Terry's Crystal Ball: Who Will Win This Year's Edgar and Agatha Awards?
<em>LJ</em>'s predictions for the 2010 Edgar and Agatha Awards
By Teresa Jacobsen, Solano County Library, Fairfield, CA -- Library Journal, 04/08/2010
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2010 Edgar Awards: Best Novel
Six titles vie for best novel, counting down to April 29’s announcement. What do these titles have in common? Great stories—beyond that, it’s a wild mix of style, nationalities, and protagonists.- Gautreaux, Tim. The Missing ( Knopf). In the literary crime corner, a novel of redemption set on Mississippi River steamboats and in the New Orleans region at the end of World War I.
- George, Kathleen. The Odds (Minotaur: St. Martin’s). Like John Hart’s novel below, George’s Pittsburgh-based police procedural features children who’ve had to deal with too much. On LJ’s list of Best Mysteries of 2009, this series entry shines.
- Hart, John. The Last Child (Minotaur: St. Martin’s). Previous Edgar winner Hart (for Down River) exudes a strong sense of place with his coming-of-age story set in North Carolina.
- Huston, Charlie. The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death (Ballantine). An edgy, twisted tale of a Los Angeles–based trauma cleaner’s choices.
- Nesbø, Jo. Nemesis (HarperCollins). This hefty thriller with a deeply flawed detective (is there any other kind?) is fairly new to English-language readers. Starred reviews and that Scandinavian darkness make this noteworthy.
- Nunn, Malla. A Beautiful Place To Die (Atria: S. & S.). This debut procedural by an Australian screenwriter is set in 1952 South Africa. Her protagonist is an Englishman—and this is the first in a series—attempting to find the real story behind another police officer’s murder.
Will Win: A Beautiful Place To Die. It feels authentic, has compelling characters, and a dynamic story. Okay, female authors don’t usually win this category, nor do non-American authors. I’m going out on a limb; this panel of judges shortlisted this one and will love talking about it. Outside Chance: Nesbø’s Nemesis might get the nod.
2010 Edgar Awards: Best First Novel by an American Author
I can’t wait for the next book by each and every one of these nominees—there’s not a one-hit wonder in the bunch.
- Cristofano, David. The Girl She Used to Be (Grand Central). Cristofano’s intense novel about a Witness Protection Program victim scores high in the psychological drama department.
- Gruley, Bryan. Starvation Lake (Touchstone: S. & S.). A disgraced journalist returns and inadvertently becomes part of a cold case investigation.
- Gudenkauf, Heather. The Weight of Silence (MIRA: Harlequin). This debut is both suspenseful and poignant, with its cast of young characters. I admire its intricate plotting.
- Littlefield, Sophie. A Bad Day for Sorry. (Thomas Dunne: St. Martin’s). Littlefield’s series opener deserves all its buzz, with its gritty take on a serious topic, quirky characters, and a memorable protagonist.
- Locke, Attica. Black Water Rising (Harper: HarperCollins). Locke brings a screenwriter’s touch for dialog and pacing to her ambitious, Houston-based legal thriller.
- Pintoff, Stefanie. In the Shadow of Gotham (Minotaur: St. Martin’s). The lone historical in this group has drawn multiple starred reviews and comparisons to Caleb Carr. It’s also nominated for an Agatha.
2009 Agatha Awards: Best Novel
The Agatha Awards have more of a “People’s Choice” feel because all Malice Domestic attendees can vote on the ballot, which offers readers a fine spectrum of traditional mysteries. Winners will be announced at the Agatha Awards banquet May 1. - Andrews, Donna. Swan for the Money (Minotaur: St. Martin’s). Andrews is the Meryl Streep of this group with six nominations and one win thus far; will this tale of rose growers be the choice?
- Barrett, Lornal. Bookplate Special (Berkley Prime Crime). A cozy but issue-packed third series entry.
- Bowen, Rhys. Royal Flush (Berkley Prime Crime). Set in the early 1930s and featuring a penniless heiress, the third title in Bowen’s snappy new series features a can-do attitude that might resonate with readers in our current economic times.
- Penny, Louise. The Brutal Telling (Minotaur: St. Martin’s). Penny could easily win because her latest is stunning and starred everywhere. But she’s won for the last two years.
- Ryan, Hank Phillippi. Air Time (MIRA: Harlequin). This is also the third title in Ryan’s Charlotte McNally series, for which she won Best First Novel two years ago.
Will Win: Bowen for Royal Flush. The first-person wit coupled with an attentive eye for detail set in a decade that engages our interests will garner votes. Bowen is Toastmaster for this year’s event as well, and sentiment might provide the final votes for her. Outside Chance: Penny for The Brutal Telling.
2009 Agatha Awards: Best First Novel
So many moods, and yet they’re all mysteries in the traditional sense.
- Bork, Lisa. For Better, for Murder (Midnight Ink). Set against the promising backdrop of New York’s Finger Lakes region, this “Broken Vows” series launch mixes crime and romance.
- Bradley, Alan. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (Delacorte). Bradley’s best-selling debut has already scored a Dilys Award. Flavia, the precocious lead, captures the reader’s attention without being cloying.
- Cole, Meredith Posed for Murder (Minotaur: St. Martin’s). The chilling life-imitating-art plot involving a Brooklyn-based photographer already won the Minotaur/Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Mystery Novel competition.
- Duncan, Elizabeth. The Cold Light of Mourning (Minotaur: St. Martin’s). This tale about a bride murdered in her Wales village was also a winner of the Minotaur/Malice Domestic contest.
- Pintoff, Stefanie. In the Shadow of Gotham (Minotaur: St. Martin’s).With starred reviews and double nominations (Edgar and Agatha), will this be a winning historical in this category?
