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Edgar Best First Novel Award
2021
Nominations
Murder in Old Bombay by Nev March
Please See Us by Caitlin Mullen
Catherine House by Elizabeth Thomas
Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden
Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel
2020
Winner
Miracle Creek by Angie Kim

Nominations
​My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing
The Good Detective by John McMahon
The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prescott
Three-Fifths by John Vercher
American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson
2019
Winner
Bearskin by James A McLaughlin

Nominations
A Knife in the Fog by Bradley Harper
The Captives by Debra Jo Immergut
The Last Equation of Isaac Severy by Nova Jacobs
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

2018
Winner
She Rides Shotgun by Jordan Harper
 
Shortlist
Dark Chapter by Winnie M Li
Idaho by Emily Ruskovich
Lola by Melissa Scrivner Love
 
2017
Winner
Under the Harrow by Flynn Berry
 
Shortlist
Dodgers by Bill Beverly
IQ by Joe Ide
The Drifter by Nicholas Petrie
Dancing with the Tiger by Lili Wright
The Lost Girls by Heather Young
 
2016
Winner
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
 
Shortlist
Past Crimes by Glen Erik Hamilton
Where All Light Tends To Go by David Joy
Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll
Unbecoming by Rebecca Scherm
 
2015
Winner
Dry Bones in the Valley by Tom Bouman
 
Shortlist
Invisible City by Julia Dahl
The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens
Bad Country by CB McKenzie
Shovel Ready by Adam Sternbergh
Murder at the Brightwell by Ashley Weaver
 
2014
Winner
Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews
 
Shortlist
The Resurrectionist by Matthew Guinn
Ghostman by Roger Hobbs
Rage Against the Dying by Becky Masterman
Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight
 
2013
Winner
The Expats by Chris Pavone
 
Shortlist
The Map of Lost Memories by Kim Fay
Don't Ever Get Old by Daniel Friedman
Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal
Black Fridays by Michael Sears
 
2012
Winner
Bent Road by Lori Roy
 
Shortlist
Red on Red by Edward Conlon
Last to Fold by David Duffy
All Cry Chaos by Leonard Rosen
Purgatory Chasm by Steve Ulfelder
 
2011
Winner
Rogue Island by Bruce DeSilva
 
Shortlist
The Poacher's Son by Paul Doiron
The Serialist: A Novel by David Gordon
Galveston by Nic Pizzolatto
Snow Angels by James Thompson
 
2010
Winner
In the Shadow of Gotham by Stefanie Pintoff
 
Shortlist
The Girl She Used to Be by David Cristofano
Starvation Lake by Bryan Gruley
The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf
A Bad Day for Sorry by Sophie Littlefield
Black Water Rising by Attica Locke​
2009
Winner
The Foreigner by Francie Lin
 
Shortlist
The Kind One by Tom Epperson
Sweetsmoke by David Fuller
Calumet City by Charlie Newton
A Cure for Night by Justin Peacock
 
2008
Winner
In the Woods by Tana French
 
Shortlist
Missing Witness by Gordon Campbell
Snitch Jacket by Christopher Goffard
Head Games by Craig McDonald
Pyres by Derek Nikitas
 
2007
Winner
The Faithful Spy by Alex Berenson
 
Shortlist
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
The King of Lies by John Hart
Holmes on the Range by Steve Hockensmith
A Field of Darkness by Cornelia Read
 
2006
Winner
Officer Down by Theresa Schwegel
 
Shortlist
Die A Little by Megan Abbott
Immoral by Brian Freeman
Run the Risk by Scott Frost
Hide Your Eyes by Alison Gaylin
 
2005
Winner
Country of Origin by Don Lee
 
Shortlist
Little Girl Lost by Richard Aleas
Relative Danger by Charles Benoit
Cloud Atlas by Liam Callanan
Tonight I Said Goodbye by Michael Koryta
Bahamarama by Bob Morris
 
2004
Winner
Death of a Nationalist by Rebecca Pawel
 
Shortlist
12 Bliss Street by Martha Conway
Offer of Proof by Robert Heilbrun
Night of the Dance by James Hime
The Bridge of Sights by Olen Steinhauer
 
2003
Winner
The Blue Edge of Midnight by Jonathon King
 
Shortlist
Southern Latitudes by Stephen J Clark
High Wire by Kam Majd
Buck Fever by Ben Rehder
Open and Shut by David Rosenfelt
 
2002
Winner
Line of Vision by David Ellis
 
Shortlist
Open Season by CJ Box
Red Hook by Gabriel Cohen
Gun Monkeys by Victor Gischler
The Jasmine Trade by Denise Hamilton
The 500 by Matthew Quirk
 
2001
Winner
A Conspiracy of Paper by David Liss
 
Shortlist
Raveling by Peter Moore Smith
The Ice Harvest by Scott Phillips
Crow in Stolen Colors by Marcia Simpson
Death of a Red Heroine by Qiu Xiaolong
 
2000
Winner
The Skull Mantra by Eliot Pattison
 
Shortlist
Certifiably Insane by Arthur W Bahr
Big Trouble by Dave Barry
God Is a Bullet by Boston Teran
Inner City Blues by Paula L Woods
1999
Winner
A Cold Day in Paradise by Steve Hamilton
 
Shortlist
Reckless Homicide by Ira Genberg
Numbered Account by Christopher Reich
Nice by Jen Sacks
A Criminal Appeal by DR Schanker
 
1998
Winner
Los Alamos by Joseph Kanon
 
Shortlist
A Crime in the Neighborhood by Suzanne Berne
Bird Dog by Philip Reed
Flower Net by Lisa See
23 Shades of Black by KJA Wishnia
 
1997
Winner
Simple Justice by John Morgan Wilson
 
Shortlist
Bonita Faye by Margaret Moseley
The Queen's Man by Sharon Kay Penman
A Test of Wills by Charles Todd
A Brother's Blood by Michael White
 
1996
Winner
Penance by David Housewright
 
Shortlist
Tight Shot by Kevin Allman
Murder in Scorpio by Martha C Lawrence
The Harry Chronicles by Allan Pedrazas
Fixed in His Folly by David J Walker
 
1995
Winner
The Caveman's Valentine by George Dawes Green
 
Shortlist
One for the Money by Janet Evanovich
Mallory's Oracle by Carol O'Connell
Suspicion of Innocence by Barbara Parker
Big Town by Doug J Swanson
 
1994
Winner
A Grave Talent by Laurie R King
 
Shortlist
The List of 7 by Mark Frost
Criminal Seduction by Darian North
The Ballad of Rocky Ruiz by Manuel Ramos
Zaddik by David Rosenbaum
 
1993
Winner
The Black Echo by Michael Connelly
 
Shortlist
Trail of Murder by Christine Andreae
Ladystinger by Craig Smith
Trick of the Eye by Jane Stanton Hitchcock
 
1992
Winner
Slow Motion Riot by Peter Blauner
 
Shortlist
Deadstick by Terence Faherty
Deadline by Marcy Heidish
Zero at the Bone by Mary Willis Walker
A Cool Breeze in the Underground by Don Winslow
 
1991
Winner
Postmortem by Patricia Cornwell
 
Shortlist
Come Nightfall by Gary Amo
Passion Play by W Edward Blain
Nobody Lives Forever by Edna Buchanan
Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley
 
1990
Winner
The Last Billable Hour by Susan Wolfe
 
Shortlist
Hide and Seek by Barry Berg
The Story of Annie D. by Susan Taylor Chehak
The Mother Shadow by Melodie Johnson Howe
Blood Under the Bridge by Bruce Zimmerman
1989
Winner
Carolina Skeletons by David Stout
 
Shortlist
Murder Once Done by Mary Lou Bennett
The Murder of Frau Schutz by J. Madison Davis
A Great Deliverance by Elizabeth George
Julian Solo by Shelley Reuben
 
1988
Winner
Death Among Strangers by Deidre S Laiken
 
Shortlist
Detective by Parnell Hall
Heat Lightning by John Lantigua
Lover Man by Dallas Murphy
The Spoiler by Domenic Stansberry
 
1987
Winner
No One Rides for Free by Larry Beinhart
 
Shortlist
Lost by Gary Devon
Riceburner by Richard Hyer
Floater by Joseph Koenig
Dead Air by Mike Lupica
 
1986
Winner
When the Bough Breaks by Jonathan Kellerman
 
Shortlist
The Glory Hole Murders by Tony Fennelly
Sleeping Dog by Dick Lochte
The Adventure of the Ectoplasmic Man by Daniel Stashower
 
1985
Winner
Strike Three, You're Dead by RD Rosen
 
Shortlist
A Creative Kind of Killer by Jack Early
Foul Shot by Doug Hornig
Sweet, Savage Death by Orania Papazoglou
Someone Else's Grave by Alison Smith
 
1984
Winner
The Bay Psalm Book Murder by Will Harriss
 
Shortlist
The Gold Solution by Herbert Resnicow
Red Diamond, Private Eye by Mark Schorr
Caroline Minuscule by Andrew Taylor
Dead Man's Thoughts by Carolyn Wheat
 
1983
Winner
The Butcher's Boy by Thomas Perry
 
Shortlist
By Frequent Anguish by SFX Dean
Unholy Communion by Richard Hughes
In the Heat of the Summer by John Katzenbach
Two If By Sea by Ernest Savage
 
1982
Winner
Chiefs by Stuart Woods
 
Shortlist
Giant Killer by Vernon Tom Hyman
Not A Through Street by Ernest Larsen
The Black Glove by Geoffrey Miller
Murder at the Red October by Anthony Olcott
 
1981
Winner
The Watcher by K Nolte Smith
 
Shortlist
Winds of the Old Days by Betsy Aswald
The Rembrandt Panel by Oliver Banks
Double Negative by David Carkeet
The Other Ann Fletcher by Susanne Jaffe
 
1980
Winner
The Lasko Tangent by Richard North Patterson
 
Shortlist
Night Trains by Peter Heath Fine
Follow the Leader by John Logue
1979
Winner
Killed in the Ratings by William L DeAndrea
 
Shortlist
The Scourge by Thomas L Dunne
Falling Angel by William Hjortsberg
Blood Secrets by Craig Jones
The Memory of Eva Ryker by Donald A Stanwood
 
1978
Winner
A French Finish by Robert Ross
 
Shortlist
Dewey Decimated by Charles A Goodrum
The Fan by Bob Randall
 
1977
Winner
The Thomas Berryman Number by James Patterson
 
Shortlist
Your Day in the Barrel by Alan Furst
Straight by Steve Knickmeyer
The Big Pay-Off by Janice Law
Final Proof by Marie R Reno
 
1976
Winner
The Alvarez Journal by Rex Burns
 
Shortlist
Waltz Across Texas by Max Crawford
Harmattan by Thomas Klop
Paperback Thriller by Lynn Meyer
The Devalino Caper by AJ Russell
 
1975
Winner
Fletch by Gregory Mcdonald
 
Shortlist
The Kreutzman Formula by Dominic Koski & Virgil Scott
Saturday Games by Brown Meggs
Target Practice by Nicholas Meyer
The Jones Man by Vern E Smith
 
1974
Winner
The Billion Dollar Sure Thing by Paul Erdman
 
Shortlist
Kicked to Death by a Camel by Richard Bulliet
Someone's Death by Charles Larson
Many Happy Returns by Justin Scott
Man on a String by Michael Wolfe
 
1973
Winner
Squaw Point by RH Shimer
 
Shortlist
A Person Shouldn't Die Like That by Arthur Goldstein
The Dead of Winter by William H Hallahan
Box 100 by Frank Leonard
The Heart of the Dog by Thomas A Roberts
 
1972
Winner
Finding Maubee by AHZ Carr
 
Shortlist
To Spite Her Face by Hildegarde Dolson
Ask the Right Question by Michael Lewin
The Stalker by Bill Pronzini
Gypsy in Amber by Martin Cruz Smith
 
1971
Winner
The Anderson Tapes by Lawrence Sanders
 
Shortlist
Incident at 125th Street by JE Brown
Taking Gary Feldman by Stanley Cohen
The Blessing Way by Tony Hillerman
The Naked Face by Sidney Sheldon
 
1970
Winner
A Time for Predators by Joe Gores
 
Shortlist
You'll Like My Mother by Naomi Hintze
Quicksand by Myrick Land
1969
Winners
Silver Street by E Richard Johnson
The Bait by Dorothy Uhnak
 
Shortlist
The Dinosaur by Lawrence Kamarck
 
1968
Winner
Act of Fear by Michael Collins
 
Shortlist
Hell Gate by James Dawson
Mortissimo by PEH Dunston
The Tigers Are Hungry by Charles Early
The Killing Season by John Redgate
 
1967
Winner
The Cold War Swap by Ross Thomas
 
Shortlist
Fancy's Knell by Babs Deal
A Kind of Treason by Robert S Elegant
The Pedestal by George Lanning
 
1966
Winner
In the Heat of the Night by John Ball
 
Shortlist
The Expendable Spy by Jack D Hunter
The French Doll by Vincent McConnor
Before the Ball Was Over by Alexandra Roudybush
 
1965
Winner
Friday the Rabbi Slept Late by Harry Kemelman
 
Shortlist
In the Last Analysis by Amanda Cross
The Gravemaker's House by Rubin Weber
 
1964
Winner
Florentine Finish by Cornelius Hirschberg
 
Shortlist
The Fifth Woman by Maria Fagyas
The Prowler by Frances Rickett
The Neon Haystack by James M Ullman
 
1963
Winner
The Fugitive by Robert L Fish
 
Shortlist
Counterweight by Daniel Broun
The Chase by Richard Unekis
 
1962
Winner
The Green Stone by Suzanne Blanc
 
Shortlist
Felony Tank by Malcolm Braly
Close His Eyes by Olivia Dwight
The Cipher by Alex Gordons
Night of the Kill by Breni James
Shock Treatment by Winfred Van Atta
 
1961
Winner
The Man in the Cage by John Holbrooke Vance
 
Shortlist
The Marriage Cage by William Johnston
The Killing at Big Tree by David McCarthy
Case Pending by Dell Shannon
The Mercenaries by Donald E Westlake
 
1960
Winner
The Grey Flannel Shroud by Henry Slesar
 
Shortlist
A Dream of Falling by Mary O Rank
1959
Winner
The Bright Road to Fear by Richard Martin Stern
 
Shortlist
The Man Who Disappeared by Edgar J Bohle
Death of a Spinster by Frances Duncombe
Now Will You Try for Murder? by Harry Olesker
 
1958
Winner
Knock and Wait a While by William Rawle Weeks
 
Shortlist
Bay of the Damned by Warren Carrier
Root of Evil by James Cross
 
1957
Winner
Rebecca's Pride by Donald McNutt Douglass
 
1956
Winner
The Perfectionist by Lane Kauffman
 
Shortlist
In His Blood by Harold R Daniels
Much Ado About Murder by Fred Levon
 
1955
Winner
Go, Lovely Rose by Jean Potts
 
1954
Winner
A Kiss Before Dying by Ira Levin
 
1953
Winner
Don't Cry for Me by William Campbell Gault
 
Shortlist
The Inward Eye by Peggy Bacon
 
1952
Winner
Strangle Hold by Mary McMullen
 
Shortlist
Carry My Coffin Slowly by Lee Herrington
The Christmas Card Murders by David William Meredith
Cure it with Honey by Thurston Scott
The Eleventh Hour by Robert B Sinclair
 
1951
Winner
Nightmare in Manhattan by Thomas Walsh
 
Shortlist
Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith
Happy Holiday! by Thaddeus O'Finn
The House Without a Door by Thomas Sterling
 
1950
Winner
What A Body by Alan Green
 
Shortlist
The End is Known by Geoffrey Holiday Hall
Walk the Dark Streets by William Krasner
The Shadow and the Blot by GG Lobell & ND Lobell
The Innocent by Evelyn Piper
The Dark Light by Bart Spicer
1949
Winner
The Room Upstairs by Mildred Davis
 
Shortlist
Wilders Walk Away by Herbert Brean
Shoot the Works by Richard Ellington
 
1948
Winner
The Fabulous Clipjoint by Fredric Brown
 
1947
Winner
The Horizontal Man by Helen Eustis
 
1946
Winner
Watchful at Night by Julius Fast