The Show Goes On

 

By Claire Booth

Last night, I went to Bouchercon. Virtually. The world’s largest mystery convention was supposed to be in New Orleans from Wednesday, Aug. 23 through today. Then Covid cases in Louisiana soared and the Delta variant everywhere proved to be even more contagious than the original. So the organizers made the wise, considerate, healthy – and considering how much time they’d put into planning – excruciating decision to cancel.

We had to do the same thing last year with Bouchercon 2020, which was supposed to be held in my hometown of Sacramento. I was on the local organizing committee, and we pivoted from in person to virtual in late spring of that year. Our October convention was instead held online. We had panels (fewer than we would have), interviews with our author guests of honor, and an awards ceremony.

But we had more than four months to put together a virtual convention. The New Orleans organizers had three weeks. To pick themselves up off the floor, down a few drinks, and get back to work. And over the last two days, they pulled it off. They gave us a wonderful interview on Friday night and an Anthony Award ceremony on Saturday night. (And in a not insignificant side note, those organizers living in New Orleans did all this live while also having a hurricane headed their way.)

Both events are now on YouTube. If you’re interested in finding some new authors to read, I highly recommend watching. The Anthony Awards especially featured some knockout speeches. Stay for the last one. I promise, it’s worth it.

At this link, you can find:

Alafair Burke in conversation with James Lee Burke, hosted by Heather Graham with introductions from Rachel Howzell Hall. 

The Anthony Awards, hosted by Hank Phillippi Ryan, with an introduction from Craig Johnson (who writes the Longmire books). These are voted on by convention attendees. We did it virtually this year, and the slate of nominees is below.

Best Hardcover Novel

​What You Don't See - Tracy Clark - Kensington

Blacktop Wasteland - S.A. Cosby - Flatiron Books

Little Secrets - Jennifer Hillier - Minotaur Books

And Now She's Gone - Rachel Howzell Hall - Forge Books

The First to Lie - Hank Phillippi Ryan - Forge Books

Best First Novel

​Derailed - Mary Keliikoa - Camel Press

Murder in Old Bombay - Nev March - Minotaur Books

Murder at the Mena House - Erica Ruth Neubauer – Kensington

The Thursday Murder Club - Richard Osman - Pamela Dorman Books

Winter Counts - David Heska Wanbli Weiden - Ecco Press

Best Paperback Original/E-Book/Audiobook Original Novel

​The Fate of a Flapper - Susanna Calkins - Griffin

When No One is Watching - Alyssa Cole - William Morrow

Unspeakable Things - Jess Lourey - Thomas & Mercer

The Lucky One - Lori Rader-Day - William Morrow

Dirty Old Town - Gabriel Valjan - Level Best Books

Best Short Story

​"Dear Emily Etiquette" - Barb Goffman - EQMM - Dell Magazines

"90 Miles" - Alex Segura - Both Sides: Stories From the Border - Agora Books

"The Boy Detective & The Summer of '74" - Art Taylor - AHMM (Jan-Feb) - Dell Magazines

"Elysian Fields" - Gabriel Valjan - California Schemin' - Wildside Press

"The Twenty-Five Year Engagement" - James W. Ziskin - In League with Sherlock Holmes - Pegasus Crime

Best Juvenile/Young Adult

​Midnight at the Barclay Hotel - Fleur Bradley - Viking Books for Young Readers

Premeditated Myrtle - Elizabeth C. Bunce - Algonquin Young Readers

From the Desk of Zoe Washington - Janae Marks - Katherine Tegen Books

Holly Hernandez and the Death of Disco - Richie Narvaez - Piñata Books

Star Wars Poe Dameron: Free Fall - Alex Segura - Disney Lucasfilm Press

Best Critical or Nonfiction Work

​Sometimes You Have to Lie: The Life and Times of Louise Fitzhugh, Renegade Author of Harriet the Spy - Leslie Brody - Seal Press

American Sherlock: Murder, Forensics and the Birth of American CSI - Kate Winkler Dawson - G.P. Putnam's Sons

Howdunit: A Masterclass in Crime Writing by Members of the Detection Club - Martin Edwards, ed. - Collins Crime Club

The Third Rainbow Girl: The Long Life of a Double Murder in Appalachia - Emma Copley Eisenberg - Hachette Books

Phantom Lady: Hollywood Producer Joan Harrison, the Forgotten Woman behind Hitchcock - Christina Lane - Chicago Review Press

Unspeakable Acts: True Tales of Crime, Murder, Deceit, and Obsession - Sarah Weinman, ed. - Ecco Press

Best Anthology or Collection

​Shattering Glass: A Nasty Woman Press Anthology - Heather Graham, ed. - Nasty Woman Press

Both Sides: Stories from the Border - Gabino Iglesias, ed. - Agora Books

Noiryorican - Richie Narvaez - Down & Out Books

The Beat of Black Wings: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Joni Mitchell - Josh Pachter, ed. - Untreed Reads Publishing

California Schemin' - Art Taylor. ed. - Wildside Press

Lockdown: Stories of Crime, Terror, and Hope During a Pandemic - Nick Kolakowski and Steve Weddle, eds. - Polis Books