Bouchercon Bouchercon, the Anthony Boucher Memorial World Mystery Convention, is an annual convention of creators and devotees of mystery and detective fiction. It is named in honour of writer, reviewer, and editor Anthony Boucher, and pronounced the way ...

is an annual convention of creators and devotees of

mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' Films * ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film * ''Mystery'' ( ...

and

detective fiction Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around the same time as s ...

. It is named in honour of writer, reviewer, and editor

Anthony Boucher William Anthony Parker White (August 21, 1911 – April 29, 1968), better known by his pen name Anthony Boucher (), was an American author, critic, and editor who wrote several classic mystery novels, short stories, science fiction, and radio d ...

; also the inspiration for the

Anthony Awards The Anthony Awards are literary awards for mystery writers presented at the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention since 1986. The awards are named for Anthony Boucher (1911–1968), one of the founders of the Mystery Writers of America. Among the m ...

, which have been issued at the convention since 1986. This page details Bouchercon XXVII and the 11th Anthony Awards ceremony.

Bouchercon

The convention was held in

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississip ...

on October 10, 1996; running until the 13th. The event was chaired by Dennis Armstrong and freelance book reviewer Bruce Southworth. Armstrong was working for the local "Once Upon a Crime" book-store at the time and was allowed to take time off work to organise the event.

Special Guests

*Guest of Honor —

Mary Higgins Clark Mary Higgins Clark (born Mary Theresa Eleanor Higgins (December 24, 1927 – January 31, 2020) was an American author of suspense novels. Each of her 51 books was a bestseller in the United States and various European countries, and all of he ...

*Fan Guest of Honor — Ellen Nehr *Toastmaster — Jeremiah Healy

Anthony Awards

The following list details the awards distributed at the eleventh annual Anthony Awards ceremony.

Novel award

Winner: *

Mary Willis Walker Mary Willis Walker (born May 24, 1942, Fox Point, Wisconsin) is an American crime fiction author. Life Walker graduated from Duke University in English and took up high school teaching. She married in 1967 to Lee Walker who became president of ...

, ''

Under the Beetle's Cellar ''Under the Beetle's Cellar'', is a 1995 suspense novel by American author Mary Willis Walker, the second in her "Molly Cates" series. Title The title is a line from "Under the Light, yet under", a poem by Emily Dickinson which features toward ...

'' Shortlist: *

Michael Connelly Michael Joseph Connelly (born July 21, 1956) is an American author of detective novels and other crime fiction, notably those featuring LAPD Detective Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch and criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller. Connelly is the bes ...

, ''

The Last Coyote ''The Last Coyote'' is the fourth novel by American crime author Michael Connelly, featuring the Los Angeles detective Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch. It was first published in 1995 and the novel won the 1996 Dilys Award given by the Independent Myst ...

'' *Barbara D'Amato, ''Hard Christmas'' *

Andrew Klavan Andrew Klavan (; born July 13, 1954) is an American writer of crime and suspense novels. Klavan has been nominated for the Edgar Award five times and has won twice. Klavan has also worked in film and as an essayist and video satirist. He is also ...

, ''True Crime'' *

Bill Pronzini Bill Pronzini (born April 13, 1943) is an American writer of detective fiction. He is also an active anthologist, having compiled more than 100 collections, most of which focus on mystery, western, and science fiction short stories. Pronzini is ...

, ''Blue Lonesome''

First novel award

Winner: *

Virginia Lanier Virginia Rudd Lanier ( - ) was an American mystery fiction writer, author of a series featuring bloodhound trainer Jo Beth Sidden. Biography Lanier was born in Madison County, Florida in 1930. She was an orphan and was adopted by Ira and Mary Ho ...

, ''

Death in Bloodhound Red ''Death in Bloodhound Red'' is a mystery novel by American author Virginia Lanier. It was published by Pineapple Press on 1 March 1995 and went on to win the Anthony Award for Best First Novel in 1996. Plot introduction The novel is set in and a ...

'' Shortlist: *Richard Barre, ''The Innocents'' *

G. M. Ford Gerald Moody Ford (1945 – December 1, 2021) was an American crime and thriller novelist, writing as G. M. Ford. Biography Ford's father died when he was young and as such he was brought up solely by his mother, who worked as a secretary. Ford ...

, ''Who in Hell is Wanda Fuca?'' *Charles Kenney, ''Hammurabi's Code'' *Martha C. Lawrence, ''Murder in Scorpio''

Paperback original award

Winners: *

Harlan Coben Harlan Coben is an American writer of mystery novels and thrillers. The plots of his novels often involve the resurfacing of unresolved or misinterpreted events in the past, murders, or fatal accidents and have multiple twists. Among his novels a ...

, ''

Deal Breaker ''Deal Breaker'' is a 1995 thriller novel by Harlan Coben and is the first in his Myron Bolitar series. Plot Investigator and sports agent Myron Bolitar is poised on the edge of the big-time. So is Christian Steele, a rookie quarterback and Myro ...

'' Shortlist: *Eileen Dreyer, ''Bad Medicine'' *

Teri Holbrook Teri Peitso-Holbrook (born Teri Jill Peitso) (Atlanta Native) is an American mystery writer living in Atlanta with her husband and two children. She is the author of four mysteries and has been nominated for several literary awards. She currently ...

, ''A Far and Deadly Cry'' *Gloria White, ''Charged with Guilt'' * Robert D. Zimmerman, ''Closet''

Short story award

Winner: *

Gar Anthony Haywood Gar Anthony Haywood is an American author of crime fiction. He was born in Los Angeles in 1954, and worked as a computer technician for over a decade before he started publishing novels. ''Fear of The Dark'' (1988) won the Shamus Award for best fi ...

, "And Pray Nobody Sees You", from '' Spooks, Spies, and Private Eyes'' Shortlist: * K.K. Beck, "Rule of Law", from ''Malice Domestic 4'' *Jean B. Cooper, "The Judge's Boy", from ''

Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine ''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'' is a bi-monthly American digest size fiction magazine specializing in crime fiction, particularly detective fiction, and mystery fiction. Launched in fall 1941 by Mercury Press, ''EQMM'' is named after the fict ...

'' August 1995 *

Bill Crider Bill Crider (July 28, 1941 – February 12, 2018) was an American author of crime fiction among other work. Biography He received a Master of Arts degree at the University of North Texas, in Denton. Later, he taught English at Howard Payne Unive ...

, "How I Found a Cat, Lost True Love, and Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo", from ''Cat Crimes Takes a Vacation'' *Elizabeth Daniels Squire, "The Dog Who Remembered Too Much", from ''Malice Domestic 4''

Critical / Non-fiction award

Winner: *

Kate Stine Kate name may refer to: People and fictional characters * Kate (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or nickname * Gyula Káté (born 1982), Hungarian amateur boxer * Lauren Kate (born 1981), American autho ...

, ''The Armchair Detective Book of Lists'' Shortlist: *

Nicholas A. Basbanes Nicholas Andrew Basbanes (born May 25, 1943, in Lowell, Massachusetts) is an American author who writes and lectures about authors, books, and book culture. His subjects include the "eternal passion for books" ('' A Gentle Madness''); the histor ...

, '' A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes, and the Eternal Passion for Books'' *Douglas G. Greene, ''John Dickson Carr: The Man Who Explained Miracles'' *

Robert Polito Robert Polito is a poet, biographer, essayist, critic, educator, curator, and arts administrator. He received the National Book Critics Circle Award in biography in 1995 for ''Savage Art: A Biography of Jim Thompson.'' The founding director of th ...

, ''Savage Art: A Biography of Jim Thompson'' *B.J. Rahn, ''Ngaio Marsh: The Woman and Her Work''

True crime award

Winner: *

Ann Rule Ann Rae Rule (''née'' Stackhouse; October 22, 1931 – July 26, 2015) was an American author of true crime books and articles. She is best known for ''The Stranger Beside Me'' (1980), about the serial killer Ted Bundy, with whom Rule worked an ...

, ''

Dead By Sunset ''Dead by Sunset'' is a 1995 true crime nonfiction book by author Ann Rule. It is based on the 1986 Oregon case of the murder of Cheryl Keeton, who was found beaten to death inside her van on the Sunset Highway and the later conviction of her e ...

'' Shortlist: *

Burl Barer Burl Barer (born 1947 in Walla Walla, Washington) is an American author, literary historian and radio host. He is best known for his writings about the character Simon Templar. Career Fiction ''The Saint'' ''The Saint: A Complete History in ...

, '' Man Overboard: The Counterfeit Resurrection of Phil Champagne'' *

John E. Douglas John Edward Douglas (born ) is an American retired special agent and unit chief in the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He was one of the first criminal profilers and has written books on criminal psychology. Early life a ...

Mark Olshaker __notoc__ Mark Olshaker (born February 28, 1951) is an American author from Washington, D.C. who frequently collaborates with FBI agent John E. Douglas in writing books about criminal and investigative psychology. In 1995, they formed Mindhunters ...

, '' Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit'' *

Pete Earley Pete Earley (born September 5, 1951) is an American journalist and author who has written non-fiction books and novels. Career Born in Douglas, Arizona, Earley became a ''Washington Post'' reporter and also wrote books about the Aldrich Ames ...

, ''Circumstantial Evidence: Death, Life, and Justice in a Southern Town'' * T. J. English, ''Born to Kill''

Short story collection / anthology award

Winner: *

Marcia Muller Marcia Muller (born September 28, 1944) is an American author of fictional Mystery (fiction), mystery and Thriller (genre), thriller novels. Muller has written many novels featuring her ''Sharon McCone'' female private detective character. ''Va ...

, '' The McCone Files: The Complete Sharon McCone Stories'' Shortlist: *

Martin H. Greenberg Martin Harry Greenberg (March 1, 1941 – June 25, 2011) was an American academic and anthologist in many genres, including mysteries and horror, but especially in speculative fiction. In all, he compiled 1,298 anthologies and commissioned ov ...

Edward Gorman Edward Joseph Gorman Jr. (November 2, 1941 – October 14, 2016) was an American writer and short fiction anthologist. He published in almost every genre, but is best known for his work in the crime, mystery, western, and horror fields. His no ...

, ''Cat Crimes Takes A Vacation'' * Carolyn G. Hart, ''Crimes Of The Heart'' *Carolyn G. Hart, ''Malice Domestic 4'' * Paula L. Woods, ''Spooks, Spies, and Private Eyes''

Movie award

Winner: *''

The Usual Suspects ''The Usual Suspects'' is a 1995 neo-noir mystery thriller film directed by Bryan Singer and written by Christopher McQuarrie. It stars Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Benicio del Toro, Kevin Pollak, Chazz Palminteri, Pete Postlethwaite, and ...

'' Shortlist: *''

Copycat Copycat refers to a person who copies some aspect of some thing or somebody else. Copycat may also refer to: Intellectual property rights * Copyright infringement, use of another’s ideas or words without permission * Patent infringement, a v ...

'' *''

Devil in a Blue Dress ''Devil in a Blue Dress'' is a 1990 hardboiled mystery novel by Walter Mosley, his first published book. The text centers on the main character, Ezekiel "Easy" Rawlins, and his transformation from a day laborer into a detective. Plot Set ...

'' *''

Get Shorty ''Get Shorty'' is a 1990 novel by American novelist Elmore Leonard. In 1995, the novel was adapted into a film of the same name, and in 2017 it was adapted into a television series of the same name. Plot summary The story centers on Ernest ...

'' *''

Seven 7 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 7 or seven may also refer to: * AD 7, the seventh year of the AD era * 7 BC, the seventh year before the AD era * The month of July Music Artists * Seven (Swiss singer) (born 1978), a Swiss recording artist ...

Television series award

Winner: *''

The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation ...

'' Shortlist: *'' Life on the Street'' *''

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering on ...

'' *'' Murder One'' *'' N.Y.P.D. Blue''

Magazine award

Winner: *'' The Armchair Detective'' Shortlist: *''Deadly Pleasures'' *''Drood Review'' *''

'' *''

Mystery Scene ''Mystery Scene'' is an American magazine, first published in 1985, that covers the crime and mystery genre with a mix of articles, profiles, criticism, and extensive reviews of books, films, TV, short stories, audiobooks, and reference works. E ...

Publisher award

Winner: *

St. Martin's Press St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in Manhattan, New York City, in the Equitable Building. St. Martin's Press is considered one of the largest English-language publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under si ...

Shortlist: * Avon *Mysterious Press *

Scribner's Charles Scribner's Sons, or simply Scribner's or Scribner, is an American publisher based in New York City, known for publishing American authors including Henry James, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Kurt Vonnegut, Marjorie Kinnan Rawli ...

Walker Books Walker Books is a British publisher of children's books, founded in 1978 by Sebastian Walker, Amelia Edwards, and Wendy Boase. In 1991, the success of Walker Books' ''Where's Wally?'' series enabled the company to expand into the American ma ...

Editor award

Winner: * Sara Ann Freed Shortlist: *Marjorie Braman *Carolyn Marino *Kate Miciak *Michael Seidman

Cover art award

Winner: * Pamela Patrick; for Jeanne Dams, '' The Body in the Transept'' Shortlist: *Fred George & Corsillo/Manzone; for John Dunning, ''The Bookman's Wake'' *

John Howard John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007, holding office as leader of the Liberal Party. His eleven-year tenure as prime minister is the s ...

& Krystyna Skalski; for Bill Moody, ''Death of a Tenor Man'' *FCL Colorspace & Richard Hasselberger; for Lynn Hightower, ''Flashpoint'' *

Earl Emerson Earl Emerson (born 1948 in Tacoma, Washington, United States) is an American mystery novelist and author. Emerson is the author of two series of mystery novels, the Mac Fontana series and the Thomas Black detective series, as well as several thri ...

; for his ''The Vanishing Smile''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bouchercon 27 Anthony Awards 27 1996 in Minnesota