The Mystery Writers of America have announced the finalists for the Edgar Allan Poe Awards, given annually to outstanding works of mystery fiction and nonfiction.
Laila Lalami was named a finalist in the best novel category for The Dream Hotel, alongside Scott Turow for Presumed Guilty, Charlotte McConaghy for Wild Dark Shore, Robert Crais for The Big Empty, Allison Epstein for Fagin the Thief, Adam Plantinga for Hard Town, and Trisha Sakhlecha for The Inheritance.
The finalists for the best first novel by an American author award are Killer Potential by Hannah Deitch, All the Other Mothers Hate Me by Sarah Harman, Dead Money by Jakob Kerr, Johnny Careless by Kevin Wade, and History Lessons by Zoe B. Wallbrook.
Nominated in the best fact crime category are 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; Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers by Caroline Fraser; Out of the Woods: A Girl, a Killer, and a Lifelong Struggle to Find the Way Home by Gregg Olsen; and Story of a Murder: The Wives, the Mistress, and Dr. Crippen by Hallie Rubenhold.
The finalists in the young adult category are Under the Same Stars by Libba Bray, Catch Your Death by Ravena Guron, This Is Where We Die by Cindy R.X. He, The Scammer by Tiffany D. Jackson, and Codebreaker by Jay Martel.
The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, commonly called the Edgars, were established in 1946. The winners of this year’s prizes will be announced at a ceremony on April 29 at the Marriott Marquis Times Square Hotel in New York. A full list of nominees is available at the MWA website.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
