All That’s Left

I was out of town over the weekend, celebrating my birthday, so I missed seeing the announcement of award winners at this year’s Left Coast Crime convention in Colorado Springs, Colorado. As my first effort to catch up, here’s that list of fortunate recipients.

The Lefty (for the best humorous mystery novel):
The Girl Next Door, by Brad Parks (Minotaur)

Also nominated: Cruising in Your Eighties Is Murder, by Mike Befeler (Five Star); Swift Run, by Laura DiSilverio (Minotaur); December Dread, by Jess Lourey (Midnight Ink); Trail of the Spellmans, by Lisa Lutz (Simon & Schuster); and Fit to Be Dead, by Nancy Glass West (Southwest Publications)

The Bruce Alexander Memorial Historical Mystery Award:
Dandy Gilver and an Unsuitable Day for a Murder, by Catronia McPherson (Minotaur)

Also nominated: The Twelve Clues of Christmas, by Rhys Bowen (Berkley Prime Crime); A City of Broken Glass, by Rebecca Cantrell (Forge); Live by Night, by Dennis Lehane (Morrow); and Elegy for Eddie, by Jacqueline Winspear (HarperCollins)

The Rocky (for the best regional mystery novel):
As the Crow Flies, by Craig Johnson (Viking)

Also nominated: Buffalo Bill’s Dead Now, by Margaret Coel (Berkley Prime Crime); Hush Money, by Chuck Greaves (Minotaur); Wicked Eddies, by Beth Groundwater (Midnight Ink); and Sonora Crossing, by Darrell James (Midnight Ink)

The Watson (for the mystery novel with the best sidekick):
Bruja Brouhaha, by Rochelle Staab (Berkley Prime Crime)

Also nominated: In a Witch’s Wardrobe, by Juliet Blackwell (Obsidian); Taken, by Robert Crais (Putnam); Fun House, by Chris Grabenstein (Pegasus); and When the Past Haunts You, by L.C. Hayden (CreateSpace)

Congratulations to all of the victors!

If you would like to attend Left Coast Crime next year, it will be held in beautiful Monterey, California, March 20-23, 2014. More info and registration details can be found here.

READ MORE: “Greetings from Left Coast Crime,” by Catronia McPherson (Midnight Ink); “Left Coast Crime, Part I, Part II, and Part III,” by Jen Forbus (Jen’s Book Thoughts).

Robinson Comes Out on Top Again

Tonight’s opening festivities at the Left Coast Crime convention in Colorado Springs, Colorado, included the announcement that British-born Canadian novelist Peter Robinson has captured this year’s Dilys Award for his 2012 standalone novel, Before the Poison (Morrow). The Dilys is presented by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association (IMBA) to “the mystery title of the year which the member booksellers have most enjoyed selling.”

Also nominated for this commendation were Grandad, There’s a Head on the Beach, by Colin Cotterill (Minotaur); Broken Harbor, by Tana French (Viking); Mr. Churchill’s Secretary, by Susan Elia MacNeal (Bantam); and The Expats, by Chris Pavone (Crown).

Left Coast Crime will continue through this coming Sunday, March 25, and include the presentation of four more literary prizes.

Showdown in the Springs

With this year’s Left Coast Crime convention approaching fast (it will be held March 21-24 in Colorado Springs, Colorado), the LCC today announced its nominees for four associated prizes.

The Lefty (for the best humorous mystery novel):
• Cruising in Your Eighties Is Murder, by Mike Befeler (Five Star)

• Swift Run, by Laura DiSilverio (Minotaur)

• December Dread, by Jess Lourey (Midnight Ink)

• Trail of the Spellmans, by Lisa Lutz (Simon & Schuster)

• The Girl Next Door, by Brad Parks (Minotaur)

• Fit to Be Dead, by Nancy Glass West (Southwest Publications)

The Bruce Alexander Memorial Historical Mystery Award:

• The Twelve Clues of Christmas, by Rhys Bowen (Berkley Prime Crime)

• A City of Broken Glass, by Rebecca Cantrell (Forge)

• Live by Night, by Dennis Lehane (Morrow)

• Dandy Gilver and an Unsuitable Day for a Murder, by Catronia McPherson (Minotaur)

• Elegy for Eddie, by Jacqueline Winspear (HarperCollins)

The Rocky (for the best regional mystery novel):

• Buffalo Bill’s Dead Now, by Margaret Coel (Berkley Prime Crime)

• Hush Money, by Chuck Greaves (Minotaur)

• Wicked Eddies, by Beth Groundwater (Midnight Ink)

• Sonora Crossing, by Darrell James (Midnight Ink)

• As the Crow Flies, by Craig Johnson (Viking)

The Watson (for the mystery novel with the best sidekick):

• In a Witch’s Wardrobe, by Juliet Blackwell (Obsidian)

• Taken, by Robert Crais (Putnam)

• Fun House, by Chris Grabenstein (Pegasus)

• When the Past Haunts You, by L.C. Hayden (CreateSpace)

• Bruja Brouhaha, by Rochelle Staab (Berkley Prime Crime)

These commendations will be voted on during the convention and presented at a banquet on Saturday, March 23, at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort.

This year’s LCC Guests of Honor will be authors Craig Johnson and Laura Lippman. Actor Lou Diamond Phillips (Longmire) will appear as a Special Guest. Tom and Enid Schantz have been tapped as the Fan Guests of Honor. Stephen J. Cannell is the Ghost of Honor. Author David Corbett will serve as Toastmaster, and Parnell Hall will entertain as the “Last Resort” Troubadour.

For more information on Left Coast Crime 2013, click here.

Independent Thinkers

OK, here’s the first reason to interrupt my hard-won week’s vacation: the announcement today of nominees for the 2013 Dilys Award. As you might recall, this commendation is given out annually by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association (IMBA) to “the mystery title of the year which the member booksellers have most enjoyed selling.” The contenders are:

• Grandad, There’s a Head on the Beach, by Colin Cotterill (Minotaur)
• Broken Harbor, by Tana French (Viking)
• Mr. Churchill’s Secretary, by Susan Elia MacNeal (Bantam)
• The Expats, by Chris Pavone (Crown)
• Before the Poison, by Peter Robinson (Morrow)

A winner will be named during this year’s Left Coast Crime convention, to be held in Colorado Springs, Colorado, from March 21 to 24.

(Hat tip to Mystery Fanfare.)