Readers Speak Out

I’m reporting this a bit tardily, but it took purchasing the May/June 2025 edition of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine for me to learn which authors and stories won this year’s Readers Awards. Here are the top three stories from 2024 that resonated with EQMM subscribers:

1. “Shall I Be Mother?” by David Dean (July/August)
2. “Jennifer’s Daughter,” by Doug Allyn (November/December)
3. “Double Parked,” by Twist Phelan (November/December)

Runners-up:
4 (tie). “Murder Can’t Stop De Carnival” by Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier
“The Carfax Lunatic Society,” by David Dean
5 (tie). “Capone’s Castle,” by Doug Allyn
“The Wind Phone” by Josh Pachter
6. “Everybody Pays,” by Jim Allyn
7 (4-way tie). “Knock-Knock,” by Sarah Hillary
“Gannets and Ghouls,” by Sue Parman
“An Ounce of Prevention,” by Twist Phelan
“Old Dog,” by Mike Wheet
8. “The Four-Nine Profile,” by Richard Helms
9 (tie). “Somebody That I Used to Know,” by Sharyn Kolberg
“Streets of Joy,” by Charley Marsh
10 (4-way tie). “The Pasture at Night,” by Doug Crandell
“Commission,” by Leslie Elman
“[The Applause Dies],” by Lori Rader-Day
“Letters From Tokyo,” by Yoshinori Todo