The annual Left Coast Crime “Lefty” Awards are chosen by registered members of each Left Coast Crime convention. During the first two weeks of January, nominations for awards to be presented at the annual convention are made by people registered for that convention and also the immediately prior convention. A ballot listing the official nominees is given to each registrant when they check in at the convention, and final voting takes place at the convention. The ballots are tabulated and that year’s Lefty Awards are presented at the Awards Celebration.
Each annual convention presents awards in the following categories for best mystery/crime/thriller novels:
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Best Humorous Mystery Novel |
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Best Historical Mystery Novel (Bill Gottfried Memorial) |
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Best Debut Mystery Novel |
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Best Mystery Novel |
To be eligible, titles must have been published for the first time in the United States or Canada during the calendar year preceding the convention, in book or ebook format. If published in other countries before the calendar year preceding the convention, a book is still eligible if it meets the US or Canadian publication requirement.
2024 Lefty Awards
| Lefty for Best Humorous Mystery Novel |
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Wendall Thomas, Cheap Trills (Beyond the Page Books) |
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Jennifer J. Chow, Hot Pot Murder (Berkley Prime Crime) |
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Lee Matthew Goldberg, The Great Gimmelmans (Level Best Books) |
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Leslie Karst, A Sense for Murder (Severn House) |
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Catriona McPherson, Hop Scot (Severn House) |
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Cindy Sample, Dying for a Decoration (Cindy Sample Books) |
Lefty for Best Historical Mystery Novel
(Bill Gotttfried Memorial) for books covering events before 1970 |
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Naomi Hirahara, Evergreen (Soho Crime ) |
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Cara Black, Night Flight to Paris (Soho Crime) |
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Bruce Borgos, The Bitter Past (Minotaur Books) |
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Susanna Calkins, Death Among the Ruins (Severn House) |
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Dianne Freeman, A Newlywed’s Guide to Fortune and Murder (Kensington) |
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Cheryl A. Head, Time’s Undoing (Dutton) |
| Lefty for Best Debut Mystery Novel |
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Nina Simon, Mother-Daughter Murder Night(William Morrow) |
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Lina Chern, Play the Fool (Bantam) |
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Margot Douaihy, Scorched Grace (Gillian Flynn Books) |
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Josh Pachter, Dutch Threat (Genius Book Publishing) |
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Ana Reyes, The House in the Pines (Dutton) |
| Lefty for Best Mystery Novel |
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Tracy Clark, Hide (Thomas & Mercer) |
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S.A. Cosby, All the Sinners Bleed (Flatiron Books) |
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Matt Coyle, Odyssey’s End (Oceanview Publishing) |
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Jordan Harper, Everybody Knows (Mulholland Books) |
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James L’Etoile, Face of Greed (Oceanview Publishing) |
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Gigi Pandian, The Raven Thief (Minotaur Books) |
Visit the Left Coast Crime Awards Archives page for information about LCC Award categories, nominees, and winners from 1996 to the present.
Questions about the Lefty Award? Email the LCC Awards Co-Chairs |
