And Finally, the Spinetinglers

Spinetingler Magazine’s Brian Lindenmuth certainly likes to build up suspense. Much of today he spent trickling out news of who and what had won the 2011 Spinetingler Awards. I must confess, only one of the victors received my vote. But that doesn’t mean the rest are not deserving of these honors. There were lots of excellent nominees, and the winners should be awfully damn proud of themselves for coming out on top of this competition.

Here are all of the winners and also-rans.

Best Novel--New Voice: Pike, by Benjamin Whitmer (PM Press)

Also nominated: A Thousand Cuts, by Simon Lelic (Viking); Citrus County, by John Brandon (McSweeney’s); The Cold Kiss, by John Rector (Forge); Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter, by Tom Franklin (Morrow); The Four Stages of Cruelty, by Keith Hollihan (Thomas Dunne); Katja from the Punk Band, by Simon Logan (ChiZine Publications); Late Rain, by Lynn Kostoff (Tyrus Books); The Singer’s Gun, by Emily St. John Mandel (Unbridled Books); and Wake Up Dead, by Roger Smith (Henry Holt)

Best Novel--Rising Star: Do They Know I’m Running?, by David Corbett (Mortalis)

Also nominated: Dodging Bullets, by Joe McKinney (Gutter Books); Give + Take, by Stona Fitch (Thomas Dunne); Internecine, by David J. Schow (Thomas Dunne); Johnny Porno, by Charlie Stella (Stark House Press); and Killer, by Dave Zeltserman (Serpent’s Tail)

Best Novel--Legend: I’d Know You Anywhere, by Laura Lippman (Morrow)

Also nominated: Cemetery Road, by Gar Anthony Haywood (Severn House); Expiration Date, by Duane Swierczynski (Minotaur); Moonlight Mile, by Dennis Lehane (Little, Brown); Savages, by Don Winslow (Simon & Schuster); and Sleepless, by Charlie Huston (Ballantine)

Best Short-Story Collection: Bad Juju, by Jonathan Woods (New Pulp Press)

Also nominated: 8 Pounds, by Chris Holm (Poisonville Press); 21 Tales, by Dave Zeltserman (New Pulp Press); Amos Walker: The Complete Story Collection, by Loren D. Estleman (Tyrus Books); Noir 13, by Ed Gorman (Perfect Crime); Scar Tissue: Seven Tales of Love and Wounds, by Marcus Sakey (Smashwords); Shot to Death, by Stephen D. Rogers (Mainly Murder Press); and The Junkie Tales, by J.A. Kazimer (Obscure Publishing)

Best Anthology: Requiems for the Departed, edited by Gerard Brennan and Mike Stone (Morrigan)

Also nominated: Beat to a Pulp: Round One, edited by David Cranmer and Elaine Ash (Beat to a Pulp); Best American Noir of the Century, edited by Otto Penzler and James Ellroy (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt); Blood, Guts & Whiskey, edited by Todd Robinson (Kensington); Damn Near Dead 2: Live Noir or Die Trying, edited by Bill Crider (Busted Flush Press); First Thrills, edited by Lee Child (Forge); Terminal Damage, edited by Steve Weddle (Needle Publishing); and You’re Dead and I Killed You, edited by Pablo D’Stair (Brown Paper Publishing)

Best Crime Comic/Graphic Novel: Sweets, by Kody Chamberlain (Image Comics)

Also nominated: Dark Rain, by Mat Johnson and Simon Gane (Vertigo Comics); The Executor, by Jon Evans and Andrea Mutti (Vertigo Crime); Greek Street, by Peter Milligan and David Gianfelice (Vertigo Comics); Last Days of American Crime, by Rick Remender and Greg Tocchini (Radical Publishing); Parker: The Outfit, by Darwyn Cooke (IDW); Pug, by Derek McCulloch and Greg Espinoza (Image Comics); Sam & Twitch: The Writer, by Luca Blengino and Luca Erbetta (Image Comics); Scalped, by Jason Aaron and R.M. Guéra (Vertigo Comics); and Tumor, by Joshua Hale Fialkov and Noel Tuazon (Archaia Studios Press)

Best Cover: Bad Juju, by Jonathan Woods (New Pulp Press)--cover art by Kenney Mencher

Also nominated: Click here to see all 10 cover choices.

Best Short Story on the Web: “Times Past,” by Matthew C. Funk (All Due Respect)

Also nominated: “Hold You,” by Steve Weddle (A Twist of Noir); “Pillow Talk,” by Jodi MacArthur (Beat to a Pulp); “The Girl with a Clock for a Heart,” by Peter Swanson (Mysterical-E); “Secretario,” by Catherynne M. Valente (Weird Tales); “Ghostman on Third,” by Chad Eagleton (The Drowning Machine); “Carpaccio,” by Lily Childs (Thrillers, Killers ’N’ Chillers); “How to Jail,” by Dennis Tafoya (Crime Factory); “Home Invasion,” by Jen Conley (ThugLit); and “Beat on the Brat,” by Nigel Bird (The Drowning Machine)

David Thompson Community Leader Award: Mulholland Books Web site

Also nominated: Crimefactory; Do Some Damage; Jen’s Book Thoughts; Musings of an All Purpose Monkey; and Needle magazine

Best Mystery/Crime Fiction Press, Publisher or Imprint: Tyrus Books

Also nominated: Switchblade, Tor/Forge, Serpent’s Tail, and Soho Press