Edgar nominees: Who do you think should win?

I apologise in the delay of my Edgar Awards post - I made a decision yesterday not to delay posting this, to leave the Robert B. Parker blog post up at the top of the blog all day; an online 'moment of silence' for the mystery great, so to speak.

So I'm a little behind on the Edgar Awards nominees discussion - but let's get into it. The Mystery Writers of America was proud to announce on the 201st anniversary of the birth of Edgar Allan Poe, its Nominees for the 2010 Edgar Allan Poe Awards, honoring the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction and television published or produced in 2009.

The Edgar Awards will be presented to the winners at the MWA's 64th Gala Banquet, April 29, 2010 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, New York City. And the nominees for the 2010 awards are:

BEST NOVEL
THE MISSING by Tim Gautreaux (Random House - Alfred A. Knopf)
THE ODDS by Kathleen George (Minotaur Books)
THE LAST CHILD by John Hart (Minotaur Books)
MYSTIC ARTS OF ERASING ALL SIGNS OF DEATH by Charlie Huston (Random House - Ballantine Books)
NEMESIS by Jo Nesbo, translated by Don Bartlett (HarperCollins)
A BEAUTIFUL PLACE TO DIE by Malla Nunn (Simon & Schuster – Atria Books)

Of the above novels, I have only read one last year; THE LAST CHILD by John Hart (which also won the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger). Quite simply, I thought it was superb - one of (if not) the best crime novels I read in 2009 - so I am very glad to see it make the Edgars shortlist.

BEST FIRST NOVEL BY AN AMERICAN AUTHORThe Girl She Used to Be by David Cristofano (Grand Central Publishing)
Starvation Lake by Bryan Gruley (Simon & Schuster - Touchstone)
The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf (MIRA Books)
A Bad Day for Sorry by Sophie Littlefield (Minotaur Books – Thomas Dunne Books)
Black Water Rising by Attica Locke (HarperCollins)
In the Shadow of Gotham by Stefanie Pintoff (Minotaur Books)

I haven't read any of the above, although I do have BLACKWATER RISING by Attica Locke in front of me know on one of my TBR shelves. Perhaps I should bump it up the pecking order...

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL
Bury Me Deep by Megan Abbott (Simon & Schuster)
Havana Lunar by Robert Arellano (Akashic Books)
The Lord God Bird by Russell Hill (Pleasure Boat Studio – Caravel Books)
Body Blows by Marc Strange (Dundurn Press – Castle Street Mysteries)
The Herring-Seller's Apprentice by L.C. Tyler (Felony & Mayhem Press)

I haven't read any of these titles, although I have heard good things about THE HERRING-SELLER'S APPRENTICE, courtesty of fellow book bloggers Karen, Maxine and Dorte.

BEST FACT CRIME
Columbine by Dave Cullen (Hachette Book Group - Twelve)
Go Down Together: The True, Untold Story of Bonnie and Clyde
by Jeff Guinn (Simon & Schuster)
The Fence: A Police Cover-Up Along Boston's Racial Divide
by Dick Lehr (HarperCollins)
Provenance: How a Con Man and a Forger Rewrote the History of Modern Art
by Laney Salisbury and Aly Sujo (The Penguin Press)
Vanished Smile: The Mysterious Theft of Mona Lisa by R.A. Scotti
(Random House - Alfred A. Knopf)

BEST CRITICAL/BIOGRAPHICAL
Talking About Detective Fiction by P.D. James (Random House - Alfred A. Knopf)
The Lineup: The World's Greatest Crime Writers Tell the Inside Story of Their Greatest Detectives edited by Otto Penzler (Hachette Book Group – Little, Brown and Company)
Haunted Heart: The Life and Times of Stephen King
by Lisa Rogak (Thomas Dunne Books)
The Talented Miss Highsmith: The Secret Life and Serious Art of Patricia Highsmith
by Joan Schenkar (St. Martin's Press)
The Stephen King Illustrated Companion
by Bev Vincent (Fall River Press)

I haven't finished reading any of the above, although I am partway through the PD James book, and enjoying it greatly thusfar (Kiwi crime queen Dame Ngaio Marsh even features heavily in one chapter)...

BEST SHORT STORY
"Last Fair Deal Gone Down" – Crossroad Blues by Ace Atkins (Busted Flush Press)
"Femme Sole" – Boston Noir by Dana Cameron (Akashic Books)
"Digby, Attorney at Law" – Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine by Jim Fusilli (Dell Magazines)
"Animal Rescue" – Boston Noir by Dennis Lehane (Akashic Books
"Amapola" – Phoenix Noir by Luis Alberto Urrea (Akashic Books)

BEST JUVENILEThe Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity by Mac Barnett
(Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)
The Red Blazer Girls: The Ring of Rocamadour by Michael D. Beil
(Random House Children's Books – Alfred A. Knopf)
Closed for the Season by Mary Downing Hahn (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Books)
Creepy Crawly Crime by Aaron Reynolds (Henry Holt Books for Young Readers)
The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline by Nancy Springer
(Penguin Young Readers Group – Philomel Books)

BEST YOUNG ADULTReality Check by Peter Abrahams (HarperCollins Children's Books – HarperTeen)
If the Witness Lied by Caroline B. Cooney (Random House Children's Books – Delacorte Press)
The Morgue and Me by John C. Ford (Penguin Young Readers Group – Viking Children's Books)
Petronella Saves Nearly Everyone by Dene Low (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Books)
Shadowed Summer by Saundra Mitchell (Random House Children's Books – Delacorte Press)

BEST TELEVISION EPISODE TELEPLAY
"Place of Execution," Teleplay by Patrick Harbinson (PBS/WGBH Boston)
"Strike Three" – The Closer, Teleplay by Steven Kane (Warner Bros TV for TNT)
"Look What He Dug Up This Time" – Damages, Teleplay by Todd A. Kessler, Glenn Kessler & Daniel Zelman (FX Networks)
"Grilled" – Breaking Bad, Teleplay by George Mastras (AMC/Sony)
"Living the Dream" – Dexter, Teleplay by Clyde Phillips (Showtime)

ROBERT L. FISH MEMORIAL AWARD
"A Dreadful Day" – Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine by Dan Warthman (Dell Magazines)

GRAND MASTERDorothy Gilman

RAVEN AWARDSMystery Lovers Bookshop, Oakmont, Pennsylvania
Zev Buffman, International Mystery Writers' Festival

ELLERY QUEEN AWARDPoisoned Pen Press (Barbara Peters & Robert Rosenwald)

THE SIMON & SCHUSTER - MARY HIGGINS CLARK AWARD
(Presented at MWA's Agents & Editors Party on Wednesday, April 28, 2010)
Awakening by S.J. Bolton (Minotaur Books)
Cat Sitter on a Hot Tin Roof by Blaize Clement (Minotaur Books)
Never Tell a Lie by Hallie Ephron (HarperCollins – William Morrow)
Lethal Vintage by Nadia Gordon (Chronicle Books)
Dial H for Hitchcock by Susan Kandel (HarperCollins)

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So what do you readers think of the list? What are your favourite/best reads from last year, that made the list? Do you think there are any massive oversights? Thoughts and comments welcome.