2023 Macavity Award Nominees Announced

The nominees for the 2023 Macavity Awards are out!

The Macavity Awards, named after T.S. Eliot’s mysterious cat character “Macavity” from his poem “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats,” are annual literary awards presented to authors of mystery fiction and crime fiction. Established in 1986, the Macavity Awards are unique in that they are nominated and voted upon by members of Mystery Readers International (MRI), a global organization of mystery enthusiasts and professionals.

The awards honor outstanding works in various categories within the mystery and crime fiction genre, including Best Mystery Novel, Best First Mystery Novel, Best Mystery Short Story, and more. The winners will be announced at the opening ceremonies of the San Diego Bouchercon in late August.

Best Mystery Novel

• Back to the Garden by Laurie R. King
• Two Nights in Lisbon by Chris Pavone
• A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny
• A Heart Full of Headstones by Ian Rankin
• Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn
• Secret Identity by Alex Segura

Best First Mystery

• Before You Knew My Name by Jacqueline Bublitz
• Shutter by Ramona Emerson
• Devil’s Chew Toy by Rob Osler
• The Verifiers by Jane Pek
• The Maid by Nita Prose

Best Mystery Critical/Biographical

• The Bloomsbury Handbook to Agatha Christie by Mary Anna Evans and J.C. Bernthal
• The Life of Crime by Martin Edwards
• The Crime World of Michael Connelly: A Study of His Works and Their Adaptations by David Geherin
• Agatha Christie: An Elusive Woman by Lucy Worsley

Best Short Story

• The Landscaper’s Wife by Brendan DuBois
• Beauty and the Beyotch by Barb Goffman
• Schrödinger, Cat by Anna K. Scotti
• First You Dream, Then You Die by Donna Moore
• Stockholm by Catherine Steadman
• The Angel of Rome by Jess Walter

Sue Feder Historical Mystery Award

• The Lindbergh Nanny by Mariah Fredericks
• In Place of Fear by Catriona McPherson
• Anywhere You Run by Wanda Morris
• The Secret in the Wall by Ann Parker
• One-Shot Harry by Gary Phillips
• Lavender House by Lev AC Rosen

For more information on the Macavity Awards, please visit their website. Or, if you are interested in attending Bouchercon, you can check out Bouchercon.com.