2008 Notable Books

2008 DILYS AWARD NOMINEES

The book mystery booksellers "most enjoy selling"
Presented at Left Coast Crime March 9:
Rhys Bowen, Her Royal Spyness ($24 2nds).
William Kent Kruger, Thunder Bay ($24).
Lisa Lutz, The Spellman Files ($14).
Deanna Raybourn,Silent in the Grave ($6.99).
Marcus Sakey, The Blade Itself ($6.99).

2008 EDGAR NOMINEES

I said in the Jan.-Feb. Booklist that noir is the hottest genre with some of the most original work and this list confirms it. First novels contains 2 First Mystery Club Picks and 2 Hardboiled Club Picks.

Best Novel
Benjamin Black/Banville, Christine Falls ($14).
Ken Bruen, Priest ($14).
Michael Chabon, The Yiddish Policemen's Union ($27; $16 May).
R.F.Coleman, Soul Patch ($15).
John Hart, Down River ($27 Signed 1sts).

Best First Novel
Gordon Campbell, Missing Witness ($25).
Tana French, In the Woods ($25).
Christopher Goffard, Snitch Jacket ($27 Signed 1sts).
Craig McDonald, Head Games ($27 Signed 1sts).
Derek Nitas, Pyres ($25).

Best Paperback Original
Megan Abbott, Queenpin ($13).
David Corbett, Blood of Paradise ($10).
Vicki Hendricks, Cruel Poetry ($15).
Russell Hill, Robbie's Wife ($6.99).
Kevin Wignall, Who is Conrad Hirst? ($14).

Best Fact Crime
Vincent Bugliosi, Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy ($50).
Kerry Max Cook, Chasing Justice: My Story of Freeing Myself After Two Decades on Death Row for a Crime I Didn't Commit ($15).
Kevin Flynn, Relentless Pursuit ($7.99).
Bruce Watson, Sacco & Vanzetti ($26).

Best Short Story
Mark Ammons, "The Catch" in Still Waters ($).
Stuart Kaminsky, "Blue Note" in Chicago Blues ($15).
Laura Lippman, "Hardly Knew Her" in Dead Man's Hand ($25).
Susan Straight, "The Golden Gopher" in Los Angeles Noir ($16).
Daniel Woodrell, "Uncle" in Hell of a Woman ($18).

Best Critical/Biographical Work
Patrick Anderson, The Triumph of the Thriller: How Cops, Crooks and Cannibals Captured Popular Fiction ($15).
Maurizio Ascari, A Counter-History of Crime Fiction: Supernatural, Gothic, Sensational Christiana Gregoriou, Deviance in Contemporary Crime Fiction Lellenberg, Stashower, Foley, Arthur Conan Doyle ($38).
Jean Gould O'Connell, Chester Gould: A Daughter's Biography of the Creator of Dick Tracy

2008 MARY HIGGINS CLARK

Good reading for fans of intelligent suspense:
Sarah Andrews, In Cold Pursuit ($27 Signed 1sts).
Sandi Ault, Wild Indigo ($7.99).
Karen Harper, Inferno ($6.99).
Judith Kelman, The First Stone ($7.99).
Barbara Seranella, Deadman's Switch ($24).

2008 ROCKY AWARD

For those who want regional stories, books set in the Left Coast Crime landscape: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, Utah, and El Paso, Texas; Canada: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Yukon; Mexico:

C.J. Box, Free Fire ($25 Signed 1sts).
Bill Cameron, Lost Dog ($14).
Margaret Coel, The Girl with Braided Hair ($24).
Tim Maleeny, Stealing the Dragon ($15).
Twist Phelan, False Fortune ($25 Signed 1sts).

2008 LEFTY

Mixing mystery with humor:
Donna Andrews, The Penguin Who Knew Too Much ($24).
Don Bruns, Stuff to Die For ($25).
Jeff Cohen, Knee High by the Fourth of July ($14).
Elaine Viets, Murder with Reservations ($22).