The Barry Best

The mystery magazine, Deadly Pleasures, announced this year's finalists for its annual Barry Awards. The honor has been handed out since 1997 for outstanding crime fiction titles and is named after Barry Gardner (1939–1996), an American literary critic. The winners in each category will be announced at the Opening Ceremonies of the Nashville Bouchercon on August 29, 2024. Congrats to all!

Best Mystery or Crime Novel

Lou Berney, Dark Ride (Morrow)

S.A. Cosby, All the Sinners Bleed (Flatiron)

Eli Cranor, Ozark Dogs (Soho Crime)

Jordan Harper, Everybody Knows (Mulholland)

Dennis Lehane, Small Mercies (Harper)

Adrian McKinty, The Detective Up Late (Blackstone)



Best First Mystery or Crime Novel

Michael Bennett, Better the Blood (Atlantic Monthly Press)

I.S.  Berry The Peacock and the Sparrow (Atria)

Bruce Borgos, The Bitter Past (Minotaur)

Amy Chua, The Golden Gate (Minotaur)

Deepti Kapoor, Age of Vice (Riverhead)

Nina Simon, Mother-Daughter Murder Night (Morrow)

Iris Yamashita, City Under One Roof (Berkley)



Best Paperback Original Mystery or Crime Novel

Mia P. Manansala, Murder and Mamon (Berkley)

Rick Mofina, Everything She Feared (Mira)

Jake Needham, Who the Hell Is Harry Black (Half Penny)

Jesse Sutanto, Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers (Berkley)

Vanda Symon, Expectant (Orenda)

Scott Von Doviak, Lowdown Road (Hard Case Crime)



Best Thriller

Mark Greaney, Burner (Berkley)

Mick Herron, The Secret Hours (Soho Crime)

John Lawton, Moscow Exile (Atlantic Monthly)

Anthony McCarten, Going Zero (Harper)

T.J. Newman, Drowning (Avid Reader Press)

Ruth Ware, Zero Days (Gallery/Scout Press)