2026 THRILLER AWARD WINNERS
The International Thriller Writers (ITW) announced the winners for the 2026 Thriller Awards as follows:

BEST STANDALONE NOVEL: (5)
WINNER Cross My Heart, by Megan Collins (Atria)
Zigzag Girl, by Ruth Knafo Setton (Black Spring Press)
The Burning Library, by Gilly Macmillan (Morrow)
The Locked Ward, by Sarah Pekkanen (St. Martin's Press)
So Happy Together, by Olivia Worley (Minotaur)

BEST SERIES NOVEL: (5)
Chain Reaction, by James Byrne (Minotaur), featuring Desmond Aloysius Limerick
WINNER The Big Empty, by Robert Crais (Putnam), featuring Elvis Cole and Joe Pike
Head Cases, by John McMahon (Minotaur), featuring Gardner Camden
The Tourists, by Christopher Reich (Thomas & Mercer), featuring Mac Dekker
Terminal Moonlight, by Vincent Zandri (Down & Out), featuring Dick Moonlight, P.I.

BEST FIRST NOVEL: (5)
Death at the White Hart, by Chris Chibnall (Pamela Dorman)
WINNER Party of Liars, by Kelsey Cox (Minotaur)
Count My Lies, by Sophie Stava (Scout Press)
History Lessons, by Zoe B. Wallbrook (Soho Crime)
Julie Chan Is Dead, by Liann Zhang (Atria)

BEST AUDIOBOOK: (6)
King of Ashes, by S.A. Cosby; narrated by Adam Lazarre-White (Macmillan)
The Wasp Trap, by Mark Edwards; narrated by John Hopkins and Anna Burnett (Simon & Schuster)
Best Offer Wins, by Marisa Kashino; narrated by Cia Court (Macmillan)
When Devils Sing, by Xan Kaur; narrated by Michael Crouch, Anjali Kunapaneni, Jennifer Pickens, and Landon Woodson (Macmillan)
The Cheaters Wife, by C.N. Mabry and N'Dia Rae; narrated by Ruffin Prentiss and Machelle Williams (Simon Maverick)
WINNER The White Crow, by Michael Robotham; narrated by Katy Sobey (Simon & Schuster)

BEST YOUNG ADULT NOVEL: (5)
Murder Between Friends, by Liz Lawson (Delacorte Press)
This Stays Between Us, by Margot McGovern (Penguin Young Readers)
Shiny Happy People, by Clay McLeod Chapman (Delacorte Press)
WINNER The Silenced, by Diana Rodriguez Wallach (Delacorte Press)
The Thrashers, by Julie Soto (Wednesday)

BEST SHORT STORY: (5)
"Level Up," by Katrina Carrasco (in Crime Ink: Iconic, edited by John Copenhaver and Salem West; Bywater Books)
"The Seduction of Dr. Dimension," by Scott William Carter (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, November/December 2025)
"Eleven Numbers," by Lee Child (Amazon Original Stories)
"False Note," by David Lagercrantz (Amazon Original Stories)
WINNER "The Violent Season," by Jessica Van Dessel (Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, July/August 2025)

2026 ThrillerMaster Lifetime Achievement Award Recipients:
Lisa Scottoline and
Harlan Coben

2026 Silver Bullet Award Recipient:
Douglas Preston

2026 Thriller Legend Award Recipient:
Barbara Peters, the proprietress of The Poisoned Pen Bookstore

2026 Thriller Volunteer of the Year Award Recipient:
James L'Etoile

The winners were announced on Saturday, May 09, 2026 during ThrillerFest XXI held at the New York Hilton Midtown, New York, N.Y..

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