The fine folks behind Malice Domestic have announced the nominees for the 2017 Agatha Awards. To qualify for an Agatha, the guidelines are as follows:
The Agatha Awards honor the “traditional mystery.” That is to say, books best typified by the works of Agatha Christie as well as others. For our purposes, the genre is loosely defined as mysteries that:
contain no explicit sex
contain no excessive gore or gratuitous violence
Materials generally classified as “hard-boiled” are not appropriate.
Having said/posted that, here are the nominees:
Best Contemporary Novel
Body on the Bayou by Ellen Byron
Quiet Neighbors by Catriona McPherson
A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny
Fogged Inn by Barbara Ross
Say No More by Hank Phillippi Ryan
Best Historical Novel
Whispers Beyond the Veil by Jessica Estevao
Get Me to the Grave on Time by D.E. Ireland
Delivering the Truth by Edith Maxwell
The Reek of Red Herrings by Catriona McPherson
Murder in Morningside Heights by Victoria Thompson
Best First Novel
Terror in Taffeta by Marla Cooper
Murder in G Major by Alexia Gordon
The Semester of Our Discontent by Cynthia Kuhn
Decanting a Murder by Nadine Nettmann
Design for Dying by Renee Patrick
Best Nonfiction
Mastering Suspense, Structure, and Plot: How to Write Gripping Stories that Keep Readers on the Edge of Their Seats by Jane K. Cleland
A Good Man with a Dog: A Game Warden’s 25 Years in the Maine Woods by Roger Guay with Kate Clark Flora
Sara Paretsky: A Companion to the Mystery Fiction by Margaret Kinsman
Best Short Story
“Double Jinx: A Bellissimo Casino Crime Caper Short Story” by Gretchen Archer
“The Best-Laid Plans” by Barb Goffman – Malice Domestic 11: Murder Most Conventional
“The Mayor and the Midwife” by Edith Maxwell – Blood on the Bayou: Bouchercon Anthology 2016
“The Last Blue Glass” by B.K. Stevens – Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine
“Parallel Play” by Art Taylor – Chesapeake Crimes: Storm Warning
Best Children/Young Adult
Trapped: A Mei-hua Adventure by P.A. DeVoe
Spy Ski School by Stuart Gibbs
Tag, You’re Dead by J C Lane
The Mystery of Hollow Places by Rebecca Podos
The Secret of the Puzzle Box: The Code Busters Club by Penny Warner
The 2017 Agatha Award Winners will be announced at an annual banquet on Saturday, April 29th, 2017, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Bethesda, Maryland.
