Left Coast Crime Nominees Announced

Left Coast Crime 2020, “Murder’s a Beach,” will be presenting four Lefty Awards at the 30th annual LCC convention.

The awards will be voted on at the convention and presented at a banquet on Saturday, March 14, at the Marriott Mission Valley in San Diego. 

Lefty for Best Humorous Mystery Novel. 

The nominees are:

Ellen Byron, Fatal Cajun Festival (Crooked Lane Books)

Leslie Karst, Murder from Scratch (Crooked Lane Books)

Cynthia Kuhn, The Subject of Malice (Henery Press)

Catriona McPherson, Scot & Soda (Midnight Ink)

Wendall Thomas, Drowned Under (Poisoned Pen Press)

Lefty for Best Historical Mystery Novel for books set before 1970. 

The nominees are:

Susanna Calkins, Murder Knocks Twice (Minotaur Books)

L.A. Chandlar, The Pearl Dagger (Kensington Books)

Dianne Freeman, A Lady’s Guide to Gossip and Murder (Kensington Books)

Jennifer Kincheloe, The Body in Griffith Park (Seventh Street Books)

Sujata Massey, The Satapur Moonstone (Soho Crime)

Lefty for Best Debut Mystery Novel. 

The nominees are:

Tori Eldridge, The Ninja Daughter (Agora Books)

Angie Kim, Miracle Creek (Sarah Crichton Books)

Tara Laskowski, One Night Gone (Graydon House)

John Vercher, Three-Fifths (Agora Books)

Carl Vonderau, Murderabilia (Midnight Ink)

Lefty for Best Mystery Novel (not in other categories). 

The nominees are:

Steph Cha, Your House Will Pay (Ecco)

Tracy Clark, Borrowed Time (Kensington Books)

Matt Coyle, Lost Tomorrows (Oceanview Publishing)

Rachel Howzell Hall, They All Fall Down (Forge Books)

Attica Locke, Heaven, My Home (Mulholland Books)

This year’s Guests of Honor are authors Rachel Howzell Hall and T. Jefferson Parker. 

Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore is the Fan Guest of Honor, and author Matt Coyle will serve as Toastmaster.

For more information on Left Coast Crime 2020, please visit www.leftcoastcrime.org/2020/

Left Coast Crime Award Nominations Announced

2014 Left Coast Crime Award Nominations Announced
January 27, 2014 — Monterey, CA — Left Coast Crime 2014, “Calamari Crime,” will be giving four awards at the 24th annual LCC convention, to be held in Monterey. The awards will be voted on at the convention and presented at a banquet on Saturday, March 22, at the Portola Hotel & Spa. The award nominees have been selected by convention registrants. The nomination period has just concluded, and LCC is delighted to announce the nominees for books published in 2013:

The Lefty: Best humorous mystery novel
  • Donna Andrews, The Hen of the Baskervilles (Minotaur Books)
  • Timothy Hallinan, The Fame Thief (Soho Crime)
  • Lisa Lutz, The Last Word (Simon & Schuster)
  • Brad Parks, The Good Cop (Minotaur Books)
  • Cindy Sample, Dying for a Daiquiri (Cindy Sample Books)

The Bruce Alexander Memorial Historical Mystery Award: Best historical mystery novel covering events before 1960
  • Rhys Bowen, Heirs and Graces (Berkley Prime Crime)
  • Susan Elia MacNeal, His Majesty’s Hope (Bantam)
  • Catriona McPherson, Dandy Gilver and a Bothersome Number of Corpses (Minotaur Books)
  • David Morrell, Murder as a Fine Art (Mulholland Books)
  • Priscilla Royal, Covenant with Hell (Poisoned Pen Press)
  • Jacqueline Winspear, Leaving Everything Most Loved (HarperCollins)

The Squid: Best mystery set within the United States
  • Sue Grafton, W Is for Wasted (Putnam, Marian Wood Books)
  • Darrell James, Purgatory Key (Midnight Ink)
  • William Kent Krueger, Ordinary Grace (Atria Books)
  • Hank Phillippi Ryan, The Wrong Girl (Forge)
  • Terry Shames, A Killing at Cotton Hill (Seventh Street Books)

The Calamari: Best mystery set anywhere else in the world
  • Cara Black, Murder Below Montparnasse (Soho Crime)
  • Lisa Brackmann, Hour of the Rat (Soho Crime)
  • Catriona McPherson, As She Left It (Midnight Ink)
  • Louise Penny, How the Light Gets In (Minotaur Books)
  • Jeffrey Siger, Mykonos After Midnight (Poisoned Pen Press)

The Left Coast Crime Convention is an annual event sponsored by fans of mystery literature for fans of mystery literature, including both readers and authors. Usually held in the western half of North America, LCC’s intent is to provide an event where mystery fans can gather in convivial surroundings to pursue their mutual interests.

The 24th annual Left Coast Crime Convention will take place in Monterey, CA, March 20–23, 2014. This year’s Guests of Honor are authors Cara Black and Louise Penny. Sue Grafton is a Special Guest. Sue Trowbridge is the Fan Guests of Honor. Author Brad Parks will serve as Toastmaster. Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini will receive Left Coast Crime Lifetime Achievement Awards.

For more information on Left Coast Crime 2014, please visit www.leftcoastcrime.org/2014/

My congratulations to all the nominees!