2011 Edgar Award nominees announced this week

Wednesday would have been Edgar Allan Poe’s 202nd birthday, and, to mark the occasion, the Mystery Writers of America announced its list of nominees for the 2011 Edgar Allan Poe Awards, commonly referred to as The Edgars.

Poe, who is best known for his horror stories, is also considered the father of the modern mystery-detective novel because of his popular tales involving the detective C. Auguste Dupin. The Edgars, which were named in Poe’s honor, aim to honor the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction, television, film and theatre from the previous year.

The Edgar Awards are given in 14 categories, and this year’s slate of Edgars will be presented during a banquet on April 28 in New York City.

This year’s nominees for Best Novel include the following books:
- "Caught" by Harlan Coben
- "Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter" by Tom Franklin
- "Faithful Place" by Tana French
- "The Queen of Patpong" by Timothy Hallinan
- "The Lock Artist" by Steve Hamilton
- "I'd Know You Anywhere" by Laura Lippman

For a complete list of this year’s other nominees, visit the Mystery Writers of America’s Web site at http://www.mysterywriters.org/.

As you can imagine, a long line of outstanding mystery novels have received the Edgar for Best Novel over the year, going all the way back to the first award in 1954. What follows is a complete list of the all-time Edgar winners for Best Novel. Here they are:

1954 – Beat Not the Bones by Charlotte Jay
1955 – The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler
1956 – Beast in View by Margaret Millar
1957 – A Dram of Poison by Charlotte Armstrong
1958 – Room to Swing by Ed Lacy
1959 – The Eighth Circle by Stanley Ellin

1960 – The Hours Before Dawn by Celia Fremlin
1961 – The Progress of a Crime by Julian Symons
1962 – Gideon’s Fire by J.J. Marric
1963 – Death and the Joyful Woman by Ellis Peters
1964 – The Light of Day by Eric Ambler
1965 – The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carre
1966 – The Quiller Memorandum by Adam Hall
1967 – King of the Rainy Country by Nicolas Freeling
1968 – God Save the Mark by Donald E. Westlake
1969 – A Case of Need by Jeffery Hudson

1970 – Forfeit by Dick Francis
1971 – The Laughing Policeman by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo
1972 – The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth
1973 – The Lingala Code by Warren Kiefer
1974 – Dance Hall of the Dead by Tony Hillerman
1975 – Peter’s Pence by Jon Cleary
1976 – Hopscotch by Brian Garfield
1977 – Promised Land by Robert B. Parker
1978 – Catch Me: Kill Me by William Hallahan
1979 – Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett

1980 – The Rheingold Route by Arthur Maling
1981 – Whip Hand by Dick Francis
1982 – Peregrine by William Bayer
1983 – Billinsgate Shoal by Rick Boyer
1984 – La Brava by Elmore Leonard
1985 – Briarpatch by Ross Thomas
1986 – The Suspect by L.R. Wright
1987 – A Dark-Adapted Eye by Barbara Vine
1988 – Old Bones by Aaron Elkins
1989 – A Cold Red Sunrise by Stuart M. Kaminsky

1990 – Black Cherry Blues by James Lee Burke
1991 – New Orleans Mourning by Julie Smith
1992 – A Dance at the Slaughterhouse by Lawrence Block
1993 – Bootlegger’s Daughter by Margaret Maron
1994 – The Sculptress by Minette Walter
1995 – The Red Scream by Mary Willis Walker
1996 – Come to Grief by Dick Francis
1997 – The Chatham School Affair by Thomas H. Cook
1998 – Cimarron Rose by James Lee Burke
1999 – Mr. White’s Confession by Robert Clark

2000 – Bones by Jan Burke
2001 – The Bottoms by Joe R. Lansdale
2002 – Silent Joe by T. Jefferson Parker
2003 – Winter and Night by S.J. Rozan
2004 – Resurrection Men by Ian Rankin
2005 – California Girl by T. Jefferson Parker
2006 – Citizen Vince by Jess Walter
2007 – The Janissary Tree by Jason Goodwin
2008 – Down River by John Hart
2009 – Blue Heaven by C.J. Box
2010 – The Last Child by John Hart

In the end, how many of these mysteries have you had a chance to read? What did you think about them? Which did you like? Dislike? Let us know in the comments section below.