Mystery Writers of America Announces 2006 'Edgar' Winners at 60th Annual Edgar Allan Poe Awards Banquet

Mystery Writers of America Announces 2006 'Edgar' Winners at 60th Annual Edgar Allan Poe Awards Banquet

NEW YORK, April 27 /PRNewswire/ -- The Mystery Writers of America "Edgar" awards were announced tonight at the 60th Annual Edgar Allan Poe Awards Banquet held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City. Winners were selected from a roster of 67 of the world's most loved and respected mystery and crime writers. Over 1,000 books, 500 short stories, and numerous television programs, movies, and plays were judged by a distinguished panel of 68 judges.

The prestigious "Edgar" is named after Mystery Writers of America's patron saint, Edgar Allan Poe and is considered the most prominent and celebrated awards for writers in fiction, film, theater and television.

Some of the many highlights of the 60th annual Edgar Allan Poe Awards were CourtTV host Catherine Crier and MWA president and internationally acclaimed author Janet Evanovich. Other top nationally recognized writers at the black tie event included MWA Executive Vice President Reed Farrel Coleman, P.J. Parrish, Mary Higgins Clark, Stephen Gaghan, Richard Russo, and Josh Olson. The MWA current membership exceeds 3,000 members.

Complete list of the winners of these highly coveted awards:

BEST NOVEL
Citizen Vince by Jess Walter (Regan Books)

BEST FIRST NOVEL BY AN AMERICAN AUTHOR
Officer Down by Theresa Schwegel (St. Martin's Minotaur)

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL
Girl in the Glass by Jeffrey Ford (Dark Alley)

BEST FACT CRIME
Rescue Artist: A True Story of Art, Thieves, and the Hunt for a Missing
Masterpiece by Edward Dolnick (HarperCollins)

BEST CRITICAL/BIOGRAPHICAL
Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her
by Melanie Rehak (Harcourt)

BEST SHORT STORY
"The Catch" - Greatest Hits by James W. Hall (Carroll & Graf)

BEST JUVENILE
The Boys of San Joaquin by D. James Smith
(Simon & Schuster Children's Books)

BEST YOUNG ADULT
Last Shot by John Feinstein (Knopf Books for Young Readers)

BEST PLAY
Matter of Intent by Gary Earl Ross (Theater Loft)

BEST TELEVISION EPISODE TELEPLAY
Sea of Souls - "Amulet", Teleplay by Ed Whitmore

BEST MOTION PICTURE SCREENPLAY
Syriana - Screenplay by Stephen Gaghan,
based on the book by Robert Baer (Warner Brothers)

For more pictures, go to http://www.patrickmcmullan.com/
Web Site: http://www.mysterywriters.org/

Source: Mystery Writers of America

CONTACT: Media Contact: Anne Dozier for MWA, +1-212-717-0276,
annedozier@aol.com; or Margery Flax of MWA, +1-212-888-8171,
mwa@mysterywriters.org

Web site: http://www.mysterywriters.org/
http://www.patrickmcmullan.com/

-------
Profile: intent