Left Coast Crime "Lefty" Awards 2025

 

The Left Coast Crime "Lefty" Awards are fan awards chosen by registered members of the Left Coast Crime conventions since 1996. A ballot listing the official nominees is given to each registrant when they check in at the convention, and final voting takes place during the event, which this year takes place in Denver Colorado from March 13-16. 2025. The winners will be revealed at the Lefty Awards Banquet on Saturday, March 15th.

Lefty Nominees for Best Humorous Mystery Novel

A Very Woodsy Murder by Ellen Byron (Kensington Books) 

Ill-Fated Fortune by Jennifer J. Chow, (St. Martin’s Paperbacks)

Bronco Buster by A.J. Devlin, (NeWest Press)

Scotzilla by Catriona McPherson, (Severn House)

Cirque du Slay by Rob Osler, (Crooked Lane Books)

We Solve Murders by Richard Osman, (Pamela Dorman Books / Viking)

Lefty Nominees for Best Historical Mystery Novel (Bill Gottfried Memorial) for books covering events before 1970 

Hall of Mirrors by John Copenhaver, (Pegasus Crime)

A Killing on the Hill by Robert Dugoni, (Thomas & Mercer)

An Art Lover’s Guide to Paris and Murder by Dianne Freeman, (Kensington Books)

The Lantern’s Dance by Laurie R. King, (Bantam Books)

Death of a Flying Nightingale by Laura Jensen Walker, (Level Best Books / Historia)

Lefty Nominees for Best Debut Mystery Novel

Blue Ridge by Peter Malone Elliott, (Level Best Books)

Obey All Laws by Cindy Goyette, (Level Best Books)

The Mechanics of Memory  by Audrey Lee, (CamCat Books) 

Ghosts of Waikiki by Jennifer K. Morita, (Crooked Lane Books)

You Know What You Did by K.T. Nguyen,  (Dutton)

Lefty Nominees for Best Mystery Novel

Home Fires by Claire Booth, (Severn House)

Blessed Water by Margot Douaihy,  (Zando, Gillian Flynn Books)

Assassins Anonymous  by Rob Hart, (G.P. Putnam’s Sons)

Molten Death by Leslie Karst,  (Severn House)

Served Cold  by James L’Etoile, (Level Best Books)

California Bear by Duane Swierczynski,  (Mulholland Books)

Congratulations to this year's finalists:

Pinckley Prizes For Crime Fiction

 

Alafair Burke, Margot Douaihy, and Sascha Rothchild are the recipients of the Pinckley Prizes in Crime Fiction for 2022 and 2023. 

The prizes, named to honor the memory of Diana Pinckley, were presented on 22nd March in New Orleans. The Pinckley Prizes partner with the Women’s National Book Association of New Orleans, of which Diana Pinckley was a founding member.

Alafair Burke is the winner of the 2023 Pinckley Prize for Distinguished Body of Work. 

Burke is the New York Times, Edgar Award nominated author of twenty crime novels. Published in more than twenty languages, her books have been featured on “Best Book” lists from the Today Show, Entertainment Weekly, People, O (Oprah Magazine), The Boston Globe, Washington Post, Sun Sentinel, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and numerous other outlets. She has been called “a genius for plot” and “one of our greatest contemporary mystery writers.” She is the current President of Mystery Writers of America and the first woman of color to be elected to that position. In addition to the standalone novels that have earned her a reputation as “a virtuoso” of domestic suspense, she authors “two power house series” featuring NYPD Detective Ellie Hatcher and Portland Deputy District Attorney Samantha Kincaid. In addition to her own work, 

Alafair also co-authored the "Under Suspicion” series with Queen of Suspense Mary Higgins Clark. Alafair traces a lifelong fascination with crime to the fact that she grew up in Wichita, Kansas, where a serial killer was active during her formative years. In a world where the killer could be anyone, Alafair found comfort in crime fiction. Her mother, a school librarian, helped her navigate from Encyclopedia Brown to Nancy Drew to Agatha Christie and eventually to Sue Grafton.

Margot Douaihy is the winner of the 2023 Pinckley Prize for Debut Fiction for her lyrical crime novel Scorched Grace. The second book in the Sister Holiday Mystery series, Blessed Water, was released on 12 March 2024.

The judges selected Scorched Grace for the novel’s delightful new vision of the noir sleuth: Sister Holiday is lavishly tattooed and plays lead guitar in her punk band Original Sin. She also happens to be a novitiate in the order of the Sisters of the Sublime Blood. She came to New Orleans to make amends for her past transgressions and solves crimes along the way. Douaihy’s writing is playful, the language as luscious as the setting, while the true heart of the story emerges with blazing warmth and compassion for troubled souls.

Sascha Rothchild is the winner of the 2022 Pinckley Prize for Debut Novel for her first book Blood Sugar.

The 2023 judges were impressed with the smart plotting and distinctive voice of Sascha Rothchild's Blood Sugar. Its protagonist, Ruby Simon, is one of the most seductive of psychopaths—clever, self-justifying, and so inventive that the reader can't wait to see what she does next. Rothchild's screenwriting skills translate beautifully to this novel, which also rises to its Miami setting, from Ruby's South Beach days of clubbing to her practice as a therapist. And who wouldn't love a serial killer who meets her best friend when he leaves a note in her Abnormal Psych textbook? Fast, funny, and sharp, Blood Sugar is filled with memorable moments and characters.

 

International Thriller Awards Nominees Announced

 

The International Thriller Writers announced the Nominees for the Thriller Awards. 

BEST HARDCOVER NOVEL  

All The Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby (Flatiron Books) 

Her Deadly Game by Robert Dugoni (Thomas & Mercer) 

It's One of Us by J.T. Ellison (Harlequin – MIRA Books) 

The Secret Hours by Mick Herron (Soho Crime) 

Fixit by Joe Ide (Mulholland Books) 

The Drift by C.J. Tudor (Ballantine Books) 

 

BEST AUDIOBOOK 

The Peacock and the Sparrow by I.S. Berry (Atria) Narrated by Pete Simonelli 

The Last Orphan by Gregg Hurwitz (Macmillan) Narrated by Scott Brick 

The Housemaid's Secret by Freida McFadden (Bookouture) Narrated by Lauryn Allman 

The House of Wolves by James Patterson, Mike Lupica (Hachette Audio) Narrated by Ellen Archer 

Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum (Macmillan) Narrated by January LaVoy 

BEST FIRST NOVEL 

The Peacock and the Sparrow by I.S. Berry (Atria) 

The Golden Gate by Amy Chua (Minotaur) 

Scorched Grace by Margot Douaihy (Zando) 

Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder by Kerryn Mayne (Bantam Books) 

Perfect Shot: A Thriller by Steve Urszenyi (Minotaur) 

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL NOVEL 

Hide by Tracy Clark (Thomas & Mercer) 

The Paleontologist by Luke Dumas (Atria) 

The Spy Coast by Tess Gerritsen (Thomas & Mercer) 

To Die For by Lisa Gray (Thomas & Mercer) 

Cave 13: A Joe Ledger and Rogue Team International Novel by Jonathan Maberry (St. Martin’s Griffin) 

Call the Dark by J. Todd Scott (Thomas & Mercer) 

BEST SHORT STORY 

Slot Machine Fever Dreams by Chris Bohjalian (Amazon Original Stories) 

These Cold Strangers by J.T. Ellison (Amazon Original Stories) 

An Honorable Choice by Smita Harish Jain (Wildside Press) 

Rush Hour by Richard Santos (Akashic Books) 

Unknown Caller by Lisa Unger (Amazon Original Stories) 

One Night in 1965 by Stacy Woodson (Down & Out Books) 

BEST YOUNG ADULT NOVEL 

Red as Blood by Sorboni Banerjee, Dominique Richardson (Wolfpack Publishing LLC) 

Where He Can't Find You by Darcy Coates (Sourcebooks Fire) 

Where Echoes Die by Courtney Gould (Wednesday Books) 

Where Darkness Blooms by Andrea Hannah (Wednesday Books) 

Stateless by Elizabeth Wein (Little, Brown & Co.) 

BEST E-BOOK ORIGINAL NOVEL 

The Vulture Fund by Jeff Buick (Self-published) 

The Bigamist by Rona Halsall (Bookouture) 

A Good Rush of Blood by Matt Phillips (RunAmok Books) 

Close Her Eyes by Lisa Regan (Bookouture) 

The Killing Room by Robert Swartwood (Blackstone Publishing) 

The In-Laws by Laura Wolfe (Bookouture) 

Congratulations to all the nominated authors.

ITW will announce the winners at ThrillerFest XIX on Saturday, June 1, 2024 at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel, New York City.

Left Coast Crime "Lefty Award 2024" Award Nominations

 

Left Coast Crime 2024 will be presenting four Lefty Awards at our 34th annual convention, to be held this April in Bellevue, Washington: Humorous, Historical, Debut, and Best. The awards will be voted on at the convention and presented at a banquet on Saturday, April 13, at the Hyatt Regency in Bellevue. 

The Lefty nominees have been selected by convention registrants, and LCC is delighted to announce the 2024 Lefty Award nominees for books published in 2023:

Lefty for Best Humorous Mystery Novel. The nominees are:

Hot Pot Murder by Jennifer J. Chow (Berkley Prime Crime)

The Great Gimmelmans by Lee Matthew Goldberg (Level Best Books)

A Sense for Murder by Leslie Karst (Severn House)

Hop Scot by Catriona McPherson  (Severn House)

Dying for a Decoration by Cindy Sample (Cindy Sample Books)

Cheap Trills by Wendall Thomas (‎Beyond the Page Books)

Lefty for Best Historical Mystery Novel for books set before 1970 (The Bill Gottfried Memorial). The nominees are:

Night Flight to Paris by Cara Black (Soho Crime)

The Bitter Past by Bruce Borgos (Minotaur Books)

Death Among the Ruins by Susanna Calkins (Severn House)

A Newlywed’s Guide to Fortune and Murder by Dianne Freeman (Kensington)

Time’s Undoing by Cheryl A. Head (Dutton)

Evergreen by Naomi Hirahara (Soho Crime)

Lefty for Best Debut Mystery Novel. The nominees are:

Play the Fool by Lina Chern (Bantam)

Scorched Grace  by Margot Douaihy (Gillian Flynn Books)

Dutch Threat by Josh Pachter (Genius Book Publishing)

The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes  (Dutton)

Mother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon (William Morrow)

Lefty for Best Mystery Novel (not in other categories). The nominees are:

Hide by Tracy Clark, (Thomas & Mercer)

All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby (Flatiron Books)

Odyssey’s End by Matt Coyle (Oceanview Publishing)

Everybody Knows by Jordan Harper (Mulholland Books)

Face of Greed by James L’Etoile (Oceanview Publishing)

The Raven Thief by Gigi Pandian (Minotaur Books)

The Left Coast Crime Convention is an annual event sponsored by mystery fans, both readers and authors. Held in the western half of North America, LCC’s intent is to host an event where readers, authors, critics, librarians, publishers, and other fans can gather in convivial surroundings to pursue their mutual interests. Lefty Awards have been given since 1996.

In 2020, Left Coast Crime received the Raven Award from Mystery Writers of America, for “outstanding achievement in the mystery field outside the realm of creative writing.”

The 34th annual Left Coast Crime Convention will take place in Bellevue, Washington, April 11-14, 2024. This year’s Guests of Honor are authors Megan Abbott and Robert Dugoni. Fran Fuller is the Fan Guest of Honor, and author Wanda Morris will serve as Toastmaster.