Who Let the Edgars Out?

Last night I was in New York, celebrating with authors and agents at the 61st annual Edgar Allan Poe Awards dinner. Tonight, I’m in a hotel room in L.A., awaiting tomorrow’s opening of the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. Whew!

But before moving on, I wanted to offer a few thoughts and observations on Thursday night’s Edgars gala:

• The most telling and honest moment of the evening for me was the speech accepting the Mystery Writers of America’s 2007 Best Novel award. The winner: Jason Goodwin for The Janissary Tree. However, it wasn’t Goodwin addressing the crowd; instead, it was his Farrar, Straus and Giroux editor, Sarah Crichton. She stated that the author wasn’t in attendance, “because the publisher was too cheap to pay for his airfare” from England. In fact, FSG didn’t believe the novel had the legs to win this award. Whoops.

• Disbelief seemed to be prevalent at the ceremony. New York Times reporter Alex Berenson accepted his award for Best First Novel by an American Author after exclaiming that he hadn’t prepared a speech because he didn’t think his book, The Faithful Spy, had a chance of winning--due to the fact that, though exceptional, “it’s a spy novel.” I was glad to see that any assumption that thrillers don’t win Edgars (but must instead wait for recognition by the International Thriller Writers or some other organization) was dispelled last night.

• So many gorgeous women made it to the Edgars banquet. Twist Phelan, Mystery Scene’s Kate Stine, and Angela Zeman at my table looked beautiful. Going around the room prior to the awards presentations, I chatted with Sarah Weinman, Carol Fitzgerald, Rosanne Coleman, and photographer Mary Reagan--all stunning.

• Members of the BBC America contingent were vocal and energetic supporters of their nominated shows. Loud shouts were heard when Life on Mars, Episode 1, with teleplay by Matthew Graham, was acclaimed as the Best Television Episode Teleplay. And even though they didn’t win the second TV Edgar, Best Television Feature/Mini-Series Teleplay (that went instead to The Wire, Season 4), I spied several BBCers standing and applauding the Home Box Office victory. Summing up The Wire’s well-deserved win, presenter Alafair Burke, referring to that series’ Season 4 screenwriters--Ed Burns, Kia Corthron, Dennis Lehane, David Mills, Eric Overmyer, George Pelecanos, Richard Price, David Simon, and William F. Zorzi--said: “With so many writers like these, how can it not be good?” A small side story here: There were three judges selecting the recipient of this particular award--Burke, Sean Doolittle, and chair Thomas H. Cook. When I lunched with Doolittle in Omaha, Nebraska, last February, I tried to get him to reveal the winner. But he wouldn’t divulge so much as a clue.

• The presentation by Stephen King (who was also receiving the MWA’s 2007 Grand Master Award) was funny. After fellow novelists Ridley Pearson and Dave Barry delivered a sort-of roast to the master of mystery and the macabre (“He was the bestselling author of all time, until J.K. Rowling came along”), they departed by introducing the evening’s best-known guest of honor--except that instead of King appearing on stage, out came Donald Westlake. Westlake (whose latest novel is What’s So Funny?) proceeded to say a few words. He described himself as the only one fatuous enough, and egotistical enough, to dare present the Grand Master Award to the master storyteller. As Westlake left, King finally took the stage.

• Speaking of funny, I really had no idea that the Today show’s Al Roker possessed such a sense of humor. After James L. Swanson accepted the Best Fact Crime award for Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer, weatherman Roker asked if the author was going to “jump off the stage.”

• And speaking of funny: After the head on one of the Edgar statuettes suddenly broke off, somebody on stage (I forget who now) remarked, “Man, Stephen King is good.” (Though I heard that the horror author was not around at the time, having left soon after collecting his award.)

• While we’re on the subject of humorous incidents, let’s not forget about Jason Starr presenting the Edgar for Best Motion Picture Screenplay (won by William Monahan for The Departed) and introducing his debonair co-presenter, Lee Child, as “James Bond”; or Naomi Hirahara remarking, after accepting her Best Paperback Original award for Snakeskin Shamisen, that her mother was waiting upstairs in the hotel room. “She doesn’t want to come, unless I win,” Hirahara explained. “I guess I have to go get her.”

• How fantastic was it to see Hard Case Crime’s Charles Ardai accept the Best Short Story award for “The Home Front,” which appeared in the Harlan Coben-edited anthology, Death Do Us Part? All five contenders in that category were brilliant, so the winning nod was a tough choice--but so deserved.

• And the perfect ending for me: Kate Stine telling me that my article about hard-boiled poetry in the forthcoming edition of Mystery Scene magazine was shipped today. It ain’t an Edgar, but hey ...

Congratulations to all of last evening’s winners and nominees.

READ MORE: “Jason Goodwin: The Janissary Tree,” by Michael Allen (Grumpy Old Bookman).