If you read my main blog, Adventures Fantastic, then you know that one of the awards I hold in high esteem is the Shamus Award, given by the Private Eye Writers of America.  In fact, the only award I hold in higher esteem is the David Gemmell Award.

One of the things I like best about the Shamus it that it’s one of the few awards that honors work published by independent authors.  Most of the major genre awards, such as the Hugo, the Nebula, and the World Fantasy (and, yes, the Gemmell) don’t recognize independent work, at least not as a matter of course.  So, kudos to the PWA for doing so.

Well, the other day the finalists for the Shamus were announced:

BEST HARDCOVER P.I. NOVEL

The Hollow Girl by Reed Farrel Coleman
The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith
Toyko Kill by Barry Lancet
Hounded by David Rosenfelt
Peter Pan Must Die by John Verdon

BEST FIRST P.I. NOVEL

Invisible City by Julia Dahl
Bad Country by C.B. McKenzie
Last of the Independents by Sam Wiebe
Wink of an Eye by Lynn Chandler Willis
City of Brick and Shadow by Tim Wirkus

BEST ORIGINAL PAPERBACK P.I. NOVEL

The Detective and the Pipe Girl by Michael Craven
Beauty With A Bomb by M.C.Grant
Critical Damage by Robert K. Lewis
Street Justice by Kris Nelscott
Moonlight Weeps by Vincent Zandri

BEST P.I. SHORT STORY

“Clear Recent History” by Gon Ben Ari in Tel Aviv Noir
“The Ehrengraf Fandango ” by Lawrence Block in Defender of the Innocent
“Fear Is The Best Keeper of Secrets ” by Vali Khalili in Tehran Noir
“Mei Kwei, I Love You” by Suchen Christine Lim in Singapore Noir
“Busting Red Heads” by Richard Helms in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine

BEST INDIE P.I. NOVEL

The Shadow Broker by Trace Conger
Nobody’s Child by Libby Fischer Hellmann
Played To Death by BV Lawson
The Kids Are All Right by Steve Liskow
Get Busy Dying by Ben Rehder

I’m going to try to read as many of these as I can before the awards are announced on Friday, October 9 at the PWA Banquet at Bouchercon.  Look for reviews here.