2026 Golden Poppy Book Awards Finalists: California Indie Booksellers Alliance

The California Independent Booksellers Alliance (CALIBA) announced the 2026 Golden Poppy Awards in recognition of the most distinguished books written and illustrated by creators who have made California their home. Committees for each category are made up of booksellers throughout the state tasked with developing a list of five finalists and one winner.

For the complete list in all categories, go here.

Here are the finalists in Mystery. Congratulations to all!

A Violent Masterpiece by Jordan Harper (Mulholland Books)
Get Lost by Justin Halpern (Cardinal)
The Cormorant Hunt by Michael Idov (Scribner)
The Tree of Light and Flowers by Thomas Perry (The Mysterious Press)
The Haul by Gary Phillips (Soho Crime)

Macavity Award Nominations 2026

Macavity Award Nominations 2026
(for works published in 2025)

The Macavity Award is named after Macavity: The Mystery Cat, in T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats! Scroll down to read the poem. 

The Macavity Awards are nominated and voted on by members of Mystery Readers International, subscribers to Mystery Readers Journal, and friends of MRI. Congratulations to all!

Ballots will be sent out next week to members of MRI, subscribers to MRJ, and to friends of MRI. Look for it in your email. Winners will be announced this Fall.

Want to be a member/subscriber, go here. Mystery Readers Journal themes for 2026: Fairs, Fetes, and Festivals; Mysteries set in France; Cross-Genre Mysteries; and Mysteries set in India. 

Macavity Nominations 2026 (for works published in 2025)

Best Mystery Novel

Crooks by Lou Berney (William Morrow)

King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby (Flatiron Books)

Clown Town by Mick Herron (Soho Crime)

River of Lies by James L'Etoile (Oceanview Publishing)

The White Crow by Michael Robotham (Scribner)

All This Could Be Yours by Hank Phillippi Ryan (Minotaur Books)

Best First Mystery 

Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes by Sandra Jackson-Opoku (Minotaur Books)

Dead Money by Jakob Kerr (Bantam Books)

Voices of the Elysian Fields by Michael Rigg (Level Best Books)

Stillwater by Tanya Scott (Grove Atlantic)

History Lessons by Zoe B. Wallbrook (Soho Press)

Best Mystery Nonfiction

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

Blood and the Badge: The Mafia, Two Killer Cops, and a Scandal That Shocked the Nation by Michael Cannell (Minotaur Books)

Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers by Caroline Fraser (Penguin Press)

V Is for Venom: Agatha Christie's Chemicals of Death by Kathryn Harkup (Bloomsbury Sigma)

Edgar Allan Poe: A Life by Richard Kopley (University of Virginia Press)

Cooler than Cool: The Life and Work of Elmore Leonard by C.M. Kushins (Mariner Books)

Best Mystery Short Story

“Six-Armed Robbery” by Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier (in Donna Andrews Presents Malice Domestic: Mystery Most Humorous, edited by John Betancourt, Carla Coupe, and Michael Bracken, Wildside Press)

“Hollywood Prometheus” by Christa Faust (in Crime Ink: Iconic: An Anthology of Crime Fiction Inspired by Queer Icons, edited by John Copenhaver and Salem West, Bywater Books)

“Finding Jimmy Baldwin” by Cheryl Head (in Crime Ink: Iconic: An Anthology of Crime Fiction Inspired by Queer Icons, edited by John Copenhaver and Salem West, Bywater Books)

“The Devil Himself” by Vaseem Khan (in Double Crossing Van Dine, edited by Donna Andrews, Greg Herren, and Art Taylor, Crippen & Landru Publishers)

“The Skies Are Red” by Richie Narvaez (in On Fire and Under Water: A Climate Change Crime Fiction Anthology, edited by Curtis Ippolito, Rock and a Hard Place Press)

“Julius Katz Draws a Straight Flush” by Dave Zeltserman (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Sept/Oct 2025)

Sue Feder Memorial Historical Mystery

Bye Bye Blackbird by Elizabeth Crowens (Level Best Books)

A Daughter's Guide to Mothers and Murder by Dianne Freeman (Kensington Books)

City Lights by Claire M. Johnson (Level Best Books)

The Case of the Christie Conspiracy by Kelly Oliver (Boldwood Books)

The Case of the Missing Maid by Rob Osler (Kensington Books)

No. 10 Doyers Street by Radha Vatsal (Level Best Books)

***

Macavity: The Mystery Cat by T.S. Eliot

Macavity’s a Mystery Cat: he’s called the Hidden Paw—
For he’s the master criminal who can defy the Law.
He’s the bafflement of Scotland Yard, the Flying Squad’s despair:
For when they reach the scene of crime—Macavity’s not there!

Macavity, Macavity, there’s no one like Macavity,
He’s broken every human law, he breaks the law of gravity.
His powers of levitation would make a fakir stare,
And when you reach the scene of crime—Macavity’s not there!
You may seek him in the basement, you may look up in the air—
But I tell you once and once again, Macavity’s not there!

Macavity’s a ginger cat, he’s very tall and thin;
You would know him if you saw him, for his eyes are sunken in.
His brow is deeply lined with thought, his head is highly domed;
His coat is dusty from neglect, his whiskers are uncombed.
He sways his head from side to side, with movements like a snake;
And when you think he’s half asleep, he’s always wide awake.

Macavity, Macavity, there’s no one like Macavity,
For he’s a fiend in feline shape, a monster of depravity.
You may meet him in a by-street, you may see him in the square—
But when a crime’s discovered, then Macavity’s not there!

He’s outwardly respectable. (They say he cheats at cards.)
And his footprints are not found in any file of Scotland Yard’s.
And when the larder’s looted, or the jewel-case is rifled,
Or when the milk is missing, or another Peke’s been stifled,
Or the greenhouse glass is broken, and the trellis past repair—
Ay, there’s the wonder of the thing! Macavity’s not there!

And when the Foreign Office find a Treaty’s gone astray,
Or the Admiralty lose some plans and drawings by the way,
There may be a scrap of paper in the hall or on the stair—
But it’s useless to investigate—Macavity’s not there!
And when the loss has been disclosed, the Secret Service say:
‘It must have been Macavity!’—but he’s a mile away.
You’ll be sure to find him resting, or a-licking of his thumbs;
Or engaged in doing complicated long division sums.

Macavity, Macavity, there’s no one like Macavity,
There never was a Cat of such deceitfulness and suavity.
He always has an alibi, and one or two to spare:
At whatever time the deed took place—MACAVITY WASN’T THERE!
And they say that all the Cats whose wicked deeds are widely known
(I might mention Mungojerrie, I might mention Griddlebone)
Are nothing more than agents for the Cat who all the time
Just controls their operations: the Napoleon of Crime!

CRIME WRITERS OF CANADA 2026 AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE SHORTLIST & GRAND MASTER RECIPIENT RICK MOFINA

Crime Writers of Canada (CWC) announced the Shortlists for the 2026 Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence in Canadian Crime Writing. Since 1984, Crime Writers of Canada has recognized the best in mystery, crime, suspense fiction, and crime nonfiction by Canadian authors, including citizens abroad and new residents. Winners will be announced on Friday, May 29, 2026.

GRAND MASTER AWARD RECIPIENT
Rick Mofina has been named the recipient of the 2026 Grand Master Award. This prestigious biennial honor recognizes a Canadian crime writer with a substantial body of work who has garnered significant national and international acclaim while demonstrating a steadfast commitment to the crime-writing community. CWC selected Mofina for this distinction based on his prolific output, professional integrity, and years of dedicated service to both the organization and the genre.

THE 2026 AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE SHORTLISTS

The Peter Robinson Award for Best Crime Novel, with a $1000 prize

Sue Hincenbergs, The Retirement Plan, HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Jen Sookfong Lee, The Hunger We Pass Down, McClelland & Stewart
Tamara L. Miller, Into the Fall, Thomas and Mercer
Louise Penny, The Black Wolf, Minotaur Books
Eddy Boudel Tan, The Tiger and the Cosmonaut, Viking Canada

Best Crime First Novel, sponsored by Melodie Campbell with a $1000 prize

Ray Critch, The Beltane Massacre, Breakwater Books
Jan Field, Yesterday’s Lies, La Cloche Publishing
Joel Nedecky, The Broken Detective, Run Amok Crime
David L. Tucker, A Painting to Die For, Otter & Osprey Press
A.L. Wahdel, Too Dark For the Light, Butterfly 80 Publishing

Best Crime Novel Set in Canada, sponsored by Shaftesbury with a $500 prize

Lis Angus, That Other Family, Next Chapter
Angela Douglas, Every Fall, Rising Action Publishing Co.
Uzma Jalaluddin, Detective Aunty, HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
C.S. Porter, Salt on Her Tongue, Vagrant Press
Chevy Stevens, The Hitchhikers, St. Martin’s Press

The Whodunit Award for Best Traditional Mystery, sponsored by Jane Doe with a $500 prize

Shelley Adina, The Engineer’s Nemesis, Moonshell Books
Mel Anastasiou, Stella Ryman and the Search for Thelma Hu, Pulp Literature Press
Alice Fitzpatrick, A Dark Death, Stonehouse Publishing
Laury Silvers, Some Justice: A Ghazi Ammar Medieval Mystery,Independently Published
Iona Whishaw, The Cost of a Hostage, TouchWood Editions

Best Crime Short Story, sponsored by Crime Writers of Canada with a $200 prize

Lis Angus, Under the Circumstances, A Capital Mystery Anthology, Ottawa Press and Publishing
Madeleine Harris Callway, The Lost Diner, Pulp Literature Press (story on p.115)
Barbara Fradkin, Cold Shock, A Capital Mystery Anthology, Ottawa Press and Publishing
Billie Livingstone, The Headache, Dark Yonder (story on p.31)
Sylvia Maultash Warsh, Polly Wants a Freakin’ Cracker, Malice Domestic: Murder Most Humorous, Wildside Press

Best French Language Crime Book, sponsored by Carrick Publishing with a $500 prize

Chrystine Brouillet, Le regard des autres, Druide
André Jacques, Jeux d’ombres, Druide
Steve Laflamme, La mémoire du labyrinthe, Libre Expression
Maureen Martineau, Une nuit d’été à Littlebrook, Héliotrope
Martin Michaud, Delta Zéro, Libre Expression

Best Juvenile / YA Crime Book, sponsored by Superior Shores Press with a $250 prize

Charis Cotter The Mystery of the Haunted Dancehall, Tundra Books
Vicki Grant, Death by Whoopee Cushion, Tundra Books
Claire Hatcher-Smith, The Mizzy Mysteries: A Skeleton in the Closet, Tundra Books
Tanya Lloyd Kyi, The City of Lost Cats, Tundra Books
John Lekich, Bark Twice for Murder, Orca Book Publishers

The Brass Knuckles Award for Best Nonfiction Crime Book, sponsored by David Reid Simpson Law Firm (Hamilton) with a $300 prize

Robert Cree with Therese Greenwood, The Many Names of Robert Cree: How a First Nations Chief, Brought Ancient Wisdom to Big Business and Prosperity to His People, ECW Press
John L. Hill, Acts of Darkness: Notorious Criminals, Their Defenders, Prosecutors, and Jailers, Durvile & UpRoute 
Kathleen Lippa, Arctic Predator: The Crimes of Edward Horne Against Children in Canada’s North, Dundurn Press 
Lorna Poplak, On the Lam: Great (and Not So Great) Escapes from Prison, Dundurn Press 
Julian Sher & Lisa Fitterman, Hitman: The Untold Story of Canada’s Deadliest Assassin, HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

Best Unpublished Crime Novel manuscript written by an unpublished author, sponsored by ECW Press with a $500 prize

Anne Burlakoff, Val's Story
William Hall, The Less You Know
Francis K. Lalumière, Lens Flare
Barbara Stokes, Death Scent
Isabelle Zimmermann, Blistered

LA TIMES BOOK PRIZE WINNER: Mystery/Thriller Category

 

The winner of the 2025 Los Angeles Times Book Prize in several categories was announced. All books are of interest, of course, but for this blog, here is the finalist in the Mystery/Thriller category. Congratulations to all. 

EL DORADO DRIVE by Megan Abbott

Nominees:

THE CWA DAGGER IN THE LIBRARY LONGLIST 2026

The CWA Dagger in the Library is a prize for a body of work by an established writer of crime fiction or non-fiction who has long been popular with borrowers from libraries. It also rewards authors who have supported libraries and their users through taking part in library events. The Dagger in the Library is awarded to an author writing in Britain who is nominated by libraries and borrowers in the UK and the Republic of Ireland and voted on by libraries.

This is one of my favorite awards given by The Crime Writers' Association (UK). Here's the longlist for 2026. Congratulations to all.

DERRINGER AWARD FINALISTS: Short Mystery Fiction Society

The Short Mystery Fiction Society is a group of writers, readers, editors, publishers, and others dedicated to the promotion and celebration of mystery and crime short stories. Since 1998, the SMFS has awarded the annual Derringers to outstanding published stories and people who've greatly advanced or supported the form. Congratulations to all!

The 2026 Derringer Award Finalists:

Best Flash Story

(Up to 1,000 words)

"Bradycardia" by Elizabeth Dearborn (Punk Noir Magazine, 2/4/2025)

"Check Rear Seat" by Carl Tait (Exquisite Death, 5/1/2025)

"It All Comes Out in the Wash" by James Patrick Focarile (Gumshoe Review, 10/31/2025)

"Just Like Old Times" by Shari Held (Yellow Mama, 2/15/2025)

"The Man Under the Bridge" by Bern Sy Moss (Spillwords, 6/1/2025)

Best Short Story

(1,001 to 4,000 words)

"Blind Pig" by Michael Bracken (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, September/October 2025)

"Chains" by Frank Vatel (All Due Respect, 9/1/25)

"Hollywood Prometheus" by Christa Faust (Crime Ink: Iconic: An Anthology of Crime Fiction Inspired by Queer Icons, Bywater Books)

"The Artist" by Linda Ann Bennett (Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers: 22 Stories of Mystery & Suspense, Superior Shores Press)

"Wax On, Wax Off" by Nina Mansfield (Donna Andrews Presents Malice Domestic: Mystery Most Humorous, Wildside Press)

Best Long Story

(4,001 to 8,000 words)

"A Sign of the Times" by Tom Milani (Sleuths Just Wanna Have Fun: Private Eyes in the Materialistic Eighties, Down & Out Books)

"Masterpiece" by Mark Thielman (Black Cat Mystery Magazine 16, September 2025)

"Six-Armed Robbery" by Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier (Donna Andrews Presents Malice Domestic: Mystery Most Humorous, Wildside Press)

"Whatever Kills the Pain" by C.W. Blackwell (Whatever Kills the Pain, Rock and a Hard Place Press)

"Zebra Finch" by donalee Moulton (The Most Dangerous Games, Level Best Books - Level Short)

Best Novelette

(8,001 to 20,000 words)

"Aswarby Hall" by David Dean (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, March/April 2025)

"Loose Change from a Mini Cooper" by Frank Zafiro (Chop Shop Episode 10, Down & Out Books)

"Saint Bullethead" by Nick Kolakowski (Fighting Words: Bruisers, Brawlers, & Bad Intentions, Leonardo Audio)

"The High Priest of Low Men" by C.W. Blackwell (Myopic Duplicity: Do the Ends Ever Justify the Means?, Leonardo Audio)

"The Temporary Murder of Thomas Monroe" by Tia Tashiro (Clarkesworld, January 2025) (audio version)

Best Anthology

(previously announced)

Crimeucopia - The Not So Frail Detective Agency edited by John Connor (Murderous Ink Press)

Gone Fishin': Crime Takes a Holiday, The Eighth Guppy Anthology edited by James M. Jackson (Wolf's Echo Press)

Hollywood Kills: An Anthology edited by Adam Meyer & Alan Orloff (Level Best Books - Level Short)

Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers: 22 Stories of Mystery & Suspenseedited by Judy Penz Sheluk (Superior Shores Press)

On Fire and Under Water: A Climate Change Crime Fiction Anthology edited by Curtis Ippolito (Rock and a Hard Place Press)

SoWest: Danger Awaits! A Desert Sleuths Anthology edited by Claire A. Murray, Eva Eldridge, Suzanne E. Flaig, Denise Galley, and Sarah Smith (DS Publishing)

LEFTY AWARDS: Left Coast Crime San Francisco Schemin'

Left Coast Crime 2026 San Francisco Schemin' presented the Lefty Awards in four categories at our 36th annual convention. The categories were: Humorous, Historical, Debut, and Best. Congratulations to all!

2026 Lefty Award nominees for books published in 2025:

Lefty for Best Humorous Mystery Novel: Catriona McPherson, Scot’s Eggs 

Lefty for Best Historical Mystery Novel for books set before 1970. 
(The Bill Gottfried Memorial): Rob Osler, The Case of the Missing Maid 

Lefty for Best Debut Mystery Novel: Adrian Andover, Whiskey Business 

Lefty for Best Mystery Novel (not in other categories): James L’Etoile, River of Lies 

Left Coast Crime Conventions are annual events sponsored by mystery fans, both readers and authors. Held in the western half of North America, LCC’s intent is to host an event where readers, authors, critics, librarians, publishers, and other fans can gather in convivial surroundings to pursue their mutual interests. Lefty Awards have been given since 1996. 

Returning to The City, where Left Coast Crime held its first two conventions, the 36th Annual Left Coast Crime Convention took place in San Francisco, February 26 – March 1, 2026. This year’s Guests of Honor were authors Robin Burcell and Gary Phillips. Randal Brandt was the Fan Guest of Honor, and author Leslie Karst served as Toastmaster.

Left Coast Crime is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation holding annual mystery conventions in the West. Each LCC convention raises money to support a local literary organization, and is staffed entirely by volunteers. This year the charity was the San Francisco Public Library literacy program.

For more information on Left Coast Crime 2026, please visit www.leftcoastcrime.org/2026/

AGATHA AWARD NOMINEES: Malice Domestic 38

The Agatha Award nominees: Malice Domestic. Awards will be announced at Malice Domestic 38, April 24-26, 2026 in Bethesda, MD. Congratulations to all. 

MWA 2026 Grand Masters, Raven, & Ellery Queen Award Recipients

Mystery Writers of America (MWA) announced the recipients of its special awards. The board chose Donna Andrews and Lee Child as the 2026 Grand Masters, the 2026 Raven Award recipient is Book Passage, and John Scognamiglio of Kensington Books will receive the Ellery Queen Award. They will accept their awards at the 80th Annual Edgar Awards Ceremony, which will be held April 29, 2026, at the Marriott Marquis Times Square in New York City.
 
“Donna Andrews has given us more than fifty novels, proving the cozy subgenre is more relevant than ever. In addition to her significant literary accomplishments, she has given back to the community in so many ways, by mentoring aspiring mystery writers, and serving as the MWA EVP. I’m thrilled to see Donna named as MWA Grand Master,” said MWA Executive Vice President James L’Etoile. “And Lee Child’s contributions to the genre are unparalleled. Aside from his thirty critically acclaimed novels featuring the iconic Jack Reacher, Lee Child is considered one of the most thoughtful and generous members of the mystery community. Writer, mentor, and Past President of MWA, he is a role model, and most deserving of being named MWA Grand Master.”
 
MWA’s Grand Master Award represents the pinnacle of achievement in mystery writing and was established to acknowledge important contributions to this genre, as well as for a body of work that is both significant and of consistent high quality. 
 
The Raven Award recognizes outstanding achievement in the mystery field outside the realm of creative writing. For 2026, Mystery Writers of America selected Book Passage in Corte Madera, CA.
 
“Book Passage is honored and thrilled to receive the Raven Award from the Mystery Writers of America. Many of the 10,000 or more author events that we’ve had over the years have featured mystery writers. During the last 30 years or so, many of these writers have given of their time to participate in our annual Mystery Writers Conference and have helped nurture new writers towards successful careers,” Book Passage founder and president Elaine Petrocelli said. “We’ve found mystery writers to be resourceful, fearless, and ingenious in describing the problems of the world. More than that, they know how to keep their portrayal of the dark side of humanity on the written page. In person, they are wonderful, personable, and a pleasure to be around.” 
 
The Ellery Queen Award was established in 1983 to honor “outstanding writing teams and outstanding people in the mystery-publishing industry.” This year the Board chose to honor John Scognamiglio of Kensington Books, who began his career 40 years ago as a file clerk in the Contracts Department at Simon & Schuster in 1986 while still a sophomore at New York University. He later moved to where he always wanted to be—editorial—and from 1989 to 1992, Scognamiglio worked as an assistant editor for S&S’s mass-market division, Pocket Books. In February 1992, he joined Kensington Publishing as an editor and he became Editor-in-Chief in 2005. He launched his own imprint, John Scognamiglio Books, at Kensington in 2017.  Among his authors are New York Times bestsellers Lisa Jackson, Joanne Fluke, Ellen Marie Wiseman and Leslie Meier. 

The Edgar Awards, or “Edgars,” as they are commonly known, are named after MWA’s patron saint Edgar Allan Poe and are presented to authors of distinguished work in various categories. MWA is the premier organization for mystery writers, professionals allied to the crime-writing field, aspiring crime writers, and those who are devoted to the genre. The organization encompasses some 3,000 members including authors of fiction and nonfiction books, screen and television writers, as well as publishers, editors, and literary agents. For more information on Mystery Writers of America, please visit the website: www.mysterywriters.org 

2026 Left Coast Crime “Lefty” Award Nominations

Left Coast Crime 2026 will be presenting four Lefty Awards at our 36th annual convention, to be held this February in San Francisco: Humorous, Historical, Debut, and Best. The awards will be voted on at the convention and presented at a banquet on Saturday, February 28, at the Hyatt Regency on the Embarcadero. The Lefty nominees have been selected by convention registrants. 

2026 Lefty Award nominees for books published in 2025:

Lefty for Best Humorous Mystery Novel. 

The nominees are:

• Ellen Byron, Solid Gold Murder (Kensington)

• Jennifer J. Chow, Star-Crossed Egg Tarts (St. Martin’s Paperbacks)

• Elizabeth Crowens, Bye Bye Blackbird (Level Best Books)

• Catriona McPherson, Scot’s Eggs (Severn House)

• Cindy Sample, All’s Faire in Love and Murder (Cindy Sample Books)

Lefty for Best Historical Mystery Novel for books set before 1970 
(The Bill Gottfried Memorial). 

The nominees are:

• Cara Black, Huguette (Soho Crime)

• Mariah Fredericks, The Girl in the Green Dress (Minotaur Books)

• Dianne Freeman, A Daughter’s Guide to Mothers and Murder (Kensington)

• Claire M. Johnson, City Lights (Level Best Books)

• Laurie R. King, Knave of Diamonds (Bantam)

• Rob Osler, The Case of the Missing Maid (Kensington)

Lefty for Best Debut Mystery Novel. 

The nominees are:

• Adrian Andover, Whiskey Business (Chestnut Avenue Press)

• Kristen L. Berry, We Don’t Talk About Carol (Bantam)

• Laurie L. Dove, Mask of the Deer Woman (Berkley)

• Sue Hincenbergs, The Retirement Plan (William Morrow)

• Marisa Kashino, Best Offer Wins (Celadon Books)

• Diane Schaffer, Mortal Zin (Sibylline Press)

Lefty for Best Mystery Novel (not in other categories). 

The nominees are:

• Lou Berney, Crooks (William Morrow)

• Claire Booth, Throwing Shadows (Severn House)

• Tracy Clark, Edge (Thomas & Mercer)

• Leslie Karst, Waters of Destruction (Severn House)

• James L’Etoile, River of Lies (Oceanview Publishing)

• Gigi Pandian, The Library Game (Minotaur Books) 

Left Coast Crime Conventions are annual events sponsored by mystery fans, both readers and authors. Held in the western half of North America, LCC’s intent is to host an event where readers, authors, critics, librarians, publishers, and other fans can gather in convivial surroundings to pursue their mutual interests. Lefty Awards have been given since 1996. 

Returning to The City, where Left Coast Crime held its first two conventions, the 36th Annual Left Coast Crime Convention will take place in San Francisco, February 26 – March 1, 2026. This year’s Guests of Honor are authors Robin Burcell and Gary Phillips. Randal Brandt is the Fan Guest of Honor, and author Leslie Karst will serve as Toastmaster.

Left Coast Crime is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation holding annual mystery conventions in the West. Each LCC convention raises money to support a local literary organization, and is staffed entirely by volunteers.

For more information on Left Coast Crime 2026, please visit www.leftcoastcrime.org/2026/

MACAVITY AWARD WINNERS 2025

The Macavity Award Winners 2025
(for works published in 2024)

The Macavity Award is named after Macavity: The Mystery Cat, in T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats! Scroll down to read the poem. 

The Macavity Awards are nominated and voted on by members of Mystery Readers International, subscribers to Mystery Readers Journal, and friends of MRI. Congratulations to all!

Want to be a member/subscriber, go here. Mystery Readers Journal themes for 2025: London Mysteries II; Retail Murder; Northern California Mysteries 1; Northern California Mysteries 2. MRJ is available in print copy (mailed) and PDF download. 

Macavity Award Winners 2025

For works published in 2024

Best Mystery Novel 

California Bear by Duane Swierczynski (Mulholland)

Best First Mystery

Ghosts of Waikiki by Jennifer K. Morita (Crooked Lane)

Best Mystery Short Story

“Home Game” by Craig Faustus Buck (in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, July/August 2024)

Best Historical Mystery

Fog City by Claire Johnson (Level Best Books)

Best Nonfiction/Critical

Abingdon’s Boardinghouse Murder by Greg Lilly (History Press)

***

Macavity: The Mystery Cat by T.S. Eliot

Macavity’s a Mystery Cat: he’s called the Hidden Paw—
For he’s the master criminal who can defy the Law.
He’s the bafflement of Scotland Yard, the Flying Squad’s despair:
For when they reach the scene of crime—Macavity’s not there!

Macavity, Macavity, there’s no one like Macavity,
He’s broken every human law, he breaks the law of gravity.
His powers of levitation would make a fakir stare,
And when you reach the scene of crime—Macavity’s not there!
You may seek him in the basement, you may look up in the air—
But I tell you once and once again, Macavity’s not there!

Macavity’s a ginger cat, he’s very tall and thin;
You would know him if you saw him, for his eyes are sunken in.
His brow is deeply lined with thought, his head is highly domed;
His coat is dusty from neglect, his whiskers are uncombed.
He sways his head from side to side, with movements like a snake;
And when you think he’s half asleep, he’s always wide awake.

Macavity, Macavity, there’s no one like Macavity,
For he’s a fiend in feline shape, a monster of depravity.
You may meet him in a by-street, you may see him in the square—
But when a crime’s discovered, then Macavity’s not there!

He’s outwardly respectable. (They say he cheats at cards.)
And his footprints are not found in any file of Scotland Yard’s.
And when the larder’s looted, or the jewel-case is rifled,
Or when the milk is missing, or another Peke’s been stifled,
Or the greenhouse glass is broken, and the trellis past repair—
Ay, there’s the wonder of the thing! Macavity’s not there!

And when the Foreign Office find a Treaty’s gone astray,
Or the Admiralty lose some plans and drawings by the way,
There may be a scrap of paper in the hall or on the stair—
But it’s useless to investigate—Macavity’s not there!
And when the loss has been disclosed, the Secret Service say:
‘It must have been Macavity!’—but he’s a mile away.
You’ll be sure to find him resting, or a-licking of his thumbs;
Or engaged in doing complicated long division sums.

Macavity, Macavity, there’s no one like Macavity,
There never was a Cat of such deceitfulness and suavity.
He always has an alibi, and one or two to spare:
At whatever time the deed took place—MACAVITY WASN’T THERE!
And they say that all the Cats whose wicked deeds are widely known
(I might mention Mungojerrie, I might mention Griddlebone)
Are nothing more than agents for the Cat who all the time
Just controls their operations: the Napoleon of Crime!