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Agatha Awards 2012

The 2012 Agatha Awards went to The Haunted Lighthouse by Penny Warner (Best Children's/YA), Lowcountry Boil by Susan M. Boyer (Best First Novel) and Dandy Gilver and an Unsuitable Day for Murder by Catriona McPherson (Best Historical Novel), with winners in 2 more categories. 25 books were nominated across 5 categories.

Winners

Best Children's/YA

  1. The Haunted Lighthouse by Penny Warnersource (opens in a new tab)

Best First Novel

  1. Lowcountry Boil by Susan M. Boyersource (opens in a new tab)

Best Historical Novel

  1. Dandy Gilver and an Unsuitable Day for Murder by Catriona McPhersonsource (opens in a new tab)

Best Nonfiction

  1. Books to Die For by John Connolly and Declan Burkesource (opens in a new tab)

Best Novel

  1. The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Pennysource (opens in a new tab)

Nominees

Best Children's/YA

  1. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Weinsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Liar & Spy by Rebecca Steadsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Seconds Away by Harlan Cobensource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Edge of Nowhere by Elizabeth Georgesource (opens in a new tab)

Best First Novel

  1. A Killer Read by Erika Chasesource (opens in a new tab)
  2. A Scrapbook of Secrets by Mollie Cox Bryansource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Faithful Unto Death by Stephanie Jaye Evanssource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Iced Chiffon by Duffy Brownsource (opens in a new tab)

Best Historical Novel

  1. An Unmarked Grave by Charles Toddsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Elegy for Eddie by Jacqueline Winspearsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Murder on Fifth Avenue by Victoria Thompsonsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Twelve Clues of Christmas by Rhys Bowensource (opens in a new tab)

Best Nonfiction

  1. Blood Relations by Joseph Goodrichsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Double Cross by Ben Macintyresource (opens in a new tab)
  3. More Forensics and Fiction by D. P. Lylesource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Grand Tour by Mathew Prichardsource (opens in a new tab)

Best Novel

  1. A Fatal Winter by G. M. Mallietsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. The Buzzard Table by Margaret Maronsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Diva Digs Up the Dirt by Krista Davissource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Other Woman by Hank Phillippi Ryansource (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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