A Thrilling Turn of Events

Last evening brought the announcement, during a banquet celebration at ThrillerFest X in New York City, of which books and authors have won the 2015 Thriller Awards. Here they are.

Best Hardcover Novel:
The Fever, by Megan Abbott (Little, Brown)

Also nominated: Broken Monsters, by Lauren Beukes (Mulholland); Suspicion, by Joseph Finder (Dutton); Natchez Burning, by Greg Iles (Morrow); and That Night, by Chevy Stevens (St. Martin’s Press)

Best First Novel:
The Weight of Blood, by Laura McHugh (Spiegel & Grau)

Also nominated: The Axeman’s Jazz, by Ray Celestin (Mantle UK); Invisible City, by Julia Dahl (Minotaur); The Life We Bury, by Allen Eskens (Seventh Street); and The Martian, by Andy Weir (Crown)

Best Paperback Original Novel:
Moonlight Weeps, by Vincent Zandri (Down & Out)

Also nominated: The Buried, by Shelley Coriell (Forever); My Sister’s Grave, by Robert Dugoni (Thomas & Mercer); Shadow Maker, by James R. Hannibal (Berkley); and Whirlwind, by Rick Mofina (Harlequin Mira)

Best Short Story:
“The Last Wrestling Bear in West Kentucky,” by Tim L. Williams (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine [EQMM], September/October 2014)

Also nominated: “Busting Red Heads,” by Richard Helms (EQMM, March 2014); “Pussycat, Pussycat,” by Stephen Ross (EQMM, September/October 2014); “Show Stopper,” by Gigi Vernon (from Mystery Writers of America Presents Ice Cold: Tales of Intrigue from the Cold War, edited by Jeffery Deaver and Raymond Benson; Grand Central); and “The Honey Trap,” by Bev Vincent (from Mystery Writers of America Presents Ice Cold: Tales of Intrigue from the Cold War)

Best Young Adult Novel:
Nearly Gone, by Elle Cosimano (Kathy Dawson)

Also nominated: Tabula Rasa, by Kristen Lippert-Martin (EgmontUSA); The Eighth Guardian, by Meredith McCardle (Skyscape); The Unbound, by Victoria Schwab (Disney-Hyperion); and Wicked Little Secrets, by Kara Taylor (St. Martin’s Griffin)

Best E-book Original Novel:
Hard Fall, by C.J. Lyons (Legacy)

Also nominated: Post, by Sean Black (Sean Black Digital); The Metaxy Project, by Layton Green (Sixth Street Press); Wannabes, by Michael Logan (Michael Logan); and 13 Hollywood Apes, by Gil Reavill (Alibi)

In addition, author Nelson DeMille was honored as this year’s ThrillerMaster (“in recognition of his legendary career and outstanding contributions to the thriller genre”), and Kathy Reichs received the Literary Silver Bullet Award.

By the way, for Megan Abbott, this marks the second big prize win of the week. On Wednesday, she and Laura Lippman were co-recipients of the 2014 Strand Magazine Critics Award for Best Novel.