The Mystery Writers of America (MWA) announced the winners of the 80th annual Edgar Allan Poe Awards on Wednesday night in New York City, per crimereads.com.
Robert Crais secured the prestigious Best Novel prize for The Big Empty, while Jakob Kerr’s Dead Money was named Best First Novel by an American Author in a ceremony celebrating the year’s finest achievements in mystery and crime fiction.
The literary honours were distributed across several categories, highlighting both established veterans and emerging voices. In the paperback original category, Vikki Wakefield took the top spot for The Backwater. The non-fiction prize, Best Fact Crime, was awarded to Caroline Fraser for Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers, while Richard Kopley’s Edgar Allan Poe: A Life won for Best Critical/Biographical work.
Short-form fiction and media were also recognised, with Dave Zeltserman winning Best Short Story for “Julius Katz Draws a Straight Flush”. In television, Dan Fogelman received the Best Teleplay award for the pilot episode of Paradise. The youth categories saw wins for Tiffany D. Jackson’s Blood in the Water in the juvenile division and Libba Bray’s Under the Same Stars for young adult fiction.
Special honorary awards were presented to Lee Child and Donna Andrews, who were both named MWA Grand Masters for their lifelong contributions to the genre. Additional specialty prizes included the Mary Higgins Clark Award for Hank Phillippi Ryan’s All This Could Be Yours and the Sue Grafton Memorial Award, which went to Joanna Schaffhausen for Gone in the Night.
The Robert L. Fish Memorial Award for a debut short story was presented to Billie Kay Fern for “How It Happened”, published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. Meanwhile, Gwen Florio’s A Senior Citizen’s Guide to Life on the Run secured the Lillian Jackson Braun Memorial Award.
Established in 1946, the Edgar Awards are widely considered the most prestigious honours in the mystery genre. The 80th anniversary comes at a time of significant growth for crime writing, which continues to dominate global bestseller lists and streaming adaptations.
