Left Coast, Right Choices

Last night, during the 24th annual Left Coast Crime convention, held in beautiful Monterey, California, the winners in four categories of awards were announced. They are:

The Lefty (best humorous mystery novel):
The Good Cop, by Brad Parks (Minotaur)

Also nominated: The Hen of the Baskervilles, by Donna Andrews (Minotaur); The Fame Thief, by Timothy Hallinan (Soho Crime); The Last Word, by Lisa Lutz (Simon & Schuster); and Dying for a Daiquiri, by Cindy Sample (Cindy Sample Books)

The Bruce Alexander Memorial Historical Mystery Award (for best historical mystery novel covering events before 1960):
Dandy Gilver and a Bothersome Number of Corpses, by Catriona McPherson (Minotaur)

Also nominated: Heirs and Graces, by Rhys Bowen (Berkley Prime Crime); His Majesty’s Hope, by Susan Elia MacNeal (Bantam); Murder as a Fine Art, by David Morrell (Mulholland); Covenant with Hell, by Priscilla Royal (Poisoned Pen Press); and Leaving Everything Most Loved, by Jacqueline Winspear (HarperCollins)

The Squid (best mystery set within the United States):
Ordinary Grace, by William Kent Krueger (Atria)

Also nominated: W Is for Wasted, by Sue Grafton (Putnam/Marian Wood); Purgatory Key, by Darrell James (Midnight Ink); The Wrong Girl, by Hank Phillippi Ryan (Forge); and A Killing at Cotton Hill, by Terry Shames (Seventh Street)

The Calamari (best mystery set anywhere else in the world):
How the Light Gets In, by Louise Penny (Minotaur)

Also nominated: Murder Below Montparnasse, by Cara Black (Soho Crime); Hour of the Rat, by Lisa Brackmann (Soho Crime); As She Left It, by Catriona McPherson (Midnight Ink); and Mykonos After Midnight, by Jeffrey Siger (Poisoned Pen Press)

Congratulations to all of the nominees and winners.