Best Crime Fiction Covers of 2009

Over at The Rap Sheet, January Magazine’s sister publication, editor J. Kingston Pierce has announced the finalists in that blog’s annual contest for the best crime fiction covers. Says Pierce:

Every year since 2007 (which seems like a rather long time ago just now), The Rap Sheet has hosted an annual “Best Crime Fiction Covers” competition. We’ve gotten in the habit of keeping track each year of book jackets that we think stand out from the crowd of egregious copycats, trendy duplicates (this year’s overused theme being shadowy running men), and downright lame fronts that substitute ominous imagery for honest reflections of the stories contained within. By the end of each twelvemonth, we usually have a file of 25 to 30 distinctive jackets. Then we trim that down to a mere dozen covers we think are the best of the breed.

If you’d like to vote for your favorite, you can do so here prior to December 28, after which the winners will be announced.