Forthcoming Books from HarperCollins

 January 2025

Murder, jealousy, and deceit underscore three interlocking mysteries as Holmes and Watson take on a high profile case at Windsor Castle, a boy drowned in the Serpentine, and a crusading women’s rights activist who suspects a traitor in her organization. The cases send them into danger into locales as varied as the Palace itself, a dockland cannery, an arts and crafts atelier, and a Gypsy encampment. But is there peril underfoot as well – right at 221B Baker Street? The twisting, breathlessly plotted conjoined mysteries that Bonnie MacBird is known for provide a thrill ride that will delight Sherlockians worldwide. The Serpent Under is by Bonnie Macbird.

February 2025

Don't miss this award winning debut crime thriller set in Sheffield introducing DI Diana Walker: A grizzly murder has Diana questioning everything she knows, and secrets come to light that threaten to tear her world apart. Silence protects the victims… And the killer. When the dismembered body of a headmaster is found on the derelict site of a former school in Sheffield, DI Diana Walker finds herself chasing shadows. Faced with missing teachers, unreported crimes and silent witnesses, Diana is running out of leads. Her colleagues insist this is just another instance of gang violence, but Diana knows there’s something more. Something everyone’s too scared to talk about. With her reputation on the line, Diana is determined to find the truth. Her search for answers leads to Sheffield’s neglected underbelly, where she finds distrust, horrifying secrets and a whole new understanding of justice. The Day of The Roaring is by Nina Bhadreshwar.

Making a Killing is by Cara Hunter. In 2016, eight-year-old Daisy Mason vanished from her Oxford home. Her disappearance made the national press and the final culprit shocked everyone. DCI Adam Fawley remembers the case well, he arrested Daisy’s mother for murder himself. But her body was never found. Now, forensic evidence at a current murder scene calls the whole case into question. DCI Adam Fawley and the team are brought back in to investigate. And they all have one question on their minds. What really happened to Daisy Mason?

On an Island full of secrets. The truth lies in the dark. A gripping and atmospheric debut crime thriller set on an isolated Scottish island… A mysterious death On a small island off the coast of Scotland, an isolated community is grieving. Eighteen-year-old Alan Ferguson was found at the foot of the lighthouse – an apparent suicide. Two detectives trapped on an island. DIs Georgina Lennox and Richard Stewart are sent to investigate. But a raging storm keeps them trapped on the island for four days. And the locals don’t take kindly to mainlanders. A village full of suspects. As George and Ritchie question the island’s inhabitants, they discover a village filled with superstition and shrouded in secrets. But someone wants those secrets to stay buried. At any cost. The Wolf Tree is by Laura McCluskey.

March 2025

It’s the story everyone wants to hear.That spring night in South London, when Isabel and Edward’s lives were torn apart. The night Isabel learned that the worst things wait, just outside the door. The night Edward learned that he was powerless to stop them. The night they never talk about.When their attacker is caught, it's finally time to tell the story of that night. Not to the world. Or to the man who did it. But to each other. This is a story of murder. This is a story of survival. But most of all, this is a story of love. The Death of Us is by Abigail Dean. 

The bigger the star, the harder they fall. Johnny Klein, fallen ‘80s pop icon, thinks life is finally on the up. He’s basking in the luxury of the French Riviera – hoping his worst days are behind him. But when a man falls from a window to his death in London, Jonny is forced to confront the darkest corners of his fame. Thrust into a dangerous game of lies and betrayal, Jonny must uncover a deadly secret, before somebody else dies… The Fall is by Martin Kemp. 

April 2025

The Maid's Secret is by Nita Prose. Molly the maid is no stranger to secrets… She sees everything behind closed doors at the Regency Grand hotel: wiping away the dust and grime of guests passing through. But one secret lies much closer to home. An old trinket – a faux Fabergé egg – is revealed to be a precious antique during an appraisal at the hotel, making Molly a rags-to-riches sensation. But no sooner has the egg shown its value than it’s stolen: vanishing without a trace. Determined to crack the case of the missing Fabergé, Molly begins dusting for clues – uncovering a mystery that stretches deep into the past. For in the pages of a long-forgotten diary, written by her late gran, lie the secrets that could unlock all others – and only Molly holds the key…

The Burial is by Stig Abell. A beautiful landscape… It began as the project of a lifetime – a group of archaeologists, uncovering the remains of a Roman settlement on a beautiful hill in the glorious English countryside. A looming threat… But, the idyll is shattered when they begin receiving threatening letters. Former city detective Jake Jackson, now enjoying a quieter life in the local village, is pulled in to investigate. A killer closing in… Soon, threatening letters are the least of their problems, when a murderer strikes. And now the race is on for Jake to find them, before they kill again…

They raised me. Nurtured me. And lied about everything. Sadie’s childhood has always been shrouded in mystery. But there are three things she knows. She was raised by two aunts. She never knew her parents. She is convinced she was stolen. Cristy Ward, podcast host, is gripped by Sadie’s story. It’s perfect for her next true-crime investigation. Yet Sadie's aunt claims it’s all a fantasy.As the evidence begins to stack up, and the lies fall apart, they all could be in a lot more danger than they thought… Don't Believe A Word is by Susan Lewis. 

The Penthouse is by Catherine Cooper. Beneath the glamour dark secrets lurk. World famous singer Enola had it all – fame, fortune, and a breathtaking penthouse view. Then she vanished without a trace, leaving the band’s careers in ruins. Fifteen years on, the remaining members are reuniting for a series of concerts in Las Vegas. But when mysterious accidents plague them, some start to wonder if Enola is back for revenge. What happened all those years ago – and who really knows the truth?

There's a killer on the airwaves … and they're calling for you. Darkness looms over sunny Sidmouth, when an unsolved murder comes to the attention of late-night radio talk show host Edward Temmis. Recently sacked from his beloved job after a devastating tragedy, Edward is cast adrift – until he meets Stevie, whose grandmother, a devoted listener, died in a suspicious fire last year. Well, nobody hurts his listeners and helping Stevie might just give him the purpose he needs. Joined by his old fling, Kim, they discover Stevie's grandmother wasn't the only one of his listeners targeted – this is just the tip of the iceberg. But who is pursuing his ageing audience and why? And can Edward, Stevie and Kim get to the bottom of this mystery before it’s too late? Murder on Line One is by Jeremy Vine.

The Secret Room is by Jane Casey. A closed door. An impossible murder. 2:32 p.m. Wealthy, privileged Ilaria Cavendish checks into a luxury London hotel and orders a bottle of champagne. Within the hour, her lover discovers her submerged in a bath of scalding water, dead. At first glance it looks like an accident. No one went in with her. No one came out. But all the signs point to murder. For DS Maeve Kerrigan, the case is a welcome distraction. But when shock news hits close to home, affecting her partner, DI Josh Derwent, she faces the toughest challenge of her career. And if she fails her world will never be the same again…

'Hello Niklas Sockenberg. We hope you have been satisfied with our services during this time, which has now reached its end. You have 14 days, 1 hour and 12 minutes left to live' It is December in Stockholm and Sweden's Minister of Justice is under threat. An anonymous note has told him he has four days left to live. At the same time, a human skeleton is found in the Stockholm subway, belonging to a high-ranking financier. Police inspector Mina Dabiri's team, still recovering from the traumatic incident last summer that ended in the death of a colleague, calls in mentalist Vincent Walder to help with the case. For Vincent, it feels as if the world is increasingly closing in on him. When another pile of bones is found underground, the group is once again put to the test – what is going on in the tunnels deep under Stockholm? And who taunting the minister? Mirage is by Camilla Läckberg and Henrik Fexeus.

May 2025

South of Nowhere is by Jeffery Deaver. A small town in Northern California is at risk of being destroyed by a failing levee, and Colter Shaw has been hired to locate a family swept away by the raging water, with just mere hours to survive.But is the levee at risk of failing from natural causes or is someone sabotaging it? With the help of his sister, Dorion, the duo must save the citizens before the old town washes out at the hands of a secret conspirer.

England, 1598. Queen Elizabeth’s successor remains unnamed. The country teeters on a knife edge. When a young heiress is found murdered at the theatre, the Queen’s spymaster Robert Cecil calls upon former agent Sophia de Wolfe to investigate. A cryptic note found on the dead girl’s body connects to Sophia’s previous life as a spy, and her quest soon takes her into dangerous waters. Powerful enemies emerge, among them the Earl of Essex: the Queen’s favourite courtier and a man of ruthless ambition. This is a murder that reaches directly into the heart of the court. And Sophia is concealing a deep-buried secret of her own. She must uncover the truth before her past threatens to destroy her. Traitor's Legacy is by S J Parris

June 2025

A brutal murder. When a headless corpse washes up on the bank of the Thames, DCI Tannahill Khan knows this wasn’t accidental – the killer wanted the body found. This is just the beginning. A deadly warning The post mortem reveals a shocking discovery. Written on the dead man’s arm is Forensic Criminologist Dr Laughton Rees’ home address. A fatal game With her life in danger and more bodies washing up along the river, Laughton and Tannahill are in a race against time to stop the killer before Laughton’s own name reaches the top of his list. Dead Water is by Simon Toyne.

A Schooling in Murder is by Andrew Taylor. The isolated Monkshill Park boarding school seems a world away from the violence that has engulfed Europe. Yet its eerie ground have witnessed a murder. Annabel Warnock, a teacher with a checkered past, disappeared during the holidays. The teachers and girls assume she has left the school, but the truth is quite different. Her body is lying at the bottom of the Maiden’s Leap, along the dangerous and overgrown Gothic Walk. Annabel’s ghost is trapped at Monkshill, unable to move on whilst the mystery of hear death remains unsolved. Haunting the grounds and school, she discovers a hidden world – both students and staff are riven with deadly rivalries and dangerous tensions. Among them is her killer.

A Murder in Paris is by Matthew Blake. Then. On a dark night in 1945, the Hotel Lutetia in Paris was witness to a murder. Two women walked into the hotel, but only one left alive. The crime was forgotten to time; locked away in Room 11. Now. A confession reawakens a mystery with long, dangerous shadows. What really happened in the corridors of the Hotel Lutetia? It all comes back to Room 11 – and the people who would kill to keep its secrets…

Welcome to North Falls—a small town where everyone knows everyone. Or so they think. Until the night of the fireworks. When two teenage girls vanish, and the town ignites. For Officer Emmy Clifton, it’s personal. She turned away when her best friend's daughter needed help—and now she must bring her home. But as Emmy combs through the puzzle the girls left behind, she realizes she never really knew them. Nobody did. Every teenage girl has secrets. But who would kill for them? And what else is the town hiding? We are all Guilty Here is by Karin Slaughter.

The Countdown Killer is by Sam Holland. He's tracking people down one by oneAnd you're next on the list…A man murdered live on camera.When a DVD is delivered in the dead of night, DCI Cara Elliott hits play on a horrifying showreel of violence… This is death, on demand. A killer counter down. Avid viewers are paying for the killings, with twisted specifications. A request, an abduction, a murder. And always in a forty-eight-hour pattern. A missing detective. But when the killer finds out they’re being investigated, they reveal their next target. In forty-eight hours, a police officer will be the one in front of the camera. The hunters have become the hunted, and the clock is ticking…

Carnivore is by K. Anis. Ahmed. In New York’s high-end restaurant scene one chef will do anything, and cook anything, to come out on top. Kash owes a lot of money. His restaurant, specialising in exotic meats and catering to New York’s elite, was doing well. Then business dried up, and now Boris the loan shark wants his investment back. But Kash has a plan. There’s a rumour of a dinner club, hosted in turns by billionaires. Lots of ego, and lots of money. If Kash can get the gig, it would pay off Boris and then some. He will need to offer something new, something that five of the richest men on the planet will have never tasted before. Something entirely unprecedented … But Boris is done waiting. He kidnaps Kash, takes him to a warehouse and cuts off his finger. And this gives Kash an idea.

Books to Look Forward to From HarperCollins

 July 2021

The Mother Fault is by Kate Mildenhall. To keep her children safe, she must put their lives at risk … In suburban Australia, Mim and her two children live as quietly as they can. Around them, a near-future world is descending into chaos: government officials have taken absolute control, but not everybody wants to obey the rules. When Mim's husband Ben mysteriously disappears, Mim realises that she and her children are in great danger. Together, they must set off on the journey of a lifetime to find Ben. The government are trying to track them down, but Mim will do anything to keep her family safe - even if it means risking all their lives. Can the world ever return to normality, and their family to what it was?

Two women are found dead. Both had a secret. Both had a choice.. Artemis leaves the remote Greek island she grew up on to start a shiny new life in 1990s London with her British husband, a successful entrepreneur. Finally, she has escaped the ghosts of her past. Until she is found hanging from the stairs of her beautiful family home. Two decades later, the apparent suicide of an heiress uncannily mirrors Artemis' mysterious death. And when the ensuing investigation uncovers links to a criminal cartel, National Crime Agency officer Madeleine Farrow begins to pull apart the web of deceit surrounding the two women. The Second Woman is by Charlotte Philby and is a deeply unsettling, brilliantly gripping story of a family legacy built upon lies. Secrets can be suffocating... especially in the wrong hands.

The Cellist is by Daniel Silva. Viktor Orlov had a longstanding appointment with death. Once Russia's richest man, he now resides in splendid exile in London, where he has waged a tireless crusade against the authoritarian kleptocrats who have seized control of the Kremlin. His mansion in Chelsea's exclusive Cheyne Walk is one of the most heavily protected private dwellings in London. Yet somehow, on a rainy summer evening, in the midst of a global pandemic, Russia's vengeful president finally manages to cross Orlov's name off his kill list. Before him was the receiver from his landline telephone, a half-drunk glass of red wine, and a stack of documents.... The documents are contaminated with a deadly nerve agent. The Metropolitan Police determine that they were delivered to Orlov's home by one of his employees, a prominent investigative reporter from the anti-Kremlin Moskovskaya Gazeta. And when the reporter slips from London hours after the killing, MI6 concludes she is a Moscow Center assassin who has cunningly penetrated Orlov's formidable defenses. But Gabriel Allon, who owes his very life to Viktor Orlov, believes his friends in British intelligence are dangerously mistaken. His desperate search for the truth will take him from London to Amsterdam and eventually to Geneva, where a private intelligence service controlled by a childhood friend of the Russian president is using KGB-style "active measures" to undermine the West from within. Known as the Haydn Group, the unit is plotting an unspeakable act of violence that will plunge an already divided America into chaos and leave Russia unchallenged. Only Gabriel Allon, with the help of a brilliant young woman employed by the world's dirtiest bank, can stop it.

She is safe... Faye Adelheim deserves the life she has. After fleeing from a violent marriage, she has built her business into a global brand and is living in a beautiful villa in Italy with her daughter. Or so she thought... But Faye's life is turned upside down when her murderous ex-husband escapes from prison. Faye has no choice but to return home to confront him. This will be the fight of her life... Faye will do anything to keep her family safe. But when the dark secrets of her childhood come back to haunt her, she will have to battle like never before to stop her deepest fears from coming true...Silver Tears is by Camilla Lackberg.

What if your mother had been writing to a serial killer? A convicted murderer with a story to tell. Serial killer Michael Reave - known as The Red Wolf - has been locked in Belmarsh Prison for over 20 years for the brutal and ritualistic murders of countless women. A grieving daughter with a secret to unearth. Ex-journalist Heather Evans returns to her childhood home after her mother's inexplicable suicide and discovers something chilling - hundreds of letters between her mother and Reave, dating back decades. A hunt for a killer ready to strike againWhen the body of a woman is found decorated with flowers, just like his victims, Reave is the only person alive who could help. After years of silence, he will speak to Heather, and only Heather. If she wants to unearth the truth and stop further bloodshed, she'll have to confront a monster.  Dog Rose Dirt is by Jen Williams.

Agatha Christie's Midsummer Mysteries. An all-new collection of summer-themed mysteries from the master of the genre, just in time for the holiday season. Summertime - as the temperature rises, so does the potential for evil. From Cornwall to the French Riviera, whether against a background of Delphic temples or English country houses, Agatha Christie's most famous characters solve even the most devilish of conundrums as the summer sun beats down. Pull up a deckchair and enjoy plot twists and red herrings galore from the bestselling fiction writer of all time. INCLUDES THE STORIES: -The Blood-Stained Pavement, The Double Clue, A Death on the Nile, Harlequin's Lane, The Adventure of the Italian Nobleman, Jane in Search of a Job, The Disappearance of Mr Davenheim, The Idol House of Astarte, The Rajah's Emerald, The Oracle at Delphi, The Adventure of the Sinister Stranger, The Incredible Theft. 

I have killed several people (some brutally, others calmly) and yet I currently languish in jail for a murder I did not commit. When I think about what I actually did, I feel somewhat sad that nobody will ever know about the complex operation that I undertook. Getting away with it is highly preferable, of course, but perhaps when I'm long gone, someone will open an old safe and find this confession. The public would reel. After all, almost nobody else in the world can possibly understand how someone, by the tender age of 28, can have calmly killed six members of her family. And then happily got on with the rest of her life, never to regret a thing. A wickedly dark romp about class, family, love... and murder. How to Kill Your Family is by Bella Mackie. 

August 2021

Nick Miller is Central Division’s maverick Detective Sergeant. Disliked and distrusted by friends and foes, he works alone. He crosses the line. And he gets results. The Graveyard Shift… Nick Miller is new to the graveyard shift – the midnight hours when the driven and the desperate come out to play. Tonight Ben Garvald is out of prison. After nine years inside, he’s back in the old neighbourhood. Back to his remarried ex-wife. Back for revenge. Brought in Dead… Then after a fatal night out, a girl’s body is pulled from an isolated stretch of river. The last person to see her alive had enemies on both sides of the fence. Miller wants justice. But so does her father – with or without the law on his side. Hell Is Always Today… And the Rainlover. Whose victims are always women. Always at night when the streets are wet. He could be any one of a thousand men. Hounded by the public and the press, Miller needs to find him before he strikes again. It’s time to throw out the rule book in the line of duty. GRAVEYARD TO HELL. Jack Higgins’ gritty police saga set in the 1960s, first released as three short volumes and long out of print, is now reimagined as one gripping novel, packing a punch as only ‘The Legend’ of thriller fiction knows how.

September 2021

Meet Kenny Bond. A murderer. A gangster. A good family man. Kenny Bond is finally out of prison after doing a long stretch for killing a copper, and is determined to get back to life on the straight and narrow. He's got a lot of time to make up for, he's missed his beloved wife, Sharon, and his family is growing up fast. His son Donny might lack his father's edge but his twin grandsons, Beau and Brett - well, they are Bonds through and through. Like him, they won't let anyone stand in their way. Family comes before everything else for Kenny. There's nothing he won't do for them. But there are enemies from his past he can't shake off, and a family feud is brewing. Kenny's determined that nothing, and no one, will threaten his family. But can the Bond family stick together when someone's out to take them down? The Family Man is by Kimberley Chambers.

High-flying lawyer Jessica Wells has it all. A successful career, loving husband Tom and a family she adores. But one case - and one client - will put all that at risk. Edward Blake. An ordinary life turned upside down - or a man who quietly watched television while his wife was murdered upstairs? With more questions than answers and a case too knotted to unravel, Jay suspects he's protecting someone... Then she comes home one day and her husband utters the words no-one ever wants to hear. Sit down... because I've got something to tell you.... Now Jay must fight not only for the man she defends, but for the man she thought she trusted with her life - her husband. I Have something to Tell You is by Susan Lewis.

This annual anthology of rare stories of crime and suspense brings together tales from the Golden Age of Detective Fiction for the first time in book form, including a short novel by Christianna Brand. Mystery stories have been around for centuries-there are whodunits, whydunits and howdunits, including locked-room puzzles, detective stories without detectives, and crimes with a limited choice of suspects. Countless volumes of such stories have been published, but some are still impossible to find: stories that appeared in a newspaper, magazine or an anthology that has long been out of print; ephemeral works such as plays not aired, staged or screened for decades; and unpublished stories that were absorbed into an author's archive when they died . . .Here for the first time are three never-before-published mysteries by Edmund Crispin, Ngaio Marsh and Leo Bruce, and two pieces written for radio by Gladys Mitchell and H. C. Bailey-the latter featuring Reggie Fortune. Together with a newly unearthed short story by Ethel Lina White that inspired Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes, and a complete short novel by Christianna Brand, this diverse mix of tales by some of the world's most popular classic crime writers contains something for everyone. Complete with indispensable biographies by Tony Medawar of all the featured authors, the fourth volume in the series Bodies from the Library once again brings into the daylight the forgotten, the lost and the unknown. Bodies From the Library 4.

October 2021

Judas 62 is the second book in Charles Cumming's gripping new thriller series surrounding BOX 88 - a covert intelligence organization that operates beneath the radar. A young spy in one of the most dangerous places on Earth... 1993: Student Lachlan Kite is sent to post-Soviet Russia in the guise of a language teacher. In reality, he is there as a spy. Top secret intelligence agency BOX 88 has ordered Kite to extract a chemical weapons scientist before his groundbreaking research falls into the wrong hands. But Kite's mission soon goes wrong and he is left stranded in a hostile city with a former KGB officer on his trail. An old enemy looking for revenge... 2020: Now the director of BOX 88 operations in the UK, Kite discovers he has been placed on the 'JUDAS' list - a record of enemies of Russia who have been targeted for assassination. Kite's fight for survival takes him to Dubai, where he must confront the Russian secret state head on... Who will come out on top in this deadly game of cat and mouse?

Over My Dead Body is by Jeffrey Archer. In London, the Metropolitan Police have set up a new Unsolved Murders Unit – a cold case squad – to catch the criminals nobody else can. Four victims. Four cases. All killers poised to strike again. In Geneva, millionaire art collector Miles Faulkner – convicted of forgery and theft – was pronounced dead two months ago. So why is his unscrupulous lawyer still representing a dead client? And who is the mysterious man his widow is planning to marry? On board luxury cruise liner the Alden, a wealthy clientele have signed up for the opulence and glamour of a trans-Atlantic voyage. But the battle for power at the heart of a wealthy dynasty is about to turn to murder. And at the heart of all three investigations lies Detective Chief Inspector William Warwick, rising star of the Met. Only Warwick's genius for deductive reasoning, his fierce intelligence and his occasionally rash bravery – combined with that of ex-undercover operative Ross Hogan, reluctantly brought in from the cold – can bring the criminals to justice, and put his nemesis behind bars. But can they catch the killers before it's too late?

The Cult is by Abby Davies. Thirty years ago, in the English countryside, a commune was set up. Led by Uncle Saviour, it was supposed to be a place of love, peace and harmony. But what started out as paradise turned into hell. A shocking abduction... Now, two young children have vanished from their home in the middle of the night. Their parents are frantic, the police are at a loss. A twisting case...DI Ottoline is leading the search - her only clue a mask found in the woods. Could the key lie in events that took place decades ago, when a dream of a new way of life became something far more sinister?

November 2021

A woman living alone in Manhattan wakes up to find that items in her apartment have moved during the night. Someone has broken into her flat and, worse than that, there are signs they have stayed to watch her sleep... Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs are asked by City Hall to lead the investigation into this new and dangerous criminal: He calls himself the 'Locksmith', and can break through any lock or security system ever devised. But their hunt is interrupted when a police investigation uncovers a crucial mistake in one of Rhyme's old cases. Fired as a consultant for the NYPD, he risks jail if the police discover he's still investigating the Locksmith. Rhyme and his team must work in secret to untangle the web of forensic evidence that stands between the criminal and justice. The Midnight Lock is by Jeffrey Deaver,

Forensic pathologist Kay Scarpetta has returned to Virginia as the chief medical examiner. She and her husband Benton are headquartered five miles from the Pentagon, in a post-pandemic world that's been torn apart by civil and political unrest. Just weeks into the job, Scarpetta is called to investigate a woman's body which has been shockingly displayed on railroad tracks. As Scarpetta follows the trail, it leads unnervingly close to her own neighbourhood... At the same time, two scientists are found dead in a top-secret laboratory in outer space. Scarpetta is summoned to the White House Situation Room and tasked with finding out what happened. But even as she's working the first crime scene in space from the ground, an apparent serial killer strikes again. And this time, Scarpetta could be in greater danger than ever before... Autospy is by Patricia Cornwell.

2021 Edgar Allan Poe Award Winners

 

Mystery Writers of America is proud to announce the Winners for the 2021 Edgar Allan Poe Awards, honoring the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction and television published or produced in 2020. The Edgar® Awards were presented via a live presentation on Zoom and can be found here: YouTube or Facebook

BEST NOVEL

Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara (Penguin Random House – Random House)

BEST FIRST NOVEL BY AN AMERICAN AUTHOR

Please See Us by Caitlin Mullen (Simon & Schuster – Gallery Books)

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL

When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole (HarperCollins Publishers – William Morrow)

BEST FACT CRIME

Death in Mud Lick: A Coal Country Fight Against the Drug Companies that Delivered the Opioid Epidemic by Eric Eyre (Simon & Schuster – Scribner)

BEST CRITICAL/BIOGRAPHICAL

Phantom Lady: Hollywood Producer Joan Harrison, the Forgotten Woman Behind Hitchcock by Christina Lane (Chicago Review Press)

BEST SHORT STORY

“Dust, Ash, Flight,” Addis Ababa Noir by Maaza Mengiste (Akashic Books)

BEST JUVENILE

Premeditated Myrtle by Elizabeth C. Bunce (Workman Publishing – Algonquin Young Readers)

BEST YOUNG ADULT

The Companion by Katie Alender (Penguin Young Readers – G.P. Putnam’s Sons BFYR)

BEST TELEVISION EPISODE TELEPLAY

“Episode 1, Photochemistry” – Dead Still, Written by John Morton (Acorn TV)

ROBERT L. FISH MEMORIAL AWARD

“The Bite,” Tampa Bay Noir by Colette Bancroft (Akashic Books)

* * * * * *

THE SIMON & SCHUSTER MARY HIGGINS CLARK AWARD

The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne by Elsa Hart (Minotaur Books)

THE G.P. PUTNAM’S SONS SUE GRAFTON MEMORIAL AWARD

Vera Kelly Is Not a Mystery by Rosalie Knecht (Tin House Books)

Congratulations to all the nominated authors and winners.  The complete list of nominated authors can be found here.

Congratulations also go to Charlaine Harris and Jeffery Deaver who were named Grandmasters.

MWA Announces the 2021 Grand Masters

Today Mystery Writers of America (MWA) announces the recipients of its special awards. The board chose Charlaine Harris and Jeffery Deaver as the 2021 Grand Masters, and the 2020 Raven Award recipient is Malice Domestic. They will receive their awards at the 75th Annual Edgar Awards Ceremony, which will be held April 29, 2021. 

"Mystery Writers of America is thrilled to honour Jeffery Deaver and Charlaine Harris as MWA's 2021 Grand Masters," said MWA President Meg Gardiner. "Over the course of decades, Deaver and Harris have gripped tens of millions of readers while broadening the reach of the genre with transformative books—notably, Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme series, and Harris's Sookie Stackhouse novels—and while generously encouraging and supporting fellow writers and the reading public. We're delighted to recognize their achievements."

MWA's Grand Master Award represents the pinnacle of achievement in mystery writing and was established to acknowledge important contributions to this genre, as well as for a body of work that is both significant and of consistent high quality. Jeffery Deaver has published more than forty novels since the early 1990's, including two series besides the Lincoln Rhyme novels, numerous stand-alone and short story collections.  On being notified of the honor, Deaver said, "When I was a (relatively) young writer new to this business of penning novels, many years ago, the first professional organization I joined was Mystery Writers of America. Signing on felt to me like coming home—being welcomed into a community of fellow authors willing to share their expertise and offer support in a profession that was largely, well, a 'mystery' to me. Besides, how could I not join? MWA was the real deal; for proof, one had only to look at those in the ranks of the Grand Masters: Agatha Christie, Rex Stout, Ellery Queen, James M. Cain . . . and so many others whose works populated my bookshelves. Yet it never once occurred to me, in all my years as a member and my two terms as president, that I might be invited into those very ranks. I wish to express by boundless gratitude to MWA for this honor, which stands, without question, as the high point of my career."

Charlaine Harris has published 13 novels in the Southern Vampire series (adapted into the popular HBO series True Blood), which proved so popular that at one point her novels took half of the top ten slots on New York Times' bestseller list. Her other series include the Aurora Teagarden novels, the Lily Bard (Shakespeare) books, the Midnight Texas trilogy (adapted for television) and numerous others, as well as several standalones. Harris said, "This is like winning the lottery and the Pulitzer Prize in one day. I am so honored and thrilled to join the ranks of revered writers who are Grand Masters. I thank the MWA Board from the bottom of my heart."

Previous Grand Masters include Barbara Neely, Martin Cruz Smith, William Link, Peter Lovesey, Walter Mosley, Lois Duncan, James Ellroy, Robert Crais, Ken Follett, Martha Grimes, Sara Paretsky, James Lee Burke, Sue Grafton, Stephen King, Mary Higgins Clark, Lawrence Block, P.D. James, Ellery Queen, Daphne du Maurier, Alfred Hitchcock, Graham Greene, and Agatha Christie, to name a few.

The Raven Award recognizes outstanding achievement in the mystery field outside the realm of creative writing. For 2021, Mystery Writers of America selected the Malice Domestic mystery conference, founded in 1989 and held every spring since. Malice Domestic focuses primarily on traditional mysteries, their authors and fans, and also presents the Agatha Awards, with six categories. "Who says Friday the 13th is an unlucky day?" said Verena Rose, currently chair of the Malice Domestic Board of Directors. "Certainly, not me. This morning I received a call from Greg Herren, Executive Vice President of Mystery Writers of America, letting me know that Malice Domestic has been selected to receive the Raven Award in 2021. What an absolutely, amazing surprise and as the Chair, I can't wait to give my fellow Board members the news. This is an honor we are beyond thrilled to receive." Previous Raven winners include Left Coast Crime, Marilyn Stasio, Kristopher Zgorski, Dru Ann Love, Raven Bookstore in Lawrence, Kansas, Sisters in Crime, Margaret Kinsman, Kathryn Kennison, Aunt Agatha's Bookstore in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Oline Cogdill, The Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego, Centuries & Sleuths Bookstore in Chicago, Once Upon a Crime Bookstore in Minneapolis, Mystery Lovers Bookstore in Oakmont, PA, Kate's Mystery Books in Cambridge, MA, and The Poe House in Baltimore, MD.

The Edgar Awards, or "Edgars," as they are commonly known, are named after MWA's patron saint Edgar Allan Poe and are presented to authors of distinguished work in various categories. MWA is the premier organization for mystery writers, professionals allied to the crime-writing field, aspiring crime writers, and those who are devoted to the genre. The organization encompasses some 3,000 members including authors of fiction and non-fiction books, screen and television writers, as well as publishers, editors, and literary agents. For more information on Mystery Writers of America, please visit the website: www.mysterywriters.org

                                                                                                                                                                            

NY's Thrillerfest 2020: A Virtual Event in your Lounge

We were talking with thriller writer [and Executive Director of International Thriller Writers ITW’s annual conference THRILLEFEST], KJ Howe, following all this COVID-19, business.

With many gatherings cancelled, postponed et al, including this summer’s Thrillerfest, Kim Howe and her ITW colleagues decided to put on a virtual event

Firstly, CRAFTFEST, an online series of events, that can be ‘ZOOM-ed’ for the amateur and professional thriller writer. Secondly, the THRILLERFEST event for Thriller Fiction enthusiast, and a whole lot more.

So over to Kim -

Due to the pandemic this year, we’ve cancelled the in-person ThrillerFest Conference at the Grand Hyatt in New York City this July. The health and safety of our attendees is our top priority.

But we have fantastic news! We are offering a virtual conference so our attendees can remain safe in the comfort of their homes yet still participate in the learning and camaraderie that is the hallmark of the annual conference of the International Thriller Writers. No travel, no hotel stay, but an even more extensive array of bestselling ITW authors who can help you polish your thrillers and top drawer New York agents and editors to whom you can pitch—along with attractive prices!

We have an outstanding array of guests and publishing professionals, with this year’s event including a Free Debut Authors’ Presentation, Free ITW Author Videos, and a Free Awards Presentation.

Our Mega CraftFest, Master Class, Pitching Sessions, Consulting Sessions, and CareerFest will all be offered this July.

Read More for Details and Registration HERE

There are many within the crime and thriller community, helping provide content for ITW that can be viewed, interacted with, and debated for this event. I was flattered to be asked by author and ITW Technical Bloke Jeff Ayers to participate. I enjoyed recording amusing and insightful sessions with award-winning authors Michael Robotham in Sydney, Australia, as well as Jeffery Deaver, in North Carolina - while seated in England. Both authors [as well as many others] generously shared their insight into the writing and publishing process that surrounds the Thriller Narrative for Virtual Thrillerfest 2020.

I couldn’t believe it was the 15^th year of ITW’s Thrillerfest, as I recalled the first event held in Arizona in 2006, and the incredible time when Mike Stotter and I attended the sophomore event in 2007, in New York, having a lot of fun HERE and HERE

So if you want an escape from lockdown, and you’re having a bad hair day, then why not head off to Thrillerfest this July, from the safety of your armchair.

The wearing of a Kevlar Facemask, during these virtual sessions remains optional.