Australians shortlisted in 2026 Edgar Awards

Australian authors are among the finalists in this year’s Edgar Allan Poe Awards, presented by Mystery Writers of America.

Charlotte McConaghy’s Wild Dark Shore (Penguin) was shortlisted for Best Novel, while Judith Rossell’s The Midwatch Institute for Wayward Girls (HGCP) was shortlisted for the Best Juvenile Award. Sulari Gentill’s Five Found Dead (Ultimo) is a finalist for the Simon & Schuster Mary Higgins Clark Award.

Matthew Spencer’s Broke Road (A&U) and Vikki Wakefield’s The Backwater (Poisoned Pen) were shortlisted for the Best Paperback Original.

The full shortlist is available on the Mystery Writers of America website.

Spencer said, “Publisher Grace Doyle and her team at Thomas & Mercer in Seattle worked so hard on Broke Road, in collaboration with Cate Paterson and everyone at Allen & Unwin. It’s very gratifying to see the book acknowledged in this way in the United States.”

The 2026 Edgar Allan Poe Awards celebrate the 217th anniversary of the birth of Edgar Allan Poe and honour “the best in mystery fiction, nonfiction and television published or produced in 2025”. Winners will be announced in New York on 29 April 2026.

Category: Awards Local news