LAMBDA LITERARY AWARDS 2025

Even though I mentioned the finalists for the Lambda Literary Awards in an earlier post, along with the winner announcement date, I forgot to check. Thanks to B.V Lawson and J. Kingston Pierce for the update! 

The Lambda Literary Society, a champion of LGBTQ+ books and their authors, has announced the 2025 Lambda Literary Awards (aka the Lammys) winners. 

There are many categories, but here is the winner and the finalists in the mystery category: 

Best LGBTQ+ Mystery:

Rough Trade // Katrina Carrasco. MCD  

Finalists:

Charlotte Illes is Not a Teacher // Katie Siegel. Kensington 

One of Us Knows // Alyssa Cole. William Morrow 

Rough Pages // Lev AC Rosen. Tor Publishing Group 

The Night of Baba Yaga // Akira Otani, Translated from Japanese by Sam Bett. Soho Crime

LAMBDA LITERARY AWARDS (LAMMY AWARDS) : LGBTQ+ MYSTERY 2024 Winner

To see winners in all categories, go here: https://lambdaliterary.org/awards/2024-winners/

Of specfic interterest to the mystery reader:

LGBTQ+ Mystery

Winner

** A Calculated Risk // Cari Hunter (Bold Strokes Books)

Nominated 
Don’t Forget the Girl // Rebecca McKanna (Sourcebooks Landmark)
The Good Ones // Polly Stewart (HarperCollins Publishers)
Transitory // J. M. Redmann (Bold Strokes Books)
Where the Dead Sleep // Joshua Moehling (Poisoned Pen Press)

LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD (LAMMY AWARDS) FINALISTS

To see finalists in all categories, go here:  https://lambdaliterary.org/awards/current-finalists/

Of specfic interterest to the mystery reader:

LGBTQ+ Mystery

• A Calculated Risk // Cari Hunter (Bold Strokes Books)

• Don’t Forget the Girl // Rebecca McKanna (Sourcebooks Landmark)

• The Good Ones // Polly Stewart (HarperCollins Publishers)

• Transitory // J. M. Redmann (Bold Strokes Books)

• Where the Dead Sleep // Joshua Moehling (Poisoned Pen Press)

LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD: LGBTQ MYSTERY

Lambda Literary, the nation’s oldest and largest literary arts organization advancing LGBTQ literature, announced the winners of the Lambda Literary Awards aka the “Lammys.”

WINNERS: LGBTQ Mystery

The Savage Kind // John Copenhaver, Pegasus Books

All those nominated:

 

 

 

LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD Finalists

Lambda Literary, the nation’s oldest and largest literary arts organization advancing LGBTQ literature, announced the finalists for the Lambda Literary Awards aka the “Lammys”

Below are the Finalists in the Lesbian and Gay Mystery categories. Congratulations to All!

LGBTQ Mystery

Death Before Dessert, A.E. Radley, Heartsome Publishing 

Find Me When I’m Lost, Cheryl A. Head, Bywater Books 

Fortune Favors the Dead, Stephen Spotswood, Doubleday 

 I Hope You’re Listening, Tom Ryan, Albert Whitman & Company 

Vera Kelly Is Not a Mystery, Rosalie Knecht, Tin House Books

To see the Finalists in other categories, go HERE.

LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD WINNERS

Lambda Literary, the nation’s oldest and largest literary arts organization advancing LGBTQ literature, announced the Lambda Literary Award winners – or the “Lammys.”

Below are the Winner in the Lesbian and Gay Mystery categories.

Lesbian Mystery

• Galileo, Ann McMan, Bywater Books

Gay Mystery

• Carved in Bone: A Henry Rios Novel, Michael Nava, Persigo Press

To see the winners in other categories, go HERE.

Lambda Mystery Award Nominees

Lambda Literary, the nation’s oldest and largest literary arts organization advancing LGBTQ literature, announced the finalists of the 30th Annual Lambda Literary Awards – or the “Lammys,” as they are affectionately known.

The finalists were chosen from nearly 1,000 submissions and over 300 publishers. Submissions came from major mainstream publishers and from independent presses, from both long-established and new LGBTQ publishers, as well as from emerging publish-on-demand technologies. Visionary and Trustee Award honorees, the master of ceremonies, and celebrity presenters will be announced in April. The winners will be announced at a gala ceremony on Monday, June 4th in New York City.


“Celebrating our 30th year of Lambda Literary Award finalists is to recognize that this organization has been at the center of contemporary queer literature for decades,” said Lambda Literary Executive Director Tony Valenzuela. “This year is no different with another stellar list of authors demonstrating through their work that LGBTQ books tell richly textured stories about who we are in all our incredible diversity.”

Below are the nominees in Lesbian and Gay Mystery. Congratulations to All!

To Read All the Nominees, go Here.

Lesbian Mystery

• A Quiet Death, Cari Hunter, Bold Strokes Books
• Fever in the Dark, Ellen Hart, Minotaur
• The Girl on the Edge of Summer, M. Redmann, Bold Strokes Books
• Huntress, E. Radley, Heartsome Publishing
• The Last First Time, Andrea Bramhall, Ylva Publishing
• Murder Under the Fig Tree: A Palestine Mystery, Kate Jessica Raphael, She Writes Press
• Odd Numbers, Anne Holt, Scribner
• Repercussions, Jessica L. Webb, Bold Strokes Books

Gay Mystery

• Boystown 10: Gifts Given, Marshall Thornton, Kenmore Books
• Long Shadows, Kate Sherwood, Riptide Publishing
• Love is Heartless, Kim Fielding, Dreamspinner Press
• The Mystery of the Curiosities, C. S. Poe, DSP Publications
• Night Drop, Marshall Thornton, Kenmore Books
• Ring of Silence, Mark Zubro, MLR Press
• Street People, Michael Nava, Korima Press
• Tramps and Thieves, Rhys Ford, Dreamspinner Press

Lambda Literary Award Nominees

The 29th Annual Lambda Literary Awards–or the “Lammys,” as they are affectionately known–kick off another record-breaking year with today’s announcement of the finalists. The winners in all categories will be announced at a special ceremony to be held at the New York University Skirball Center for the Performing Arts in Manhattan.

Best Lesbian Mystery: 
• Blood Money Murder, by Jessie Chandler (Bella)
• Bury Me When I’m Dead, by Cheryl A. Head (Bywater)
• Collide-O-Scope, by Andrea Bramhall (Ylva)
• Final Cut, by Lynn Ames (Phoenix Rising Press)
• Pathogen, by Jessica L. Webb (Bold Strokes)
• Requiem for Immortals, by Lee Winter (Ylva)
• Under Contract, by Jennifer L. Jordan (Clover Valley Press)
• Walk-in, by T.L. Hart (Bella)

Best Gay Mystery: 
• Bitter Legacy, by Dal Maclean (Blind Eye)
• Homo Superiors, by L. A. Fields (Lethe Press)
• Lay Your Sleeping Head, by Michael Nava (Korima Press)
• Nights in Berlin, by Janice Law (MysteriousPress/Open Road)
• Speakers of the Dead, by J. Aaron Sanders (Plume)

Hat Tip: The Rap Sheet
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LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD NOMINEES

The Lambda Literary Awards are given “to celebrate achievement in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) writing for books published in 2012.” There are 22 categories of nominees for the “Lammys,” but the two of most  interest to mystery readers. For all nominees, go HERE.

Gay Mystery:
• Bokassa’s Last Apostle, by Rod Shelton (Paradise Press UK)
• Dos Equis, by Anthony Bidulka (Insomniac Press)
• Fires of London, by Janice Law (Mysterious Press/Open Road)
• Lake on the Mountain, by Jeffrey Round (Dundurn)
• The Yellow Canary, by Steve Neil Johnson (Clutching Hand)

Lesbian Mystery:
• Ill Will, by J.M. Redmann (Bold Strokes)
• Jacob’s War, by C.P. Rowlands (Bold Strokes)
• Lemon Reef, by Robin Silverman (Bold Strokes)
• Molly: House on Fire, by R.E. Bradshaw (R.E. Bradshaw)
• Rest for the Wicked, by Ellen Hart (Minotaur)

The winners will be announced on June 3 at New York's Cooper Union.

Sorry to have missed the nominees on this one last week, but thanks to The Rap Sheet via The Mysterious Press Blog.