HOUSE OF CRIME & MYSTERY'S 2nd ANNUAL READERS'S CHOICE AWARDS



The best crime books of the year, voted by you! They've all been published between November 1st, 2012 and November 31st, 2013. (So next year we'll be able to do December 1st, 2013 to November 30th, 2014).

Ballots came in mainly from the USA, UK, and Canada, like last year, but votes in Canada alone almost doubled. There were also many more voters from French Québec and France. And a good chunk came from Australia, Germany, Africa, Norway, and Spain. In total, I’ve received 1 117 ballots (compared to 632 last year). Just, wow!

Ballots had votes for an average of three to four categories only. I can understand that most voters read in only one language, but there were a lot less votes for Best Non-Fiction and Best Short-Fiction than for other categories. Also, I ignored votes from 'anonymous' ballots. 

Thank you so much for taking the time to vote; it proves that you care for the writers and books that you read. In total, all categories together, there were 3 801 votes (compared to 2 529 last year). It's a long way from the attention that Goodreads gets but, hey, Dan Brown didn't receive one single vote here. In most categories, as you'll notice, there were some very tight results.

So, here they are, with the Top 3 in each category –including % of votes:

 

-BEST INTERNATIONAL CRIME NOVEL (except US, UK, and Canada):

3--Helsinki Blood by James Thompson (Putnam) 19%

2--Police by Jo Nesbø (Knopf) 32%

and the top vote-getter is:

1--WATCHING YOU by Michael Robotham (Sphere) (available in the US in March 2014 from Mulholland Books) 34%

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-BEST CRIME NOVEL in the United Kingdom

3--The Dying Hours by Mark Billingham (Little, Brown) 22%

2--I Hear the Sirens in the Street by Adrian McKinty (Serpent's Tail) 23%

and the top vote-getter is:

1--THE WRATH OF ANGELS by John Connolly (Atria/Emily Bestler Books) 44% 

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-BEST CRIME NOVEL in the USA

3--Save Yourself by Kelly Braffet (Crown) 17%

2--Onion Street by Reed Farrel Coleman (Tyrus Books) 21%

and the top vote-getter is:

1--THE BLACK BOX by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown) 41%

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-BEST CRIME NOVEL in CANADA

3--The Poisoned Pawn by Peggy Blair (Penguin) 16%

2--The Silent Wife by ASA Harrison (Penguin) 22%

and the top vote-getter is:

1--VIGILANTE SEASON by Peter Kirby (Linda Leith Publishing) 25%

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-BEST INDIE or SELF-PUBLISHED CRIME NOVEL

3--Gutted by Tony Black (New Pulp Press) 18%

2--The Big Reap by Chris F. Holm (Angry Robot Books) 20%

and the top vote-getter is:

1--A TASTE FOR MALICE by Michael J. Malone (Five Leaves Publications) 23%

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-BEST SHORT-FICTION COLLECTION

3--Eight Lies (About the Truth) by Sean Chercover (eBook -Kindle Edition) 11%

2--Best American Mystery Stories 2013 editor Lisa Scottoline (Mariner Books) 25%

and the top vote-getter is:

1--DEAD LETTERS: STORIES OF MURDER AND MAYHEM by Chris F. HOLM (eBook -Kindle edition)  27%

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-BEST NON-FICTION CRIME BOOK

3--The Spy Who Loved by Clare Mulley (St.Martin's Press) 17%

2--All The Wild Children by Josh Stallings (Snubnose Press/Createspace) 24%

and the top vote-getter is:

1--Being Cool: The Work of Elmore Leonard by Charles J. Rzepka (Johns Hopkins U. Press)  27%

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-BEST CRIME FICTION IN FRENCH/ MEILLEUR POLAR EN FRANÇAIS

3--Terreur dans le Downtown Eastside de Jacqueline Landry (Les Éditions David) 22%

2--Puzzle de Franck Thilliez (Fleuve Noir) 28%

et le plus populaire est :

1--SOUS LA SURFACE de Martin Michaud (Les Éditions Goélette) 31%

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-BEST CRIME FICTION TRANSLATED INTO FRENCH/ MEILLEUR POLAR TRADUIT EN FRANÇAIS

3--7 jours de Deon Meyer (Seuil) 19%

2--La phrase qui tue de Craig McDonald (Belfond) 24%

et le plus populaire est :

1--ILS VIVENT LA NUIT de Dennis Lehane (Rivages) 34%

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--YOUR FAVOURITE CRIME NOVEL OF 2013/VOTRE POLAR FAVORI EN 2013

3--Ils vivent la nuit de Dennis LEHANE (Rivages)

2--The Black Box by Michael CONNELLY (Little, Brown)

and the top vote-getter is: / le polar le plus populaire est :

1--THE WRATH OF ANGELS by John CONNOLLY (Atria/Emily Bestler Books)

Congratulations to the winners and runners-up! Thank you to all the writers for so many great books in 2013; it already looks like we'll have another fantastic year in 2014.

To all those who submitted ballots, a huge thank you! I promised to give away some books, and I will announce the names of 5 winners, next week, once I've contacted all of them.

I will email each of you individually and you'll get to pick 3 books each --except for one special winner who'll receive 5 books. I should also have at least a few leftovers that I'll give away in February and March. Stay tuned.

UPDATE- we have our 4 winners of three books each: Luke Carleggio, of Rome (Italy), Sofia Winter, of Knoxville (Tennessee), Mike Robinson, of Calgary (Alberta), and Lucy Lindsay, of Vancouver (British Columbia). Also, our big winner of 5 books, Sara Major, of Minneapolis (Minnesota). Thank you all again for participating!

Thank you to the Canadian publishers who have sent books my way: Hachette, Simon & Schuster, Random House, Harper Collins, Vehicule Press, and ECW Press.

À bientôt, talk to you soon.

JF

January 2014

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