SHAMUS AWARD WINNERS

The Shamus Award was first presented in 1982 for work published in 1981. In 1982 the awards were given for Best Novel and Best Paperback Novel, as well as The Eye, for Lifetime Achievment. The Short Story award was added in 1983. In 1985 the Best First Novel category was added. The Hammer, first presented in 2007, goes to the character, not the author, for his/her contribution to and longevity in the field, and in 2013, the first Shamus for Best Indie P.I. Novel was presented.

1982
Best PI Hardcover
Hoodwink [Nameless Detective] by Bill Pronzini

Best PI Paperback Original
California Thriller [Mike Haller] by Max Byrd

THE EYE
Ross Macdonald

1983
Best PI Hardcover
Eight Million Ways to Die [Matt Scudder] by Lawrence Block

Best PI Paperback Original
The Cana Diversion [Brock Callahan] by William Campbell Gault

Best PI Short Story
"What You Don't Know Can Hurt You" by John Lutz

THE EYE
Mickey Spillane

1984
Best PI Hardcover
True Detective [Nate Heller] by Max Allan Collins

Best PI Paperback Original
Dead in Centerfield by Paul Engleman

Best PI Short Story
"Cat's Paw" by Bill by Pronzini

THE EYE
William Campbell Gault

1985
Best PI Hardcover
Sugartown by Loren D. Estleman

Best First PI Novel
A Creative Kind of Killer by Jack Early

Best PI Paperback Original
Ceiling of Hell by Warren Murphy

Best PI Short Story
"By The Dawn's Early Light" by Lawrence Block

THE EYE
Howard Browne

1986
Best PI Hardcover
B is for Burglar by Sue Grafton

Best First PI Novel
Hardcover by Wayne Warga

Best PI Paperback Original
Poverty Bay [Thomas Black] by Earl Emerson

Best PI Short Story
"Eight Miles and Dequindre" [Amos Walker] by Loren D. Estleman

THE EYE
Richard S. Prather

1987
Best PI Hardcover
The Staked Goat [John Francis Cuddy] by Jeremiah Healy

Best First PI Nove
Jersey Tomatoes by J. W. Rider

Best PI Paperback Original
The Back Door Man [Ben Perkins] by Rob Kantner

Best PI Short Story
"Fly Away Home" [Ben Perkins] by Rob Kantner

THE EYE
Bill Pronzini

1988
Best PI Hardcover
A Tax in Blood [Leo Haggerty] by Benjamin Schutz

Best First PI Novel
Death on the Rocks by Michael Allegretto

Best PI Paperback Original
Wild Night by L. J. Washburn

Best PI Short Story
"Turn Away" by Ed Gorman

THE EYE
Dennis Lynds, Wade Miller

1989
Best PI Hardcover
Kiss by John Lutz

Best First PI Novel
Fear of the Dark [Aaron Gunner] by Gar Anthony Haywood

Best PI Paperback Original
Dirty Work [Ben Perkins] by Rob Kantner

Best PI Short Story
"The Crooked Way" [Amos Walker] by Loren D. Estleman

1990
Best PI Hardcover
Extenuating Circumstances [Harry Stoner] by Jonathan Valin

Best First PI Novel
Katwalk [Kat Colorado] by Karen Kijewski

Best PI Paperback Original
Hell's Only Half Full [Ben Perkins] by Rob Kantner

Best PI Short Story
"The Killing Man" [Mike Hammer] by Mickey Spillane

1991
Best PI Hardcover
G is for Gumshoe [Kinsey Millhone] by Sue Grafton

Best First PI Novel
Devil in a Blue Dress [Easy Rawlins] by Walter Mosley

Best PI Paperback Original
Fatal Sisters [Rafferty] by W. Glenn Duncan

Best PI Short Story
"Final Resting Place" [Sharon McCone] by Marcia Muller

THE EYE
Roy Huggins

1992
Best PI Hardcover
Stolen Away [Nate Heller] by Max Allan Collins

Best First PI Novel
Suffer Little Children [Dave Strickland] by Thomas Davis

Best PI Paperback Original
Cool Blue Tomb by Paul Kemprecos

Best PI Short Story
"Dust Devil" by Nancy Pickard

THE EYE
Joseph Hansen

1993
Best PI Hardcover
The Man Who Was Taller Than God [Carl Wilcox] by Harold Adams

Best First PI Novel
The Woman Who Married a Bear [Cecil Younger] by John Straley

Best PI Paperback Original
The Last Tango of Delores Delgado [Claudia Valentine] by Marele Day

Best PI Short Story
"Mary, Mary Shut The Door" [Leo Haggerty] by Ben Schutz

THE EYE
Marcia Muller

1994
Best PI Hardcover
The Devil Knows You're Dead [Matt Scudder] by Lawrence Block

Best First PI Novel
Satan's Lambs [Lena Padget] by Lynn Hightower

Best PI Paperback Original
Brothers and Sinners by Rodman Philbrick

Best PI Short Story
"The Merciful Angel of Death" [Matt Scudder] by Lawrence Block

THE EYE
Stephen J. Cannell

1995
Best PI Hardcover
K is for Killer [Kinsey Millhone] by Sue Grafton

Best First PI Novel
A Drink Before the War [Patrick Kenzie & Angela Gennaro] by Dennis Lehane

Best PI Paperback Original
Served Cold [Lenny Schneider] by Ed Goldberg

Best PI Short Story
"Necessary Brother" by Brendan DuBois

THE EYE
John Lutz, Robert B. Parker

1996
Best PI Hardcover
Concourse [Bill Smith and Lydia Chin] by S. J. Rozan

Best First PI Novel
The Innocents [Wil Hardesty] by Richard Barre

Best PI Paperback Original
Native Angels [Peter Boone] by William Jaspersohn

Best PI Short Story
"And Pray Nobody Sees You" [Aaron Gunner] by Gar Anthony Haywood

1997
Best PI Hardcover
Sunset Express [Elvis Cole] by Robert Crais

Best First PI Novel
This Dog For Hire [Rachel Alexander] by Carol Lea Benjamin

Best PI Paperback Original
Fade Away [Myron Bolitar] by Harlan Coben

Best PI Short Story
"Dead Drunk" by Lia Matera

THE EYE
Stephen Marlowe

1998
Best PI Hardcover
Come Back Dead [Scott Elliott] by Terrance Faherty

Best First PI Novel
Big Red Tequilla [Tres Navarre] by Rick Riordan

Best PI Paperback Original
Charm City [Tess Monaghan] by Laura Lippman

Best PI Short Story
"Love Me For My Yellow Hair Alone" by Carolyn Wheat

1999
Best PI Hardcover
Boobytrap [Nameless Detective] by Bill Pronzini

Best First PI Novel
A Cold Day in Paradise [Alex McKnight] by Steve Hamilton

Best PI Paperback Original
Murder Manual [Harry James Denton] by Steve Womack

Best PI Short Story
"Another Day, Another Dollar" by Warren Murphy

THE EYE
Maxine O'Callahan

2000
Best PI Hardcover
California Fire and Life [Jack Wade] by Don Winslow

Best First PI Novel
Every Dead Thing [Charlie Parker] by John Connolly

Best PI Paperback Original
In Big Trouble [Tess Monaghan] by Laura Lippman

Best PI Short Story
"Akitada's First Case" by I.J. Parker

THE EYE
Edward D. Hoch

2001
Best PI Hardcover
Havana Heat [Lupe Solano] by Carolina Garcia-Aguilera

Best First PI Novel
Street Level [Duncan Sloan] by Bob Truluck

Best PI Paperback Original
Death in the Steel City [Carroll Dorsey] by Thomas Lipinski

Best PI Short Story
"The Road's End" by Brendan BuBois

2002
Best PI Hardcover
Reflecting the Sky [Bill Smith and Lydia Chin] by S. J. Rozan

Best First PI Novel
Chasing the Devil's Tail [Valentin St. Cyr] by David Fulmer

Best PI Paperback Original
Archangel Protocol [Dierdre McMannus] by Lyda Morehouse

Best PI Short Story
"Rough Justice" by Ceri Jordan

THE EYE
Lawrence Block

2003
Best PI Hardcover
Blackwater Sound [Thorn] by James W. Hall

Best First PI Novel
The Distance [Billy Nichols] by Eddie Muller

Best PI Paperback Original
The Poisoned Rose [Declan "Mac" MacManus] by D. Daniel Judson

Best PI Short Story
"The Second Coming" [Scott Eliot] by Terence Faherty

THE EYE
Sue Grafton

2004
Best PI Hardcover
The Guards [Jack Taylor] by Ken Bruen

Best First PI Novel
Black Maps [John March] by Peter Spiegelman

Best PI Paperback Original
Cold Quarry [Frank Pavlicek] by Andy Straka

Best PI Short Story
"Lady on Ice" [Amos Walker] by Loren D. Estleman

THE EYE
Donald Westlake (Tucker Coe)

2005
Best PI Hardcover
While I Disappear [Movie cowboy John Ray Horn] by Ed Wright

Best First PI Novel
The Dead [True-crime writer Saxon] by Ingrid Black

Best PI Paperback Original
Fade to Blonde [Construction worker Ray Corson] by Max Phillips

Best PI Short Story
"Hasidic Noir" by Pearl Abraham

THE EYE
Sara Paretsky

2006
Best PI Hardcover
The Lincoln Lawyer [Defense attorney Michael Haller] by Michael Connelly

Best First PI Novel
Forcing Amaryllis [Trial consultant Calla Gentry] by Louise Ure

Best PI Paperback Original
The James Deans [New York PI Moe Prager] by Reed Farrel Coleman

Best PI Short Story
"A Death in Ueno" [Masakazu Sakonju] by Michael Wiecek

THE EYE
Max Allan Collins

2007
Best PI Hardcover
The Dramatist [Irish PI Jack Taylor] by Ken Bruen

Best First PI Novel
The Wrong Kind of Blood [Irish PI Ed Loy] by Declan Hughes

Best PI Paperback Original
An Unquiet Grave [Florida PI Louis Kincaid] by P. J. Parrish

Best PI Short Story
"The Heart Has Reasons" [Luicien Caye] by O'Neil DeNoux

THE HAMMER
Shell Scott by Richard S. Prather

THE EYE
Stuart M. Kaminsky

2008
Best PI Hardcover
Soul Patch [New York PI Moe Prager] by Reed Farrel Coleman

Best First PI Novel
Big City, Bad Blood [Ray Dudgeon] by Sean Chercover

Best PI Paperback Original
Songs of Innocence [John Blake] by Richard Aleas

Best PI Short Story
"Hungry Enough" by Cornelia Read

THE HAMMER
Nameless by Bill Pronzini

THE EYE
Joe Gores

2009
Best PI Hardcover
Empty Ever After [Moe Prager] by Reed Farrel Coleman

Best First PI Novel
In the Heat [Miles Young] by Ian Vasquez

Best PI Paperback Original
Snow Blind [Julie Collins] by Lori G. Armstrong

Best PI Short Story
"Family Values" [Bubba Sims] by Mitch Alderman

THE HAMMER
Matt Scudder by Lawrence Block

THE EYE
Robert J. Randisi

2010
Best PI Hardcover
Locked In [Sharon McCone] by Marcia Muller

Best First PI Novel
Faces of the Gone [Carter Ross] by Brad Parks

Best PI Paperback Original
Sinner's Ball [Jackson Steeg] by Ira Berkowitz

Best PI Short Story
"Julius Katz" by Dave Zeltserman

THE HAMMER
Sharon McCone by Marcia Muller

THE EYE
Robert Crais

2011
Best PI Hardcover
No Mercy [Mercy Gunderson] by Lori G. Armstrong (Touchstone)

Best First PI Novel
In Search of Mercy [Dexter Bolzjak] by Michael Ayoob (Minotaur Books)

Best PI Paperback Original
Asia Hand [Vincent Calvino] by Christopher G. Moore (Grove/Atlantic)

Best PI Short Story
"The Lamb Was Sure To Go" [Aaron Gunner] by Gar Anthony Haywood

THE HAMMER
V.I. Warshawski by Sara Peretsky

THE EYE
Ed Gorman

2012
Best PI Hardcover
A Bad Night's Sleep by Michael Wiley (Minotaur Books)

Best First PI Novel
The Shortcut Man by P. G. Sturges (Scribner)

Best PI Paperback Original
Fun & Games by Duane Swierczynski (Mulholland Books)

Best PI Short Story
"Who I Am" by Michael Z. Lewin

THE HAMMER
Nate Heller by Max Allan Collins

2013
Best PI Hardcover
Taken by Robert Crais

Best First PI Novel
Black Fridays by Michael Sears

Best PI Paperback Original
And She Was by Alison Gaylin

Best PI Short Story
"Ghost Negligence" by John Shepphird

BEST INDIE PI NOVEL
White Heat by Paul Marks

THE EYE
Loren D. Estleman

2014
Best PI Hardcover
The Good Cop by Brad Parks

Best First PI Novel
Bear is Broken by Lachlan Smith

Best PI Paperback Original
Heart of Ice by P.J. Parrish

Best PI Short Story
"So Long, Chief" by Max Allan Collins & Mickey Spillane

BEST INDIE PI NOVEL
Don't Dare a Dame by M. Ruth Myers

THE HAMMER
Kinsey Millhone by Sue Grafton

2015
Best PI Hardcover
Hounded by David Rosenfelt

Best First PI Novel
Invisible City by Julia Dahl

Best PI Paperback Original
Moonlight Weeps by Vincent Zandri

Best PI Short Story
"Clear Recent History" by Gon Ben Ari

BEST INDIE PI NOVEL
The Shadow Broker by Trace Conger

THE EYE
Parnell Hall

2016
Best PI Hardcover
Brutality by Ingrid Thofts

Best First PI Novel
The Do-Right by Lisa Sandlin

Best PI Paperback Original
Circling the Runway by J.L. Abramo

Best PI Short Story
"The Dead Client" by Parnell Hall

THE EYE
S,J, Rozan

2017

BEST PI HARDCOVER
Where It Hurts by Reed Farrel Coleman

BEST FIRST PI NOVEL
IQ by Joe Ide

BEST ORIGINAL PI PAPERBACK
The Perplexing Theft of the Jewel in the Crown by Vaseem Khan

BEST PI SHORT STORY
"A Battlefield Reunion" by Brendan DuBois (June 2016, AHMM)

THE EYE
Jerry Kennealy

2018

BEST PI HARDCOVER
The Room of White Fire by T. Jefferson Parker

BEST FIRST PI NOVEL
The Last Place You Look by Kristen Lepionka

BEST PI PAPERBACK ORIGINAL
Lights Out Summer by Rich Zahradnik

BEST PI SHORT STORY
"Rosalie Marx is Missing" by Robert S. Levinson
(May/June 2017, Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine)

THE EYE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Walter Mosley

2019

BEST PI HARDCOVER
What You Want to See by Kristen Lepionka

BEST FIRST PI NOVEL
The Best Bad Things by Katrina Carrasco

BEST PI PAPERBACK ORIGINAL
The Questionable Behavior of Dahlia Moss by Max Wirestone

BEST PI SHORT STORY
"Chin Yong-Yun Helps a Fool" by S.J. Rozan
(Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine)

2020 

BEST PI HARDCOVER
Lost Tomorrows by Matt Coyle 

BEST PI PAPERBACK ORIGINAL
Behind the Wall of Sleep by James D.F. Hannah 

BEST PI SHORT STORY
"Sac-A-Lait Man" by O'Neill DeNoux
(Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine) 

2021

BEST PI HARDCOVER
Blind Vigil by Matt Coyle  

BEST FIRST PI NOVEL
The Missing American by Kwei Quartey

BEST PI PAPERBACK ORIGINAL
Brittle Karma by Richard Helms

BEST PI SHORT STORY
"Mustang Sally" by John M. Floyd in
(Black Cat Mystery Magazine)

THE EYE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Michael Z. Lewin

2022

BEST PI HARDCOVER
FAMILY BUSINESS by S. J. Rozan

 BEST ORIGINAL PI PAPERBACK
EVERY CITY IS EVERY OTHER CITY by John McFetridge

 BEST FIRST PI NOVEL
LOST LITTLE GIRL by Gregory Stout

BEST PI SHORT STORY
SWEEPS WEEK by Richard Helms
(July/August EQMM)

2023

BEST PI HARDCOVER
The Wheel of Doll by Jonathan Ames

BEST ORIGINAL PI PAPERBACK
Dead-Bang Fall by J.R. Sanders

Best First PI NOVEL
The Goldenacre by Philip Miller

BEST PI SHORT STORY
"Charlie's Magazine" by Libby Cudmore 
(Lawyers, Guns, and Money: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Music of Warren Zevon)

2024 

BEST PI HARDCOVER
Heart of the Nile by Will Thomas (Minotaur Books)

 BEST ORIGINAL PI PAPERBACK
Liar’s Dice by Gabriel Valjan (Level Best Books)

BEST PI SHORT STORY
“Errand for a Neighbor” by Bill Bassman (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)