“Ghost” Rises to Claim Crown

Here’s something I missed: Along with the announcement last week of which authors won this year’s Edgar Awards, Minotaur Books and Mystery Writers of America revealed the victor in their 2026 First Crime Novel Competition. It’s Ghost of a Clue, by Maryland attorney Sharon Roth, who also writes as “Shannon Taft.”

A post in Shotsmag Confidential explains that

Roth has written over twenty published short stories, including a Derringer Award finalist and a story that appeared in Best American Mystery and Suspense. Her debut novel, Ghost of a Clue, is a cozy mystery featuring a protagonist named Lexi, who as a child witnessed the killing of her mother and sister. As a result of the attack, Lexi hears her sister’s voice in her head. Now an adult, Lexi is trying to put the past behind her and buy a B&B in the Poconos. But when the true-crime journalist intent on bringing all of Lexi’s secrets into the open is murdered, Lexi is the prime suspect.

We’re told Ghost of a Clue will be released in the fall of 2027.

This annual competition for authors who have not previously published novels dates back to 2008. Winners receive a one-book, $10,000 Minotaur contract. The first recipient of said honor was Stefanie Pintoff, who went on to publish historical mysteries (among them the 2010 Edgar Award-winning In the Shadow of Gotham) as well as modern thrillers. Additional winners are showcased here.