Unveiling the Finalists for the 2025 Shamus Awards

The Private Writers of America have announced the finalists for the 2025 Shamus Awards!

First awarded in 1982, the Shamus Awards are a prestigious set of awards that are given out by the Private Eye Writers of America to celebrate the best in detective fiction/private investigator novels and stories for the previous year.

The awards consist of four categories – Best P.I. Novel, Best Paperback Original, Best First Novel, and Best Short Story. Each category consists of 5-6 nominees. The winners will be announced during the Opening Ceremonies at Bouchercon 2025 on Thursday, September 4th in New Orleans, Louisiana.

And with that, the nominees are…:

Best P.I. Novel

• Kingpin by Mike Lawson
• The Hollow Tree by Philip Miller
• Farewell, Amethystine by Walter Mosley
• Trouble in Queenstown by Delia Pitts
• Death and Glory by Will Thomas

Best P.I. Paperback Original

• Geisha Confidential by Mark Coggins
• Quarry’s Return by Max Allan Collins
• Not Born of Woman by Teel Glenn
• Bless Our Sleep by Neil Plakcy
• Call of the Void by J.T. Siemens
• The Big Lie by Gabriel Valjan

Best First P.I. Novel

• Twice the Trouble by Ash Clifton
• The Devil’s Daughter by Gordon Greisman
• Fog City by Claire Johnson
• The Road to Heaven by Alexis Stefanovich-Thomson
• Holy City by Henry Wise

Best P.I. Short Story

• Deadhead by Tom Andes
• Alibi on Ice by Libby Cudmore
• Drop Dead Gorgeous by M.E. Proctor
• Under Hard Rock by Ed Teja
• The Five Cent Detective by S.B. Watson

Congratulations to all of the finalists, and good luck!

For more information on the Shamus Awards, please visit their website. Or, if you are interested in attending Bouchercon 2025, please visit Bouchercon2025.com.