Grading Sleuthhounds

I spent the last few days out of town, so missed the announcement of this year’s Shamus Award nominees, made by the Private Eye Writers of America. Below are those contenders, in four categories.

Best P.I. Hardcover:
• The Big Empty, by Robert Crais (Putnam)
• Photograph, by Brian Freeman (Blackstone)
• Hatchet Girls, by Joe R. Lansdale (Little, Brown)
• Gray Dawn, by Walter Mosley (Little, Brown)
• Mirage City, by Lev AC Rosen (Minotaur)

Best First P.I. Novel:
• Chase Harlem, by Elise Burke Brown (Rising Action)
• Miles in Time, by Lee Mathew Goldberg (Wise Wolf)
• Where the Bones Lie, by Nick Kolakowski (Datura)
• Shadow of the Eternal Watcher, by Josh Mendoza (Inkshares)
• The Witch’s Orchard, by Archer Sullivan (Minotaur)

Best Original Paperback P.I. Novel:
• The Hook and the Eye, by Raymond Benson (Ian Fleming)
• Sunday or the Highway, by Cindy Fazzi (Thomas & Mercer)
• City Lights, by Claire M. Johnson (Level Best)
• Midnight Streets, by Phil Lecomber (Titan)
• Catch Me on a Blue Day, by M.E. Proctor (Shotgun Honey)

Best P.I. Short Story:
• “The Roosevelt Affair,” by Adam Meyer
(from Crimeucopia: A Coterie of Dicks; Murderous Ink Press)
• “The One Cry,” by F.H. Batacan
(from Accidents Happen, by F.H. Batacan; Soho Crime)
• “Dr. Bones,” by Libby Cudmore
(Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine [EQMM], May/June)
• “Hours on the Phone,” by Gregory Fallis (EQMM, July/August)
• “The Shadows,” by Charles John Harper (EQMM, May/June)

The winners will be declared during the opening ceremonies at Bouchercon 2026, to be held in Calgary, Alberta, from October 21 to 25. Click here to learn more about that convention.