This is part of my ongoing series on using Awards Lists as a RA tool. Click here for all posts in the series in reverse chronological order. Click here for the first post which outlines the details how to use awards lists as a RA tool.
I forgot to post the nominees for the 2025 Anthony Awards when they were released, but over the weekend the winners were announced so for me I guess it is better late than never.
The Anthony Awards are given at each annual Bouchercon World Mystery Convention with the winners selected by attendees. The award is named for the late Anthony Boucher (William Anthony Parker White), well-known writer and critic from the San Francisco Chronicle and New York Times, who helped found the Mystery Writers of America.
Now, this info leads to a few other questions. What is Bouchercon for one? The answer to that common question is found on their FAQ page:
The Bouchercon [bough’•chur•con] World Mystery Convention is a nonprofit organization which holds an annual convention in honor of Anthony Boucher, the distinguished mystery fiction critic, editor, and author.
Every year, readers, writers, publishers, editors, agents, booksellers, and other lovers of crime fiction gather for a four-day weekend of education, entertainment, and fun.
How this award works is, after the nominees are listed in the spring, votes are gathered as that year's convention is going on. The Anthony Awards committee (who are separate from that year's convention planners) will take votes in each category, tally them, and announce the winners during the event. As someone who both is part of panning and executing an entire genre conference each year AND as someone who has been on many juries for award, it all makes me tired thinking about it, but it also makes for a 100% fan selected award.
And this fan component is extremely important for those of us who help readers find their next good read. Because this award is reader driven, I often have had better luck suggesting these titles to readers at the library than with other crime focused awards. And this is exactly why I am explaining how this award is chosen and not just posting the list. How an award is picked matters in terms of who we could best suggest those titles to.
Please make sure you own all of the nominees and pass this on to your Youth Services staff as well. Keep an eye on who is called out for their short stories and who is appearing in the table of contents for the anthologies. This a great way to be aware of up and coming crime fiction authors. And use this announcement as your chance to get out a general crime fiction display.
Back to the award itself though...
You can also visit the Anthony Award's permanent page on the Bouchercon site or, my favorite place to see all the current and past nominees at Stop You're Killing Me here. Please use that link to access the backlist of winners and nominees, especially from the past 5 years, to make a great sure bet, crime fiction display.
Here is the full list on Nominees from Stop You're Killing Me with stars in front of the winners as they were announced 9/7/25. Please note, I kept the Stop You're Killing me links to reviews where they had them to make it easier for you to get these books into readers hands.
2025
| Best Mystery Novel | |
| * | The God of the Woods by Liz Moore |
| ° | Missing White Woman by Kellye Garrett |
| ° | The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny |
| ° | Alter Ego by Alex Segura |
| ° | California Bear by Duane Swierczynski |
| Best First Mystery | |
| * | You Know What You Did by K.T. Nguyen |
| ° | The Mechanics of Memory by Audrey Lee |
| ° | Ghosts of Waikīkī by Jennifer K. Morita |
| ° | Good-Looking Ugly by Rob D. Smith |
| ° | Holy City by Henry Wise |
| Best Paperback/E-book/Audiobook | |
| * | Echo by Tracy Clark |
| ° | The Last Few Miles of Road by Eric Beetner |
| ° | Served Cold by James L’Etoile |
| ° | Late Checkout by Alan Orloff |
| ° | The Big Lie by Gabriel Valjan |
| Best Historical Mystery | |
| * | The Murder of Mr. Ma by John Shen Yen Nee and S.J. Rozan |
| ° | The Lantern’s Dance by Laurie R. King |
| ° | The Witching Hour by Catriona McPherson |
| ° | The Bootlegger’s Daughter by Nadine Nettmann |
| ° | The Courtesan’s Pirate by Nina Wachsman |
| Best Paranormal Mystery | |
| * | A New Lease on Death by Olivia Blacke |
| ° | Five Furry Familiars by Lynn Cahoon |
| ° | Exposure by Ramona Emerson |
| ° | Lights, Camera, Bone by Carolyn Haines |
| ° | Death in Ghostly Hue by Susan Van Kirk |
| Best Cozy/Humorous Mystery | |
| * | Cirque du Slay by Rob Osler |
| ° | A Cup of Flour, a Pinch of Death by Valerie Burns |
| ° | A Very Woodsy Murder by Ellen Byron |
| ° | ll-Fated Fortune by Jennifer J. Chow |
| ° | Scotzilla by Catriona McPherson |
| ° | Dominoes, Danzón, and Death by Raquel V. Reyes |
| Best Juvenile/Young Adult | |
| * | When Mimi Went Missing by Suja Sukumar |
| ° | The Big Grey Man of Ben Macdhui by K.B. Jackson |
| ° | Sasquatch of Harriman Lake by K.B. Jackson |
| ° | First Week Free at the Roomy Toilet by Josh Proctor |
| ° | The Sherlock Society by James Ponti |
| Best Critical or Nonfiction Work | |
| * | The Serial Killer’s Apprentice by Katherine Ramsland and Tracy Ullman |
| ° | Writing the Cozy Mystery: Authors’ Perspectives on Their Craft edited by Phyllis M. Betz |
| ° | Some of My Best Friends Are Murderers: Critiquing the Columbo Killers by Chris Chan |
| ° | On Edge: Gender and Genre in the Work of Shirley Jackson, Patricia Highsmith, and Leigh Brackett by Ashley Lawson |
| ° | Abingdon’s Boardinghouse Murder by Greg Lilly |
| Best Anthology or Collection | |
| * | Tales of Music, Murder, and Mayhem: Bouchercon Anthology 2024 edited by Heather Graham |
| ° | Murder, Neat: A Sleuthslayer’s Anthology edited by Michael Bracken and Barb Goffman |
| ° | Scattered, Smothered, Covered & Chunked: Crime Fiction Inspired by Waffle House edited by Michael Bracken and Stacy Woodson |
| ° | Eight Very Bad Nights: A Collection of Hanukkah Noir edited by Tod Goldberg |
| ° | Friend of the Devil: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of the Grateful Dead edited by Josh Pachter |
| Best Short Story | |
| * | “Something to Hold Onto” by Curtis Ippolito Dark Yonder, Issue 6 |
| ° | “A Matter of Trust” by Barb Goffman Three Strikes—You’re Dead |
| ° | “Twenty Centuries” by James D.F. Hannah Eight Very Bad Nights: A Collection of Hanukkah Noir |
| ° | “Satan’s Spit” by Gabriel Valjan Tales of Music, Murder, and Mayhem: Bouchercon Anthology 2024 |
| ° | “Reynisfjara” by Kristopher Zgorski Mystery Most International |
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