Established in 1989, Malice Domestic is an annual convention in metropolitan Washington, DC, saluting "mysteries of manners", books best typified by the works of Agatha Christie. The Agatha Awards honor the "traditional mystery" -- loosely defined as mysteries which contain no explicit sex nor excessive gore or violence; and feature an amateur detective (usually), a confined setting, and characters who know one another.

For more information about the Agatha Awards, visit http://www.malicedomestic.org.

2008

Best Novel:
The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny (Minotaur Books)

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

Best Non-fiction:
How to Write Killer Historical Mysteries by Kathy Lynn Emerson (Perseverance Press)

Best Short Story:
"The Night Things Changed" by Dana Cameron, Wolfsbane & Mistletoe (Penguin Group)

Best Children's/Young Adult:
The Crossroads by Chris Grabenstein (Random House Children's Books)