Anthony Awards

Christchurch City Libraries lists literary prize winners and links to catalogue searches, but we may not hold copies of all titles mentioned.

The Anthony Awards were created in 1986 and are given at each annual Bouchercon World Mystery Convention Nominees and winners are selected by attendees. Awards are given for the best novel, first novel, paperback original, short story, and criticism/biography. Listed below are best novel winners and nominees.

The award is named for the late Anthony Boucher (William Anthony Parker White), well-known writer, critic, and fan of the mystery genre. Each convention committee designs its own award to present to the winners.

See more literary prize winners, including Genre prize winners.

2024

• All the sinners bleed S. A. Cosby
• Everybody knows Jordan Harper
• Time's undoing Cheryl A. Head
• Face of greed James L'Etoile
• The last devil to die Richard Osman

2023

• Like a Sister by Kellye Garrett Winner
• The Devil Takes You Home by Gabino Iglesias 
• The Bullet that Missed by Richard Osman 
• A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny 
• The Maid by Nita Prose 
• Secret Identity by Alex Segura 

2022 

• Razorblade Tears S. A. Cosby Winner Winner
• Runner Tracy Clark 
• The Collective Alison Gaylin
• Clark and Division Naomi Hirahara
• These Toxic Things Rachel Howzell Hall

2021

• Blacktop Wasteland S.A. Cosby Winner
• What You Don't See Tracy Clark
• Little Secrets Jennifer Hillier 
• And Now She's Gone Rachel Howzell Hall 
• The First to Lie Hank Phillippi Ryan

2020

• The Murder List Hank Phillippi Ryan Winner
• Your House Will Pay Steph Cha
• They All Fall Down Rachel Howzell Hall
• Lady in the Lake Laura Lippman
• Miami Midnight Alex Segura

2019 

• November Road Lou Berney Winner
• Give Me Your Hand Megan Abbott
• Jar of Hearts Jennifer Hillier
• Sunburn Laura Lippman
• Blackout Alex Segura

2018 

• Bluebird, Bluebird Attica Locke Winner
• The Late Show Michael Connelly
• Magpie Murders Anthony Horowitz
• Glass Houses Louise Penny
• The Force Don Winslow

2017 

• You Will Know Me Megan Abbott
• Where It Hurts Reed Farrel Coleman 
• Red Right Hand Chris Holm
• Wilde Lake Laura Lippman 
• A Great Reckoning Louise Penny Winner

2016

• Night Tremors Matt Coyle
• The Killing Kind Chris Holm Winner
• The Child Garden Catriona McPherson
• The Nature of the Beast Louise Penny
• What You See Hank Phillippi Ryan

2015

• Lamentation Joe Clifford
• The Secret Place Tana French
• After I'm Gone Laura Lippman Winner
• The Long Way Home Louise Penny
• Truth Be Told Hank Phillippi Ryan

2014

• Suspect Robert Crais
• A Cold and Lonely Place Sara J. Henry
• Ordinary Grace William Kent Krueger Winner
• The Wrong Girl Hank Phillippi Ryan
• Through the Evil Days Julia Spencer-Fleming

2013

• The Beautiful Mystery Louise Penny Winner
• Dare Me Megan Abbott
• The Trinity Game Sean Chercover
• Gone Girl Gillian Flynn
• The Other Woman Hank Phillippi Ryan

2012

• A trick of the light Louise Penny Winner
• The end of everything Megan Abbott
• Hurt machine Reed Farrel
• The drop Michael Connelly
• One was a soldier Julia Spencer-Fleming

2011

• Bury Your Dead Louise Penny Winner
• Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter Tom Franklin
• Faithful Place Tana French
• The Lock Artist Steve Hamilton
• I'd Know You Anywhere Laura Lippman

2010

• The Brutal Telling Louise Penny Winner
• The Last Child John Hart
• The Mystic Arts Of Erasing All Signs Of Death Charlie Huston
• The Girl Who Played With Fire Stieg Larsson, translated by Reg Keeland
• The Shanghai Moon S. J. Rozan

2009

• The Brass Verdict Michael Connelly Winner
• Trigger City Sean Chercover
• Red Knife William Kent Krueger
• The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Stieg Larsson
• The Cruelest Month Louise Penny

2008

• What the Dead Know Laura Lippman Winner
• Tin Roof Blowdown James Lee Burke
• Bad Luck and Trouble Lee Child
• The Watchman Robert Crais
• Thunder Bay William Kent Krueger

2007

• No Good Deeds Laura Lippman Winner
• Kidnapped Jan Burke
• The Dead Hour Denise Mina
• The Virgin of Small Plains Nancy Pickard
• All Mortal Flesh Julia Spencer-Fleming

2006

• Mercy Falls William Kent Krueger Winner
• Bloodlines Jan Burke
• Lincoln Lawyer Michael Connelly
• Red Leaves Thomas H. Cook
• To the Power of Three Laura Lippman

2005

• Blood Hollow William Kent Krueger Winner
• The Killing of the Tinkers Ken Bruen
• The Madman’s Tale John Katzenbach
• By a Spider’s Thread Laura Lippman
• California Girl T. Jefferson Parker
• Out of the Deep I Cry Julia Spencer-Fleming

2004

• Every Secret Thing Laura Lippman Winner
• The Delicate Storm Giles Blunt
• Blood is the Sky Steve Hamilton
• Shutter Island Dennis Lehane
• The Summer That Never Was/Close to Home Peter Robinson

2003

City of Bones Michael Connelly

2002

Mystic River Dennis Lehane

2001

A place of execution Val McDermid

2000

In a dry season by Peter Robinson

1999

Blood work Michael Connelly

1998

No colder place S.J. Rozan

1997

The Poet Michael Connelly

1996

Under the beetle’s cellar Mary Willis Walker

1995

She walks these hills Sharyn McCrumb

1994

Wolf in the shadows Marcia Muller

1993

Bootlegger’s daughter Margaret Maron

1992

The Last detective Peter Lovesey

1991

"G" is for gumshoe Sue Grafton

1990

The Siren’s sang of murder by Sarah Caudwell

1989

The Silence of the lambs Thomas Harris

1988

Skinwalkers Tony Hillerman

1987

"C" is for corpse Sue Grafton

1986

"B" is for burglar Sue Grafton