# Bouchercon XXVII

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 XXVII and the 11th Anthony Awards ceremony.

## Bouchercon

The convention was held in Saint Paul, Minnesota on October 10, 1996; running until the 13th. The event was chaired by Dennis Armstrong and freelance book reviewer Bruce Southworth. Armstrong was working for the local "Once Upon a Crime" book-store at the time and was allowed to take time off work to organise the event.

### Special Guests

* Guest of Honor — Mary Higgins Clark
* Fan Guest of Honor — Ellen Nehr
* Toastmaster — Jeremiah Healy

## Anthony Awards

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

### Novel award

Winner:
* Mary Willis Walker, Under the Beetle's Cellar
Shortlist:
* Michael Connelly, The Last Coyote
* Barbara D'Amato, Hard Christmas
* Andrew Klavan, True Crime
* Bill Pronzini, Blue Lonesome

### First novel award

Winner:
* Virginia Lanier, Death in Bloodhound Red
Shortlist:
* Richard Barre, The Innocents
* G. M. Ford, Who in Hell is Wanda Fuca?
* Charles Kenney, Hammurabi's Code
* Martha C. Lawrence, Murder in Scorpio

### Paperback original award

Winners:
* Harlan Coben, Deal Breaker
Shortlist:
* Eileen Dreyer, Bad Medicine
* Teri Holbrook, A Far and Deadly Cry
* Gloria White, Charged with Guilt
* Robert D. Zimmerman, Closet

### Short story award

Winner:
* Gar Anthony Haywood, "And Pray Nobody Sees You", from Spooks, Spies, and Private Eyes
Shortlist:
* K.K. Beck, "Rule of Law", from Malice Domestic 4
* Jean B. Cooper, "The Judge's Boy", from Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine August 1995
* Bill Crider, "How I Found a Cat, Lost True Love, and Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo", from Cat Crimes Takes a Vacation
* Elizabeth Daniels Squire, "The Dog Who Remembered Too Much", from Malice Domestic 4

### Critical / Non-fiction award

Winner:
* Kate Stine, The Armchair Detective Book of Lists
Shortlist:
* Nicholas A. Basbanes, A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes, and the Eternal Passion for Books
* Douglas G. Greene, John Dickson Carr: The Man Who Explained Miracles
* Robert Polito, Savage Art: A Biography of Jim Thompson
* B.J. Rahn, Ngaio Marsh: The Woman and Her Work

### True crime award

Winner:
* Ann Rule, Dead By Sunset
Shortlist:
* Burl Barer, Man Overboard: The Counterfeit Resurrection of Phil Champagne
* John E. Douglas & Mark Olshaker, Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit
* Pete Earley, Circumstantial Evidence: Death, Life, and Justice in a Southern Town
* T. J. English, Born to Kill

### Short story collection / anthology award

Winner:
* Marcia Muller, The McCone Files: The Complete Sharon McCone Stories
Shortlist:
* Martin H. Greenberg & Edward Gorman, Cat Crimes Takes A Vacation
* Carolyn G. Hart, Crimes Of The Heart
* Carolyn G. Hart, Malice Domestic 4
* Paula L. Woods, Spooks, Spies, and Private Eyes

### Movie award

Winner:
* The Usual Suspects
Shortlist:
* Copycat
* Devil in a Blue Dress
* Get Shorty
* Seven

### Television series award

Winner:
* The X-Files
Shortlist:
* Life on the Street
* Law & Order
* Murder One
* N.Y.P.D. Blue

### Magazine award

Winner:
* The Armchair Detective
Shortlist:
* Deadly Pleasures
* Drood Review
* Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine
* Mystery Scene

### Publisher award

Winner:
* St. Martin's Press
Shortlist:
* Avon
* Mysterious Press
* Scribner's
* Walker Books

### Editor award

Winner:
* Sara Ann Freed
Shortlist:
* Marjorie Braman
* Carolyn Marino
* Kate Miciak
* Michael Seidman

### Cover art award

Winner:
* Pamela Patrick; for Jeanne Dams, The Body in the Transept
Shortlist:
* Fred George & Corsillo/Manzone; for John Dunning, The Bookman's Wake
* John Howard & Krystyna Skalski; for Bill Moody, Death of a Tenor Man
* FCL Colorspace & Richard Hasselberger; for Lynn Hightower, Flashpoint
* Earl Emerson; for his The Vanishing Smile