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A Midnight Puzzle
Gigi PandianAgatha Award · 2025 · Winner
Gigi Pandian's A Midnight Puzzle was recognized again, with a corrected attribution confirming the book's win at Malice Domestic 37 in 2025.
Agatha Award for Best Novel
2025 Winner
2025 Shortlist & Longlist
Shortlist
Shortlist
Shortlist
Shortlist
Shortlist
Complete History
2020s
2010s
- 2019The Long Call — Ann Cleeves
- 2018Mardi Gras Murder — Ellen Byron
- 2017Glass Houses — Louise Penny
- 2016A Great Reckoning — Louise Penny
- 2015Long Upon the Land — Margaret Maron
- 2014Truth Be Told — Hank Phillippi Ryan
- 2013The Wrong Girl — Hank Phillippi Ryan
- 2012The Beautiful Mystery — Louise Penny
- 2011Three-Day Town — Margaret Maron
- 2010Bury Your Dead — Louise Penny
2000s
- 2009A Brutal Telling — Louise Penny
- 2008The Cruelest Month — Louise Penny
- 2007A Fatal Grace — Louise Penny
- 2006The Virgin of Small Plains — Nancy Pickard
- 2005The Body in the Snowdrift — Katherine Hall Page
- 2004Birds of a Feather — Jacqueline Winspear
- 2003Letter From Home — Carolyn Hart
- 2002You've Got Murder — Donna Andrews
- 2001Murphy's Law — Rhys Bowen
- 2000Storm Track — Margaret Maron
1990s
- 1999Mariner's Compass — Earlene Fowler
- 1998Butchers Hill — Laura Lippman
- 1997The Devil In Music — Kate Ross
- 1996Up Jumps The Devil — Margaret Maron
- 1995If I'd Killed Him When I Met Him — Sharyn McCrumb
- 1994She Walks These Hills — Sharyn McCrumb
- 1993Dead Man's Island — Carolyn Hart
- 1992Bootlegger's Daughter — Margaret Maron
- 1991I.O.U. — Nancy Pickard
- 1990Bum Steer — Nancy Pickard
About the Agatha Award for Best Novel
The Agatha Award for Best Novel (known as Best Contemporary Novel since 2013) is presented annually at the Malice Domestic convention in Bethesda, Maryland, by Malice Domestic Ltd. Named in honor of Agatha Christie, the awards celebrate the traditional mystery genre—mysteries that contain no explicit sex, excessive gore, or gratuitous violence, best typified by the works of Agatha Christie. The award was established with the first Malice Domestic convention in 1989 and has been presented every year since. Winners are selected by popular vote from registered convention attendees. The Agatha is one of the most coveted prizes in the cozy and traditional mystery subgenre, with finalists and winners having consistently included bestselling series characters such as Inspector Gamache (Louise Penny), Vera Stanhope (Ann Cleeves), and Tempest Raj (Gigi Pandian). The physical award takes the form of a teapot, evoking the genteel world of classic detective fiction. Eligibility requires works to be published in English in the prior calendar year.
Frequently Asked Questions
- The Agatha Award is a fan-voted literary prize presented annually at the Malice Domestic convention, honoring excellence in traditional mystery fiction as typified by the works of Agatha Christie.
- Eligible books must contain no explicit sex, excessive gore, or gratuitous violence and generally fall within the cozy or classic whodunit tradition rather than hard-boiled crime fiction.
- Winners are announced each spring at the Malice Domestic convention, typically held in the Washington, D.C. area in late April or early May.
- The Agatha Award carries no monetary prize. Winners receive a handcrafted teapot as a trophy, a nod to the quintessentially British tradition of afternoon tea associated with Agatha Christie.
- The Agatha Awards are voted on by registered attendees of the annual Malice Domestic convention, making it a true fan-driven award.
- The Agatha Award is presented in six categories: Best Novel (Contemporary), Best Historical Novel, Best First Mystery Novel, Best Short Story, Best Non-Fiction, and Best Children's/Young Adult Mystery.
- Yes. Louise Penny is the most decorated winner, having won Best Novel multiple times, including in 2010, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2022, and 2023, among others.
- The Poirot Award is occasionally presented at Malice Domestic to honor individuals other than writers who have made outstanding contributions to the mystery genre. It is not awarded every year.