Winners and ... Well, Not So Much Winners

Recipients of the 19th annual Lambda Literary Awards were announced last evening in 25 categories, including two of specific interest here. Best Lesbian Mystery: The Art of Detection, by Laurie R. King (Bantam) Also nominated: Sleep of Reason, by Rose Beecham (Bold Strokes); Night Vision, by Ellen Hart (St. Martin’s Minotaur); Idaho Code, by Joan Opyr (Bywater Books); and The Weekend Visitor, by Jessica Thomas (Bella Books) Best Gay Mystery: The Lucky Elephant Restaurant, by Garry Ryan (NeWest Press) Also nominated: Mardi Gras Mambo, by Greg Herren (Kensington); The Hell You Say, by Josh Lanyon (I-Universe); The Back Passage, by James Lear (Cleis Press); and Provincetown Follies, Bangkok Blues, by Randall Peffer (Bleak House Books) These commendations are sponsored by the Lambda Literary Foundation, which explains that “Winners were chosen by a jury of judges who come from all walks of literary life: journalists, authors, booksellers, librarians, playwrights, illustrators.” As of this writing, the full list of winners hasn’t yet been posted at the Lambda Web site, but a list of finalists is available here.