On April 28, 2026 the winners of the 80th annual Edgar Awards were announced. The event was hosted by the Mystery Writers of America at the Marriott Marquis Times Square in New York City. I must make a shocking announcement though. I have not read any of the winning or nominated books! Below are the winners:
BEST NOVEL
The Big Empty by Robert Crais
NOMINEES
Fagin the Thief by Allison Epstein
The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
Hard Town by Adam Plantinga
The Inheritance by Trisha Sakhlecha
Presumed Guilty by Scott Turow
BEST FIRST NOVEL BY AN AMERICAN AUTHOR
Dead Money by Jakob Kerr
NOMINEES
Killer Potential by Hannah Deitch
All the Other Mothers Hate Me by Sarah Harman
Johnny Careless by Kevin Wade
History Lessons by Zoe B. Wallbrook
BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL
The Backwater by Vikki Wakefield
NOMINEES
Listen by Sacha Bronwasser
The Sideways Life of Denny Voss by Holly Kennedy
Broke Road by Matthew Spencer
One Death at a Time by Abbi Waxman
BEST FACT CRIME
Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers by Caroline Fraser
NOMINEES
They Poisoned the World: Life and Death in the Age of Forever Chemicals by Mariah Blake
Blood and the Badge: The Mafia, Two Killer Cops, and a Scandal That Shocked the Nation by Michael Cannell
Out of the Woods: A Girl, a Killer, and a Lifelong Struggle to Find the Way Home by Gregg Olsen
Story of a Murder: The Wives, the Mistress, and Dr. Crippen by Hallie Rubenhold
BEST CRITICAL/BIOGRAPHICAL
Edgar Allan Poe: A Life by Richard Kopley
NOMINEES
V is for Venom: Agatha Christie’s Chemicals of Death by Kathryn Harkup
The Kingdom of Cain: Finding God in the Literature of Darkness by Andrew Klavan
Cooler Than Cool: The Life and Work of Elmore Leonard by C.M. Kushins
Criss-Cross: The Making of Hitchcock’s Dazzling, Subversive Masterpiece Strangers on a Train by Stephen Rebello
BEST SHORT STORY
“Julius Katz Draws a Straight Flush,” Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine – September-October 2025 by Dave Zeltserman
NOMINEES
“Reading at Night,” The Strand Magazine by Graham Greene (The Strand Magazine)
“The One That Got Away,” Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine – January-February 2025 by Charlaine Harris (Must Read Books Publishing)
“Orphan X: A Mysterious Profile,” by Gregg Hurwitz (The Mysterious Bookshop)
“Lucky Heart,” Blood on the Bayou – Case Closed by Tim Maleeny (Down & Out Books)
“The Kill Clause,” Amazon Original Stories by Lisa Unger (Amazon Publishing)
BEST JUVENILE
Blood in the Water by Tiffany D. Jackson
NOMINEES
Montgomery Bonbon: Murder at the Museum by Alasdair Beckett-King
What Happened Then by Erin Soderberg Downing
A Study in Secrets by Debbi Michiko Florence
The Midwatch Institute for Wayward Girls by Judith Rossell
Mystery James Digs Her Own Grave by Ally Russell
BEST YOUNG ADULT
Under the Same Stars by Libba Bray
NOMINEES
Catch Your Death by Ravena Guron
This is Where We Die by Cindy R.X. He
The Scammer by Tiffany D. Jackson
Codebreaker by Jay Martel
BEST TELEVISION EPISODE TELEPLAY
“Pilot” – Paradise, Written by Dan Fogelman (Hulu)
NOMINEES
“End of the Line” – Ballard, Written by Michael Alaimo & Kendall Sherwood (Amazon/Fabel)
“Episode 101” – The Lowdown, Written by Sterlin Harjo (FX on Hulu)
“These Girls” – Long Bright River, Written by Nikki Toscano & Liz Moore (Peacock)
“Ye’iitsoh (Big Monster)” – Dark Winds, Written by John Wirth & Steven Paul Judd (AMC)
ROBERT L. FISH MEMORIAL AWARD
“How It Happened,” Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, July-August 2025 by Billie Kay Fern
NOMINEES
“A Textbook Example,” Sacramento Noir by Luis Avalos (Akashic Books)
“How It Happened,” Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, July-August 2025 by Billie Kay Fern (Must Read Books Publishing)
“Baggage,” Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, January-February 2025 by Rick Marcou (Must Read Books Publishing)
“Bloodsurf,” Hollywood Kills by Tiffany D. Plunkett (Level Best Books – Level Short)
“Grand Theft Auto in the Heart of Screenland,” Hollywood Kills by Robert Rotstein (Level Best Books – Level Short)
THE SIMON & SCHUSTER MARY HIGGINS CLARK AWARD
All This Could Be Yours by Hank Phillippi Ryan
NOMINEES
Five Found Dead by Sulari Gentill
Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes by Sandra Jackson-Opoku
No Comfort for the Dead by R.P. O’Donnell
Last Dance Before Dawn by Katharine Schellman
THE G.P. PUTNAM’S SONS SUE GRAFTON MEMORIAL AWARD
Gone in the Night by Joanna Schaffhausen
NOMINEES
Cold as Hell by Kelley Armstrong
Rage: A Novel by Linda Castillo
Fallen Star by Lee Goldberg
The Red Letter by Daniel G. Miller
THE LILLIAN JACKSON BRAUN MEMORIAL AWARD
A Senior Citizen’s Guide to Life on the Run by Gwen Florio
NOMINEES
Mrs. Christie at the Mystery Guild Library by Amanda Chapman
The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective by Jo Nichols
Murder Two Doors Down by Chuck Storla
Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (On a Dead Man) by Jesse Q. Sutanto
GRAND MASTER
Donna Andrews and Lee Child
RAVEN AWARD
Book Passage, Corte Madera CA
ELLERY QUEEN AWARD
John Scognamiglio, Kensington Books
