The Anthonys Are Out

Six out of the seven Anthony Awards presented last evening at Bouchercon 2026 in Calgary, Alberta, went to women authors, including Louise Penny, Laurie L. Dove, and Mia P. Manansala. The lone male winner was Curtis Ippolito, who edited this year’s prize for Best Anthology/Collection. Below is the full roster of recipients.

Best Hardcover Novel:
The Black Wolf, by Louise Penny (Minotaur)

Also nominated: All This Could Be Yours, by Hank Phillippi Ryan (Minotaur); Crooks, by Lou Berney (Morrow); Death of an Ex, by Delia Pitts (Minotaur); and King of Ashes, by S.A. Cosby (Pine and Cedar)

Best First Novel:
Mask of the Deer Woman, by Laurie L. Dove (Berkley)

Also nominated: History Lessons, by Zoe B. Wallbrook (Soho Crime); Julie Chan Is Dead, by Liann Zhang (Atria); The Retirement Plan, by Sue Hincenbergs (Morrow); Voices of the Elysian Fields, by Michael Rigg (Level Best); and Whiskey Business, by Adrian Andover (Chestnut Avenue Press)

Best Paperback Original/E-Book/Audiobook Original Novel:
Edge, by Tracy Clark (Thomas & Mercer)

Also nominated: Crimson Thaw, by Bruce Robert Coffin (Severn River); River of Lies, by James L'Etoile (Oceanview); This Violent Heart, by Heather Levy (Montlake); and Tricks of Fortune, by Lina Chern (Bantam)

Best Short Story:
“AITA for Using My Husband’s Hobby to Teach Him a Lesson,” by Mindy Carlson (from Myopic Duplicity: Do the Ends Ever Justify the Means? edited by Jeff Circle; Kindle/Audible)

Also nominated: “Brotherly Love,” by Cheryl A. Head (from Every Day a Little Death: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Stephen Sondheim, edited by Josh Pachter; Level Short); “Finding Jimmy Baldwin,” by Cheryl A. Head (from Crime Ink: Iconic: An Anthology of Crime Fiction Inspired by Queer Icons, edited by John Copenhaver and Salem West; Bywater); “Hollywood Prometheus,” by Christa Faust (from Crime Ink: Iconic); “Six-Armed Robbery,” by Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier (from Donna Andrews Presents Malice Domestic: Mystery Most Humorous, edited by John Betancourt, Michael Bracken, and Carla Coupe; Wildside Press); and “The Skies Are Red,” by Richie Narvaez (from On Fire and Under Water: A Climate Change Crime Fiction Anthology, edited by Curtis Ippolito; Rock and a Hard Place Press)

Best Children’s/Young Adult Novel:
Death in the Cards, by Mia P. Manansala (Delacorte Press)

Also nominated: Miles in Time, by Lee Matthew Goldberg (Wise Wolf); Risky Pursuit, by Nancy G. West, (Fire & Ice Young Adult Books); The Scammer, by Tiffany D. Jackson (Quill Tree); and Well-Behaved Children Seldom Make History, by Chris Chan (Level Best)

Best Critical or Non-fiction Work:
Vacations Can Be Murder: A True Crime Lover’s Travel Guide to New England, by Dawn M. Barclay, Level Tru)

Also nominated: Bone Valley: A True Story of Injustice and Redemption in the Heart of Florida, by Gilbert King (Flatiron); L.A. Coroner: Thomas Noguchi and Death in Hollywood, by Anne Soon Choi (Third State); Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers, by Caroline Fraser (Penguin Press); and The Secret History of the Rape Kit: A True Crime Story, by Pagan Kennedy (Vintage)

Best Anthology or Collection:
On Fire and Under Water: A Climate Change Crime Fiction Anthology, edited by Curtis Ippolito (Rock and a Hard Place Press)

Also nominated: Blood on the Bayou: Case Closed: Bouchercon Anthology, edited by Don Bruns (Down & Out); Crime Ink: Iconic: An Anthology of Crime Fiction Inspired by Queer Icons, edited by John Copenhaver and Salem West (Bywater); Hollywood Kills: An Anthology, edited by Adam Meyer and Alan Orloff (Level Short); and Whatever Kills the Pain, by C.W. Blackwell (Rock and a Hard Place Press)

Congratulations to all of the 2026 Anthony Award nominees!