With Agatha's Endorsement - The Rap Sheet

You can't get any cozier than than that.

Panzer made a stop at The Rap Sheet site today. There our little traveling kitty found an announcement about the Malice Domestic conference.

 

J. Kingston Pierce's post lists the award winner in each of the six categories announced at the conference. Also included in the post is the other nominees for each award.

 

Panzer says, "Recognize any of your favorite author's names on the list?" 

 

Note: This is a medium length post. Bring a cup of tea and three chocolate chip cookies (biscuits) for your snack.

 

To read the post trundle over to The Rap Sheet 

2026 Minotaur Books/Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Mystery Novel Competition - Minotaur Books

Traditional mystery only.

Today, Panzer's first stop was at the Minotaur Books site. There he found a mystery novel competition.

 

The competition rules, submission rules, entry form, and upload instructions are all found on the landing page. 

 

Panzer says, "Read everything on the landing page carefully before you submit your entry."

 

Note: This is a long post. You'll need to decide what to bring to snack on. 

 

To read the post tootle over to Minotaur/Malice Domestic 

AGATHA AWARD WINNERS 2025: Malice Domestic - Mystery Fanfare

All that digging makes a cat tired.

With a little digging at the Mystery Fanfare site Panzer found a post by Janet Rudolph listing this year's Agatha Award Winners.

 

Panzer says, "The winners were announced at Malice Domestic."

 

Note: This is a very short post. You don't need to bring any snacks.

 

To read the post tootle over to Agatha Award Winners 2025 

Agatha Award Finalists for 2025 - In Reference to Murder

Mom has read two of the short stories to me.

Today as Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere the Panzermobile was suddenly shaken by clapping outside. Following all the hullabaloo took our adventuresome kitty boy to the In Reference to Murder site. 

 

There he found a post by site owner BV Lawson about the Malice Domestic Agatha Awards. The post lists the six Agatha categories and the five finalists in each category.

 

Panzer says, "The winners will be announced at Malice Domestic in April."

 

Note: The is a short medium length post. Bring a cup of tea to drink while you read the written works' titles and the finalists' names.

 

To read the post tootle over to Agatha Award Finalists

Upcoming Mystery Awards Ceremonies

Today, when Panzer was cleaning the Panzermobile, he found four wadded up posts. The first he found under the pilot's seat was about the Lefty Awards nominees. The second he found in the glove box was about the Agatha Awards nominees. The third he found in the cup holder was about the Barry Awards nominees. The fourth he found under the wiper blade for the windscreen was about the CrimeFEST Awards nominees.

Instead of posting each individually, our fastidious kitty boy decided to put them all together in one post.

 

 The information about each award and the nominees is available by following the links below.

 

See anybody you know?

Lefty Awards presented by Left Coast Crime (April 7-10) Albuquerque, NM. Lefty Awards given on April 9.

To see the list of nominees for the Leftys tootle over to Left Coast Crime

 

Agatha Awards presented by Malice Domestic (April 21-24) Rockville, MD. Agatha Awards given on April 23.

To see the list of the nominees for the Agatha awards tootle over to Malice Domestic

 

CrimeFEST Awards presented by Crimefest (May 12-15) Bristol, UK. Awards given on May 14.

To see the list of the nominees for the CrimeFEST awards tootle over to Crimefest

 

Barry Awards presented by Deadly Pleasures (given at Bouchercon, September 8-11) Minneapolis, MN. Awards given on September 8.

To see the list of the nominees for the Barry Awards tootle over to Deadly Pleasures

 

 

Celebrating 2019 and 2020 Agatha Nominated Best Short Stories - Writers Who Kill

Today's trip into the Catosphere took Panzer to the Writers Who Kill site. There our brave kitty boy found a post about the Agatha Awards for Best Short Stories.

Go away Covid-thingey. We're finished with you.

The post by Paula Gail Benson list the nominees and the winners of the 2019 and 2020 Agatha Awards. Also included in the post are seven author bios with photos. There are only seven included because some authors were nominees both years. Because of Covid-19 the 2019 and 2020 Malice Domestic conferences were held online.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... This little kitty recognizes most of the writers from the Short Mystery Fiction Society."

Note: This is a long-medium length post. Bring a glass of lemonade and two cookies (biscuits) for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Short Story Agatha Award

 

Agatha Awards, Edgar Awards and EU Prize for Literature - Various

Today as Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere the Panzermobile was suddenly buffeted from all sides by clapping and cheering. Our brave kitty pilot followed all the hullabaloo first to the Mystery Fanfare site, then to the Mystery Tribune site and finally to the Publishers Weekly site.

Each of these sites had announcements about the recent winners of literary prizes. They include the Agatha Awards, the Edgar Awards and European Prize for Literature.

I am so tired I can't keep my eyes open.

First, in addition to a list of the Agatha winners Mystery Fanfare includes a link to the presentation ceremony via Zoom. Second, in addition to the list of the Edgar winners Mystery Tribune includes a description of each winner's story plot. Third, in addition to the list of The European Prize for Literature winners Publishers Weekly explains how the prizes are awarded.

Panzer says. "This little kitty spent so much time traveling he needs a long nap."

Note: Because today's reading includes three sites and a Zoom ceremony, this is a triple humongous reading adventure. Bring a thermos of tea and a thermos of cocoa and five muffins and ten chocolate chip cookies.

To read the post about the Agathas tootle over to Agatha Award Winners
To read the post about the Edgars tootle over to MWA Edgar Winners
To read the post about the E.U. Prize tootle over to European Prize for Literature

No Sex or Gory Violence, Please - The Rap Sheet

Wow! A lot has been happening.

Panzer's latest stop in the Catosphere today was at The Rap Sheet. There our cute kitty pilot found a post about the Malice Domestic nominees.

According to the post by site owner J. Kingston Pierce, the Malice Domestic Agatha Awards nominees have been announced. The Agatha Award is named for "cozy" mystery author Agatha Christie. The awards are presented in fiction and nonfiction, novels and short stories categories, in adult, children and juvenile divisions. There is no sex or rape and the murder is not blood-drenched in the Agatha nominees. The awards will be presented at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel in Bethesda, Maryland on April 29.

Panzer says, "Umm ... This little kitty doesn't see too much cross-over nominees between the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Awards and the Malice Domestic's Agatha Awards."

Note: This is a medium length post. Bring a cup of tea and two muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to The Rap Sheet

Announcing 2017's Agatha Awards Nominees - Criminal Element.com

Panzer's trip into the Catosphere today took him to the Criminal Element.com site. There our big kitty boy found the 2017 Agatha Awards Nominees.

According to the post there, the Agatha Awards will be presented on April 29, 2017 at the Malice Domestic Convention annual banquet in Bethesda, Maryland. The Agatha Awards are named for mystery author Agatha Christie.

The nominees for this year's awards were announced in the following categories:

Best Contemporary Novel
Best Historical Novel
Best First Novel
Best Nonfiction
Best Short Story
Best Child/Young Adult

Many of the nominees listed at the Criminal Element.com site in the different novel categories have excerpts available to read. All of the short stories except one are available in their entirety to read.

Bring a sleeping bag too.

Panzer says, "There's a lot of good reading there."

Note: The post is shortish-medium length. Bring a cup of tea to read today's selection; but, if you plan to read the excerpts and/or the short stories, bring two thermos of tea and two dozen muffins.

To read the post, tootle over to Agatha Award Nominees

Agatha Awards Announced

Really. I don't care.

Panzer got woken up from a sound sleep by the sound of cats and kittens out in the Catosphere.  He went out to see what all the noise was about.

He followed the noise to the Mystery Scene site. Our very tired kitty boy discovered the Agatha Awards were announced tonight. The Odds Are Against Us, by Art Taylor, (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine) won the Best Short Story Award.

Panzer says, " Skipped me again. Twice in one year."

To read the post with all the winners, tootle over to Mystery Scene