New York Thrills!

The Shots Team haven’t been able to make Thrillerfest this year, but were delighted to see the results from the annual thriller awards from International Thriller Writers [ITW].

The awards were presented during a gala banquet and celebration held on Saturday, July 9 at the Grand Hyatt in New York City, the International Thriller Writers announced the winners of the 2011 Thriller Awards –

Best Hard Cover Novel:BAD BLOOD, John Sandford
Also nominated: The Reversal, by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown); Edge, by Jeffery Deaver (Simon & Schuster); The Burying Place, by Brian Freeman (Minotaur); and Skin, by Mo Hayder (Grove)

Best Paperback Original Novel:THE COLD ROOM, J.T. Ellison
Also nominated: Down Among the Dead Men, by Robert Gregory Browne (St. Martin’s); You Can’t Stop Me, by Max Allan Collins and Matthew Clemens (Pinnacle); Torn Apart, by Shane Gericke (Pinnacle); and The Venice Conspiracy, by John Trace (Hachette Digital)

Best First Novel:STILL MISSING, Chevy Stevens
Also nominated: The Things That Keep Us Here, by Carla Buckley (Random House); The Poacher’s Son, by Paul Doiron (Minotaur); The Insider, by Reece Hirsch (Berkley); and Drink the Tea, by Thomas Kaufman (Minotaur)

Best Short Story:THE GODS FOR VENGEANCE CRY, Richard Helms
Also nominated: “Second Wind,” by Mike Carey (from The New Dead: A Zombie Anthology, edited by Christopher Golden; St. Martin’s); “Blue on Black,” by Michael Connelly (The Strand Magazine); “Madeeda,” by Harley Jane Kozak (from Crimes By Midnight, edited by Charlaine Harris; Berkley); “Chasing the Dragon,” by Nicolas Kaufman (ChiZine Magazine); and “Long Time Dead,” by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins (The Strand Magazine)

Also receiving special recognition during the ThrillerFest VI Awards Banquet:
R.L. Stine, ThrillerMaster - in recognition of his legendary career and outstanding contributions to the thriller genre

Joe McGinniss, True Thriller Award
Karin Slaughter, Silver Bullet Award

The Shots team – pass their best regards to all the winners and the nominated.

Photo © Ali Karim 2007 Hyatt New York