Choice Amusements

As I’ve mentioned before, I have historically not been a big reader of short stories. But I did find enjoyment in abbreviated works of fiction during my recent convalescence. Enough so, that I subscribed—for the very first time—to the now 80-year-old Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. I just received my initial issue (May/June 2022), and in it found EQMM’s announcement of its 2021 Readers Award winners. Those annual prizes are given to works that were published in the magazine over the previous year.

First-place honors, it’s explained, go to Karen Harrington for “Boo Radley College Prep,” “ a crime story about redemption and bias” that appeared in the January/February 2021 edition of EQMM. Below are the remainder of the prize recipients, including several ties.

2. “Demon in the Depths,” by Bill McCormick (September/October)
3. Tie — “Bad Chemistry,” by John Wimer (July/August)
3. Tie — “Black Swallowtail,” by Hollis Seamon (March/April)
4. Tie — “Kiss of Life,” by Doug Allyn (May/June)
4. Tie — “A Season of Night,” by David Dean (May/June)
4. Tie — “Julius Katz and the Two Cousins,” by Dave Zeltserman (July/August)
5. “No Legacy So Rich,” by Anna Scotti (January/February)
6. Tie — “Leap of Faith,” by Marilyn Todd (May/June)
6. Tie — “The Last Man in Lafarge,” by Joseph Walker (July/August)
7. “The Fraud of Dionysus,” by Smita Harish Jain (July/August)
8. “The Lemonade Stand,” by Scott Loring Sanders (January/February)
9. “Curious Incidents,” by Steve Hockensmith (January/February)
10. “The White Star,” by G.M. Malliet (July/August)

Readers Award (aka Readers Choice Award) winner are chosen by the EQMM readership. Previous honorees are listed here.