Bouchercon is an annual convention of creators and devotees of mystery and detective fiction.^[1] It is named in honour of writer, reviewer, and editor Anthony Boucher, who is also the inspiration for the Anthony Awards, which have been issued at the convention since 1986.^[2] This page details Bouchercon XL and the 24th Anthony Awards ceremony.

Bouchercon

The convention was held in Indianapolis, Indiana on October 15, 2009; running until the 18th. The event was chaired by critical / non-fiction writer and owner of The Mystery Company bookshop Jim Huang;^[3] and Mike Bursaw, owner of the Indianapolis "Mystery Mike's" book store.^[4]

Special Guests

• Lifetime Achievement award — Allen J. Hubin
• Guest of Honor — Michael Connelly
• Toastmaster — S. J. Rozan
• Honored Youth Author — Wendelin Van Draanen
• Fan Guest of Honor — Kathryn Kennison

Anthony Awards

The following list details the awards distributed at the twenty-fourth annual Anthony Awards ceremony, located at the Hilbert Circle Theatre.^[5][6]

Novel award

Winner:

• Michael Connelly, The Brass Verdict

Shortlist:

• Sean Chercover, Trigger City
• William Kent Krueger, Red Knife
• Stieg Larsson, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
• Louise Penny, The Cruelest Month

First novel award

Winner:

• Stieg Larsson, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Shortlist:

• Rosemary Harris, Pushing Up Daisies
• Julie Kramer, Stalking Susan
• G. M. Malliet, Death of a Cozy Writer
• Tom Rob Smith, Child 44

Paperback original award

Winner:

• Julie Hyzy, State of the Onion

Shortlist:

• Max Allan Collins, The First Quarry
• Christa Faust, Money Shot
• Vicki Lane, In a Dark Season
• P. J. Parrish, South of Hell

Short story award

Winner:

• Sean Chercover, "A Sleep Not Unlike Death", from Hardcore Hardboiled

Shortlist:

• Dana Cameron, "The Night Things Changed", from Wolfsbane and Mistletoe
• Jane K. Cleland, "Killing Time", from Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine November 2008
• Toni L. P. Kelner, "Skull and Cross-Examinations", from Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine February 2008
• Laura Lippman, "Scratch a Woman", from Hardly Knew Her
• Kristine Kathryn Rusch, "The Secret Lives of Cats", from Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine July 2008

Critical / Non-fiction award

Winner:

• Jeffrey Marks, Anthony Boucher: A Biobibliography

Shortlist:

• Frankie Y. Bailey, African American Mystery Writers: A Historical and Thematic Study
• Kathy Lynn Emerson, How to Write Killer Historical Mysteries
• Kate Summerscale, The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective

Young adult award

Winner:

• Chris Grabenstein, The Crossroads

Shortlist:

• John Green, Paper Towns
• Lauren Henderson, Kiss Me, Kill Me
• Trenton Lee Stewart, The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey
• Wendelin Van Draanen, Sammy Keyes and the Cold Hard Cash

Cover art award

Winner:

• Peter Mendelsund; for Stieg Larsson, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Shortlist:

• David Rotstein; for Linda L. Richards, Death Was the Other Woman
• David Rotstein; for Elizabeth Zelvin, Death Will Get You Sober
• David Rotstein; for Louise Ure, The Fault Tree
• Steve Cooley; for Christa Faust, Money Shot

Special service award

Winner:

• Jon Jordan and Ruth Jordan, Crimespree Magazine

Shortlist:

• Ali Karim, Shots magazine
• David Montgomery
• Gary Warren Niebuhr
• Sarah Weinman