These came out a while ago, but I thought I should share them with you.

2004 SHAMUS AWARDS NOMINEES ANNOUNCED

The Private Eye Writers of America (PWA) is proud to announce its nominees for the 2004 Shamus Awards, honoring excellence in the Private Eye writing tradition. Books and short stories first published in 2003 were eligible for consideration. In each work the main character must be a person paid for investigative work but not employed by a unit of government. Thus books and stories about private investigators (licensed and unlicensed), lawyers and reporters who do their own legwork, and other hired agents are eligible; works centering on law enforcement officers or amateur sleuths are not.

PWA was founded in 1981 by Robert J. Randisi. Past Presidents have included Bill Pronzini, Sue Grafton, Sara Paretsky, and Lawrence Block; currently the organization is headed by President SJ Rozan and Vice President Steve Hamilton.

2004 Shamus Nominations:

Best Novel
THE GUARDS by Ken Bruen (St. Martin's Minotaur)
SCAVENGER HUNT by Robert Ferrigno (Pantheon)
BLOOD IS THE SKY by Steve Hamilton (St. Martin'sThomas Dunne Books)
A VISIBLE DARKNESS by Jonathon King (Dutton)
FATAL FLAW by William Lashner (William Morrow)

Best First Novel
SPIKED by Mark Arsenault (Poisoned Pen Press)
LOVERS CROSSING by James C. Mitchell (St. Martin's Press)
BLACK MAPS by Peter Spiegelman (Knopf)

Best Paperback Original
DRAGONFLY BONES by David Cole (Avon)
WET DEBT by Richard Helms (Back Alley)
THICKER THAN WATER by PJ Parrish (Pinnacle)
COLD QUARRY by Andy Straka (Signet)

Best Short Story
"The Rock in the Orange Grove," Mitch Alderman, ALFRED HITCHCOCK'S
MYSTERY MAGAZINE
"Valhalla," Doug Allyn, ELLERY QUEEN'S MYSTERY MAGAZINE
"Munchies," Jack Bludis, HARDBROILED
"Slayer Statute," Janet Dawson, ELLERY QUEEN'S MYSTERY MAGAZINE
"Lady on Ice," Loren D. Estleman, A HOT AND SULTRY NIGHT FOR CRIME

2004 Shamus committee members were:

BEST P.I. NOVEL
J. Michael Blue, Chair
James W. Hall
PJ Parrish

BEST FIRST P.I. NOVEL
Gary Warren Niebuhr, Chair
Reed F. Coleman
Sue Grafton

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL P.I. NOVEL
Mark Troy, chair
Jim Fusilli
Carolina Garcia-Aguilera

BEST P.I. SHORT STORY
Terence Faherty, chair
Jerry Kennealy
Gay Toltl Kinman

The Shamus Awards will be presented in October at PWA's 22nd anniversary banquet, to be held in Toronto, Canada in October 2004.