The 2025 Anthony Awards, Shamus Awards, and Barry Awards were announced at the 2025 Bouchercon World Mystery Convention in New Orleans. Bouchercon is an annual event and is one of the premier conventions for creators and devotees of mystery and crime fiction. (Last year I attended and had a blast.) It’s named after Anthony Boucher, a popular mystery writer, editor, and columnist of the mid-twentieth century.
Here is an article about the value of Crime Fiction Awards.
The Anthony Awards
Bouchercon’s Anthony Awards are voted on by the registered attendees at the 2025 Bouchercon World Mystery Convention. They are one of the major crime fiction awards. The 2025 Anthony Award winners are:
Best Hardcover Novel
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (Riverhead)
Best First Novel
You Know What You Did by K.T. Nguyen (Dutton)
Best Paperback/E-book/Audiobook
Echo by Tracey Clark (Thomas & Mercer)
Best Historical
The Murder of Mr. Ma by John Shen Yen Nee and SJ Rozan (Soho Crime)
Best Paranormal
A New Lease on Death by Olivia Blacke (Minotaur)
Best Cozy/Humorous
Cirque du Slay by Rob Osler (Crooked Lane)
Best Children’s /Young Adult Novel
When Mimi Went Missing by Suja Sukumar (Soho Teen)
Best Critical/Nonfiction
The Serial Killer’s Apprentice by Katherine Ramsland and Tracy Ullman (Crime Ink)
Best Anthology/Collection
Tales of Music, Murder, and Mayhem: Bouchercon Anthology 2024 edited by Heather Graham (Down & Out)
Best Short Story
“Something to Hold Onto” by Curtis Ippolito (from Dark Yonder, Issue 6, edited by Katy Munger and Eryk Pruitt; Thalia Press)
The 2025 Shamus Awards
The Private Eye Writers of America presented their Shamus Awards for private eye novels and short stories first published in the United States in 2024. They announced the awards at the opening ceremony.
The award winners are:
Best Original Hardback P.I. Novel
Trouble in Queenstown by Delia Pitts
Best Original Paperback P.I. Novel
Call of the Void by J.T. Siemens
Best First P.I. Novel
Twice the Trouble by Ash Clifton
Best P.I. Short Story
“Deadhead” by Tom Andes (Issue 10.1: Cowboy Jamboree Magazine)
The Eye Lifetime Achievement Award
Christine Matthews
Here is the list of 2025 Shamus nominees.
The 2025 Anthony Awards, Shamus Awards, and Barry Awards winners announced at Bouchercon in New Orleans @Tim Suddeth, @Opening a Mystery, #Awards, #Mysteries Share on X
The 2025 Barry Award Winners
The Barry Award winners for 2025 were announced by Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine at the 2025 Bouchercon World Mystery Convention. Subscribers and readers of Deadly Pleasures emailed their nominations, and two committees chose the finalists. The Barry awards are named after Barry Gardner, who the magazine’s website characterizes as “arguably the best fan reviewer on the planet.”
Best Mystery Novel
The Waiting by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown)
Best First Mystery Novel
Ordinary Bear by C.B. Bernard (Blackstone)
Best Paperback Original Mystery Novel
Double Barrel Bluff by Lou Berney (Morrow Paperbacks)
Best Action Thriller
Hero by Thomas Perry (Mysterious Press)
I would like to congratulate all of the nominees and winners. I’d also like to congratulate Bouchercon for putting on such a distinguished, welcoming, and well-run conference.
Future Bouchercons will be held at:
Calgary Bouchercon 2026, Oct. 21-25, 2026
Mystery Most Monumental, Washington, DC, Sept. 1-5, 2027
Indianapolis, Aug. 30-Sept. 3, 2028
Deco, Decadence, & Death, Miami, Fl., Aug. 22-26, 2029
I hope you enjoy this list of award winners. Maybe you’ll find a suggestion for your to-be-read stack. Please continue to come back so we can enjoy our love for mysteries and crime fiction. Thank you.