List of Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel winners
Encyclopedia
1940s
- 1946 - Julius FastJulius FastJulius Fast was an American author of both fiction and non-fiction. In 1946 he was the first recipient of the Edgar Award given by the Mystery Writers of America for the best first novel of 1945....
, Watchful at Night - 1947 - Helen Eustis, The Horizontal Man
- 1948 - Fredric BrownFredric BrownFredric Brown was an American science fiction and mystery writer. He was born in Cincinnati.He had two sons: James Ross Brown and Linn Lewis Brown ....
, The Fabulous ClipjointThe Fabulous ClipjointThe Fabulous Clipjoint, first published in 1947, is the first full-length novel by writer Fredric Brown, who had honed his craft by publishing hundreds of short stories in the pulp magazines of the day. The Fabulous Clipjoint is also the first of seven detective novels featuring the nephew/uncle... - 1949 - Mildred B. DavisMildred B. DavisMildred B. Davis is an American novelist whose books generally fall into the suspense/mystery genre.Katherine Roome, her daughter, and a published author herself, helped Mildred break a 30-year publishing silence by working with her to turn some previously unpublished manuscripts into the Murder...
, The Room Upstairs
1950s
- 1950 - Alan GreenAlan GreenAlan Green , has been a BBC Radio sports broadcaster/commentator since 1981 on Radio 2, Radio 5 and now Radio 5 Live. He commentates mainly on football, but also covers golf, rowing and the Olympic Games...
, What A Body - 1951 - Thomas Walsh, Nightmare in Manhattan
- 1952 - Mary McMullen, Strangle Hold
- 1953 - William Campbell GaultWilliam Campbell GaultWilliam Campbell Gault was an American writer. He wrote under his own name, and as Roney Scott and Will Duke, among other pseudonyms....
, Don't Cry for Me - 1954 - Ira LevinIra LevinIra Levin was an American author, dramatist and songwriter.-Professional life:Levin attended Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa...
, A Kiss Before Dying - 1955 - Jean Potts, Go, Lovely Rose
- 1956 - Lane Kauffman, The Perfectionist
- 1957 - Donald McNutt Douglass, Rebecca's Pride
- 1958 - William Rawle Weeks, Knock and Wait a While
- 1959 - Richard Martin SternRichard Martin SternRichard Martin Stern was an American novelist. Stern began his writing career in the 1950s with mystery tales of private investigators, winning a 1959 Edgar Award for Best First Novel, for The Bright Road to Fear.He was most notable for his 1973 novel The Tower, in which a fire engulfs a new...
, The Bright Road to Fear
1960s
- 1960 - Henry SlesarHenry SlesarHenry Slesar was an American author, playwright, and copywriter. He was also known as O.H. Leslie and Jay Street.-Early life:...
, The Grey Flannel Shroud - 1961 - John Holbrooke VanceJack VanceJohn Holbrook Vance is an American mystery, fantasy and science fiction author. Most of his work has been published under the name Jack Vance. Vance has published 11 mysteries as John Holbrook Vance and 3 as Ellery Queen...
, The Man in the Cage - 1962 - Suzanne Blanc, The Green Stone
- 1963 - Robert L. FishRobert L. FishRobert Lloyd Fish was an American writer of crime fiction. His first novel, The Fugitive, gained him the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Allan Poe Award for best first novel in 1962, and his short story "Moonlight Gardener" was awarded the Edgar for best short story in 1972...
, The Fugitive - 1964 - Cornelius Hirschberg, Florentine Finish
- 1965 - Harry KemelmanHarry KemelmanHarry Kemelman was an American mystery writer and a professor of English. He was the creator of one of the most famous religious sleuths, Rabbi David Small.- Early life:...
, Friday the Rabbi Slept LateFriday the Rabbi Slept LateFriday the Rabbi Slept Late is a mystery novel written by Harry Kemelman in 1964, the first of the successful Rabbi Small series.- Plot introduction :... - 1966 - John BallJohn Ball (American author)John Dudley Ball , writing as John Ball, was an American writer best known for mystery novels involving the African-American police detective Virgil Tibbs. He was introduced in the 1965 In the Heat of the Night where he solves a murder in a racist Southern small town...
, In the Heat of the Night - 1967 - Ross Thomas, The Cold War Swap
- 1968 - Michael CollinsMichael Collins (author)Michael Collins is the best-known pseudonym of Dennis Lynds , an American author who primarily wrote mystery fiction....
, Act of Fear - 1969 - E. Richard Johnson, Tie: Silver Street
- 1969 - Dorothy UhnakDorothy UhnakDorothy Uhnak was an American novelist.-Biography:Uhnak was born in New York City. She attended City College of New York and the John Jay College of Criminal Justice....
, The Bait
1970s
- 1970 - Joe GoresJoe GoresJoe Gores was an American mystery writer...
, A Time for Predators - 1971 - Lawrence SandersLawrence SandersLawrence Sanders was an American novelist and short story writer.Lawrence Sanders was born in Brooklyn in New York City. After public school he attended Wabash College, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree. He then returned to New York and worked at Macy's Department Store...
, The Anderson TapesThe Anderson Tapes (novel)The Anderson Tapes is the first published novel by crime writer Lawrence Sanders.It won the 1971 Edgar Award for best first novel,and was made into a movie the same year,directed by Sidney Lumet, with Sean Connery in the title role.... - 1972 - A. H. Z. Carr, Finding Maubee
- 1973 - R. H. Shimer, Squaw Point
- 1974 - Paul ErdmanPaul ErdmanPaul Emil Erdman was one of the leading business and financial writers in the United States who became known for writing novels based on monetary trends and historical facts concerning complex matters of international finance.-Early life:Erdman was born in Stratford, Ontario, Canada, on 19 May...
, The Billion Dollar Sure Thing - 1975 - Gregory McdonaldGregory McdonaldGregory Mcdonald was an American mystery writer best known for his character Irwin Maurice Fletcher, an investigative reporter otherwise known as "Fletch." Fletch was later played by Chevy Chase in the movie of the same name...
, FletchFletch (novel)Fletch is a 1974 mystery novel by Gregory Mcdonald, the first in a series featuring the character Irwin Maurice Fletcher.-Plot introduction:... - 1976 - Rex Burns, The Alvarez Journal
- 1977 - James PattersonJames PattersonJames B. Patterson is an American author of thriller novels, largely known for his series about American psychologist Alex Cross...
, The Thomas Berryman Number - 1978 - Robert Ross, A French Finish
- 1979 - William L. DeAndreaWilliam L. DeAndreaWilliam L. DeAndrea was an American mystery writer and columnist. He won three Edgar Awards from the Mystery Writers of America, the first for his first novel, Killed in the Ratings. The majority of his novels made up several series. The Matt Cobb mysteries drew on DeAndrea's experience working...
, Killed in the Ratings
1980s
- 1980 - Richard North PattersonRichard North PattersonRichard North Patterson is an American author of fiction. He was born in Berkeley, California, the eldest child of a corporate executive and a housewife. While still a child, he moved with his parents to Bay Village, a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, and graduated from Bay High School in 1964. He...
, The Lasko Tangent - 1981 - K. Nolte SmithKay Nolte SmithKay Nolte Smith was an American writer. She was for a time friendly with the philosopher-novelist Ayn Rand, who was her leading literary and philosophical influence....
, The Watcher - 1982 - Stuart WoodsStuart Woods-Early life:Stuart Woods was born in Manchester, Georgia and graduated in 1959 from the University of Georgia, with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. After graduation he enrolled in the Air National Guard, spending two months in basic training before moving to New York, where he began a career in...
, ChiefsChiefs (Novel)Chiefs is the first novel in the Will Lee series by Stuart Woods. It was first published in 1981 by W. W. Norton Co., Inc. The novel takes place in the fictional town of Delano, Georgia, over three generations, as three different police chiefs attempt to identify a serial killer operating in the... - 1983 - Thomas PerryThomas Perry (author)Thomas Perry is an American mystery and thriller novelist, who received a 1983 Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best First Novel.-Writings:...
, The Butcher's Boy - 1984 - Will Harriss, The Bay Psalm Book Murder
- 1985 - R. D. Rosen, Strike Three, You're Dead
- 1986 - Jonathan KellermanJonathan KellermanJonathan Kellerman is an American psychologist, and Edgar and Anthony Award winning author of numerous bestselling suspense novels....
, When the Bough BreaksWhen the Bough Breaks (novel)When The Bough Breaks is a mystery novel by Jonathan Kellerman. It is the first novel in the Alex Delaware series.-Plot introduction:Dr. Morton Hander practiced a strange brand of psychiatry. Among his specialties were fraud, extortion and sexual manipulation. Hander paid for his sins when he... - 1987 - Larry BeinhartLarry BeinhartLarry Beinhart is an American author. He is best known as the author of the political and detective novel American Hero, which was adapted for the political-parody film Wag the Dog. Directed by Barry Levinson, it starred Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro, Anne Heche, William H...
, No One Rides for Free - 1988 - Deidre S. Laiken, Death Among Strangers
- 1989 - David StoutDavid StoutDavid Stout is a journalist and author of mystery novels, two of which have been turned into TV movies, and of non-fiction about violent crime...
, Carolina Skeletons
1990s
- 1990 - Susan Wolfe, The Last Billable Hour
- 1991 - Patricia CornwellPatricia CornwellPatricia Cornwell is a contemporary American crime writer. She is widely known for writing a popular series of novels featuring the heroine Dr. Kay Scarpetta, a medical examiner.-Early life:...
, PostmortemPostmortem (novel)Postmortem is a crime fiction novel by author Patricia Cornwell. The first book of the Dr. Kay Scarpetta series, it received the 1991 Edgar Award for Best First Novel.-Plot summary:The novel opens as Dr... - 1992 - Peter BlaunerPeter BlaunerPeter Blauner is the author of six novels, including Slow Motion Riot, which won the 1992 Edgar Award for Best First Novel from the Mystery Writers of America and was named an International Book of the Year by The Times Literary Supplement. His novel The Intruder was a New York Times bestseller...
, Slow Motion Riot - 1993 - Michael ConnellyMichael ConnellyMichael Connelly is an American author of detective novels and other crime fiction, notably those featuring LAPD Detective Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch and criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller. His books, which have been translated into 36 languages, have garnered him many awards...
, The Black EchoThe Black EchoThe Black Echo is the 1992 debut novel by American crime author Michael Connelly. This is the first of Connelly's Bosch series. The book won the Mystery Writer's of America Edgar Award in 1992.... - 1994 - Laurie R. KingLaurie R. KingLaurie R. King is an American author best known for her detective fiction. Among her books are the Mary Russell series of historical mysteries, featuring Sherlock Holmes as her mentor and later partner, and a series featuring Kate Martinelli, a fictional lesbian San Francisco, California, police...
, A Grave TalentA Grave TalentA Grave Talent is the first book in Laurie R. King's Kate Martinelli series. Concerning the search for the murderer of several young girls, it won the 1994 Edgar Award for Best First Novel... - 1995 - George Dawes GreenGeorge Dawes GreenGeorge Dawes Green is an American novelist and the founder of the storytelling organization The Moth. Green published his first novel, The Caveman's Valentine, in 1994, and it was adapted into a film starring Samuel L. Jackson. He quickly followed that success with The Juror, also adapted into a...
, The Caveman's Valentine - 1996 - David Housewright, Penance
- 1997 - John Morgan Wilson, Simple Justice
- 1998 - Joseph KanonJoseph KanonJoseph Kanon is an American author, best known for thriller and spy novels set in the period immediately after World War II.-Biography:...
, Los Alamos - 1999 - Steve HamiltonSteve Hamilton (author)Steve Hamilton is an American writer of detective fiction. He was born January 10, 1961 and raised in Detroit, Michigan. He graduated in 1983 from the University of Michigan where he won the Hopwood Award for fiction. -Works:...
, A Cold Day in Paradise
2000s
- 2000 - Eliot PattisonEliot PattisonEliot Pattison is an American international lawyer and author about international trade, as well as an award-winning mystery novelist....
, The Skull Mantra - 2001 - David LissDavid LissDavid Liss is an American writer of novels, essays and short fiction; more recently working also in comic books. He was born in New Jersey and grew up in South Florida. Liss received his B. A. degree from Syracuse University, an M. A. from Georgia State University and his M. Phil from Columbia...
, A Conspiracy of PaperA Conspiracy of PaperA Conspiracy of Paper is a historical-mystery novel by David Liss, set in London in the period leading up to the bursting of the South Sea Bubble in 1720.-Synopsis:... - 2002 - David Ellis, Line of Vision
- 2003 - Jonathon King, The Blue Edge of Midnight
- 2004 - Rebecca PawelRebecca PawelRebecca Pawel is an American high school teacher and author of mystery novels. She is most notable for her series of historical novels set in fascist Spain, starring Carlos Tejada Alonso y León, a staunchly anti-Communist officer in the Guardia Civil.-Biography:Pawel began to develop an interest...
, Death of a Nationalist - 2005 - Don LeeDon Lee (author)Don Lee is an American novelist who spent his childhood in Tokyo and Seoul as the son of a State Department officer. He received his B.A. in English Literature from University of California, Los Angeles and his M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Emerson College. He has also served as the primary...
, Country of Origin - 2006 - Theresa SchwegelTheresa SchwegelTheresa Schwegel is an American author of crime fiction. She won the Edgar Award for best first novel from the Mystery Writers of America for Officer Down in 2006...
, Officer Down - 2007 - Alex BerensonAlex BerensonAlex Berenson is a former reporter for The New York Times and author of five novels and a book on corporate financial filings.-Life:...
, The Faithful SpyThe Faithful SpyThe Faithful Spy is a novel by New York Times reporter Alex Berenson. The novel won an Edgar award for Best First novel. It was published in 2006 by Random House and deals with the September 11th terrorist attacks.-Plot:... - 2008 - Tana FrenchTana FrenchTana French is an Irish novelist and theatrical actress. Her debut novel In the Woods , a psychological mystery, won the Edgar, Anthony, Macavity, and Barry awards for best first novel...
, In the WoodsIn the WoodsIn the Woods is a 2007 mystery novel by Tana French about a pair of Irish detectives and their investigation of the murder of a twelve year old girl... - 2009 - Francie Lin, The ForeignerThe Foreigner (novel)The Foreigner is a crime thriller and debut novel by author Francie Lin. The novel was published on May 27, 2008....
2010s
- 2010 - Stefanie Pintoff, In the Shadow of Gotham
- 2011 - Bruce DeSilva, Rogue Island
See also
- Edgar AwardEdgar AwardThe Edgar Allan Poe Awards , named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America...
- Mystery Writers of AmericaMystery Writers of AmericaMystery Writers of America is an organization for mystery writers, based in New York.The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday....
:Category:Edgar Award winners
:Category:Edgar Award winning works