Annal:1995 Shamus Award for Best First P.I. Novel
From AwardAnnals
Results of the Shamus Award in the year 1995. For a ranked list of books, try an honor roll:
- 1995 Shamus-1st Novel winner
- Score: 10.45
Kenzie and Gennaro are private investigators in the blue-collar neighborhoods and ghettos of South Boston-they know it as only natives can. Working out of an old church belfry, Kenzie and Gennaro take on a seemingly simple assignment for a prominent politician: to uncover the whereabouts of Jenna Angeline, a black cleaning woman who has allegedly stolen confidential state documents.
Finding Jenna, however, is easy compared to staying alive once they’ve got her. The investigation escalates, implicating members of Jenna’s family and rival gang leaders while…
- 1995 Shamus-1st Novel nominee
- Score: 6.45
The Heaven Stone introduces a fresh voice in author David Daniel and a likable new protagonist in Alex Rasmussen, ex-cop turned private investigator, who is drawn into the world of Lowell, Massachusetts’s, Cambodian refugee community.
The only member of his family to escape the killing fields of Cambodia, Bhuntan Tran wound up in the decaying factory town of Lowell. Working two menial jobs (although he held a Ph.D.). Tran was well on his way to achieving the American dream when he was shot, execution-style, in his own home. The police are convinced the…
One for the Money: A Stephanie Plum Novel
- 1995 New Blood Dagger winner
- 1995 Edgar-1st Novel nominee
- 1995 Shamus-1st Novel nominee
- 1994 Agatha–1st Novel nominee
- Score: 28.45
Watch out, world. Here comes Stephanie Plum, a bounty hunter with attitude. In Stephanie’s opinion, toxic waste, rabid drivers, armed schizophrenics, and August heat, humidity, and hydrocarbons are all part of the great adventure of living in Jersey. She’s a product of the “burg,” a blue-collar pocket of Trenton where houses are attached and narrow, cars are American, windows are clean, and (God forbid you should be late) dinner is served at six. Now Stephanie’s all grown up and out on her own, living five miles from Mom and Dad’s, doing her best to sever the…
The Fall-Down Artist: A Carroll Dorsey Mystery
- 1995 Shamus-1st Novel nominee
- Score: 6.45
Insurance fraud investigation—trying to outsmart liars and cheats looking for a fast buck by scamming the system—may not be very glamorous, but these days in Pittsburgh, it’s food on the table for P. 1. Carroll Dorsey. And with the economy headed south, fake fall-downs have turned into something of a working-class growth industry. Thing is, though, the more Dorsey looks, the more he sees. This phony-injury epidemic is bigger than it seems, and it might involve some of the heaviest hitters in town. If Dorsey makes the wrong move, he’s liable to take the big…
When Death Comes Stealing: A Tamara Hayle Mystery
- 1995 Shamus-1st Novel nominee
- Score: 6.45
A tough and savvy Newark cop-turned-P.I., Tamara Hoyle is a sister with a mission: to raise her kid right in a mean town. But now the post has come knocking—bringing trouble to her door in the person of her “dog” of a former husband, DeWayne.
Suspicious “accidents” have claimed the lives of two of DeWayne’s sons from different marriages. And though good sense warns Tamara to steer clear of her charming, lowdown ex, she has little choice but to offer him her investigative expertise—because a killer may now be drawing fatally close to home—to Tamara’s only son.
