Brief Victories

This morning brings an official announcement of the 2018 Derringer Award winners. The Derringers are presented annually by America’s Short Mystery Fiction Society, with eligible SMFS members asked to vote for their favorites among five finalists in each category.

Best Flash Fiction (up to 1,000 words):
“Fishing for an Alibi,” by Earl Staggs (Flash Bang Mysteries, Fall 2017)

Also nominated: “Cold Turkey,” by Patricia Dusenbury (Flash Bang Mysteries, edited by Brandon Bourg, Summer 2017); “Happy Birthday,” by Alan Orloff (Shotgun Honey, June 15, 2017); “Final Testimony,” by Travis Richardson (Flash Fiction Offensive, July 10, 2017); and “Flash Point,” by Elizabeth Zelvin (A Twist of Noir, March 20, 2017)

For Best Short Story (1,001-4,000 words):
“The Cop Who Liked Gilbert and Sullivan,” by Robert Lopresti (Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine, October 2017)

Also nominated: “The Kids Keep Coming,” by David H. Hendrickson (from Fiction River: Tavern Tales, edited by Kerrie L. Hughes; WMG); “The New Score,” by Alison McMahan (from Fish Out of Water: A Guppy Anthology, edited by Ramona DeFelice Long; Wildside Press); “The Bank Job,” by Stephen D. Rogers (Trigger Warning: Short Fiction with Pictures, March 16, 2017); and “Every Picture Tells a Story,” by Cathi Stoler (from Where Crime Never Sleeps: Murder New York Style 4, edited by Elizabeth Zelvin; Level Best)

For Best Long Story (4,001-8,000 words):
“Death in the Serengeti,” by David H. Hendrickson (from Fiction River: Pulse Pounders: Adrenaline, edited by Kevin J. Anderson; WMG)

Also nominated: “El Asesino,” by Rusty Barnes (Bull, May 22, 2017); “The #2 Pencil,” by Matt Coyle (from Coast to Coast: Private Eyes from Sea to Shining Sea, edited by Andrew McAleer and Paul D. Marks; Down & Out); “Matricide and Ice Cream,” by William Burton McCormick (from The CWA Anthology of Short Stories: Mystery Tour, edited by Martin Edwards; Orenda); and “The Drive-By,” by Alison McMahan (from Busted: Arresting Stories from the Beat, edited by Verena Rose, Harriette Sackler, and Shawn Reilly Simmons; Level Best)

For Best Novelette (8,001-20,000 words):
“Flowing Waters,” by Brendan DuBois (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, January/February 2017)

Also nominated: “Windward,” by Paul D. Marks (from Coast to Coast: Private Eyes from Sea to Shining Sea, edited by Andrew McAleer and Paul D. Marks; Down & Out); “King's Quarter,” by Andrew McAleer (from Coast to Coast: Private Eyes from Sea to Shining Sea); “Kill My Wife, Please,” by Robert J. Randisi (from Coast to Coast: Private Eyes from Sea to Shining Sea); and “Trouble Like a Freight Train Coming,” by Tina Whittle (from Lowcountry Crime: Four Novellas, edited by James M. Jackson and Jan Rubens; Wolf’s Echo Press)

In addition, this year’s Edward D. Hoch Memorial Golden Derringer for Lifetime Achievement (“awarded to an outstanding living writer of short mysteries, selected by a five-member panel”) goes to Mississippi mystery-fictionist John M. Floyd.

Derringer Award recipients will be honored during this coming September’s Bouchercon in St. Petersburg, Florida.