2025 ANTHONY AWARDS PRESENTED
The 2025 Anthony Awards were presented at Bouchercon New Orleans on September 6, 2025. Our congratulations to the winners (listed first in each category) and all the nominees.
| Best Mystery Novel | |
| * | The God of the Woods by Liz Moore [review] |
| ° | Missing White Woman by Kellye Garrett [review] |
| ° | The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny [review] |
| ° | Alter Ego by Alex Segura [review] |
| ° | California Bear by Duane Swierczynski [review] |
| Best First Mystery | |
| * | You Know What You Did by K.T. Nguyen [review] |
| ° | The Mechanics of Memory by Audrey Lee [review] |
| ° | Ghosts of Waikīkī by Jennifer K. Morita |
| ° | Good-Looking Ugly by Rob D. Smith |
| ° | Holy City by Henry Wise [review] |
| Best Paperback/E-book/Audiobook | |
| * | Echo by Tracy Clark [review] |
| ° | The Last Few Miles of Road by Eric Beetner |
| ° | Served Cold by James L’Etoile |
| ° | Late Checkout by Alan Orloff |
| ° | The Big Lie by Gabriel Valjan |
| Best Historical Mystery | |
| * | The Murder of Mr. Ma by John Shen Yen Nee and S.J. Rozan [review] |
| ° | The Lantern’s Dance by Laurie R. King |
| ° | The Witching Hour by Catriona McPherson |
| ° | The Bootlegger’s Daughter by Nadine Nettmann |
| ° | The Courtesan’s Pirate by Nina Wachsman |
| Best Paranormal Mystery | |
| * | A New Lease on Death by Olivia Blacke |
| ° | Five Furry Familiars by Lynn Cahoon |
| ° | Exposure by Ramona Emerson |
| ° | Lights, Camera, Bone by Carolyn Haines |
| ° | Death in Ghostly Hue by Susan Van Kirk |
| Best Cozy/Humorous Mystery | |
| * | Cirque du Slay by Rob Osler |
| ° | A Cup of Flour, a Pinch of Death by Valerie Burns |
| ° | A Very Woodsy Murder by Ellen Byron |
| ° | ll-Fated Fortune by Jennifer J. Chow |
| ° | Scotzilla by Catriona McPherson [review] |
| ° | Dominoes, Danzón, and Death by Raquel V. Reyes |
| Best Juvenile/Young Adult | |
| * | When Mimi Went Missing by Suja Sukumar |
| ° | The Big Grey Man of Ben Macdhui by K.B. Jackson |
| ° | Sasquatch of Harriman Lake by K.B. Jackson |
| ° | First Week Free at the Roomy Toilet by Josh Proctor |
| ° | The Sherlock Society by James Ponti |
| Best Critical or Nonfiction Work | |
| * | The Serial Killer’s Apprentice by Katherine Ramsland and Tracy Ullman |
| ° | Writing the Cozy Mystery: Authors’ Perspectives on Their Craft edited by Phyllis M. Betz |
| ° | Some of My Best Friends Are Murderers: Critiquing the Columbo Killers by Chris Chan |
| ° | On Edge: Gender and Genre in the Work of Shirley Jackson, Patricia Highsmith, and Leigh Brackett by Ashley Lawson |
| ° | Abingdon’s Boardinghouse Murder by Greg Lilly |
| Best Anthology or Collection | |
| * | Tales of Music, Murder, and Mayhem: Bouchercon Anthology 2024 edited by Heather Graham |
| ° | Murder, Neat: A Sleuthslayer’s Anthology edited by Michael Bracken and Barb Goffman |
| ° | Scattered, Smothered, Covered & Chunked: Crime Fiction Inspired by Waffle House edited by Michael Bracken and Stacy Woodson |
| ° | Eight Very Bad Nights: A Collection of Hanukkah Noir edited by Tod Goldberg |
| ° | Friend of the Devil: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of the Grateful Dead edited by Josh Pachter |
| Best Short Story | |
| * | “Something to Hold Onto” by Curtis Ippolito Dark Yonder, Issue 6 |
| ° | “A Matter of Trust” by Barb Goffman Three Strikes—You’re Dead |
| ° | “Twenty Centuries” by James D.F. Hannah Eight Very Bad Nights: A Collection of Hanukkah Noir |
| ° | “Satan’s Spit” by Gabriel Valjan Tales of Music, Murder, and Mayhem: Bouchercon Anthology 2024 |
| ° | “Reynisfjara” by Kristopher Zgorski Mystery Most International |
2025 BARRY AWARDS PRESENTED
The Barry Awards, voted on by the readers of Deadly Pleasures, were presented at the Opening Ceremonies of Bouchercon New Orleans on September 4, 2025. Our congratulations to the winners (listed first in each category) and to all of the nominees.
| Best Mystery Novel | |
| * | The Waiting by Michael Connelly [review] |
| ° | Spirit Crossing by William Kent Krueger [review] |
| ° | The God of the Woods by Liz Moore [review] |
| ° | Midnight and Blue by Ian Rankin |
| ° | California Bear by Duane Swierczynski [review] |
| ° | All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker [review] |
| Best First Mystery Novel | |
| * | Ordinary Bear by C.B. Bernard |
| ° | The Expectant Detectives by Kat Ailes [review] |
| ° | Paper Cage by Tom Baragwanath [review] |
| ° | In the Blink of an Eye by Jo Callaghan |
| ° | First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston [review] |
| ° | Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera [review] |
| Best Paperback Original Mystery Novel | |
| * | Double Barrel Bluff by Lou Berney [review] |
| ° | All the Rage by Cara Hunter |
| ° | Smoke Kings by Jahmal Mayfield [review] |
| ° | Someone Saw Something by Rick Mofina |
| ° | Wordhunter by Stella Sands [review] |
| ° | Sin City by James Swain |
| Best Action Thriller | |
| * | Hero by Thomas Perry [review] |
| ° | Assassin Eighteen by John Brownlow |
| ° | First Strike by Stephen Leather |
| ° | The Seventh Floor by David McCloskey [review] |
| ° | Hunted by Abir Mukherjee [review] |
| ° | The Price You Pay by Nick Petrie [review] |
2025 SHAMUS AWARDS PRESENTED
The Shamus Awards are given annually by the Private Eye Writers of America to honor excellent work in the Private Eye genre, were presented at the Opening Ceremonies of Bouchercon New Orleans on September 4, 2025. Our congratulations to the winners (listed first in each category) and all the nominees.
| The Eye Award | Christine Matthews |
| Best P.I. Novel | |
| * | Trouble in Queenstown by Delia Pitts [review] |
| ° | Kingpin by Mike Lawson |
| ° | The Hollow Tree by Phillip Miller |
| ° | Farewell, Amethystine by Walter Mosley |
| ° | Death and Glory by Will Thomas |
| Best P.I. Paperback Original | |
| * | Call of the Void by J.T. Siemens |
| ° | Geisha Confidential by Mark Coggins |
| ° | Quarry’s Return by Max Allan Collins |
| ° | Not Born of Woman by Teel James Glenn |
| ° | Bless Our Sleep by Neil S. Plakcy |
| ° | The Big Lie by Gabriel Valjan |
| Best First P.I. Novel | |
| * | Twice the Trouble by Ash Clifton [review] |
| ° | The Devil’s Daughter by Gordon Greisman |
| ° | Fog City by Claire M. Johnson |
| ° | The Road to Heaven by Alexis Stefanovich-Thomson [review] |
| ° | Holy City by Henry Wise [review] |
| Best P.I. Short Story | |
| * | “Deadhead” by Tom Andes Cowboy Jamboree Magazine, Fall 2024 |
| ° | “Alibi in Ice” by Libby Cudmore Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, July/August 2024 |
| ° | “Drop Dead Gorgeous” by M.E. Proctor Janie’s Got a Gun: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Music of Aerosmith |
| ° | “Under Hard Rock” by Ed Teja Black Cat Weekly #164, October 2024 |
| ° | “The Five Cent Detective” by S.B. Watson Crimeucopia, November 2024 |
Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too! 