Bouchercon is an annual convention of creators and devotees of mystery and detective fiction. It is named in honour of writer, reviewer, and editor Anthony Boucher; also the inspiration for the Anthony Awards, which have been issued at the convention since 1986. This page details Bouchercon XLVI and the 2015 Anthony Awards ceremony.^[1]

Bouchercon

The convention was held at Raleigh, North Carolina from 8–11 October 2015. The event was chaired by Al Abramson.

Special guests

• Lifetime Achievement: Margaret Maron
• American Guests of Honor: Dr. Kathy Reichs & Tom Franklin
• International Guests of Honor: Zoë Sharp & Allan Guthrie
• Toastmasters: Lori Armstrong & Sean Doolittle
• Local Guest of Honor: Sarah Shaber
• Fan Guests of Honor: Lucinda Surber & Stan Ulrich
• The David Thompson Memorial Special Service Award: Bill and Toby Gottfried

Anthony Awards

The following list details the awards distributed at the 2015 annual Anthony Awards ceremony.^[2]

Best Novel

Winner:

• Laura Lippman, After I’m Gone

Shortlist:

• Joe Clifford, Lamentation
• Tana French, The Secret Place
• Louise Penny, The Long Way Home
• Hank Phillippi Ryan - Truth Be Told

Best First Novel

Winner:

• Lori Rader-Day, The Black Hour

Shortlist:

• Kristi Belcamino, Blessed Are the Dead
• M.P. Cooley, Ice Shear
• Julia Dahl, Invisible City
• Allen Eskens, The Life We Bury

Best Paperback Original

Winner:

• Catriona McPherson, The Day She Died

Shortlist:

• Alison Gaylin, Stay With Me
• Alex Marwood, The Killer Next Door
• Ben H. Winters, World of Trouble
• James W. Ziskin, No Stone Unturned

Best Critical Non-fiction Work

Winner:

• Hank Phillippi Ryan, Writes of Passage: Adventures on the Writer’s Journey

Shortlist:

• Charles Brownson, The Figure of the Detective: A Literary History and Analysis
• Kate Clark Flora, Death Dealer: How Cops and Cadaver Dogs Brought a Killer to Justice
• Dru Ann Love, Dru’s Book Musings
• J.W. Ocker, Poe-Land: The Hallowed Haunts of Edgar Allan Poe

Best Short Story

Winner:

• Art Taylor, “The Odds Are Against Us” from Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine

Shortlist:

• Craig Faustus Buck, “Honeymoon Sweet” from Murder at the Beach: The Bouchercon Anthology 2014
• Barb Goffman, "The Shadow Knows” from Chesapeake Crimes: Homicidal Holidays
• Paul D. Marks, “Howling at the Moon” Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Nov 2014
• John Shepphird, “Of Dogs and Deceit” from Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Nov 2014

Best Anthology or Collection

Winner:

• Laurie R. King & Leslie S. Klinger, In the Company of Sherlock Holmes: Stories Inspired by the Holmes Canon

Shortlist:

• David Baldacci, FaceOff
• Dana Cameron, Murder at the Beach: The Bouchercon Anthology 2014
• Joe Clifford, Trouble in the Heartland: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Bruce Springsteen
• Karen Pullen, Carolina Crimes: 19 Tales of Love, Lust, and Longing