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.
International Thriller Writers released the nominees for their awards this week. Before we get their a reminder about ITW because they are unique among writers organizations. From their "About" page (which is extensive so click through and read more):
ITW represents professional thriller authors from around the world.
The International Thriller Writers is an honorary society of authors, both fiction and nonfiction, who write books broadly classified as “thrillers.” This would include (but isn’t limited to) such subjects as murder mystery, detective, suspense, horror, supernatural, action, espionage, true crime, war, adventure, and myriad similar subject areas.
What I love about ITW is that the are a group of writers focused around the appeal of their books rather than rigid genre lines. Another way to describe them is that they are focused around their readers. Readers jump between these "thrilling" genres without ever thinking about if it is a mystery, horror, suspense, psychological suspense, thriller, or whatever the publisher defines it as.
So for that reason, you need to pay attention to who is getting nominated for their awards. All of them are titles that will appeal to a general library collection. In fact, I would bet you own most if not all already, but do you ever put these titles all on display together. Probably not.
Take advantage of this award list announcement to first, check your catalogs, and second, put up a "Thrilling Reads" display. Get all of the current nominated titles that are not currently checked out, up on display. And of course dig into the backlist of nominees, available on this page, to fill out that display, and keep it stocked, because these titles will fly off the shelf.
"Thrilling Reads" as a title for a book display both online and in the library will bring in a wide net of readers. You can start with these titles, but I would expand your reach by asking staff and patrons to share their favorite "thrilling reads." This is exactly the type of natural language conversation starter I advocate for in my training programs and here on the blog. Click here for more on how and why to do this. And here for every post tagged "Conversation Starters."
Before I post the nominees, please note, there are categories for YA and Audio here. The audio nomination also includes a list of the narrators, and as all of us who work with readers know, in these thriller genres, who is narrating matters. Some of the very best narrators work in these genres.
Below (and at this link) is the full list of nominees for this year. And here is the page to access all past nominees and winners.
Get up a "Thrilling Reads" display ASAP. Your patrons will appreciate you thinking less like a librarian who is caught up on "rules" and categories and think more like the readers you are trying to help.
(Yes that was one of my not so subtle digs at how we hurt ourselves too often. Click here for my general thoughts on that or here for my rant about how no one reads series titles in alphabetical order, and yet, we insist on shelving them that way because, well we say it is rules, but in reality, no one is enforcing said rule so get over yourself. And this specific example seems very important when we talk about thriller genres which are often in series.)
BEST STANDALONE NOVEL
Megan Collins — CROSS MY HEART (Atria)
Ruth Knafo Setton — ZIGZAG GIRL (Black Spring Press)
Gilly Macmillan — THE BURNING LIBRARY (William Morrow)
Sarah Pekkanen — THE LOCKED WARD (St. Martin’s Press)
Olivia Worley — SO HAPPY TOGETHER (Minotaur)
BEST SERIES NOVEL
James Byrne — CHAIN REACTION (Minotaur)
Robert Crais — THE BIG EMPTY (Penguin/Putnam)
John McMahon — HEAD CASES: A NOVEL (Minotaur)
Christopher Reich — THE TOURISTS (Thomas & Mercer)
Vincent Zandri — TERMINAL MOONLIGHT (Down & Out Books)
BEST FIRST NOVEL
Chris Chibnall — DEATH AT THE WHITE HART (Pamela Dorman Books)
Kelsey Cox — PARTY OF LIARS (Minotaur)
Sophie Stava — COUNT MY LIES (Gallery/Scout Press)
Zoe B. Wallbrook — HISTORY LESSONS (Soho Crime)
Liann Zhang — JULIE CHAN IS DEAD (Atria)
BEST AUDIOBOOK
S. A. Cosby — KING OF ASHES (Macmillan)
Narrated by Adam Lazarre-White
Mark Edwards — THE WASP TRAP (Simon & Schuster)
Narrated by John Hopkins, Anna Burnett
Marisa Kashino — BEST OFFER WINS (Macmillan)
Narrated by Cia Court
Xan Kaur — WHEN DEVILS SING (Macmillan)
Narrated by Michael Crouch, Anjali Kunapaneni, Jennifer Pickens, Landon Woodson
CN Mabry, N’Dia Rae — THE CHEATER’S WIFE (Simon Maverick)
Narrated by Ruffin Prentiss, Machelle Williams
Michael Robotham — THE WHITE CROW (Simon & Schuster)
Narrated by Katy Sobey
BEST YOUNG ADULT NOVEL
Liz Lawson — MURDER BETWEEN FRIENDS (Delacorte Press)
Margot McGovern — THIS STAYS BETWEEN US (Penguin Young Readers)
Clay McLeod Chapman — SHINY HAPPY PEOPLE (Delacorte Press)
Diana Rodriguez Wallach — THE SILENCED (Delacorte Press)
Julie Soto — THE THRASHERS (Wednesday Books)
BEST SHORT STORY
Katrina Carrasco — LEVEL UP (Bywater Books)
Scott William Carter — THE SEDUCTION OF DR. DIMENSION (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)
Lee Child — ELEVEN NUMBERS (Amazon Original Stories)
David Lagercrantz — FALSE NOTE (Amazon Original Stories)
Jessica Van Dessel — THE VIOLENT SEASON (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine)
ITW will announce the winners at ThrillerFest XXI on Saturday, May 9, 2026 at the New York Hilton Midtown, New York City.
