2011 Left Coast Crime Award Nominees Announced

The nominations for four mystery awards to be given out at this year’s Left Coast Crime (aka “The Big Chile”) have been announced for books published in 2010.

●Lefty Award (for best humorous mystery novel)

Stork Raving Mad, by Donna Andrews (Minotaur Books)

Swift Justice, by Laura DiSilverio (Minotaur Books)

Old Dogs, by Donna Moore (Busted Flush Press)

Revenge for Old Times’ Sake, by Kris Neri (Cherokee McGhee)

The Pot Thief Who Studied Einstein, by J. Michael Orenduff (Oak Tree Press)

●Bruce Alexander Memorial Historical Mystery Award

A Night of Long Knives, by Rebecca Cantrell (Forge Books)

Murder for Greenhorns, by Robert Kresge (ABQ Press)

City of Dragons, by Kelli Stanley (Minotaur Books)

The Demon’s Parchment, by Jeri Westerson (Minotaur Books)

The Mapping of Love and Death, by Jacqueline Winspear (HarperCollins)

●Hillerman Sky Award (a special award, in honor of the convention’s New Mexico location, to the mystery that best captures the landscape of the Southwest)

Wild Penance, by Sandi Ault (Berkley)

The Bone Fire, by Christine Barber (Minotaur Books)

The Spider’s Web, by Margaret Coel (Berkley)

Snare, by Deborah J. Ledford (Second Wind Publishing)

●Watson Award (a special award for the mystery novel with the best sidekick)

Wild Penance, by Sandi Ault (Berkley)

Dead Lift, by Rachel Brady (Poisoned Pen Press)

Rolling Thunder, by Chris Grabenstein (Pegasus)

Junkyard Dogs, by Craig Johnson (Viking)

To Fetch a Thief, by Spencer Quinn (Atria)

●Lifetime Achievement Award

Martin Cruz Smith

The awards will be voted on at the convention and presented at a banquet on Saturday, March 26th, 2011, at the historic La Fonda Hotel on the Plaza in Santa Fe, New Mexico.