Skip to main content

More Awards....Shamus

The Hungry Detective has lost count of the number of awards slated to be given away at this year's B'Con. THD realizes that there are no more than usually, but it just seems like more than normal. The Shamus Awards were announced Sunday and have been posted to the usual sites. Not surprising with 'Shamus' as your award name all of the works nominated here feature the private detective as the champion of criminal justice.

The usual comments follow the nominees.

Best Novel
Head Games - Thomas Cavanagh
Soul Patch - Reed Farrel Coleman
The Color of Blood - Declan Hughes
A Welcome Grave - Michael Koryta
A Killer's Kiss - William Lashner

I know the work of three of this categories nominees; Coleman, Hughes, and Koryta. THD is happiest for Michael Koryta, so we are throwing our support behind A Welcome Grave.

Best First Novel
The Cleaner - Bret Battles
Keep It Real - Bill Bryan
Big City, Bad Blood - Sean Chercover
When One Man Dies - Dave White
The Last Striptease - Michael Wiley

THD has only read the Chercover and the White. And If I had to pick a preference it would have to be Big City, Bad Blood.

Best Paperback Original
Songs of Innocence - Richard Aleas
Exit Strategy - Kelley Armstrong
Stone Rain - Linwood Barclay
Deadly Beloved - Max Allan Collins
Blood of Paradise - David Corbett

Blood of Paradise has been nominated for everything in the last year, but we are aware the Collins and Aleas our loved for a variety of reasons. It is a toss up between these three.

Best Short Story
Kill the Cat (Detroit Noir) - Loren Estleman
Trust Me ( Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine) - Loren Estleman
Open Mike (New Orleans Noir) - James Nolan
Hungry Enough ( A Hell of a Woman) - Cornelia Read
Room for Improvement (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine) - Marilyn Todd

We won't presume to make a pick here as we have read none of the nominated and probably won't before the time of the Ceremony in October. It would be great if B'Con could get the rights to republish these shorts and put them in the 'goodie' bag for the conference. The Hungry Detective could probably knock them out before the vote. Maybe they already do that?

I'll post winners when appropriate.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Very Best of Mr. Dennis Lehane

I thought this post would appear in October. Ya, know when SHUTTER ISLAND: THE MOVIE was supposed to be released. And then it wasn't. Something about Leo not being able to do 'press' for the movie. Doesn't really matter the reason, a February release date has one of those fancy Hollywood meanings: Not Good. Look I'll be honest, I didn't connect with SHUTTER ISLAND. I loved the fifties setting, the haunted house atmosphere, and impending doom of the Hurricane. Even the set-up of the story was intriguing but how it played out just didn't work for me. Some interesting characters, a bunch of great set pieces, but the ending announces itself with an expected, thud that went nowhere. Am I still going to the movie? Its Lehane, Scorsese, Leo, and Ruffalo of course I am. Anyway the list. 8. Prayers for Rain - 1999 The last Kenzie-Gennaro book follows our heroes as they investigate a guy who is terrorizing women into committing suicide. The book played like an episo...
4 comments
Read more

Small Mercies - The Return of Dennis Lehane

 A time honored tradition at The Hungry Detective HQ is to perform the twice annual, and largely ceremonial, 'Dennis Lehane New book 20XX" Google search. Nothing comes up on his long abandoned Website, except notification of the script work for his television and film projects.  Grousing aside, 2022 was a big year for Mr. Lehane. BLACK BIRD, a show he created, played on Apple+ to solid acclaim. The show's star, Paul Walter Hauser, won a Golden Globe. But despite that I have yet to watch it. Not for any other reason than I am a movie person more than a TV person. The TV I do watch is watched in an arcane order that is difficult to decipher and even more baffling to explain. Short story, I need to watch ANDOR [Editor's Note: Slow going on ANDOR despite everyone telling me it is amazing.] And then BLACK BIRD, or maybe SLOW HORSES. I'll get there...  Anyway at the dead end of 2022, I did the search. Found out he wrote a book. SMALL MERCIES . I was excited to hear it. I...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Fogotten Post: A Remembrance

[Editor's Note: Started this missive, never came back to it. Still relevant, I suppose.] I am reading MURDER IN OLD BOMBAY by Nev Marsh. This was... technically still is... on my to buy pile. In the before time... the overwhelming to be read pile time... I would have bought this and thrown it on the shelf to read in the near or more likely distant future. I hope I like it enough to buy the second in the series. Buying a book is fun, buying a book that is good is better. [Editor's Note: Abandoned this book, unfinished.] BLACKTOP WASTELAND - S.A. COSBY So glad I didn't buy this last summer. Good decision to put off buying and reading what would have certainly been one of the best books of the year. New goal for the remaining 2021 calendar. Don't be dumb. Buy Mr. Cosby's follow up and read day one! [Editor's Note: I did buy a signed copy of RAZORBLADE  TEARS, meanwhile B.W. won every award, except the Edgar where it wasn't even nominated!? Also Signed firsts of...
Post a Comment
Read more