Letting Loose the Leftys

Last evening, during a banquet held at this year’s Left Coast Crime convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the 2022 Lefty Awards were presented. The four categories of winners are listed below.

Lefty for Best Humorous Mystery Novel:
Mango, Mambo, and Murder, by Raquel V. Reyes (Crooked Lane)

Also nominated: Cajun Kiss of Death, by Ellen Byron (Crooked Lane); Mimi Lee Cracks the Code, by Jennifer Chow (Berkley Prime Crime); Finlay Donovan Is Killing It, by Elle Cosimano (Minotaur); How to Book a Murder, by Cynthia Kuhn (Crooked Lane); and Fogged Off, by Wendall Thomas (Beyond the Page)

Bill Gottfried Memorial Lefty for Best Historical Mystery Novel (books set before 1970):
Clark and Division, by Naomi Hirahara (Soho Crime)

Also nominated: The Cry of the Hangman, by Susanna Calkins (Severn House); The Savage Kind, by John Copenhaver (Pegasus Crime); The Bombay Prince, by Sujata Massey (Soho Crime); The Mirror Dance, by Catriona McPherson (Hodder & Stoughton); and Death at Greenway, by Lori Rader-Day (Morrow)

Lefty for Best Debut Mystery Novel:
All Her Little Secrets, by Wanda M. Morris (Morrow)

Also nominated: Who Is Maud Dixon? by Alexandra Andrews (Little, Brown); Blackout, by Marco Carocari (Level Best); The Other Black Girl, by Zakiya Dalila Harris (Atria); and Arsenic and Adobo, by Mia P. Manansala (Berkley Prime Crime)

Lefty for Best Mystery Novel (not in other categories):
Lightning Strike, by William Kent Krueger (Atria)

Also nominated: Runner, by Tracy Clark (Kensington); Razorblade Tears, by S.A. Cosby (Flatiron); Last Redemption, by Matt Coyle (Oceanview); and Bath Haus, by P.J. Vernon (Doubleday)

Congratulations to all of this year’s contenders!

READ MORE: “Left Coast Crime Convention Report,” by George Easter (Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine).