CyberGumshoe's Mumblings in January/February 2022




2022 Thriller Award Nominees Announced

The International Thriller Writers (ITW) has announced the nominees for the 2022 Thriller Awards. The nominees in the best hardcover novel category are as follows:

THE TURNOUT, by Megan Aboott (Putnam)
RAZORBLADE TEARS, by S.A. Cosby (Flatiron Books)
ROCK PAPER SCISSORS, by Alice Feeney (Floatiron Books)
THESE TOXIC THINGS, by Rachel Howzell Hall (Thomas & Mercer)
RED WIDOW, by Alma Katsu (Putnam)
I AM NOT WHO YOU THINK I AM, by Eric Rickstad (Blackstone Publishing)

To see the nominees in all the categories, click here. The winners will be announced at ThrillerFest XVII on Saturday, June 4 at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel, New York City. (Feburary 27, 2022)



LATimes Book Prizes Finalists Announced

The Los Angles Times announced the finalists for the 2022 LA Times Book Prizes. The five finalists in the mystery/thriller category are as follows:

THE COLLECTIVE, by Alison Gaylin (Morrow)
THE TURNOUT, by Megan Abbott (Putnam)
THE DARK HOURS, by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown)
RAZORBLADE TEARS, by S.A. Cosby (Flatiron Books)
VELVET WAS THE NIGHT, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Del Rey)

The winners in all the category will be announced at University of Southern California's Bovard Auditorium on Friday, April 22. (February 24, 2022)



CJ Sansom To Receive 2022 Diamond Dagger

The Crime Writers' Association of Britain (CWA) announced that CJ Sansom, a best-selling historical crime novelist of the Matthew Shardlake series, will receive the 2022 Diamond Dagger during the CWA Gold Dagger Awards ceremony in London this June. (February 09, 2022)



2022 Agatha Award Nominees Announced

Malice Domestic has announced the nominees for the 2022 Agatha Awards. The nominees in the contemporary novel category are as follows:

CAJUN KISS OF DEATH, by Ellen Byron (Crooked Lane)
WATCH HER, by Edwin Hill (Kensington)
THE MADNESS OF CROWDS, by Louise Penny (Minotaur)
HER PERFECT LIFE, by Hank Phillippi Ryan (Forge)
SYMPHONY ROAD, by Gabriel Valjan (Level Best)

To see all the nominees in the six categories, click here. The winners will be announced on Saturday, April 23, during Malice Domestic 32-33-34, to be held at Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center in Bethesda, Maryland. On the same night, Ellen Hart and Walter Mosley will receive the Lifetime Achievement Awards separately. (January 30, 2022)



2022 Barry Award Nominees Announced

On January 28, Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine announced the nominees for the 2022 Barry Awards in four categories The nominees in the best mystery/crime novel category are as follows:

THE DARK HOURS, by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown)
RAZORBLADE TEARS, by S.A. Cosby (Flatiron)
LAST REDEMPTION, by Matt Coyle (Oceanview)
CLARK AND DIVISION, by Naomi Hirahara (Soho Crime)
BILLY SUMMERS, by Stephen King (Scribner)
WE BEGIN AT THE END, by Chris Whitaker (Henry Holt)

To see all the nominees in the four categories, click here. The winners will be voted by Deadly Pleasures readers and announced on September 08 during the opening ceremonies of 2022 Bouchercon to be held in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (January 29, 2022)



Ron Goulart Dies

Ron Goulart died on January 14, one day after his 89th birthday, in Connecticut. He was a very prolific writer of mystery, fantasy, horror, science fiction, pop culture novelizations history and novelizations, under various pseudonyms: Kenneth Robeson (for the Avenger series), Con Steffanson (for the Laverne and Shirley novelizations), R.T. Edwards (a joint pen-name with plotter Edward D. Hoch), Josephine Kains (for romantic mysteries for women) among others. He also edited THE HARDBOILED DICKS (an anthology and study of pulp detective fiction, Sherbourne Press, 1965. He wrote AFTER THINGS FELL APART (Ace, 1970), a science fiction/private eye novel, which was nominated for an Edgar in the paperback original category. His non-fiction book on the pulp detective fiction, THE DIME DETECTIVES (Mysterious Press, 1988), was nominated for a critical/biographical Edgar. He was known to have ghostwritten the TekWar novels (featuring future private eye Jake Cardigan) for William Shatner. He was 89. (January 28, 2022)



2022 Edgar Award Nominees Announced

The Mystery Writers of America (MWA) announced the nominees for the 2022 Edgar Awards. The five nominees in the best novel category are as follows:

THE VENICE SKETCHBOOK, by Rhys Bowen (Amazon - Lake Union)
RAZORBLADE TEARS, by S.A. Cosby (Flatiron Books)
FIVE DECEMBERS, by James Kestrel (Hard Case Crime)
HOW LUCKY, by Will Leitch (Harper)
NO ONE WILL MISS HER, by Kat Rosenfield (Morrow)

To see all the nominees in all the categories, click here. The winners will be announced and presented on Thursday, April 28 at the Marriott Marquis Times Square in New York City as well as "online via Twitter, Facebook, Zoom, Instagram or other free available social media outlet, whether or not an in-person event occurs.". (January 20, 2022; Revised; January 21)



Andrew Vachss Dies

Andrew Vachss died on December 23 (not on 27 as previously reported). He was a federal investigator in sexually transmitted diseases, and a labor organizer and a prison director for violent juvenile offenders before becoming an attorney for abused children and adolescents. He wrote his first novel, FLOOD (Donald I. Fine, 1985), introducing "outlaw investigator" Burke and his gang, which was nominated for the 1986 Shamus Award for best best first novel. The Burke series ends with ANOTHER LIFE (Pantheon, 2008). He wrote The Cross trilogy and the Dell and Dolly trilogy and several standalones and a number of short stories. He was 79. (December 30, 2021)

CORRECTION -- He died on December 23 of coronary artery disease at his home in the Pacific Northwest, according to his wife Alice Susan Vachss in the New York Times orbituary. (January 19, 2022)



2022 Lefty Award Nominees Announced

Left Coast Crime has announced the nominees for the 2022 Lefty Awards for books published in 2021. The five nominees in the best mystery novel category are as follows:

RUNNER, by Tracy Clark (Kensington Books)
RAZORBLADE TEARS, by S.A. Cosby (Flatiron Press)
LAST REDEMPTION, by Matt Coyle (Oceanview Publishing)
LIGHTNING STRIKE, by William Kent Krueger (Atria Books)
BATH Haus, by P.J. Vernon (Doubleday)

To see all the nominees in the four categories (humorous, historical, debut, and best), click here. Despite of the pandemic, the April 2022 Left Coast Crime convention has been scheduled to be an in-person event. The Lefty Awards will be announced and presented on Saturday, April 09 at the Hyatt Regency in Albuquerque, New Mexico. (January 18, 2022)



Recipients of Grand Master, Raven, Ellery Queen Awards Announced

The Mystery Writers of America (MWA) announced the recipients of the 2022 Grand Master, Raven, and Ellery Queen Awards as follows:

2022 Grand Master Award: Laurie R. King, the best-selling author of the Mary Russell-Sherlock Holmes novels
2022 Raven Award: Lesa Holstine, a long-time librarian, and the writer of her award-winning blog, Lesa's Book Critiques
2022 Ellery Queen Award: Juliet Grames, Senior Vice-President, Associate Publisher at Soho Press, who launched the Soho Crime Imprint in 2011

They will receive their awards at the Annual Edgar Awards Ceremony to be held on April 28 at the Marriott Marquis Times Square in New York, NY. (January 13, 2022)



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