2026 ANTHONY AWARD NOMINEES
Bouchercon 2026 has announced the nominees for the 2026 Anthony Awards as follows:

Best Hardcover Novel : (5)
All This Could Be Yours, by Hank Phillippi Ryan (Minotaur)
The Black Wolf, by Louise Penny (Minotaur)
Crooks, by Lou Berney (Morrow)
Death of an Ex, by Delia Pitts (Minotaur)
King of Ashes, by S.A. Cosby (Flatiron Books/Pine and Cedar)

Best First Novel: (6)
History Lessons, by Zoe B. Wallbrook (Soho Crime)
Julie Chan Is Dead, by Liann Zhang (Atria)
Mask of the Deer Woman, by Laurie L. Dove (Berkley)
The Retirement Plan, by Sue Hincenbergs (Morrow)
Voices of the Elysian Fields, by Michael Rigg (Level Best)
Whiskey Business, by Adrian Andover (Chestnut Avenue Press)

Best Paperback/E-book/Audiobook Original Novel: (5)
Crimson Thaw, by Bruce Robert Coffin (Severn River)
Edge, by Tracy Clark (Thomas & Mercer)
River of Lies, by James L'Etoile (Oceanview)
This Violent Heart, by Heather Levy (Montlake)
Tricks of Fortune, by Lina Chern (Bantam)

Best Short Story: (6)
"AITA for Using My Husband's Hobby to Teach Him a Lesson,Ó by Mindy Carlson (in Myopic Duplicity: Do the Ends Ever Justify the Means?, edited by Jeff Circle; Kindle/Audible)
"Brotherly Love," by Cheryl A. Head (in 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 (in Crime Ink: Iconic: An Anthology of Crime Fiction Inspired by Queer Icons, edited by John Copenhaver and Salem West; Bywater Books)
"Hollywood Prometheus," by Christa Faust (in Crime Ink: Iconic: An Anthology of Crime Fiction Inspired by Queer Icons, edited by John Copenhaver and Salem West; Bywater Books)
"Six-Armed Robbery," by Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier (in Donna Andrews Presents Malice Domestic: Mystery Most Humorous, edited by John Betancourt, Michael Bracken, and Carla Coupe; Wildside Press)
"The Skies Are Red," by Richie Narvaez (in On Fire and Under Water: A Climate Change Crime Fiction Anthology, edited by Curtis Ippolito; Rock and a Hard Place Press)

Best Juvenile or Young Adult: (5)
Death in the Cards, by Mia P. Manansala (Delacorte Press)
Miles in Time, by Lee Matthew Goldberg (Wise Wolf Books)
Risky Pursuit, by Nancy G. West, (Fire & Ice Young Adult Books)
The Scammer, by Tiffany D. Jackson (Quill Tree Books)
Well-Behaved Children Seldom Make History, by Chris Chan (Level Best)

Best Critical or Nonfiction Work: (5)
Bone Valley: A True Story of Injustice and Redemption in the Heart of Florida, by Gilbert King (Flatiron Books)
L.A. Coroner: Thomas Noguchi and Death in Hollywood, by Anne Soon Choi (Third State Books)
Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers, by Caroline Fraser (Penguin Press)
The Secret History of the Rape Kit: A True Crime Story, by Pagan Kennedy (Vintage)
Vacations Can Be Murder: A True Crime LoverŐs Travel Guide to New England, by Dawn M. Barclay (Level Tru)

Best Anthology/Collection: (5)
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 Books)
Hollywood Kills: An Anthology, edited by Adam Meyer and Alan Orloff (Level Short)
On Fire and Under Water: A Climate Change Crime Fiction Anthology, edited by Curtis Ippolito (Rock and a Hard Place Press)
Whatever Kills the Pain, by C.W. Blackwell (Rock and a Hard Place)

Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient:
Louise Penny

The winners will be announced on Saturday, October 24 during Bouchercon 2026 to be held in Calgary, Alberta, CANADA. from October 21 through 25.

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