime Writers Festival. To see the nominated titles in all three categories (Best Fiction, Best First Novel, and Best True Crime), follow this link.
The finalists for the 2019 Library of Virginia Literary Award were announced, including Bearskin by James A. McLaughlin, which also won the Edgar Award for Best Debut Novel.
Romance Writers of America announced the winners of the 2019 RITA Awards, including the Romantic Suspense category. The winner was Fearless by Elizabeth Dyer, with the other finalists including The Bastard's Bargain by Katee Robert; Before We Were Strangers by Brenda Novak; Consumed by J. R. Ward; Cut and Run by Mary Burton; Reckless Honor by Tonya Burrows; and Relentless by Elizabeth Dyer.
The Capital Crime festival announced the Amazon Publishing Readers Awards Shortlist, including in the Best Mystery, Best Thriller, and Best Crime Novel categories. Capital Crime festival pass holders will be able to vote for the winner in each category through 19th September. The winners of the awards will be announced at the festival on Saturday 26th September at a gala reception that marks the close of the event.
Sad news from the crime fiction community this past weekend: mystery author Sarah Andrews, her husband, and her son were killed in a plane crash in Nebraska. Andrews was a geologist who wrote 11 mysteries about forensic geologist Em Hansen. She also lectured part-time in the Geology Department at Sonoma State University and at public events and geological symposia. Andrews was 68. (HT to Mystery Fanfare)
Three articles of note from the New York Times (subscription required): They asked 13 Novelists, From Lee Child to Ruth Ware, "What’s the Best Murder You Ever Wrote?" (Karin Slaughter killed a character with antifreeze; Peter Swanson used cashews and a missing EpiPen); also, "What if Hercule Poirot Went Sleuthing on the L Train?" where Ali Fitzgerald imagines Agatha Christie’s famous detective on a hunt for clues through the New York City subways; and a listing of true-crime stories and books from every state.
For fans of forensics and true crime comes a tale with a bittersweet ending: using DNA, genealogists finally confirmed the identity of the "Belle in the Well," a mysterious woman found strangled 38 years ago.
This week's crime poem at the 5-2 is "Intuders in Akumal" by Clarinda Harriss.
In the Q&A roundup, The Bookseller had "Seven Questions" for David Baldacci; and over at the Mystery People blog, Billy Kring interviewed Stephen Hunter about his latest Bob Lee Swagger book, Game Of Snipers; Matthew McBride also sat down for a chat about his latest book, The End Of The Ocean, which takes place in Bali with an American who falls for an island woman and gets recruited by a drug-smuggling ring—in a country where drug trafficking is punishable by death.
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