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Agatha Awards 2020

The 2020 Agatha Awards went to Holly Hernandez and the Death of Disco by Richie Narvaez (Best Children's/YA), All the Devils Are Here by Louise Penny (Best Contemporary Novel) and Murder at the Mena House by Erica Ruth Neubauer (Best First Novel), with winners in 2 more categories. 25 books were nominated across 5 categories.

Winners

Best Children's/YA

  1. Holly Hernandez and the Death of Disco by Richie Narvaezsource (opens in a new tab)

Best Contemporary Novel

  1. All the Devils Are Here by Louise Pennysource (opens in a new tab)

Best First Novel

  1. Murder at the Mena House by Erica Ruth Neubauersource (opens in a new tab)

Best Historical Novel

  1. The Last Mrs. Summers by Rhys Bowensource (opens in a new tab)

Best Nonfiction

  1. Phantom Lady: Hollywood Producer Joan Harrison, the Forgotten Woman Behind Hitchcock by Christina Lanesource (opens in a new tab)

Nominees

Best Children's/YA

  1. From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Markssource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Midnight at the Barclay Hotel by Fleur Bradleysource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Premeditated Myrtle by Elizabeth C. Buncesource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Saltwater Secrets by Cindy Callaghansource (opens in a new tab)

Best Contemporary Novel

  1. From Beer to Eternity by Sherry Harrissource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Murder in the Bayou Boneyard by Ellen Byronsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Gift of the Magpie by Donna Andrewssource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Lucky One by Lori Rader-Daysource (opens in a new tab)

Best First Novel

  1. A Spell for Trouble by Esme Addisonsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Derailed by Mary Keliikoasource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Murder Most Sweet by Laura Jensen Walkersource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Winter Witness by Tina deBellegardesource (opens in a new tab)

Best Historical Novel

  1. A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Murder by Dianne Freemansource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Taken Too Soon by Edith Maxwellsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Fate of a Flapper by Susanna Calkinssource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Turning Tide by Catriona McPhersonsource (opens in a new tab)

Best Nonfiction

  1. American Sherlock: Murder, Forensics, and the Birth of American CSI by Kate Winkler Dawsonsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. H.R.F. Keating: A Life of Crime by Sheila Mitchellsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Howdunit: A Masterclass in Crime Writing by Members of the Detection Club by Martin Edwardssource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Sometimes You Have to Lie: The Life and Times of Louise Fitzhugh, Renegade Author of Harriet the Spy by Leslie Brodysource (opens in a new tab)

About the Agatha Awards

Book categories only, from Malice Domestic's Agatha Awards history archive PDF (malicedomestic.net; the old malicedomestic.org site no longer loads) and its MD36 (2024) and MD37 (2025) pages. Year follows Malice Domestic's own label: through 2020 the label is the books' publication year; from 2022 it is the convention year (the 2021-published books were honored in 2022, labeled 2022), so no award carries the 2021 label and 2021 counts are zero. Best Novel became Best Contemporary Novel in 2013; Best Historical Novel starts 2011. The archive lists fewer than five nominees in some years (e.g. 2006-2007 Nonfiction, 2007 First Novel, 2018 Children's/YA). The archive does not mark 2006-2017 winners; those come from Wikipedia's Agatha Award article. The PDF drops some ligature letters, so titles and names were repaired against Wikipedia.

Organization: Malice Domestic. Years are award years, which can differ from publication years. Official site (opens in a new tab)

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