If the Gumshoe Fits ...

Although in discussing the 2008 Gumshoe Awards, Mystery Ink editor David J. Montgomery was hesitant to commit himself to presenting a Best Crime Fiction Website Award this time around, he and his fellow judges have done so--and given it to somebody who’s deserved that commendation for a long time. Kevin Burton Smith, editor-creator of The Thrilling Detective Web Site--which just celebrated its 10th anniversary--is this year’s winner in that category.

Here’s the full rundown of the latest Gumshoe recipients:

Best Mystery: The Tin Roof Blowdown, by James Lee Burke (Simon & Schuster)

Also nominated: The Unquiet, by John Connolly (Atria); Mistress of the Art of Death, by Ariana Franklin (Putnam); The Shotgun Rule, by Charlie Huston (Ballantine); and What the Dead Know, by Laura Lippman (Morrow)

Best Thriller: The Watchman, by Robert Crais (Simon & Schuster)

Also nominated: Bad Luck and Trouble, by Lee Child (Delacorte); Power Play, by Joseph Finder (St. Martin’s Press); The Book of Air and Shadows, by Michael Gruber (Morrow); and Thirteen, by Richard K. Morgan (Del Rey)

Best First Novel: Big City, Bad Blood, by Sean Chercover (Morrow)

Also nominated: Stigma, by Philip Hawley Jr. (Harper); The Spellman Files, by Lisa Lutz (Simon & Schuster); Head Games, by Craig McDonald (Bleak House Books); and Mr. Clarinet, by Nick Stone (HarperCollins)

Lifetime Achievement: Donald E. Westlake

Of this author’s accomplishments, Mystery Ink remarks: “Donald E. Westlake is one of the most prolific authors in the crime genre, having written books of nearly every conceivable type, ranging from comic capers to thrillers to noir. He’s written private eye novels, cop novels, historical novels, even erotic novels. More impressively, most of them are pretty damn good, and some of them are great. For maintaining a tradition of writing excellence for nearly 50 years, Westlake is a most deserving winner of the award for Lifetime Achievement. (Read the tribute essay to Donald E. Westlake.)”

Best Crime Fiction Website: The Thrilling Detective Web Site

Mystery Ink says: “Edited by Kevin Burton Smith, The Thrilling Detective Web Site has been a comprehensive resource on private eye fiction, and the crime genre more generally, for over a decade. A one-stop destination with a wealth of information, The Thrilling Detective includes author and book guides, reviews, news, information on film and TV, original fiction and more. It is an essential guide for fans of P.I. novels or anyone looking to learn more about detective fiction.”

Demolition Magazine picked up the Best Crime Fiction Website honor in 2007, and January Magazine won the category in 2005 for its crime-fiction coverage.

Congratulations to all of this year’s winners.