Barry Award Nominations: Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine

The 2026 Barry Award Nominations

The Barry Awards are nominated by Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine. Congratulations to all. The winners of the 2026 Barry Awards will be announced at the Opening Ceremonies of Bouchercon (Calgary, Canada) on October 22, 2026.

Best Mystery
THE IMPOSSIBLE THING, Belinda Bauer (Atlantic Monthly)
CROOKS, Lou Berney (William Morrow)
KING OF ASHES, S. A. Cosby (Flatiron Books)
THE BLACK WOLF, Louise Penny (Minotaur Books)
THE WHITE CROW, Michael Robotham (Scribner)
PRESUMED GUILTY, Scott Turow (Grand Central)

Best First Mystery
LEVERAGE, Amran Gowani (Atria Books)
ALL THE OTHER MOTHERS HATE ME, Sarah Harman (Putnam)
DEAD MONEY, Jakob Kerr (Bantam)
THE VANISHING PLACE, Zoe Rankin (Berkley)
STILLWATER, Tanya Scott (Atlantic Monthly)
JULIE CHAN IS DEAD, Liann Zhang (Atria Books)

Best Paperback Original Mystery
CRIMSON THAW, Bruce Robert Coffin (Severn River)
SPLINTERED JUSTICE, Kim Hays (Seventh Street Books)
MAKING A KILLING, Cara Hunter (William Morrow)
IF TWO ARE DEAD, Rick Mofina (MIRA)
WOLF SIX, Alex Shaw (Boldwood Books)
THE DENTIST, Tim Sullivan (Atlantic Crime)

Best Thriller
WITNESS 8, Steve Cavanagh (Atria Books)
THE OLIGARCH’S DAUGHTER, Joseph Finder (Harper)
MIDNIGHT BLACK, Mark Greaney (Berkley)
CLOWN TOWN, Mick Herron (Soho Crime)
HEAD CASES, John McMahon (Minotaur Books)
THE MAILMAN, Andrew Welsh-Huggins (Mysterious Press)

FINGERPRINT AWARDS SHORTLISTS: Capital Crime Festival

The Capital Crime Festival  (London, UK) announced the shortlists for its annual Fingerprint Awards, which champion the very best in crime writing from the past year across the globe, as voted for by readers. The shortlists were selected by the festival’s board members from a longlist curated by the Tastemakers Committee, a panel of leading independent bloggers and reviewers, who championed their standout titles across each category. 

Readers can now vote for their preferred winners in each category on the Capital Crime website through Saturday, May 30th. The winners will be revealed at the Fingerprint Awards on the evening of Thursday, June 18th as part of the Capital Crime event in London at the Royal Leonardo Hotel. Congrats to this year's finalists!

 
Audiobook of the Year

• Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell 

• King of Ashes by  S A Cosby

• We Live Here Now by Sarah Pinborough 

• Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney

• Artificial Wisdom by Thomas R. Weaver

True Crime Book of the Year

• Story of a Murder by Hallie Rubenhold 

• Nobody’s Girl by Virginia Roberts-Guiffre 

• Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers by Caroline Fraser 

• A History of Modern Britain in Twenty Murders by Prof. David Wilson 

• A Flower Travelled in My Blood by Haley Cohen Gilliland  

Debut Crime Book

• Broken by Jón Atli Jónasson

• Deadline by  Steph McGovern 

• Death at the White Hart by Chris Chibnall

• The Day of the Roaring by Nina Bhadreshwar

• This is Not A Game by Kelly Mullen

Genre-Busting Book

• Kill Them with Kindness by Will Carver 

• Little Red Death by A. K. Benedict Book

• Blood Like Ours by Stuart Neville

• Small Fires by Ronnie Turner

• Manhattan Down by Michael Cordy  

Historical Crime Book of the Year

• The Art of A Lie by Laura Shepherd-Robinson 

• The Rush by Beth Lewis 

• Dangerous by Essie Fox

• Burning Grounds by Abir Mukherjee

• Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz 

Thriller Book of the Year

• The Chemist by A A Dhand

• Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell 

• Human Remains by Jo Callaghan 

• The Man Made of Smoke by Alex North

• Some of Us Are Liars by Fiona Cummins

Overall Crime Book of the Year

• The Midnight King by Tariq Ashkanani

• The Final Vow by M W Craven

• Quantum of Menace by Vaseem Khan

• The Good Father by Liam McIlveney

• We Live Here Now by Sarah Pinborough

Cartoon of the Day: Cat Book Clubs

 

PRINT EDITION NOW AVAILABLE: Mystery Readers Journal: Fairs, Fêtes, & Festivals in Mysteries (42:1)

Mystery Readers Journal: Fairs, Fêtes, & Festivals in Mysteries (42:1) is now available in print. 

Purchase the Print issue here.

This issue is also available as a PDF. 

Fairs, Fêtes, & Festivals in Mysteries

Volume 42, No. 1, Spring 2026

Buy this print edition! Also available as a downloadable PDF.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
ARTICLES

• May Day, Maypoles, and Morris Dancing Mysteries (and a Recipe for Maypole Chocolate Cake) by Janet Rudolph

• The Fête of Mortals—The Trigger for Crime by Alan Cassady-Bishop

• Graham Greene: The Man for a White Elephant Stall by Moira Redmond

AUTHOR! AUTHOR!

• The Welsh Have a Word for It… by Cathy Ace

• Murder Can’t Stop de Carnival—or Writing About It! by Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier

• Spectacles, Sangria, and Selkies by Rowan Dillon

• Celebrating Crime on the Page, with the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries by Leslie Budewitz

• There is Nothing Better Than a Fair or Festival by Nancy Coco

• Searching for Carnevale by Yves Fey

• Faire at a Fire Station Sparks a Mystery Plot by Nancy Lynn Jarvis

• Summer Festivals Are Hot in a Wintry City by Janice MacDonald

• Why I Set My Murder Mystery at an English Literary Festival by Mark McCrumb

• World’s Fairs as Bookends to a Mystery Series by Frances McNamara

• Asian Festivals & Fairs by Larry and Rosemary Mild

• It Takes a Village Fair: Setting the Stage for Murder by Paula Munier

• Murder Under the Bunting: Festivals as Crime Scenes by Neil S. Plakcy

• Round and Round: Why We Can’t Resist a Carousel by Bernard O’Keefe

• Murder Midst the Bunting by Ann Sutton

• Mardi Gras State of Mind by Martha Reed

• Come Taste My Wine: The Balmetto Festival in Borgofranco d’Ivrea by D.R. Ransdell

• What’s Fair About It? by Nancy Wikarski

• Comic Cons Make Murder Mysteries More Fun! by Melissa Westemeier

COLUMNS

• Mystery in Retrospect: Reviews by Lesa Holstine and Aubrey Nye Hamilton

• Children’s Hour: Fairs, Fêtes, & Festivals in Mysteries by Gay Toltl Kinman

• Real Crime at Fêtes and Festivals by Cathy Pickens

• Crime Seen: Fun—and Fear—at the Fair by Kate Derie

• From the Editor’s Desk by Janet Rudolph

ITW THRILLER AWARDS 2026

The International Thriller Writers announced the 2026 Thriller Awards last night at ThrillerFest. 

Best Standalone Novel: Cross My Heart, by Megan Collins (Atria)

Best Series Novel: The Big Empty, by Robert Crais (Putnam)

Best First Novel: Party of Liars, by Kelsey Cox (Minotaur)
 
Best Audiobook: The White Crow, by Michael Robotham; narrated by Katy Sobey (Simon & Schuster)

Best Young Adult Novel: The Silenced, by Diana Rodriguez Wallach (Delacorte Press)

Best Short Story: “The Violent Season,” by Jessica Van Dessel (Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, July/August 2025)

There were also Special Recognitions announced during the ThrillerFest Awards Banquet:

2026 ThrillerMaster, Lisa Scottoline
2026 ThrillerMaster, Harlan Coben
2026 Silver Bullet Award, Douglas Preston
2026 Spotlight Guest, Rachel Howzell Hall
2026 Spotlight Guest, Luis Alberto Urrea
2026 Thriller Legend, Barbara Peters
2026 ThrillerFan, Jordon Moblo
2026 Thriller Volunteer of the Year, James L'Etoile

HT: The Rap Sheet. Thanks, Jeff!

ANTHONY AWARD NOMINATIONS: BOUCHERCON 2026

Congratulations to the Anthony Award nominees! 

Voting will take place at Bouchercon in Calgary. Winners will be announced on October 24, 2026.

𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹 

Crooks by Lou Berney 

King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby 

The Black Wolf by Louise Penny 

Death of an Ex by Delia Pitts 

All This Could Be Yours by Hank Phillippi Ryan 

𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹 

Whiskey Business by Adrian Andover 

Mask of the Deer Woman by Laurie L. Dove 

The Retirement Plan by Sue Hincenbergs 

Voices of the Elysian Fields by Michael Rigg 

History Lessons by Zoe B. Wallbrook 

Julie Chan is Dead by Liann Zhang 

𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗣𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹 

Tricks of Fortune by Lina Chern 

Edge by Tracy Clark 

Crimson Thaw by Bruce Robert Coffin 

River of Lies by James L'Etoile 

This Violent Heart by Heather Levy 

𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻'𝘀/𝗬𝗔 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹 

Well-Behaved Children Seldom Make History by Chris Chan 

Miles in Time by Lee Matthew Goldberg 

The Scammer by Tiffany D. Jackson 

Death in the Cards by Mia P. Manansala 

Risky Pursuit by Nancy G. West 

𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹/𝗡𝗼𝗻-𝗙𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 

Vacations Can Be Murder: A True Crime Lover's Travel Guide to New England by Dawn M. Barclay 

L.A. Coroner: Thomas Noguchi and Death in Hollywood by Anne Soon Choi 

Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers by Caroline Fraser 

The Secret History of the Rape Kit: A True Crime Story by Pagan Kennedy 

Bone Valley: A True Story of Injustice and Redemption in the Heart of Florida by Gilbert King 

𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆/𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 

Whatever Kills the Pain by C.W. Blackwell 

Blood On the Bayou: Case Closed edited by Don Bruns 

Crime Ink: Iconic: An Anthology of Crime Fiction Inspired by Queer Icons edited by John Copenhaver & Salem West 

On Fire and Under Water: A Climate Change Crime Fiction Anthology edited by Curtis Ippolito Hollywood Kills edited by Adam Meyer & Alan Orloff 

𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 

"Six-Armed Robbery" by Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier 

"AITA for Using My Husband's Hobby to Teach Him a Lesson" by Mindy Carlson 

"Hollywood Prometheus" by Christa Faust 

"Brotherly Love" by Cheryl A. Head 

"Finding Jimmy Baldwin" by Cheryl A. Head 

"The Skies Are Red" by Richie Narvaez