Bouchercon, the world's oldest and largest convention for mystery authors and mystery readers, has named the winners of the Anthony Awards for 2020. Normally, the awards would have been presented at a ceremony at this year's Bouchercon in Sacramento, California. Guess what happened to THAT plan! So the organizers of Bouchercon 2020 put together an online version of the convention, the attendees (who voted to choose the winners) still cast their votes online, and the ballots were tallied up and the winners announced Saturday evening at the closing night "gala," courtesy of teleconferencing.
The Anthony Awards are named in honor of the late author and mystery critic Anthony Boucher (for whom Bouchercon is named), and they are considered to be among the most prestigious awards for crime fiction authors. This year, they were presented for books and stories in seven categories. The winners are listed below, together with the names of the runners-up in each category.
By the way, the virtual convention was a remarkable achievement. Although the attendees (self included) were connecting from places all around the world, there were live panel discussions via Zoom, and interviews with guests of honor, pre-taped for downloading. Not the same as a live convention, to be sure, but a pretty good adaptation under COVID rules.
Anyway...the winners:
BEST NOVEL
- The Murder List, by Hank Phillippi Ryan
- Your House Will Pay, by Steph Cha
- They All Fall Down by Rachel Howzell Hall
- Lady in the Lake, by Laura Lippman
- Miami Midnight, by Alex Segura
BEST FIRST NOVEL
- **One Night Gone**, by Tara Laskowski
- The Ninja Daughter, by Tori Eldridge
- Miracle Creek, by Angie Kim
- Three Fifths, by John Vercher
- American Spy, by Lauren Wilkinson
BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL
- **The Alchemist's Illusion**, by Gigi Pandian
- The UnrepentantI, by E. A. Aymar
- Murder Knocks Twice, by Susanna Calkins
- The Pearl Dagger, by L. A. Chandler
- Scot & Soda, by Catriona McPherson
- Drowned Under, by Wendall Thomas
- The Naming Game, by Gabriel Valjan
BEST CRITICAL NON-FICTION WORK
- **The Mutual Admiration Society: How Dorothy L. Sayers and her Oxford Circle Remade the World for Women, by Mo Moulton
- Hitchcock and the Censors, by John Billheimer
- The Hooded Gunman: An Illustrated History of the Collins Crime Club, by John Curran
- The Trial of Lizzie Borden: A True Story, by Cara Robertson
- The Five: The Untold Stories of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper, by Hallie Rubenhold
BEST SHORT STORY
- **"Red Zone,** by Alex Segura, appearing in Pa'que Tu Lo Sepas!: Stories to Benefit the People of Puerto Rico
- "Turistas," by Hector Acosta, appearing in Pa'que Tu Lo Sepas!: Stories to Benefit the People of Puerto Rico
- "Unforgiven," by Hilary Davidson, appearing in Murder a'Go'Gos: Crime Fiction inspired by the Music of the Go-Gos
- "Better Days," by Art Taylor, appearing in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, May/June 2019
- "Hard Return," by Art Taylor, appearing in Crime Travel
BEST ANTHOLOGY OR COLLECTION
- **Malice Domestic 14: Mystery Most Edible**, edited by Verena Rose, Rita Owen, and Shawn Reilly
- The Eyes of Texas: Private Eyes from the Panhandle to the Piney Woods, edited by Michael Bracken
- Pa'que Tu Lo Sepas!: Stories to Benefit the People of Puerto Rico, edited by Angel Luis Colon
- Crime Travel, edited by Barb Goffman
- Murder A-Go-Go's: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Music of the Go-Gos, edited by Holly West
BEST YOUNG ADULT
- **Seven Ways to Get Rid of Harry,** by Jen Conley
- Catfishing on CatNet, by Naomi Kritzer
- Killing November, by Adriana Mather
- Patron Saints of Nothing, by Randy Ribay
- The Deceivers, by Kristen Simmons
- Wild and Crooked, by Leah Thomas
Congratulations to everyone - winners and runners-up - and we'll see you next fall, we hope, at Bouchercon in New Orleans.
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