Bouchercon XLIV

Bouchercon is an annual convention of creators and devotees of mystery and detective fiction. It is named in honour of writer, reviewer, and editor Anthony Boucher; also the inspiration for the Anthony Awards, which have been issued at the convention since 1986. This page details Bouchercon XLIV and the 2013 Anthony Awards ceremony.

Bouchercon
The convention was held at Albany, New York from 19–23 September 2013. The event was chaired by Al Abramson.

Special guests

 * Lifetime Achievement: Sue Grafton
 * International Guest of Honor: Anne Perry
 * American Guest of Honor: Tess Gerritsen
 * Toastmaster: Steve Hamilton
 * Fan Guests of Honor: Chris Aldrich & Lynn Kaczmarek
 * The David Thompson Memorial Special Service Award: Marv Lachman

Anthony Awards
The following list details the awards distributed at the 2013 annual Anthony Awards ceremony.

Best Novel
Winner: Shortlist:
 * Louise Penny, The Beautiful Mystery
 * Megan Abbott, Dare Me
 * Sean Chercover, The Trinity Game
 * Gillian Flynn, Gone Girl
 * Hank Phillippi Ryan, The Other Woman

Best First Novel
Winner: Shortlist:
 * Chris Pavone, The Expats
 * Daniel Friedman, Don’t Ever Get Old
 * Owen Laukkanen - The Professionals
 * Matthew Quirk - The 500
 * Michael Sears, Black Fridays

Best Paperback Original
Winner: Shortlist:
 * Johnny Shaw, Big Maria
 * Lou Berney, Whiplash River
 * Joelle Charbonneau, Murder for Choir
 * Alison Gaylin, And She Was
 * Malla Nunn, Blessed are the Dead

Best Short Story
Winner: Shortlist:
 * Dana Cameron, "Mischief in Mesopotamia" from Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine
 * Sheila Connolly, "Kept in the Dark" from Best New England Crime Stories: Blood Moon
 * Barb Goffman, "The Lord is My Shamus" from Chesapeake Crimes: This Job is Murder
 * Todd Robinson, "Peaches" from Grift, Spring 2012
 * Karin Slaughter, "The Unremarkable Heart" from Mystery Writers of America Presents: Vengeance

Best Critical Non-fiction Work
Winner: Shortlist:
 * John Connolly and Declan Burke, Books to Die For: The World’s Greatest Mystery Writers on the World’s Greatest Mystery Novels
 * Joseph Goodrich, Blood Relations: The Selected Letters of Ellery Queen, 1947-1950
 * D.P. Lyle, M.D., More Forensics and Fiction: Crime Writers Morbidly Curious Questions Expertly Answered
 * Mathew Prichard, The Grand Tour: Around the World with the Queen of Mystery Agatha Christie
 * Otto Penzler, In Pursuit of Spenser: Mystery Writers on Robert B. Parker and the Creation of an American Hero