THE EDGAR AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL
2021 was the 75th anniversary of the Edgar Awards, the prestigious award for mystery writing from the Mystery Writers of America. I'm working my way through the list of winners of the Edgar Award for Best Novel.
The Edgar Award is named in honor of Edgar Allen Poe, 19th Century American author of spooky stories. Watchful at Night by Julius Fast won the first Edgar Award, then in the category of "Best First Novel by an American Author." The "Best Novel" category has been around since 1954.
I am not going to keep updating the winners after 2022. My enthusiasm for prize-winners is waning with the 2020s. I plan to focus my efforts on reading the winners up to 2020 then declare victory and move on to other bookish projects.
So far, I've read 33 of the Best Novel winners, roughly half. Those I've read or are on my TBR shelf are noted in the list below.
So far, I've read 33 of the Best Novel winners, roughly half. Those I've read or are on my TBR shelf are noted in the list below.
2022 Five Decembers by James Kestrel
2021 Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara ON OVERDRIVE
2020 The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths ON OVERDRIVE
2019 Down the River Unto the Sea by Walter Mosley ON OVERDRIVE
2018 Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke FINISHED
2017 Before the Fall by Noah Hawley FINISHED
2016 Let Me Die in His Footsteps by Lori Roy FINISHED
2015 Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King FINISHED
2014 Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger ON OVERDRIVE
2013 Live by Night by Dennis Lehane FINISHED
2012 Gone by Mo Hayder ON OVERDRIVE
2011 The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton
2010 The Last Child by John Hart ON OVERDRIVE
2009 Blue Heaven by C. J. Box FINISHED
2008 Down River by John Hart FINISHED
2007 The Janissary Tree by Jason Goodwin FINISHED
2006 Citizen Vince by Jess Walter (reviewed here) FINISHED
2005 California Girl by T. Jefferson Parker FINISHED
2004 Resurrection Men by Ian Rankin FINISHED
2003 Winter and Night by S.J. Rozan FINISHED
2002 Silent Joe by T. Jefferson Parker FINISHED
2001 The Bottoms by Joe R. Lansdale
2000 Bones by Jan Burke
1999 Mr. White's Confession by Robert Clark FINISHED
1998 Cimarron Rose by James Lee Burke TBR SHELF
1997 The Chatham School Affair by Thomas H. Cook (reviewed here) FINISHED
1996 Come to Grief by Dick Francis FINISHED
1995 The Red Scream by Mary Willis Walker TBR SHELF
1994 The Sculptress by Minette Walters
1993 Bootlegger's Daughter by Margaret Maron FINISHED
1992 A Dance at the Slaughterhouse by Lawrence Block FINISHED
1991 New Orleans Mourning by Julie Smith FINISHED
1990 Black Cherry Blues by James Lee Burke FINISHED
1989 A Cold Red Sunrise by Stuart M. Kaminsky
1988 Old Bones by Aaron Elkins TBR SHELF
1987 A Dark-Adapted Eye by Barbara Vine TBR SHELF
1986 The Suspect by L.R. Wright
1985 Briar Patch by Ross Thomas
1984 La Brava by Elmore Leonard FINISHED
1983 Billingsgate Shoal by Rick Boyer FINISHED
1982 Peregrine by William Bayer TBR SHELF
1981 Whip Hand by Dick Francis FINISHED
1980 The Rheingold Route by Arthur Maling
1979 The Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett FINISHED
1978 Catch Me: Kill Me by William H. Hallahan TBR SHELF
1977 Promised Land by Robert B. Parker FINISHED
1976 Hopscotch by Brian Garfield
1975 Peter's Pence by Jon Cleary
1974 Dance Hall of the Dead by Tony Hillerman FINISHED
1973 The Lingala Code by Warren Kiefer
1972 The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth TBR SHELF
1971 The Laughing Policeman by Maj Sjowall, Per Wahloo FINISHED
1970 Forfeit by Dick Francis FINISHED
1969 A Case of Need by Micheal Crichton (as Jeffery Hudson) FINISHED
1968 God Save the Mark by Donald E. Westlake FINISHED
1967 The King of the Rainy Country by Nicolas Freeling TBR SHELF
1966 The Quiller Memorandum by Adam Hall FINISHED
1965 The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carre FINISHED
1964 The Light of Day by Eric Ambler TBR SHELF
1963 Death and the Joyful Woman by Ellis Peters FINISHED
1962 Gideon's Fire by J.J. Marric
1961 The Progress of a Crime by Julian Symons
1960 The Hours Before Dawn by Celia Fremlin TBR SHELF
1959 The Eighth Circle by Stanley Ellin
1958 Room to Swing by Ed Lacy
1957 A Dram of Poison by Charlotte Armstrong TBR SHELF
1956 Beast in View by Margaret Millar FINISHED
1955 The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler FINISHED
1954 Beat Not the Bones by Charlotte Jay TBR SHELF
NOTE
Updated March 20, 2024. This is an updated and refreshed version of the list I first posted in 2009.
OTHERS READING THESE BOOKS
If you are also reading Edgar winners, please leave comments with related posts like your lists and reviews and I will list them here.
2018 Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke FINISHED
2017 Before the Fall by Noah Hawley FINISHED
2016 Let Me Die in His Footsteps by Lori Roy FINISHED
2015 Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King FINISHED
2014 Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger ON OVERDRIVE
2013 Live by Night by Dennis Lehane FINISHED
2012 Gone by Mo Hayder ON OVERDRIVE
2011 The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton
2010 The Last Child by John Hart ON OVERDRIVE
2009 Blue Heaven by C. J. Box FINISHED
2008 Down River by John Hart FINISHED
2007 The Janissary Tree by Jason Goodwin FINISHED
2006 Citizen Vince by Jess Walter (reviewed here) FINISHED
2005 California Girl by T. Jefferson Parker FINISHED
2004 Resurrection Men by Ian Rankin FINISHED
2003 Winter and Night by S.J. Rozan FINISHED
2002 Silent Joe by T. Jefferson Parker FINISHED
2001 The Bottoms by Joe R. Lansdale
2000 Bones by Jan Burke
1999 Mr. White's Confession by Robert Clark FINISHED
1998 Cimarron Rose by James Lee Burke TBR SHELF
1997 The Chatham School Affair by Thomas H. Cook (reviewed here) FINISHED
1996 Come to Grief by Dick Francis FINISHED
1995 The Red Scream by Mary Willis Walker TBR SHELF
1994 The Sculptress by Minette Walters
1993 Bootlegger's Daughter by Margaret Maron FINISHED
1992 A Dance at the Slaughterhouse by Lawrence Block FINISHED
1991 New Orleans Mourning by Julie Smith FINISHED
1990 Black Cherry Blues by James Lee Burke FINISHED
1989 A Cold Red Sunrise by Stuart M. Kaminsky
1988 Old Bones by Aaron Elkins TBR SHELF
1987 A Dark-Adapted Eye by Barbara Vine TBR SHELF
1986 The Suspect by L.R. Wright
1985 Briar Patch by Ross Thomas
1984 La Brava by Elmore Leonard FINISHED
1983 Billingsgate Shoal by Rick Boyer FINISHED
1982 Peregrine by William Bayer TBR SHELF
1981 Whip Hand by Dick Francis FINISHED
1980 The Rheingold Route by Arthur Maling
1979 The Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett FINISHED
1978 Catch Me: Kill Me by William H. Hallahan TBR SHELF
1977 Promised Land by Robert B. Parker FINISHED
1976 Hopscotch by Brian Garfield
1975 Peter's Pence by Jon Cleary
1974 Dance Hall of the Dead by Tony Hillerman FINISHED
1973 The Lingala Code by Warren Kiefer
1972 The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth TBR SHELF
1971 The Laughing Policeman by Maj Sjowall, Per Wahloo FINISHED
1970 Forfeit by Dick Francis FINISHED
1969 A Case of Need by Micheal Crichton (as Jeffery Hudson) FINISHED
1968 God Save the Mark by Donald E. Westlake FINISHED
1967 The King of the Rainy Country by Nicolas Freeling TBR SHELF
1966 The Quiller Memorandum by Adam Hall FINISHED
1965 The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carre FINISHED
1964 The Light of Day by Eric Ambler TBR SHELF
1963 Death and the Joyful Woman by Ellis Peters FINISHED
1962 Gideon's Fire by J.J. Marric
1961 The Progress of a Crime by Julian Symons
1960 The Hours Before Dawn by Celia Fremlin TBR SHELF
1959 The Eighth Circle by Stanley Ellin
1958 Room to Swing by Ed Lacy
1957 A Dram of Poison by Charlotte Armstrong TBR SHELF
1956 Beast in View by Margaret Millar FINISHED
1955 The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler FINISHED
1954 Beat Not the Bones by Charlotte Jay TBR SHELF
NOTE
Updated March 20, 2024. This is an updated and refreshed version of the list I first posted in 2009.
OTHERS READING THESE BOOKS
If you are also reading Edgar winners, please leave comments with related posts like your lists and reviews and I will list them here.