Book Notes — Best Mystery/Crime Books of the 20th Century

Won Three of Four Major Awards

This is the award season. One of the top crime writing awards was made earlier in New York; but with Bouchercon about to begin in Cleveland, and a bunch of awards scheduled to be announced there, it might be good to have a look at award winners from the past. 

Actually, I’m not sure how I feel about book awards.  I’d probably feel better about them if I had received a few.  However, I think we have to recognize that award giving is one way of letting readers know about excellence in the field.  In this presentation I’m listing awards by year.  I’ve tapped the awards from respected organizations in order to provide the broadest possible view of the best novels of each decade.  The compilation will come from the Mystery Writers of America (The Edgar and the Anthony), the Private Eye Writers of America (The Shamus), Mystery Readers International (The Macavity) and the quarterly magazine Deadly Pleasures (The Barry). 

It should be noted, though, that until the 1980s, the only recognized author awards for crime writers was the Mystery Writers of America’s Edgars. It should also be noted that eligibility for the Shamus Award, the second oldest established award for crime writing, is limited to books about private investigators.

Best Mystery/Crime Fiction Novels — The 1950s

1954   Charlotte Jay, Beat Not the Bones, Edgar

1955   Raymond Chandler, The Long Goodbye, Edgar

1956   Margaret Miller, Beast in View, Edgar

1957   Charlotte Armstrong, Dram of Poison, Edgar

1958   Ed Lacy, Room to Swing, Edgar

1959   Stanley Ellin, The Eighth Circle, Edgar

Best Mystery, Crime Fiction Novels — The 1960s

1960   Celia Fremlin, The Hours Before Dawn, Edgar

1961   Julian Symons, The Progress of a Crime, Edgar

1962   J. J. Marric, Gideon’s Fire, Edgar

1963   Ellis Peters, Death and the Joyful Woman, Edgar

1964   Eric Ambler, The Light of Day, Edgar

1965   John le Carre, The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, Edgar

1966   Adam Hall, The Quiller Memorandum, Edgar

1967   Nicholas Freeling, The King of the Rainy Country, Edgar

1968   Donald E. Westlake, God Save the Mark, Edgar

1969   Jeffrey Hudson, A Case of Need, Edgar

Best Mystery, Crime Fiction Novels — 1970s

1970   Dick Francis, Forfeit, Edgar

1971   Maj Sjöwall & Per Wahlöö, The Laughing Policeman, Edgar

1972   Frederick Forsyth, The Day of the Jackal, Edgar

1973   Warren Kiefer, The Lingala Code, Edgar

1974   Tony Hillerman, Dance Hall of the Dead, Edgar

1975   Jon Cleary, Peter’s Pence, Edgar

1976   Brian Garfield, Hopscotch, Edgar

1977   Robert B. Parker, Promised Land, Edgar

1978   William H. Hallahan, Catch Me: Kill Me, Edgar

1979   Ken Follett, Eye of the Needle, Edgar

Best Mystery, Crime Fiction Novels — 1980s

1980   Arthur Mailing, The Reheingold Route, Edgar

1981   Dick Francis, Whip Hand, Edgar

1982   William Bayer, Peregrine, Edgar

            Bill Pronzini, Hoodwink, Shamus

1983   Rick Boyer, Billingsgate Shoal, Edgar

            Lawrence Block, Eight Million Ways to Die, Shamus

1984   Elmore Leonard, La Brava, Edgar

            Max Allan Collins, True Detective, Shamus

1985   Ross Thomas, Briarpatch, Edgar

            Loren D. Estleman, Sugartown, Shamus

1986   L. R. Right, The Suspect, Edgar

            Sue Grafton, “B” Is for Burglar, Shamus

            Sue Grafton, “B” Is for Burglar, Anthony

1987   Barbara Vine, A Dark-Adapted Eye, Edgar

            Jeremiah Healy, The Staked Goat, Shamus

            Sue Grafton, “C” Is for Corpse, Anthony

            Faye Kellerman, The Ritual Bath &

                        Marilyn Wallace, A Case of Loyalties, Macavity (tie)

1988   Aaron Elkins, Old Bones, Edgar

            Benjamin Sutz, A Tax in Blood,Shamus

            Tony Hillerman, Skinwalkers, Anthony

            Robert Crais, The Monkey’s Raincoat, Macavity

1989   Stuart M. Kaminsky, A Cold Red Sunrise, Edgar

            John Lutz, Kiss, Shamus

            Thomas Harris, The Silence of the Lambs, Anthony

            Tony Hillerman, A Thief of Time, Macavity

Best Mystery, Crime Fiction Novels — 1990s

1990   James Lee Burke, Black Cherry Blues, Edgar

            Jonathan Valin, Extenuating Circumstances, Shamus

            Sarah Cauldwell, The Siren Songs of Murder, Anthony

            Carolyn Hart, A Little Class on Murder, Macavity

1991   Julie Smith, New Orleans Mourning, Edgar

            Sue Grafton, “G” Is for Gumshoe, Shamus

            Sue Grafton, “G” Is for Gumshoe, Anthony

            Sharyn McCrumb, If Ever I Return, Peggy-O, Macavity

1992   Lawrence Block, A Dance at the Slaughterhouse, Edgar

            Max Allan Collins, Stolen Away, Shamus

            Peter Lovesey, The Last Detective, Anthony

            Nancy Picard, I.O.U., Macavity

1993   Margaret Maron, Bootlegger’s Daughter, Edgar

            Harold Adams, The Man Who Was Taller Than God, Shamus

            Margaret Maron, Bootlegger’s Daughter, Anthony

            Margaret Maron, Bootlegger’s Daughter, Macavity

1994   Minette Walters, The Sculptress, Edgar

            Lawrence Block, The Devil Knows Your Dead, Shamus

            Marcia Muller, Wolf in the Shadows,  Anthony

            Minette Walters, The Sculptress, Macavity

1995   Mary Willis Walker, The Red Scream, Edgar

            Sue Grafton, “K” Is for Killer, Shamus

            Sharyn McCrumb, She Walks These Hills, Anthony

            Sharyn McCrumb, She Walks These Hills, Macavity

1996   Dick Francis, Come to Grief, Edgar

S. J. Rozan, Concourse, Shamus

Mary Willis Walker, Under the Beetle’s Cellar, Anthony

Mary Willis Walker, Under the Beetle’s Cellar, Macavity

1997   Thomas H. Cook, The Catham School Affair, Edgar

Robert Crais, Sunset Express, Shamus

Michael Connelly, The Poet, Anthony

Peter Lovesey, Bloodhounds, Macavity

Peter Lovesey, Bloodhounds, Barry

1998   James Lee Burke, Cimarron Rose, Edgar

            Terence Faherty, Come Back Dead, Shamus

            S. J. Rozan, No Colder Place, Anthony

            Deborah Crombie, Dreaming of the Bones, Macavity

            Michael Connelly, Trunk Music, Barry

1999   Robert Clark, Mr. White’s Confession, Edgar

            Bill Pronzini, Boobytrap, Shamus

            Michael Connelly, Blood Work, Anthony

            Michael Connelly, Blood Work, Macavity

            Reginald Hill, On Beulah Height and

Dennis Lehane, Gone Baby Gone, Barry (tie)

We’ll pick up the best mysteries of the year 2000 next Monday.