1998 Derringer Award Results

This incomplete record of the Short Mystery Fiction Society's first Derringer Awards goes as far into the Society's past as possible. Though the group dates back to 1996, our messages before December 1999 were lost when we moved from Lyris to OneList.

With no official record of the word counts considered for the 1998 Derringers, I referred to an online cached copy of Murderous Intent's guidelines and the 1999 Derringers novella category to estimate the word counts of the 1998 winning stories and provide context for the category titles.

Please email me (G_SO at YAHOO dot COM) if you have any information to correct or add.


Best Flash (200–400 words)

• "Curiosity Kills" by Michael Mallory (Murderous Intent, Fall 1997)

Best Short Short (400—1,200 words)

• "Guavaberry Christmas" by Kate Grilley (Murderous Intent, Fall 1997)

Best Short Story (1,200–5,000 words) (Tie)

• "The Adventurers" by Barbara White-Rayczek (Murderous Intent, Winter 1997)
• "L.A. Justice" by Kris Neri (anthologized in Murder by 13, Intrigue Press, November 1998)

Best First Short Story

• "Back Stairs" by Eileen Brosnan (Murderous Intent, Fall 1997)

Best Novella (More than 10,000 words)

• "Image of Conspiracy" by Margo Power (1997, Madison Publishing Co., Vancouver, WA)