On July 9, 2016, during ThrillerFest XI, the International Thriller Writers (ITW) announced the winners of the 2016 Thriller Awards at the Grand Hyatt in New York City.

For more information about ITW and the awards, visit http://thrillerwriters.org

2016 Winners

BEST HARDCOVER NOVEL
THE FIFTH GOSPEL by Ian Caldwell (Simon & Schuster)

BEST FIRST NOVEL
BULL MOUNTAIN by Brian Panowich (G.P. Putnam’s Sons)

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL NOVEL
AGAINST ALL ENEMIES by John Gilstrap (Pinnacle)

BEST SHORT STORY
“Gun Accident: An Investigation” by Joyce Carol Oates (Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine)

BEST YOUNG ADULT NOVEL
PRETENDING TO BE ERICA by Michelle Painchaud (Viking Books for Young Readers)

BEST E-BOOK ORIGINAL NOVEL
THE PRISONER’S GOLD by Chris Kuzneski (Chris Kuzneski)

THRILLERMASTER
Heather Graham

SILVER BULLET
John Lescroart

2016 Finalists

BEST HARDCOVER NOVEL

• THE FIFTH GOSPEL by Ian Caldwell (Simon & Schuster)
• PLAYING WITH FIRE by Tess Gerritsen (Ballantine)
• THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN by Paula Hawkins (Riverhead Books)
• INSPECTOR OF THE DEAD by David Morrell (Mulholland Books)
• PRETTY GIRLS by Karin Slaughter (William Morrow)

BEST FIRST NOVEL

• LITTLE BLACK LIES by Sandra Block (Grand Central)
• THE DROWNING GAME by LS Hawker (Witness Impulse)
• WHAT SHE KNEW by Gilly Macmillan (William Morrow)
• BULL MOUNTAIN by Brian Panowich (G.P. Putnam’s Sons)
• THE GATES OF EVANGELINE by Hester Young (G.P. Putnam’s Sons)

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL NOVEL

• DAY ZERO by Marc Cameron (Pinnacle)
• AGAINST ALL ENEMIES by John Gilstrap (Pinnacle)
• NAME OF THE DEVIL by Andrew Mayne (Bourbon Street Books)
• THE ANGEL OF EDEN by D.J. McIntosh (Penguin Canada)
• POCKETS OF DARKNESS by Jean Rabe (WordFire Press)

BEST SHORT STORY

• "Feeding the Crocodile” by Reed Farrel Coleman, JEWISH NOIR (PM Press)
• “Repressed” by Jeffrey Deaver (Diversion Books)
• “The Water Was Rising” by Sharon Hunt (Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine)
• “El Cambalache”by  Terrence McCauley (Thuglit)
• “Gun Accident: An Investigation” by Joyce Carol Oates (Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine)

BEST YOUNG ADULT NOVEL

• CODE OF HONOR by Alan Gratz (Scholastic Press)
• THE FORGETTING by Nicole Maggi (Sourcebooks Fire)
• PRETENDING TO BE ERICA by Michelle Painchaud (Viking Books for Young Readers)
• HALF IN LOVE WITH DEATH by Emily Ross (Merit Press)
• THE DOGS by Allan Stratton (Sourcebooks Fire)

BEST E-BOOK ORIGINAL NOVEL

• JACK AND JOE by Diane Capri (AugustBooks)
• THE PRISONER’S GOLD by Chris Kuzneski (Chris Kuzneski)
• DEADLY LULLABY by Robert McClure (Alibi)
• IVORY GHOSTS by Caitlin O’Connell (Alibi)
• LIE IN WAIT by Eric Rickstad (Witness Impulse)