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2008 AGATHA AWARDS

The Agatha Awards are literary awards for mystery and crime writers who write mystery novels in the traditional method exemplified by Agatha Christie. At an annual convention in Washington, D.C., the Agatha Awards are handed out by Malice Domestic Ltd, in five categories: Best Novel; Best First Mystery; Best Short Story; Best Non-Fiction; Best Children's/Young Adult Mystery.

Malice Domestic Ltd was established in 1989, and was incorporated as a corporation in 1992. It is governed by a volunteer board of directors.

According to them the genre for an Agatha novel is loosely defined as mysteries which contain no explicit sex or excessive gore or violence. It usually features an amateur detective, journalist, or an ordinary citizen, in a confined setting, with characters who know one another.

This years winners are:

BEST NOVEL
Louise Penny, Fatal Grace (St Martins $6.99).

BEST FIRST NOVEL
Hank Phillippi Ryan, Prime Time (Harlequin out of stock).

BEST NONFICTION
Jon Lellenberg, Daniel Stashower and Charles Foley, Arthur Conan Doyle: A Life in Letters (The Penguin Press $37.95).

BEST SHORT STORY
Donna Andrews, "A Rat's Tale," in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, (Sept/Oct 2007)

BEST JUVENILE
Sarah Masters Buckley, A Light in the Cellar (American Girl)

2008 EDGAR ALLAN POE AWARDS

The Edgar Allan Poe Awards (popularly called the Edgars), named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America. They honor the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction, television, film and theatre published or produced in the past year.

Wow, these awards underline how well our First Mystery Club succeeds in bringing members the best in mystery.

BEST NOVEL
John Hart, Down River (St Martins $24.95). Hart's King of Lies ($6.99) was a 2006 FMC Pick.

BEST FIRST NOVEL BY AN AMERICAN AUTHOR
Tana French, In the Woods ($14 Aug.). This was a 2007 FMC Pick. She comes to sign Likeness (Viking $24.95) on Aug. 1.

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL
Megan Abbott, Queenpin (Simon & Schuster $13). Abbott's Die a Little ($23) was a 2005 FMC Pick and Edgar nominee.

BEST FACT CRIME
Vincent Bugliosi, Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy (W.W. Norton and Company $49.95).

BEST CRITICAL/BIOGRAPHICAL
Jon Lellenberg, Daniel Stashower and Charles Foley, Arthur Conan Doyle: A Life in Letters (The Penguin Press $37.95).

BEST SHORT STORY
Susan Straight, "The Golden Gopher ' – Los Angeles Noir (Akashic $15), ed. by Denise Hamilton.