Agatha Award

The Agatha Awards, named for Agatha Christie, are literary awards for mystery and crime writers who write in the traditional mystery subgenre: "books typified by the works of Agatha Christie . . . loosely defined as mysteries that contain no explicit sex, excessive gore or gratuitous violence, and are not classified as 'hard-boiled.'" At an annual convention in Washington, D.C., the Agatha Awards are handed out by Malice Domestic Ltd, in six categories: Best Novel; Best First Mystery; Best Historical Novel; Best Short Story; Best Non-Fiction; Best Children's/Young Adult Mystery. Additionally, in some years the Poirot Award is presented to honor individuals other than writers who have made outstanding contributions to the mystery genre, but it is not an annual award.

Early meetings of the Malice Domestic Committee occurred in fall 1987, with the first convention held on April 21–23, 1989, in Silver Spring, MD. Malice Domestic Ltd was incorporated in 1992. It is governed by a volunteer board of directors.

Awards

Winners and, where known, nominated titles for each year:

Best First Novel

2021 - Mia P. Manansala, ''Arsenic and Adobo''

* Mally Becker, ''The Turncoat's Widow''
* Lori Duffy Foster, ''A Dead Man's Eyes''
* Judy L. Murray , ''Murder in the Master''
* Raquel V. Reyes, ''Mango, Mambo, and Murder''

2020 - Erica Neubauer, ''Murder at the Mena House''

* Esme Addison, ''A Spell for Trouble''
* Tina DeBellegarde, ''Winter Witness''
* Mary Keliikoa, ''Derailed''
* Laura Jensen Walker, ''Murder Most Sweet''

2019 - , ''One Night Gone''

* Connie Berry, ''A Dream of Death''
* S. C. Perkins, ''Murder Once Removed''
* Ang Pompano, ''When It’s Time for Leaving''
* Grace Topping, ''Staging is Murder''
; 2018 – (Tie) , ''A Ladies Guide to Etiquette and Murder'' and Shari Randall, ''Curses, Boiled Again''

* Edwin Hill, ''Little Comfort''
* Aimee Hix, ''What Doesn't Kill You''
* Keenan Powell, ''Deadly Solution''

; 2017 – Kellye Garrett, ''Hollywood Homicide''

* Micki Browning, ''Adrift''
* V.M. Burns, ''The Plot is Murder''
* Laura Oles, ''Daughters of Bad Men''
* Kathleen Valenti, ''Protocol''

; 2016 – Cynthia Kuhn, ''The Semester of Our Discontent''

* Marla Cooper, ''Terror in Taffeta''
* Alexia Gordon, ''Murder in G Major''
* Nadine Nettmann, ''Decanting a Murder''
* Renee Patrick, ''Design for Dying''

; 2015 – Art Taylor, ''On the Road with Del and Louise''
* Tessa Arlen, ''Death of a Dishonorable Gentleman''
* Cindy Brown, ''Macdeath''
* , ''Plantation Shudders''
* Julianne Holmes, ''Just Killing Time''

; 2014 – Terrie Farley Moran, ''Well Read, Then Dead''
* Annette Dashoffy, ''Circle of Influence''
* Sherry Harris, ''Tagged for Death''
* Susan O'Brien, ''Finding Sky''
* Tracy Weber, ''Murder Strikes a Pose''

; 2013 – Leslie Budewitz, ''Death Al Dente''
* Shelley Costa, ''You Cannoli Die Once''
* Kendel Lynn, ''Board Stiff''
* Liz Mugavero, ''Kneading to Die''
* LynDee Walker, ''Front Page Fatality''

; 2012 – Susan M. Boyer, ''Lowcountry Boil''
* Duffy Brown, ''Iced Chiffon''
* Mollie Cox Bryan, ''A Scrapbook of Secrets''
* Erika Chase, ''A Killer Read''
* Stephanie Jaye Evans, ''Faithful Unto Death''

; 2011 – , ''Learning to Swim''
* Janet Bolin, ''Dire Threads''
* Kaye George, ''Choke''
* Rochelle Staab, ''Who Do, Voodoo?''
* Kari Lee Townsend, ''Tempest in the Tea Leaves''

; 2010 – , ''The Long Quiche Goodbye''
* Laura Alden, ''Murder at the PTA''
* Deborah Blum, '' The Poisoner's Handbook'' (Penguin Press), finalist
* Amanda Flower, ''Maid of Murder''
* Sasscer Hill, ''Full Mortality''
* Alan Orloff, ''Diamonds for the Dead''

; 2009 – Alan Bradley, ''The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie'' (Delacorte Press)
* Lisa Bork, ''For Better, for Murder'' (Midnight Ink)
* Meredith Cole, ''Posed for Murder'' (St Martins Minotaur)
* Elizabeth J. Duncan, ''The Cold Light of Mourning'' (St. Martin's Press)
* Stefanie Pintoff, ''In the Shadow of Gotham'' (Minotaur Books)

; 2008 – G. M. Malliet, ''Death of a Cozy Writer'' (Midnight Ink)
* Sarah Atwell, ''Through a Glass, Deadly'' (Berkley Trade)
* Krista Davis, ''The Diva Runs Out of Thyme'' (Penguin Group)
* Rosemary Harris, ''Pushing Up Daisies'' (Minotaur Books)
* Joanna Campbell Slan, ''Paper, Scissors, Death'' (Midnight Ink)

; 2007 – Hank Phillippi Ryan, ''Prime Time'' (Harlequin)
* Charles Finch, '' A Beautiful Blue Death'' (St. Martin's Minotaur)
* Beth Groundwater, '' A Real Basket Case'' (Five Star Mystery)
* Deanna Raybourn, ''Silent in the Grave'' (Mira)

; 2006 – , ''The Heat of the Moon'' (Poisoned Pen Press)
* Jane Cleland, ''Consigned to Death'' (St. Martin's Minotaur)
* Honora Finkelstein and Susan Smily, ''The Chef Who Died Sauteing'' (Hilliard & Harris)
* Hailey Lind, ''Feint of Art'' (Signet)
* Karen MacInerney, ''Murder on the Rocks'' (Midnight Ink)

; 2005 – , ''Better Off Wed'' (HarperCollins Publishers)
* Laura Bradford, ''Jury of One'' (Hilliard & Harris)
* Shirley Damsgaard, ''Witch Way to Murder'' (Avon Books)
* Maggie Sefton, ''Knit One, Kill Two'' (Berkley Publishing Group)
* Lisa Tillman, ''Blood Relations'' (Hilliard & Harris)

; 2004 – Harley Jane Kozak, ''Dating Dead Men'' (Doubleday)
* Judy Clemens, ''Till the Cows Come Home'' (Poisoned Pen Press)
* Patricia Harwin, ''Arson and Old Lace'' (Pocket Books)
* Dorothy Salisbury Davis and Jerome Ross, ''God Speed the Night''
* Susan Kandel, ''I Dreamed I Married Perry Mason'' (HarperCollins)
* Pari Noskin Taichert, ''The Clovis Incident: A Mystery'' (University of New Mexico Press)

; 2003 – Jacqueline Winspear, ''Maisie Dobbs'' (Soho Press Inc.)
* , ''Dealing in Murder'' (Avon)
* Erin Hart, ''Haunted Ground'' (Scribner)
* S.W. Hubbard, ''Take the Bait'' (Pocket)
* Maddy Hunter, ''Alpine for You'' (Pocket)
* Joyce Kreig, ''Murder off Mike'' (St. Martin's Minotaur)
* , ''O’ Artful Death'' (St. Martin's Press)

; 2002 – Julia Spencer-Fleming, ''In the Bleak Midwinter'' (St. Martin's Minotaur)
* Pip Granger, ''Not All Tarts Are Apple'' (Poisoned Pen Press)
* Roberta Isleib, ''Six Strokes Under'' (Berkley)
* Claire M. Johnson, ''Beat Until Stiff'' (Poisoned Pen Press)
* Nancy Martin, ''How to Murder a Millionaire'' (Signet)
* Lea Wait, ''Shadows at the Fair'' (Scribner)

; 2001 – Sarah Strohmeyer, '' Bubbles Unbound'' (Dutton)
* Tim Myer, ''Innkeeping with Murder'' (Berkley)
* Charlie O'Brien, ''Mute Witness'' (Poisoned Pen Press)
* Andy Straka, ''A Witness Above'' (Signet)

; 2000 – , ''Death on a Silver Tray'' (Berkley Prime Crime)
* Julie W. Herman, ''Three Dirty Women and the Garden of Death'' (Overmountain Press)
* Irene Marcuse, ''Death of an Amiable Child'' (Walker & Company)
* Denise Swanson, ''Murder of a Small Town Honey'' (Signet)

; 1999 – Donna Andrews, '' Murder with Peacocks'' (Thomas Dunne Books)
* April Henry, ''Circles of Confusion'' (HarperTorch)
* Kris Neri, ''Revenge of the Gypsy Queen'' (Rainbow Books)
* Elena Santangelo, ''By Blood Possessed'' (St. Martin's Minotaur)
* Marcia Talley, ''Sing It to Her Bones'' (Dell)

; 1998 – Robin Hathaway, ''The Doctor Digs a Grave'' (St. Martin's Minotaur)
* Jerrilyn Farmer, ''Sympathy for the Devil'' (Avon)
* Jacqueline Fiedler, ''Tiger's Palette'' (Pocket)
* Judy Fitzwater, ''Dying to Get Published'' (Fawcett)
* Sharon Kahn, '' Fax Me a Bagel'' (Scribner)

; 1997 – Sujata Massey, ''The Salaryman's Wife'' (HarperCollins)
* Joanne Dobson, ''Quieter Than Sleep'' (Doubleday)
* Phyllis Richman, ''The Butter Did It'' (HarperCollins)
* Penny Warner, ''Dead Body Language'' (Bantam)
* Barbara Jaye Wilson, ''Death Brims Over'' (Avon)

; 1996 – Anne George, ''Murder on a Girl's Night Out'' (Avon Books)
* Dale Furutani, ''Death in Little Tokyo : A Ken Tanaka Mystery'' (St. Martin’s)
* Terris Grimes, ''Somebody Else's Child'' (Onyx Books)
* Teri Holbrook, ''The Grass Widow'' (Bantam Books)
* Margaret K. Lawrence, ''Hearts and Bone: A Novel of Historical Suspense'' (Avon Books)
* Lillian M. Roberts, ''Riding for a Fall'' (Gold Medal)

; 1995 – Jeanne M. Dams, ''The Body in the Transept'' (Walker)
* Teri Holbrook, ''A Far and Deadly Cry''
* Jody Jaffe, ''Horse of a Different Killer''
* Virginia Lanier, '' Death in Bloodhound Red''
* Martha C. Lawrence, ''Murder in Scorpio''

; 1994 – Jeff Abbott, ''Do Unto Others'' (Ballantine)
* Janet Evanovich, ''One for the Money'' (Scribner)
* Earlene Fowler, ''Fool's Puzzle''
* Barbara Burnett Smith, ''Writers of the Purple Sage''
* Polly Whitney, ''Until Death''

; 1993 – Nevada Barr, ''Track of the Cat'' (Putnam)
* Jan Burke, ''Goodnight, Irene''
* Deborah Crombie, ''A Share in Death''
* Sharan Newman, ''Death Comes as Ephiphany''
* Abigail Padgett, ''Child of Silence''

; 1992 – Barbara Neely, ''Blanche on the Lam'' (St. Martin's Press)
* Deborah Adams, ''All the Great Pretenders''
* Susan Wittig Albert, ''Thyme of Death''
* Carol Higgins Clark, ''Decked''
* Miriam Grace Monfredo, ''Seneca Falls Inheritance''

; 1991 – Mary Willis Walker, ''Zero at the Bone'' (St. Martin's Press)
* Mary Cahill, ''Carpool''
* Mary Daheim, ''Just Desserts''
* Rebecca Rothenberg, ''The Bulrush Murders''
* Ann Williams, ''Flowers for the Dead''

; 1990 – Katherine Hall Page, ''The Body in the Belfry'' (St. Martin's Press)
* Pat Burden, ''Screaming Bones''
* Diane Mott Davidson, ''Catering to Nobody''
* William F. Love, ''The Chartreuse Clue''
* Janet L. Smith, ''Sea of Troubles''

; 1989 – Jill Churchill, ''Grime and Punishment'' (Avon Books)
* Eleanor Boylan, ''Working Murder''
* Frances Fyfield, ''A Question of Guilt''
* Melanie Johnson Howe, ''The Mother Shadow''
* Edith Skom, ''The Mark Twain Murders''

; 1988 – Elizabeth George, ''A Great Deliverance'' (Bantam)
* Caroline Graham, ''The Killings at Badger's Drift''
* Corinne Holt Sawyer, ''The J. Alfred Prufrock Murders''
* Susannah Stacey, ''Goodbye Nanny Grey''
* Dorothy Sucher, ''Dead Men Don't Give Seminars''

Best Contemporary Novel

2021 - , ''Cajun Kiss of Death''

* Edwin Hill, ''Watch Her''
* Louise Penny, ''The Madness of Crowds''
* Hank Phillippi Ryan, ''Her Perfect Life''
* Gabriel Valjan, ''Symphony Road''

2020 - Louise Penny, ''All the Devils Are Here''

* Donna Andrews, ''The Gift of the Magpie''
* , ''Murder in the Bayou Boneyard''
* Sherry Harris, ''From Beer to Eternity''
* Lori Rader-Day, ''The Lucky One''

2019 - Ann Cleeves, ''The Long Call''

* , ''Fatal Cajun Festival''
* Annette Dashofy, ''Fair Game''
* Edwin Hill, ''The Missing Ones''
* Louise Penny, ''A Better Man''
* Hank Phillippi Ryan, ''The Murder List''
; 2018 – , ''Mardi Gras Murder''
* Bruce Robert Coffin, ''Beyond the Truth''
* Annette Dashofy, ''Cry Wolf''
* Louise Penny, ''Kingdom of the Blind''
* Hank Phillippi Ryan, ''Trust Me''

; 2017 – Louise Penny, ''Glass Houses''

* Allison Brook, ''Death Overdue''
* , ''A Cajun Christmas Killing''
* Annette Dashofy, ''No Way Home''
* Margaret Maron, ''Take Out''

; 2016 – Louise Penny, ''A Great Reckoning''

* , ''Body on the Bayou''
* Catriona McPherson, ''Quiet Neighbors''
* Barbara Ross, ''Fogged Inn''
* Hank Phillippi Ryan, ''Say No More''

; 2015 – Margaret Maron, ''Long Upon the Land''
* Annette Dashofy, ''Bridges Burned''
* Catriona McPherson, ''The Child Garden''
* Louise Penny, ''Nature of the Beast''
* Hank Phillippi Ryan, ''What You See''

; 2014 – Hank Phillippi Ryan, ''Truth Be Told''
* Donna Andrews, ''The Good, the Bad and the Emus''
* G. M. Malliet, ''A Demon Summer''
* Margaret Maron, ''Designated Daughters''
* Louise Penny, ''The Long Way Home''

; 2013 – Hank Phillippi Ryan, ''The Wrong Girl''
* Julia Spencer-Fleming, ''Through the Evil Days''
* G. M. Malliet, ''Pagan Spring''
* Louise Penny, ''How the Light Gets In''
* Barbara Ross, ''Clammed Up''

Best Novel

; 2012 – Louise Penny, ''The Beautiful Mystery''
* Krista Davis, ''The Diva Digs Up the Dirt''
* G. M. Malliet, ''A Fatal Winter''
* Margaret Maron, ''The Buzzard Table''
* Hank Phillippi Ryan, '' The Other Woman''

; 2011 – Margaret Maron, ''Three-Day Town''
* Donna Andrews, ''The Real Macaw''
* Krista Davis, ''The Diva Haunts the House''
* G. M. Malliet, ''Wicked Autumn''
* Louise Penny, ''A Trick of the Light''

; 2010 – Louise Penny, ''Bury Your Dead''
* Donna Andrews, ''Stork Raving Mad''
* Nancy Pickard, ''The Scent of Rain and Lightning''
* Hank Phillippi Ryan, ''Drive Time''
* Heather Webber, ''Truly, Madly''

; 2009 – Louise Penny, ''A Brutal Telling'' (Minotaur Books)
* Donna Andrews, ''Swan for the Money'' (St Martin's Minotaur Books)
* Lorna Barrett, ''Bookplate Special'' (Berkley Prime Crime)
* Rhys Bowen, ''Royal Flush'' (Berkley Prime Crime)
* Hank Phillippi Ryan, ''Air Time'' (MIRA)

; 2008 – Louise Penny, ''The Cruelest Month'' (Minotaur Books)
* Donna Andrews, ''Six Geese A-Slaying'' (Minotaur Books)
* Rhys Bowen, ''A Royal Pain'' (Penguin Group)
* Anne Perry, ''Buckingham Palace Gardens'' (Random)
* Julia Spencer-Fleming, ''I Shall Not Want'' (Minotaur Books)

; 2007 – Louise Penny, ''A Fatal Grace'' (St. Martin's Minotaur)
* Donna Andrews, ''The Penguin Who Knew Too Much'' (St. Martin's Minotaur)
* Rhys Bowen, ''Her Royal Spyness'' (Penguin Group)
* Margaret Maron, ''Hard Row'' (Grand Central Publishing)
* Elaine Viets, ''Murder with Reservations'' (NAL)

; 2006 – Nancy Pickard, ''The Virgin of Small Plains'' (Random House)
* Earlene Fowler, ''The Saddlemaker's Wife''
* L. C. Hayden, ''Why Casey Had to Die''
* Nancy Pickard, ''The Virgin of Small Plains''
* Julia Spencer-Fleming, ''All Mortal Flesh''
* Jacqueline Winspear, ''Messenger of Truth''

; 2005 – Katherine Hall Page, ''The Body in the Snowdrift'' (William Morrow)
* Donna Andrews, ''Owls Well That Ends Well'' (St. Martin's Minotaur)
* Margaret Maron, ''Rituals of the Season''(Mysterious Press & Warner Books)
* Pari Noskin Taichert, ''The Belen Hitch'' (University of NM Press)
* Heather Webber, ''Trouble in Spades'' (Avon/HarperCollins Publishers)
* Jacqueline Winspear, ''Pardonable Lies'' (Henry Holt Books)

; 2004 – Jacqueline Winspear, ''Birds of a Feather'' (Soho Press)
* Donna Andrews, ''We'll Always Have Parrots'' (Thomas Dunne Books)
* Laura Lippman, ''By a Spider's Thread'' (HarperCollins)
* Margaret Maron, ''High Country Fall'' (Mysterious Press)
* Sujata Massey, ''The Pearl Diver'' (HarperCollins)

; 2003 – Carolyn Hart, ''Letter From Home'' (Berkley Prime Crime)
* Donna Andrews, ''Crouching Buzzard, Leaping Loon'' (St. Martin’s Minotaur)
* Jerrilyn Farmer, ''Mumbo Gumbo'' (William Morrow & Company)
* Rochelle Majer Krich, ''Dream House'' (Ballantine Books)
* Margaret Maron, ''Last Lessons of Summer'' (Mysterious Press)
* Elaine Viets, ''Shop till You Drop'' (Signet)

; 2002 – Donna Andrews, ''You've Got Murder'' (Berkley Prime Crime)
* Rhys Bowen, ''Death of Riley'' (St. Martin's Minotaur)
* Rochelle Majer Krich, ''Blues in the Night'' (Ballantine)
* Katherine Hall Page, ''The Body in the Bonfire'' (Morrow)
* Elizabeth Peters, ''The Golden One'' (Morrow)

; 2001 – Rhys Bowen, ''Murphy's Law'' (St Martin's Minotaur)
* Earlene Fowler, ''Arkansas Traveler'' (Berkley)
* Charlaine Harris, ''Dead Until Dark'' (Ace)
* Rochelle Majer Krich, ''Shadows of Sin'' (Avon)
* Sujata Massey, ''The Bride's Kimono'' (HarperCollins);

; 2000 – Margaret Maron, ''Storm Track'' (Mysterious Press)
* Taffy Cannon, ''Guns and Roses''
* Jerrilyn Farmer, ''Killer Wedding''
* Sujata Massey, ''The Floating Girl''
* Elizabeth Peters, ''He Shall Thunder in the Sky''

; 1999 – Earlene Fowler, ''Mariner's Compass'' (Berkley Publishing Group)
* Jerrilyn Farmer, ''Immaculate Reception'' (Avon)
* Carolyn Hart, ''Death on the River Walk'' (Avon)
* Laura Lippman''In Big Trouble'' (Avon)
* Sujata Massey ''The Flower Master'' (HarperCollins)

; 1998 – Laura Lippman, ''Butchers Hill'' (Avon Books)
* Jan Burke, ''Liar'' (Simon & Schuster)
* Earlene Fowler, ''Dove in the Window'' (Berkley)
* Virginia Lanier, ''Blind Bloodhound Justice'' (Harper Collins)
* Margaret Maron, ''Home Fires'' (Mysterious Press)
* Elizabeth Peters, ''The Ape Who Guards the Balance'' (Avon)

; 1997 – Kate Ross, ''The Devil In Music'' (Viking)
* Jan Burke, ''Hocus'' (Simon & Schuster)
* Deborah Crombie, ''Dreaming of the Bones'' (Scribner)
* Earlene Fowler, ''Goose in a Pond'' (Berkley)
* Elizabeth Peters, ''Seeing a Large Cat'' (Warner)

; 1996 – Margaret Maron, ''Up Jumps The Devil'' (Mysterious Press)
* Earlene Fowler, ''Kansas Troubles (a Benni Harper Mystery)'' (Berkley)
* Sharan Newman, ''Strong as Death'' (Forge)

; 1995 – Sharyn McCrumb, ''If I'd Killed Him When I Met Him'' (Ballantine)
* Joan Hess, ''Miracles in Maggody''
* Sharan Newman, ''The Wandering Arm''
* Nancy Pickard, ''Twilight''
* , ''Escapade''

; 1994 – Sharyn McCrumb, ''She Walks These Hills'' (Scribner)
* Carolyn G. Hart, ''Scandal in Fair Haven''
* Laurie R. King, ''The Beekeeper's Apprentice''
* Rochelle Majer Krich, ''Angel of Death''
* Elizabeth Peters, ''Night Train to Memphis''

; 1993 – Carolyn Hart, ''Dead Man's Island'' (Bantam)
* Aaron Elkins, ''Old Scores''
* Joan Hess, ''O Little Town of Maggody''
* Rochelle Majer Krich, ''Fair Game''
* Margaret Maron, ''Southern Discomfort''
* Kathy Hogan Trocheck, ''To Live and Die in Dixie''

; 1992 – Margaret Maron, '' Bootlegger's Daughter'' (Mysterious Press)
* Carolyn G. Hart, ''Southern Ghost''
* Sharyn McCrumb, ''The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter''
* Anne Perry, ''Defend and Betray''
* Elizabeth Peters, ''The Snake, the Crocodile, and the Dog''

; 1991 – Nancy Pickard, ''I.O.U.'' (Pocket)
* Aaron Elkins, ''Make No Bones'' (Mysterious Press)
* Carolyn G. Hart, ''The Christie Caper'' (Bantam)
* Charlotte MacLeod, ''An Owl Too Many'' (Mysterious Press)
* Elizabeth Peters, ''The Last Camel Died at Noon'' (Warner)

; 1990 – Nancy Pickard, ''Bum Steer'' (Pocket)
* Charlaine Harris, ''Real Murders''
* Carolyn G. Hart, ''Deadly Valentine''
* Anne Perry, ''The Face of a Stranger''
* Ellis Peters, ''The Potter's Field''

; 1989 – Elizabeth Peters, ''Naked Once More'' (Warner)
* Sarah Caudwell, ''The Siren Sang of Murder''
* Carolyn G. Hart, ''A Little Class on Murder''
* Margaret Maron, ''Corpus Christmas''
* Gillian Roberts, ''Philly Stakes''

; 1988 – Carolyn G. Hart, ''Something Wicked'' (Bantam)
* Dorothy Cannell, ''The Widow's Club''
* Joan Hess, ''Mischief in Maggody''
* Sharyn McCrumb, ''Paying the Piper''
* Nancy Pickard, ''Dead Crazy''

Best Historical Novel

2021 – Lori Rader-Day, ''Death at Greenway''

* Colleen Cambridge, ''Murder at Mallowan Hall'' (Phyllida Bright series)
* Naomi Hirahara, ''Clark and Division''
* Sujata Massey, ''The Bombay Prince'' (Perveen Mistry series)
* Gabriel Valjan, ''The Devil's Music'' (Company Files series)

2020 – Rhys Bowen, ''The Last Mrs. Summers'' (Royal Spyness series)

* Susanna Calkins, ''The Fate of a Flapper'' (Speakeasy Murders)
* Dianne Freeman, ''A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Murder'' (Countess of Harleigh series)
* Edith Maxwell, ''Taken Too Soon'' (Quaker Midwife series)
* Catriona McPherson, ''The Turning Tide'' (Dandy Gilver series)

2019 – Edith Maxwell, ''Charity’s Burden'' (Quaker Midwife series)

* Rhys Bowen, ''Love and Death Among the Cheetahs'' (Royal Spyness series)
* Susanna Calkins, ''Murder Knocks Twice'' (Speakeasy Murders)
* L. A. Chandlar, ''The Pearl Dagger'' (Art Deco Mystery series)
* Gabriel Valjan, ''The Naming Game'' (Company Files series)

; 2018 – Sujata Massey, ''The Widows of Malabar Hill'' (Perveen Mistry series)
* Rhys Bowen, ''Four Funerals and Maybe a Wedding'' (Royal Spyness series)
* LA Chandlar, ''The Gold Pawn'' (Art Deco Mystery series)
* Edith Maxwell, ''Turning the Tide'' (Quaker Midwife series)
* Victoria Thompson, ''Murder on Union Square'' (Gaslight Mysteries)

; 2017 – Rhys Bowen, ''In Farleigh Field''
* Jessica Ellicott, ''Murder in an English Village'' (Beryl and Edwina series)
* Edith Maxwell, ''Called to Justice'' (Quaker Midwife series)
* Susan Elia MacNeal, ''The Paris Spy'' (Maggie Hope series)
* Renee Patrick, ''Dangerous to Know'' (Lillian Frost and Edith Head series)

; 2016 – Candtriona McPherson, ''The Reek of Red Herrings'' (Dandy Gilver series)
* Jessica Estevao, ''Whispers Beyond the Veil'' (Change of Fortune series)
* D.E. Ireland, ''Get Me to the Grave on Time'' (Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins Mysteries)
* Edith Maxwell, ''Delivering the Truth'' (Quaker Midwife series)
* Victoria Thompson, ''Murder in Morningside Heights'' (Gaslight Mysteries)

; 2015 – Laurie R. King, ''Dreaming Spies'' (Mary Russell series)
* Rhys Bowen, ''Malice at the Palace'' (Royal Spyness series)
* Susanna Calkins, ''The Masque of a Murderer'' (Lucy Campion series)
* Susan Elia MacNeal, ''Mrs. Roosevelt’s Confidante'' (Maggie Hope series)
* Victoria Thompson, ''Murder on Amsterdam Avenue'' (Gaslight Mysteries)

; 2014 – Rhys Bowen, ''Queen of Hearts'' (Royal Spyness series)
* DE Ireland, ''Wouldn't It Be Deadly'' (Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins series)
* Victoria Thompson, ''Murder in Murray Hill'' (Gaslight Mysteries)
* Charles Todd, ''Hunting Shadows'' (Inspector Ian Rutledge series)
* Charles Todd, ''An Unwilling Accomplice'' (Bess Crawford series)

; 2013 – Charles Todd, ''A Question of Honor'' (Bess Crawford series)
* Rhys Bowen, ''Heirs and Graces'' (Royal Spyness series)
* Kaye George, ''Death in the Time of Ice'' (Enga Dancing Flower series)
* J. J. Murphy, ''A Friendly Game of Murder'' (Algonquin Round Table series)
* Victoria Thompson, ''Murder in Chelsea'' (Gaslight Mysteries)

; 2012 – Catriona McPherson, '' Dandy Gilver and an Unsuitable Day for Murder'' (Dandy Gilver series)
* Rhys Bowen, ''The Twelve Clues of Christmas'' (Royal Spyness series)
* Victoria Thompson, ''Murder on Fifth Avenue'' (Gaslight Mysteries)
* Charles Todd, ''An Unmarked Grave'' (Bess Crawford series)
* Jacqueline Winspear, ''Elegy for Eddie'' (Maisie Dobbs series)

; 2011 – Rhys Bowen, ''Naughty in Nice'' (Royal Spyness series)
* J. J. Murphy, ''Murder Your Darlings'' (Algonquin Round Table series)
* Ann Parker, ''Mercury's Rise'' (Silver Rush series)
* Jeri Westerson, ''Troubled Bones'' (Crispin Guest Mysteries)
* Jacqueline Winspear, ''A Lesson in Secrets'' (Maisie Dobbs series)

Best Non-Fiction

2020 - Christina Lane, ''Phantom Lady: Hollywood Producer Joan Harrison, the Forgotten Woman Behind Hitchcock''

* Leslie Brody, ''Sometimes You Have to Lie: The Life and Times of Louise Fitzhugh, Renegade Author of Harriet the Spy''
* Kate Winkler Dawon, ''American Sherlock: Murder, Forensics, and the Birth of American CSI''
* Martin Edwards, ''Howdunit: A Masterclass in Crime Writing by Members of the Detection Club''
* Sheila Mitchell, ''H.R.F. Keating: A Life of Crime''

2019 - Mo Moulton, ''The Mutual Admiration Society: How Dorothy L. Sayers and her Oxford Circle Remade the World for Women''

* Laird R. Blackwell, ''Frederic Dannay, Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and the Art of the Detective Short Story''
* Julia Bricklin, ''Blonde Rattlesnake: Burmah Adams, Tom White, and the 1933 Crime Spree that Terrified Los Angeles''
* Casey Cep, ''Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud and the Last Trial of Harper Lee''
* Hallie Rubenhold. ''The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper''
; 2018 - Jane Cleland, ''Mastering Plot Twists''

*Nancy J. Cohen, ''Writing the Cozy Mystery''
*Margalit Fox, ''Conan Doyle for the Defense''
*Laura Thompson, ''Agatha Christie: A Mysterious Life''
*Jane Ann Turzillo, ''Wicked Women of Ohio''

; 2017 – Mattias Bostrom, '' From Holmes to Sherlock: The Story of the Men and Women Who Created an Icon''

* Martin Edwards, ''The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books''
* Monica Hesse, ''American Fire: Love, Arson and Life in a Vanishing Land''
* Jess Lourey, ''Through the Healing Power of Fiction''
* Tatiana de Rosnay, ''Manderley Forever: A Biography of Daphne du Maurier''

; 2016 – Jane K. Cleland, ''Mastering Suspense, Structure, and Plot: How to Write Gripping Stories that Keep Readers on the Edge of Their Seats''

* Roger Guay with Kate Clark Flora, ''A Good Man with a Dog: A Game Warden's 25 Years in the Maine Woods''
* Margaret Kinsman, ''Sara Paretsky: A Companion to the Mystery Fiction''

; 2015 – Martin Edwards, '' The Golden Age of Murder: The Mystery of the Writers Who Invented the Modern Detective Story''
* Zack Dundas, ''The Great Detective: The Amazing Rise and Immortal Life of Sherlock Holmes''
* Kathryn Harkup, ''A is for Arsenic: The Poisons of Agatha Christie''
* Jane Ann Turzillo, ''Unsolved Murders and Disappearances in Northeast Ohio''
* Kate White (Editor), Mystery Writers of America, ''The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook: Wickedly Good Meals and Desserts to Die For''

; 2014 – Hank Phillippi Ryan, editor, ''Writes of Passage: Adventures on the Writer's Journey''
* Stephen Bates, ''The Poisoner: The Life and Crimes of Victorian England's Most Notorious Doctor''
* Kate Flora, ''Death Dealer: How Cops and Cadaver Dogs Brought a Killer to Justice''
* Adam Plantinga, ''400 Things Cops Know: Street Smart Lessons from a Veteran Patrolman''
* Lucy Worsley, ''The Art of the English Murder''

; 2013 – Daniel Stashower, '' The Hour of Peril: The Secret Plot to Murder Lincoln Before the Civil War''
* Jennifer Kloester, ''Georgette Heyer''
* Maria Konnikova, ''Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes''
* Verena Rose and Rita Owen, Editors, ''Not Everyone's Cup of Tea: An Interesting & Entertaining History of Malice Domestic's First 25 Years''

; 2012 – John Connolly, ''Books to Die For: The World's Greatest Mystery Writers on the World's Greatest Mystery Novels''
* Joseph Goodrich, ''Blood Relations: The Selected Letters of Ellery Queen, 1947–1950''
* D. P. Lyle ''More Forensics and Fiction: Crime Writers Morbidly Curious Questions Expertly Answered''
* Ben Macintyre, ''Double Cross: The True Story of the D-Day Spies''
* Mathew Prichard, ''The Grand Tour: Around the World with the Queen of Mystery Agatha Christie''

; 2011 – Leslie Budewitz, ''Books, Crooks and Counselors: How to Write Accurately About Criminal Law and Courtroom Procedure''
* John Curran, ''Agatha Christie: Murder in the Making: More Stories and Secrets from Her Notebooks''
* Michael Dirda ''On Conan Doyle; or, The Whole Art of Storytelling''
* A. B. Emrys, ''Wilkie Collins, Vera Caspary and the Evolution of the Casebook Novel''
* Charlaine Harris, '' The Sookie Stackhouse Companion''

; 2010 – John Curran, ''Agatha Christie's Secret Notebooks: 50 Years of Mysteries in the Making''
* Deborah Blum, '' The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York''
* Stephen Doyle & David A. Crowder ''Sherlock Holmes for Dummies''
* Katherine Hall Page, ''Have Faith in Your Kitchen''
* Yunte Huang, ''Charlie Chan: The Untold Story of the Honorable Detective and His Rendezvous with American History''

; 2009 – Elena Santangelo, ''Dame Agatha's Shorts'' (Bella Rosa Books)
* Richard Hack, ''Duchess of Death'' (Phoenix Books)
* P. D. James, '' Talking About Detective Fiction'' (Knopf)
* Amnon Kabatchnik, ''Blood on the Stage 1925–1950'' (Scarecrow Press)
* Joan Schenkar, ''The Talented Miss Highsmith'' (St Martin's Press)

; 2008 – Kathy Lynn Emerson, ''How to Write Killer Historical Mysteries'' (Perseverance Press)
* Frankie Y. Bailey, ''African American Mystery Writers: A Historical & Thematic Study'' (McFarland & Co.)
* Jeffrey Marks, ''Anthony Boucher: A Biobibliography'' (McFarland & Co.)
* Dr. Harry Lee Poe, ''Edgar Allan Poe: An Illustrated Companion to His Tell-Tale Stories'' (Metro Books)
* Kate Summerscale, ''The Suspicions of Mr. Whitcher, or The Murder at Road Hill House'' (Walker & Co.)

; 2007 – Jon Lellenberg, Daniel Stashower and Charles Foley, ''Arthur Conan Doyle: A Life in Letters'' (Penguin Press)
* Penny Warner, ''The Official Nancy Drew Handbook'' (Quirck Productions)

; 2006 – Chris Roerden, ''Don't Murder Your Mystery'' (Bella Rosa Books)
* Jim Huang and Austin Lugar, '' Mystery Muses'' (The Crum Creek Press)
* Daniel Stashower, ''The Beautiful Cigar Girl'' (Dutton)

; 2005 – Melanie Rehak, ''Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her'' (Harcourt)
* Stuart Kaminsky, ''Behind the Mystery—Top Mystery Writers'' (Hothouse Press)
* Marvin Lachman, ''The Heirs of Anthony Boucher'' (Poisoned Pen Press)
* Leslie S. Klinger, ''The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes'' (W.W. Norton)

; 2004 – Jack French, ''Private Eye-Lashes: Radio’s Lady Detectives'' (Bear Manor Media)
* Leslie Klinger (editor), ''The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Short Stories'' (W.W. Norton & Company)

; 2003 – Elizabeth Peters and Kristen Whitbread (editors) and Dennis Forbes (design), '' Amelia Peabody's Egypt: A Compendium'' (William Morrow & Company)
* Colleen A. Barnett, ''Mystery Women: An Encyclopedia of Leading Women Characters in Mystery Fiction, Volume 3 (Parts 1 & 2)'' (Poisoned Pen Press)
* Jo Grossman and Robert Weibezahl (editors), ''A Second Helping of Murder: More Diabolically Delicious Recipes from Contemporary Mystery Writers'' (Poisoned Pen Press)
* Jeffrey Marks, ''Atomic Renaissance: Women Mystery Writers of the 1940s and 1950s'' (Delphi Books)

; 2002 – Jim Huang (editor), ''They Died in Vain: Overlooked, Underappreciated, and Forgotten Mystery Novels'' (Crum Creek Press)
* Mike Ashley (editor), ''The Mammoth Encyclopedia of Modern Crime Fiction'' (Avalon Publishing Group)
* Colleen Barnett, ''Mystery Women: An Encyclopedia of Leading Women Characters in Mystery Fiction'' (Poisoned Pen Press)
* Mary Higgins Clark, ''Kitchen Privileges: A Memoir'' (Simon and Schuster)
* Sue Grafton (editor) with Jan Burke and Barry Zeman, ''Writing Mysteries: A Handbook by the Mystery Writers of America'' (Writer's Digest Press)

; 2001 – Tony Hillerman, '' Seldom Disappointed: A Memoir'' (HarperCollins)
* Max Allan Collins, ''The History of the Mystery'' (Collector's Press)
* G. Miki Hayden, ''Writing the Mystery: A Start-To-Finish Guide for Both Novice and Professional'' (Intrigue Press)
* Jeffrey Marks, ''Who Was That Lady?'' (Delphi Books)
* The Sisters Wells, ''Food, Drink, and the Female Sleuth'' (Authors Choice Press/iUniverse.com)

; 2000 – Jim Huang (editor), ''100 Favorite Mysteries of the Century'' (Crum Creek Press)
* Marvin Lachman (editor), ''The American Regional Mystery''
* Matthew Bunson, ''The Complete Christie'' (Pocket)
* Helen Windrath (editor), ''They Wrote the Book''
* Martha Dubose (editor), ''Women of Mystery''

; 1999 – Daniel Stashower, ''Teller of Tales: the Life of Arthur Conan Doyle'' (Henry Holt & Company)
* Kate Derie, ''The Deadly Directory'' (Deadly Serious Press)
* Jo Grossman and Robert Weibezahl, ''A Taste of Murder: Diabolically Delicious Recipes from Contemporary Mystery Writers'' (Poisoned Pen Press)
* Willetta L. Heising, ''Detecting Women III'' (Purple Moon Press)
* Rosemary Herbert, ''The Oxford Companion to Crime and Mystery Writing'' (Oxford University Press)

; 1998 – Alzina Stone Dale, ''Mystery Reader's Walking Guide to Washington D.C.'' (Passport Books)
* Edward Gorman and Martin H. Greenberg, ''Speaking of Murder'' (Berkley)
* Jan Grape, Dean James and Ellen Nehr, ''Deadly Women'' (Carroll & Graf)
* Victoria Nichols and Susan Thompson, ''Silk Stalkings II'' (Scarecrow)
* Jean Swanson and Dean James, ''Killer Books'' (Berkley)

; 1997 – Willeta L. Heising, ''Detecting Men (Pocket Guide)'' (Purple Moon Press)
* Nina King and Robin Winks, ''Crimes of the Scene'' (St. Martin's)
* Ian Ousby, ''Guilty Parties'' (Thames & Hudson)

; 1996 – Willetta L. Heising, ''Detecting Women 2'' (Purple Moon Press)
* Elaine Raco Chase and Anne Wingate, ''Amateur Detectives: A Writer's Guide to How Private Citizens Solve Criminal Cases'' (Writer's Digest)
* Ron Miller, ''Mystery: A Celebration'' (KQED Books)
* Barbara Reynolds (editor), ''The Letters of Dorothy L. Sayers: The Making of a Detective Novelist'' (St. Martin's Minotaur)
* Jean Swanson and Dean James, ''By a Woman's Hand'', Second Edition (Berkley Publishing Group)

; 1995 – Alzina Stone Dale, ''Mystery Readers Walking Guide-Chicago'' (Passport Books, NTC Publishing Group)
* Douglas G. Greene, ''John Dickson Carr: the Man Who Explained Miracles''
* B.J. Rahn, ''Ngaio Marsh: the Woman and Her Work''
* Kate Stine, ''The Armchair Detective Book of Lists'', 2nd edition
* Robin Whiteman, ''The Cadfael Companion, 2nd edition

; 1994 – Jean Swanson and Dean James, ''By a Woman's Hand'' (Berkley Publishing Group)
* William L. DeAndrea, ''Encyclopedia Mysteriosa''
* Allen J. Hubin, ''Crime Fiction II''
* Kathleen Gregory Klein, ''Great Women Mystery Writers''
* Charlotte MacLeod, ''Had She But Known: Mary Roberts Rinehart''

; 1993 – Barbara D'Amato, ''The Doctor, the Murder, the Mystery'' (Noble Press)
* Alzina Stone Dale, ''Dorothy L. Sayers''
* Michael C. Gerald, ''The Poisonous Pen of Agatha Christie''
* Edward Gorman, ''The Fine Art of Murder''
* Marvin Lachman, ''A Reader's Guide to the American Novel of Detection''
* Ellen A. Nehr, ''The Doubleday Crime Club Compendium 1928–91''

Best Short Story

* 2020 - "Dear Emily Etiquette" by Barb Goffman, ''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'', September/October 2020
**"The Red Herrings at Killington Inn" by Shawn Reilly Simmons, ''Masthead: Best New England Crime Stories'' (Level Best Books)
**"The Boy Detective & the Summer of '74" by Art Taylor, ''Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine'', January/February 2020
**"Elysian Fields" by Gabriel Valjan, ''California Schemin': the 2020 Bouchercon Anthology'' (Wildside Press)
**"The 25 Year Engagement" by James Ziskin, ''In League with Sherlock Holmes: Stories Inspired by the Sherlock Holmes Canon'' (Pegasus Crime)
*2019 - "The Last Word" by Shawn Reilly Simmons, ''Malice Domestic 14: Mystery Most Edible'' (Wildside Press)
** "Grist for the Mill" by Kaye George, ''A Murder of Crows'' (Darkhouse Books)
** "Alex’s Choice" by Barb Goffman, ''Crime Travel'' (Wildside Press)
** "The Blue Ribbon" by Cynthia Kuhn, ''Malice Domestic 14: Mystery Most Edible'' (Wildside Press)
** "Better Days" by Art Taylor, ''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'', May/June 2019
* 2018 (Tie) – "All God's Sparrows" by Leslie Budewitz, ''Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine'', May/June 2018, and "The Case of the Vanishing Professor" by , ''Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine'', May/June 2018
** "A Postcard for the Dead" by Susanna Calkins, ''Florida Happens'': ''Tales of Mystery, Mayhem, and Suspense from the Sunshine State'' (Three Rooms Press)
** "Bug Appétit" by Barb Goffman, ''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'', November/December 2018
** "English 398: Fiction Workshop" by Art Taylor, ''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'', July/August 2018
* 2017 – "The Library Ghost of Tanglewood Inn" by Gigi Pandian (Henery Press)
** "Double Deck the Halls" by Gretchen Archer (Henery Press)
** "Whose Wine Is It Anyway?" by Barb Goffman, ''50 Shades of Cabernet'' (Koehler Books)
** "The Night They Burned Miss Dixie's Place" by Debra H. Goldstein, ''Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine'', May/June 2017
** "A Necessary Ingredient" by Art Taylor, ''Coast to Coast: Private Eyes from Sea to Shining Sea'' (Down & Out Books)
* 2016 – "Parallel Play" by Art Taylor, ''Chesapeake Crimes: Storm Warning'' (Wildside Press)
** "Double Jinx: A Bellissimo Casino Crime Caper Short Story" by Gretchen Archer (Henery Press)
** "The Best-Laid Plans" by Barb Goffman, ''Malice Domestic 11: Murder Most Conventional'' (Wildside Press)
** "The Mayor and the Midwife" by Edith Maxwell, ''Blood on the Bayou: Bouchercon Anthology 2016'' (Down & Out Books)
** "The Last Blue Glass" by B.K. Stevens, ''Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine'', April 2016
* 2015 – "A Year Without Santa Claus?" by Barb Goffman, ''Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine'', Jan./Feb. 2015
** “A Questionable Death” by Edith Maxwell, ''History & Mystery, Oh My'' (Mystery & Horror, LLC)
** "A Killing at the Beausoleil" by Terrie Farley Moran, ''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'', Nov. 2015
** "Suffer the Poor" by Harriette Sackler, ''History & Mystery, Oh My'' (Mystery & Horror, LLC)
** "A Joy Forever" by B.K. Stevens, ''Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine'', March 2015
* 2014 – "The Odds Are Against Us" by Art Taylor, ''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'', Nov. 2014
** "The Blessing Witch" by Kathy Lynn Emerson, ''Best New England Crime Stories 2015: Rogue Wave'' (Level Best Books)
** "The Shadow Knows" by Barb Goffman, ''Chesapeake Crimes: Homicidal Holidays'' (Wildside Press)
** "Just Desserts for Johnny" by Edith Maxwell, ''Kings River Life Magazine''
** "Premonition" by Art Taylor, ''Chesapeake Crimes: Homicidal Holidays'' (Wildside Press)
* 2013 – "The Care and Feeding of House Plants" by Art Taylor, ''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'', March/April 2013
** "Evil Little Girl" by Barb Goffman, ''Don't Get Mad, Get Even'' (Wildside Press)
** "Nightmare" by Barb Goffman, ''Don't Get Mad, Get Even'' (Wildside Press)
** "The Hindi Houdini" by Gigi Pandian, ''Fish Nets: The Second Guppy Anthology'' (Wildside Press)
** "Bread Baby" by Barbara Ross, ''Best New England Crime Stories 2014: Stone Cold'' (Level Best Books)
* 2012 – "Mischief in Mesopotamia" by Dana Cameron, ''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, Nov. 2012''
** "Kept in the Dark" by Sheila Connolly, ''Best New England Crime Stories 2013: Blood Moon'' (Level Best Books)
** "The Lord is My Shamus" by Barb Goffman, ''Chesapeake Crimes: This Job is Murder'' (Wildside Press)
** "Thea's First Husband" by B.K. Stevens, ''Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine'', June 2012
** "When Duty Calls" by Art Taylor, ''Chesapeake Crimes: This Job is Murder'' (Wildside Press)
* 2011 – "Disarming" by Dana Cameron, ''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'', June 2011
** "Dead Eye Gravy" by Krista Davis, ''Fish Tales: The Guppy Anthology'' (Wildside Press)
** "Palace by the Lake" by Daryl Wood Gerber, ''Fish Tales: The Guppy Anthology'' (Wildside Press)
** "Truth and Consequences" by Barb Goffman, ''Mystery Times Ten'' (Buddhapuss Ink)
** "The Itinerary" by Roberta Isleib, ''Mystery Writers of America Presents the Rich and the Dead'' (Grand Central Publishing)
* 2010 – "So Much in Common" by Mary Jane Maffini, ''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'', Sept./Oct. 2010
** "Swing Shift" by Dana Cameron, ''Crimes by Moonlight: Mysteries from the Dark Side'' (Berkley)
** "Size Matters" by Sheila Connolly, ''Thin Ice: Crime Stories by New England Writers'' (Level Best Books)
** "Volunteer of the Year" by Barb Goffman, ''Chesapeake Crimes: They Had it Comin (Wildside Press)
** "The Green Cross" by Elizabeth Zelvin, ''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'', Aug. 2010
* 2009 – "On the House" by Hank Phillippi Ryan (Level Best Books)
* 2008 – "The Night Things Changed" by Dana Cameron ''Wolfsbane & Mistletoe'' (Penguin Group)
* 2007 – "A Rat's Tale" by Donna Andrews ''Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine''
* 2006 – "Sleeping with the Plush" by Toni Kelner ''Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine''
* 2005 – "Driven to Distraction" by Marcia Talley (Chesapeake Crimes II, Quiet Storm Publishing)
* 2004 – "Wedding Knife" by Elaine Viets (Chesapeake Crimes, Coordinating Editor: Donna Andrews, Quiet Storm Publishing)
* 2003 – "No Man’s Land" by Elizabeth Foxwell in ''Blood On Their Hands'' (Berkley Prime Crime)
* 2002 – "The Dog That Didn't Bark" by Margaret Maron, ''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'', December 2002 and "Too Many Cooks" by Marcia Talley, ''Much Ado About Murder'', edited by Anne Perry (Berkley Prime Crime)
* 2001 – "The Would-Be-Widower" by Katherine Hall Page, Malice Domestic X (Avon Books)
* 2000 – "The Man in the Civil Suit" by Jan Burke, Malice Domestic 9 (Avon Books)
* 1999 – "Out of Africa" by Nancy Pickard, ''Mom, Apple Pie, and Murder'' (Berkley Publishing Group)
* 1998 – "Of Course You Know That Chocolate Is A Vegetable" by Barbara D'Amato, ''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'', November 1998
* 1997 – "Tea for Two" by M.D. Lake, ''Funnybones'' (Penguin)
* 1996 – "Accidents Will Happen" by Carolyn Wheat, Malice Domestic 5 (Pocket)
* 1995 – "The Dog Who Remembered Too Much" by Elizabeth Daniels Squire, Malice Domestic 4 (Pocket)
* 1994 – "The Family Jewels" by Dorothy Cannell, Malice Domestic 3 (Pocket)
* 1993 – "Kim's Game" by M.D. Lake, Malice Domestic 2 (Pocket)
* 1992 – "Nice Gorilla" by Aaron and Charlotte Elkins, Malice Domestic 1 (Pocket)
* 1991 – "Deborah's Judgment" by Margaret Maron, ''A Woman's Eye'' (Delacourte Press)
* 1990 – "Too Much To Bare" by Joan Hess, ''Sisters in Crime 2'' (Berkley Publishing Group)
* 1989 – "A Wee Doch And Doris" by Sharyn McCrumb, ''Mistletoe Mysteries'' (Mysterious Press )
* 1988 – "More Final Than Divorce" by Robert Barnard, ''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine''

Best Young Adult Mystery

* 2018 - ''Potion Problems (Just Add Magic)'' by Cindy Callaghan
** ''Winterhouse'' by Ben Guterson
** ''A Side of Sabotage'' by C.M. Surrisi

Best Children/Young Adult Fiction

* 2021 - ''I Play One on TV'' by Alan Orloff (Down & Out Books)
**''Cold-Blooded Myrtle'' by Elizabeth C. Bunce (Algonquin Young Readers)
**''The Forest of Stolen Girls'' by June Hur (Fiewel and Friends)
**''Leisha's Song'' by Lynn Slaughter (Fire and Ice/Melange Books)
**''Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche'' by Nancy Springer (Wednesday Books)
* 2020 - ''Holly Hernandez and the Death of Disco'' by Richie Narvaez (Piñata Books)
**''Midnight at the Barclay Hotel'' by Fleur Bradley (Viking Books for Young Readers)
**''Premeditated Myrtle'' by Elizabeth C. Bunce (Algonquin Young Readers)
**''Saltwater Secrets'' by Cindy Callaghan (Aladdin)
**''From the Desk of Zoe Washington'' by Janae Marks (Katherin Teagen Books)
*2019 - ''The Last Crystal'' by Frances Schoonmaker (Auctus Press)
** ''Kazu Jones and the Denver Dognappers'' by Shauna Holyoak (Disney Hyperion)
** ''Two Can Keep a Secret'' by Karen MacManus (Delacorte Press)
** ''Top Marks for Murder'' by Robin Stevens (Puffin)
** ''Jada Sly, Artist and Spy'' by Sherri Winston (Little Brown Books for Young Readers)
* 2017 – ''Sydney Mackenzie Knocks 'Em Dead'' by Cindy Callaghan (Aladdin)
**''City of Angels'' by Kristi Belcamino
**''The World's Greatest Detective'' by Caroline Carlson
**''Audacity Jones Steals the Show'' by Kirby Larson
**''The Harlem Charade'' by Natasha Tarpley
* 2016 – ''The Secret of the Puzzle Box: The Code Busters Club'' by Penny Warner (Darby Creek)
** ''Trapped: A Mei-hua Adventur''e by P.A. DeVoe (Drum Tower Press)
** ''Spy Ski School'' by Stuart Gibbs (Simon & Schuster)
** ''Tag, You're Dead'' by J C Lane (Poisoned Pen Press)
** ''The Mystery of Hollow Places'' by Rebecca Podos (Balzer & Bray)
* 2015 – ''Andi Unstoppable'' by Amanda Flower (Zonderkidz)
** ''Pieces and Players'', Blue Balliett (Scholastic Press)
** ''Need'', Joelle Charbonneau (HMH Books for Young Readers)
** ''Woof'', Spencer Quinn (Scholastic Press)
** ''Fighting Chance'', B.K. Stevens (Poisoned Pen Press)
* 2014 – ''The Code Buster's Club, Case #4: The Mummy's Curse'' by Penny Warner (Egmont USA)
** ''Andi Under Pressure'' by Amanda Flower (ZonderKidz)
** ''Greenglass House'' by Kate Milford (Clarion Books)
** ''Uncertain Glory'' by Lea Wait (Islandport Press)
** ''Found'' by Harlan Coben (Putnam Juvenile)
* 2013 – ''Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library'' by Chris Grabenstein (Random House Books)
** ''The Testing'' by Joelle Charbonneau (HMH Books for Young Readers)
** ''Traitor in the Shipyard: A Caroline Mystery'' by Kathleen Ernst (American Girl Mysteries)
** ''Andi Unexpected'' by Amanda Flower (Zonderkidz)
** ''Code Busters Club: Mystery of the Pirate's Treasure'' by Penny Warner (Egmont USA)
* 2012 – ''The Code Busters Club, Case #2: The Haunted Lighthouse'' by Penny Warner (Egmont USA)
** ''Seconds Away'' by Harlan Coben
** ''The Edge of Nowhere'' by Elizabeth George
** ''Liar & Spy'' by Rebecca Stead
** ''Code Name Verity'' by Elizabeth Wein
* 2011 – ''The Black Heart Crypt'' by Chris Grabenstein (Random House)
** ''Shelter'' by Harlan Coben (Putnam)
** ''Icefall'' by Matthew J. Kirby (Scholastic Press)
** ''The Wizard of Dark Street'' by Shawn Thomas Odyssey (EgmontUSA)
** ''The Code Busters Club, Case #1: The Secret of the Skeleton Key'' by Penny Warner (EgmontUSA)
* 2010 – ''The Other Side of Dark'' by Sarah Smith (Atheneum)
** ''Theodore Boone, Kid Lawyer'' by John Grisham (Dutton Children's)
** ''Theodosia and the Eyes of Horus'' by R. L. LaFevers (Houghton Mifflin)
** ''The Agency: A Spy in the House'' by Y. S. Lee (Candlewick)
** ''Virals'' by Kathy Reichs (Razorbill)
* 2009 – ''The Hanging Hill'' by Chris Grabenstein (Random House)
* 2008 – '' The Crossroads'' by Chris Grabenstein
* 2007 - ''A Light In The Cellar'' by Sarah Masters Buckey (American Girl)
* 2006 – ''Pea Soup Poisonings'' by Nancy Means Wright (Hilliard & Harris)
* 2005 – ''Down the Rabbit Hole'' by Peter Abrahams, HarperCollins Publishers and ''Flush'' by Carl Hiaasen (Alfred A. Knopf)
* 2004 – '' Chasing Vermeer'' by Blue Balliett (Scholastic Press)
* 2003 – ''The 7th Knot'' by Kathleen Karr (Marshall Cavendish)
* 2002 – ''Red Card: A Zeke Armstrong Mystery'' (The Zeke Armstrong Mysteries, 1) by Daniel J. Hale & Matthew LaBrot (Top Publications)
* 2001 – ''Mystery Of The Haunted Caves: A Troop 13 Mystery'' by Penny Warner (Meadowbrook Press)

Special Awards

Malice Domestic Award for Lifetime Achievement

*2018 – Nancy Pickard
*2017 – Charlaine Harris
*2016 – Katherine Hall Page
*2015 – Sara Paretsky
*2014 – Dorothy Cannell, Joan Hess & Margaret Maron
*2013 – Aaron Elkins
*2012 – Simon Brett
*2011 – Sue Grafton
*2010 – Mary Higgins Clark
*2009 – Anne Perry
*2008 – Peter Lovesey
*2007 – Carolyn Hart
*2006 – Robert Barnard
*2005 – H.R.F. Keating
*2004 – Marian Babson
*2003 – Barbara Mertz, Elizabeth Peters, and Barbara Michaels
*2002 – Tony Hillerman
*2001 – Mildred Wirt Benson
*2000 – Dick Francis
*1999 – Patricia Moyes
*1998 – Charlotte MacLeod
*1997 – Emma Lathen
*1996 – Mary Stewart
*1994 – Mignon G. Eberhart
*1990 – Phyllis A. Whitney

Malice Domestic Poirot Award

* 2018 – Brenda Blethyn
* 2017 – Martin Edwards
* 2016 – Barbara Peters, editor-in-chief of Poisoned Pen Press, and Robert Rosenwald, president and founder of Poisoned Pen Press
* 2015 – None
* 2014 – Tom Schantz
* 2013 – None
* 2012 – Lee Goldberg
* 2011 – Janet Rudolph
* 2010 – William Link
* 2009 – Kate Stine and Brian Skupin, publishers of Mystery Scene Magazine
* 2008 – Janet Hutchings, editor of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, and Linda Landrigan, editor of Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine
* 2007 – None
* 2006 – Douglas G. Greene, publisher of Crippen & Landru Press
* 2005 – Angela Lansbury
* 2004 – Ruth Cavin, editor of Thomas Dunne Books
* 2003 – David Suchet

See also

* Agatha Christie Award (Japan)
* Agatha-Christie-Krimipreis, a former German literary prize named after Agatha Christie for unpublished crime short stories.

References

{{Agatha Christie, state=collapsed

Mystery and detective fiction awards
American literary awards
Awards established in 1989


1989 establishments in the United States