It’s Award Season

by
Scott D. Parker

I’ll confess that I had a longer (and different) post that I wanted to write but the day job interfered and I don’t have enough time to do that post justice. Also, seeing all the photos from Bouchercon up in Minneapolis is making me wish I were up there.

So in that spirit, here’s a list of winners for the Barry and Macavity Awards (AKA things to add to your TBR pile).

Barry Awards

The Barry Award winners are selected by subscribers and readers of Deadly Pleasures, where one of the magazine’s stated goals is to search out and report on the best works being published in the field of crime fiction each year.

BEST MYSTERY/CRIME NOVEL
Razorblade Tears, S. A. Cosby (Flatiron Books)

BEST FIRST MYSTERY/CRIME NOVEL
Sleeping Bear, Connor Sullivan (Emily Bestler/Atria)

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL
The Good Turn, Dervla Mctiernan (Blackstone)

BEST THRILLER
Five Decembers, James Kestrel (Hardcase Crime)

Macavity Awards

The Macavity Awards are nominated by members of Mystery Readers International, subscribers to Mystery Readers Journal, and friends of MRI.

BEST MYSTERY NOVEL
Razorblade Tears by S. A. Cosby (Flatiron Books) 

BEST FIRST MYSTERY NOVEL
Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala (Berkley)

BEST MYSTERY SHORT STORY
“Sweeps Week,” by Richard Helms (EQMM, July/August 2021)
 
BEST NONFICTION/CRITICAL
How to Write a Mystery: A Handbook from Mystery Writers of America edited by Lee Child with Laurie R. King (Scribner)

BEST HISTORICAL MYSTERY: Sue Feder Memorial Award
Clark and Division by Naomi Hirahara (Soho Crime)