Congrats to the 2008 Agatha Award winners!

The Malice Domestic mystery conference is but a memory to those who attended this past weekend - and an even better memory to this year's Agatha Award winners. Named for mystery writer Agatha Christie, the Agatha Awards celebrate traditional mystery books and stories reminiscent of her style.

Published works eligible to receive an Agatha Award are defined as mysteries that don't contain explicit sex, excessive gore or gratuitous violence; usually have an amateur detective; take place in a confined setting; and have characters who know one another. The books are generally more "cozy" and may feature police or private detectives, but cannot be classified as "hard-boiled."

The 2008 winners of the Agatha Award are:

Best Children’s/Young Adult
“The Crossroads,” by Chris Grabenstein (Random House)

















Best Non-Fiction
“How to Write Killer Historical Mysteries,” by Kathy Lynn Emerson (Perseverance Press)


















Best First Novel
“Death of a Cozy Writer, by G.M. Malliet(Midnight Ink)


















Best Novel
“The Cruelest Month” by Louise Penny (St. Martin’s Press)













Best Short Story
“The Night Things Changed,” by Dana Cameron (Penguin Group)


See the Malice Domestic site for the full list of winners.