The Thrills Keep on Coming

The International Thriller Writers (ITW) organization has come out with its list of nominees for the 2026 Thriller Awards, in six categories:

Best Standalone Novel:
• Cross My Heart, by Megan Collins (Atria)
• Zigzag Girl, by Ruth Knafo Setton (Black Spring Press)
• The Burning Library, by Gilly
Macmillan (Morrow)
• The Locked Ward, by Sarah Pekkanen
(St. Martin’s Press)
• So Happy Together, by Olivia
Worley (Minotaur)

Best Series Novel:
• Chain Reaction, by James Byrne (Minotaur)
• The Big Empty, by Robert Crais (Putnam)
• Head Cases, by John McMahon (Minotaur)
• The Tourists, by Christopher Reich
(Thomas & Mercer)
• Terminal Moonlight, by Vincent Zandri (Down & Out)

Best First Novel:
• Death at the White Hart, by Chris Chibnall (Pamela Dorman)
• Party of Liars, by Kelsey Cox (Minotaur)
• Count My Lies, by Sophie Stava (Scout Press)
• History Lessons, by Zoe B. Wallbrook (Soho Crime)
• Julie Chan Is Dead, by Liann Zhang (Atria)
 
Best Audiobook:
• King of Ashes, by S.A. Cosby; narrated by Adam Lazarre-White (Macmillan)
• The Wasp Trap, by Mark Edwards; narrated by John Hopkins and Anna Burnett (Simon & Schuster)
• Best Offer Wins, by Marisa Kashino; narrated by Cia Court (Macmillan)
• When Devils Sing, by Xan Kaur; narrated by Michael Crouch, Anjali Kunapaneni, Jennifer Pickens, and Landon Woodson (Macmillan)
• The Cheaters Wife, by C.N. Mabry and N’Dia Rae; narrated by Ruffin Prentiss and Machelle Williams (Simon Maverick)
• The White Crow, by Michael Robotham; narrated by Katy Sobey (Simon & Schuster)

Best Young Adult Novel:
• Murder Between Friends, by Liz Lawson (Delacorte Press)
• This Stays Between Us, by Margot McGovern (Penguin Young Readers)
• Shiny Happy People, by Clay McLeod Chapman (Delacorte Press)
• The Silenced, by Diana Rodriguez Wallach (Delacorte Press)
• The Thrashers, by Julie Soto (Wednesday)

Best Short Story:
• “Level Up,” by Katrina Carrasco (from Crime Ink: Iconic, edited by John Copenhaver and Salem West (Bywater)
• “The Seduction of Dr. Dimension,” by Scott William Carter (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, November/December 2025)
• “Eleven Numbers,” by Lee Child (Amazon Original Stories)
• “False Note,” by David Lagercrantz (Amazon Original Stories)
• “The Violent Season,” by Jessica Van Dessel (Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, July/August 2025)

ITW plans to announce the winners of these prizes at Thrillerfest XXI. That will take place on Saturday, May 9, at the New York Hilton Midtown in New York City.