20 June 2009

Awards Shortlists - Similarities and Differences

This is a very exciting time of the year for crime fiction readers.
The British Crime Writers Association have already announced the CWA shortlists for International, Shortstory, Library, and Debut daggers, and will in a month or so announce those for the Gold, John Creasey, and Ian Fleming Steel daggers; the Harrogate Festival in the UK teams up with Theakston's Old Peculier to pick a Crime Novel of the Year; with Bouchercon coming at Indianaopolis in October, the Barry, Anthony, and Macavity shortlists have been announced; and just recently the winner of Canada's Arthur Ellis award was announced. I imagine that soon the shortlists for Australia's Ned Kelly awards will be revealed. Let's not forget either the Edgar Awards and the Agatha Awards both announced earlier this year.

Even if you are one that says you are not influenced by awards, and are often profoundly disappointed when you read the winner, it gives pause for thought when the same authors and titles crop up again and again doesn't it?
Keeping up with all the awards is fairly difficult, but if you want a list of most awarded books, not necessarily crime fiction, and slightly out of date, then Fantastic Fiction has one.

In the crime fiction genre, given that the various awards have slightly different criteria, then synchronising them is a bit of a battle, but I've tried.
I've listed the shortlisted nominees by title, then author, and then the award nominated for.
Where the award already decided, there is an * next to the award acronym.
I have trawled 17 different awards, and come up with a list of nearly 100 books, and I've linked to the few that I've read.
Even so I can't help feeling that there is something I've missed, and and "eagle eye" will spot it.

The key for the lists is
ABFN-Anthony Best First Novel;
ABN-Anthony Best Novel;
ABPO-Anthony Best Paperback Original;
AEBFN-Arthur Ellis Best First Novel;
AEBN-Arthur Ellis Best Novel;
AgBFN-Agatha Best First Novel;
AgBN-Agatha Best Novel;
BBB-Barry Best British;
BBN-Barry Best Novel;
BBPO-Barry Best Paperback Original;
BBT-Barry Best Thriller;
CWAID-CWA International Dagger;
EBFNAA-Edgar Best First Novel by an American Author;
EBN-Edgar Best Novel;
EBPO-Edgar Best Paperback Original;
MBFN-Macavity Best First Novel;
MBN-Macavity Best Novel
TOP-Theakston Old Peculier Best Novel

The nominations
A CARRION DEATH, Michael Stanley -BBF, MBFN
A CURE FOR ALL DISEASES, Reginald Hill -TOP
A CURE FOR NIGHT, Justin Peacock -EBFNAA
A ROYAL PAIN, Rhys Bowen -AgBN
A SIMPLE ACT OF VIOLENCE, R.J. Ellory -BBB
AN INNOCENT CLIENT, Scott Pratt -MBFN
ARCTIC CHILL, Arnaldur Indriðason -CWAID
BAD LUCK AND TROUBLE, Lee Child -TOP
BENEATH THE BLEEDING, Val McDermid -TOP
BLEEDING HEART SQUARE, Andrew Taylor -BBB
BLUE HEAVEN, C.J. Box -EBN*
BROKEN SKIN, Stuart MacBride -TOP
BRUNO, CHIEF OF POLICE, Martin Walker -BBB
BUCKINGHAM PALACE GARDENS, Anne Perry -AgBN
BUFFALO JUMP, Howard Shrier -AEBFN*
CALUMET CITY, Charlie Newton -MBFN, EBFNAA
CHILD 44, Tom Rob Smith -ABFN, BBF
CHINA LAKE , Meg Gardiner -EBPO*
CITY OF THE SUN, David Levien -BBF
COLLISION, Jeff Abbott -BBT
CURSE OF THE SPELLMANS, Lisa Lutz -MBN, EBN
DAWN PATROL, Don Winslow -BBN
DEAD MAN’S FOOTSTEPS, Peter James -TOP
DEATH MESSAGE, Mark Billingham -TOP
DEATH OF A COZY WRITER, G. M. Malliet -ABFN, MBFN, AgBFN*
ECHOES FROM THE DEAD, Johan Theorin -BBPO, CWAID
ENEMY COMBATANT, Ed Gaffney -EBPO
ENVY THE NIGHT, Michael Koryta -BBN
EXIT MUSIC, Ian Rankin -TOP
FINDER, Colin Harrison -BBT
FINDING NOUF, Zoe Ferraris -MBFN
FRIEND OF THE DEVIL, Peter Robinson -TOP
GARDEN OF EVIL, David Hewson -TOP
GONE TO GROUND, John Harvey -TOP
GOOD PEOPLE, Marcus Sakey -BBT
HEADLINE: MURDER, April Lindgren -AEBFN
I SHALL NOT WANT, Julia Spencer-Fleming -AgBN
ICED UNDER, Nadine Doolittle -AEBFN
IN A DARK SEASON, Vicki Lane -ABPO
MARGARITA NIGHTS, Phyllis Smallman -AEBFN
MISSING, Karin Alvtegen -EBN
MONEY SHOT, Christa Faust -ABPO, BBPO, EBPO
NIGHT OF THUNDER, Stephen Hunter -BBT
PAPER, SCISSORS, DEATH, Joanna Campbell Slan -AgBFN
PUSHING UP DAISIES, Rosemary Harris -ABFN, AgBFN
RED KNIFE, William Kent Krueger -ABN, BBN
RITUAL, Mo Hayder -BBB, TOP
SAVAGE MOON, Chris Sim -TOP
SEVERANCE PACKAGE, Duane Swierczynski -BBPO
SHADOW, Karin Alvtegen -CWAID
SHATTER, Michael Robotham -BBB
SINS OF THE ASSASSIN, Robert Ferrigno -EBN
SIX GEESE A-SLAYING, Donna Andrews -AgBN
SOUTH OF HELL, P. J. Parrish -ABPO
STALKING SUSAN, Julie Kramer -ABFN, BBF
STATE OF THE ONION, Julie Hyzy -ABPO, BBPO
SWEEPING UP GLASS, Carolyn D. Wall -BBF
SWEETSMOKE, David Fuller -EBFNAA
TALKING TO WENDIGO, John C. Goodman -AEBFN
THE ACCIDENT MAN, Tom Cain -TOP
THE BLACK PATH, Asa Larsson -BBPO
THE BLOOD DETECTIVE, Dan Waddell -MBFN
THE BRASS VERDICT, Michael Connelly -ABN
THE CHALK CIRCLE MAN, Fred Vargas -CWAID
THE COLD SPOT, Tom Piccirilli -EBPO
THE COLOUR OF BLOOD, Declan Hughes -TOP
THE CRUEL(L)EST MONTH, Louise Penny -ABN, BBN, MBN, AgBN*
THE DECEIVED, Brett Battles -BBT
THE DIVA RUNS OUT OF THYME, Krista Davis -AgBFN
THE DRAINING LAKE, Arnaldur Indridason -BBN, MBN
THE DYING BREED (UK) / THE PRICE OF BLOOD (US), Declan Hughes -MBN
THE FAULT TREE, Louise Ure -MBN
THE FIRST QUARRY, Max Allan Collins -ABPO, BBPO
THE FOREIGNER, Francie Lin -EBFNAA*
THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE, Stieg Larsson, -CWAID
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, Stieg Larsson -ABN, ABFN, BBB, MBFN
THE K HANDSHAPE, Maureen Jennings -AEBN
THE KIND ONE, Tom Epperson -BBF, EBFNAA
THE MURDER STONE, Louise Penny -AEBN
THE NIGHT FOLLOWING, Morag Joss -EBN
THE PRICE OF BLOOD, Declan Hughes -EBN
THE PRINCE OF BAGRAM PRISON, Alex Carr -EBPO
THE REDEEMER, Jo Nesbø -CWAID
THE SURVIVOR, Tom Cain -BBT
THE TSUNAMI FILE, Michael E. Rose -AEBN
THROUGH A GLASS, DEADLY, Sarah Atwell -AgBFN
TOO CLOSE TO HOME, Linwood Barclay -AEBN*
TRANSGRESSION, James W. Nichol -AEBN
TRIGGER CITY, Sean Chercover -ABN, BBN, MBN
WHERE MEMORIES LIE, Deborah Crombie -MBN

6 comments:

Unknown said...

I love lists like this! Do you see any link between the number of awards a book has received and how good it is?

Kerrie said...

I think there probably is. Last year Laura Lippman appeared on many lists and the book was good too.
I think being on a number of lists may indicate a breadth of reader appeal. Louise Penny's THE CRUEL(L)EST MONTH for example is excellent and is also on 4 best novel short lists.
It worries me a bit though that the awards to be decided/awarded at Bouchercon - Anthony, Barry, and Macavity- share so many titles. I suspect the audiences may at least overlap.

I meant to mention that the Theakston's Old Peculier lets us all go in and vote too.

Kenneth said...

Thanks very much for the master list of nominees. I'll check them all and add many to my wish list. I've read nine and many others were already included in my WL.

My PC crashed recently (after almost six years) and I just replaced it so I missed a poll or two and I am now catching up on your emails.....on a nice, quiet Father's Day in the States.

Ken

Kerrie said...

I love lists Kenneth, very useful for suggestions about what you might consider reading next aren't they? I was surprised it was so long though. I had expected more books to have multiple nominations, but I guess that is a reflection of the criteria of the awards. I though it was interesting that Theakston's nominations seem to me to be "old", while the CWA Dagger ones are quite recent in publication. The others are generally books that were published somewhere in 2008.

Bernadette said...

Excellent post Kerrie even though I am ever more non-plussed by awards in general, especially after reading this post and realising how many there are - surely their quantity reduces their value? It's like giving an award to every kid in the class - if everyone gets one it doesn't have much meaning anymore.

I've only read 10 of that list so I'm not speaking with any great authority but of those 10 several do indeed top my reading for the last couple of years but 2 are near the bottom of my personal list and one in particular I found to be the biggest load of drivel I read last year.

Maybe I'll start my own awards - seems anyone can do it these days :)

Kerrie said...

I Have really owned scratched the surface of awards Bernadette. There are lots more. I think they are a good indication of books to look for, especially when the same book turns up again and again. However it could also be an indication of the effectiveness of publisher marketing.

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