Annal:1993 Agatha Award for Best Novel
From AwardAnnals
Results of the Agatha Award in the year 1993. For a ranked list of books, try an honor roll:
Dead Man's Island: A Henrie O. Mystery
- 1993 Agatha–Novel winner
- Score: 10.43
Few men would respond to an attempt on their life with an invitation to the killer to try again. But arrogant, daredevil media magnate Chase Prescott has done just that, while issuing an urgent summons to the one person he trusts to point out the would-be murderer…his long-ago colleague and lover, retired newshound Henrietta O’Dwyer Collins.
After a lifetime covering disasters and revolutions, murders and public scandals, Henrie O is more than content to confine her energy to writing mysteries. And her feelings of unease only increase when she arrives at…
Old Scores: A Chris Norgren Mystery
- 1993 Agatha–Novel nominee
- Score: 6.43
The art world is abuzz with news of the discovery of an unknown Rembrandt. Rene Vachey, the famed collector who made the find, wants to donate it to the Seattle Art Museum. But curator Chris Norgren is wary—Vachey has a reputation for dealing in forgeries. But one thing about Vachey is most certainly not a fake—the bullet soon found in his head. Now Chris must find the truth behind the masterpiece and the murder before he’s painted into a corner by a master in the art of killing…
O Little Town of Maggody: An Arly Hanks Mystery
- 1993 Agatha–Novel nominee
- Score: 6.43
Chief of Police Arly (Ariel) Hanks is still hiding out in her hometown of Maggody, Arkansas (pop. 755), the land of moonshine and Ruby Bee’s Bar & Grill, country roads and Nashville on the radio, cheatin’ hearts and, well, maybe murder. It all starts when Matt Montana, country music’s number one superstar of the year, decides it’s a great PR move to come home to Maggody for the holidays. For a town in the grip of a recession, the news means Christmas is bringing a savior.
Mrs. Jim Bob Buchanan, the mayor’s wife, quickly sets up the Matt Montana Official…
Southern Discomfort: A Deborah Knott Mystery
- 1993 Agatha–Novel nominee
- Score: 6.43
With sass and wit, Deborah Knott, formerly a defense attorney in North Carolina’s Colleton County, is putting herself firmly on the seat of power—a district judgeship. She’s also making good on a campaign promise: helping to build houses for battered women. Here Deborah expects muscle aches, not the near-rape of a young woman and the murder of her attacker. And she certainly never expects that her hammer—complete with her fingerprints—will be the murder weapon…
To Live & Die in Dixie: A Callahan Garrity Mystery
- 1993 Agatha–Novel nominee
- Score: 6.43
From her time on the Atlanta police force, Callahan Garrity, house cleaner and private investigator extraordinaire, has excelled at mopping up messes—of all kinds. But she has no idea what she’s getting into when she agrees to work for infamous antiques dealer Elliot Littlefield.
The first day on the job she and her crew discover the bloodied body of a young woman in a bedroom—and are soon on the trail of a priceless Civil War diary stolen by the killer. As if two crimes aren’t enough, deadly serious collectors, right-wing radicals, and impulsive teenagers…
Fair Game: A Jessie Drake Mystery
- 1993 Agatha–Novel nominee
- Score: 6.43
“No cause for alarm”, says Detective Jessie Drake on the evening news. “Be alert and wary of unfamiliar faces, lock your doors. We have several leads..”. But as the newly appointed departmental spokesperson, Jessie knows full well that there are no leads. At least no sane leads. Just insane clues, left by a serial killer who is as playfully clever as he is cunningly dangerous. Five victims have been murdered thus far. Five different neighborhoods. The only link between them is the cause of death: each died by a lethal injection of curare. The police are stymied.…
