Edgar Rules the Day

Tonight’s presentation in New York City of the 2009 Edgar Allan Poe Awards (given to works of crime fiction, both books and other media) seemed to go off with a minimum of foul-ups, but a few surprises. Wyoming writer C.J. Box picked up the Best Novel commendation for Blue Heaven, by C.J. Box (St. Martin’s Minotaur), beating out such works as Sins of the Assassin, by Robert Ferrigno (Scribner), and The Price of Blood, by Declan Hughes (Morrow). Francie Lin’s The Foreigner (Picador) captured the Best Novel by an American Author prize, and China Lake, by Meg Gardiner (Obsidian Mysteries), was named the Best Paperback Original. American Lightning: Terror, Mystery, the Birth of Hollywood, and the Crime of the Century, by Howard Blum (Crown)--one of January Magazine’s favorite books of 2008--beat out some tough competition in the Best Fact Crime category.

You’ll find the full list of winners and also-rans here.