The 2024 International Thriller Award Finalists in
seven categories have been announced. SMFS list member Smita Harish Jain reported
that she is a finalist in the “Best Short Story” category for her tale, “An
Honorable Choice.” (Black
Cat Weekly #96)
Winners will be announced at the annual ThrillerFest in
June in New York City. For more information, including the full list of all the
finalists this year, go to the International Thriller Writers website.
SMFS list member Smita Harish Jain’s short story, An
Honorable Choice, is published in Black Cat Weekly #96. Published by
Wildside Press, the issue is available here
in digital format.
Website Description:
Our 96th issue introduces some new contributors to the
magazine—Smita Harish Jain (with an original mystery, thanks to Acquiring
Editor Michael Bracken) and Naomi Hirahara (with a riveting reprint mystery,
courtesy of Acquiring Editor Barb Goffman). Also on the mystery front, we have
a pair of British classics: a Sexton Blake detective story by Hal Meredith and
a novel by William Le Queux.
When it comes to fantasy and science fiction, we’ve
achieved an appealing balance. Adrian Cole and Henry S. Whitehead deliver two
distinctly different nautically-themed stories. Also featured is Robert E.
Howard’s eerie tale, “The Dream Snake.” (The Whitehead and Howard pieces
originated from Weird Tales, and Cole’s work could easily have found a home
within its pages.) Complementing the mix are science fiction stories by Arthur
Leo Zagat and Russ Winterbotham, both prolific during the Golden Age.
Here’s the complete lineup:
Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure:
“An Honorable Choice,” by Smita Harish Jain [Michael
Bracken Presents short story]
“The Case of the Taken Trophy,” by Hal Charles
[Solve-It-Yourself Mystery]
“Off the 405,” by Naomi Hirahara [Barb Goffman
Presents short story]
“The Empty Tin,” by Hal Meredith [short story, Sexton
Blake series]
The Gamblers, by William Le Queux [novel]
Science Fiction & Fantasy:
“Running with the Tide,” by Adrian Cole [short story]
“Sea Change,” by Henry S. Whitehead [short story]
“The Dream Snake,” by Robert E. Howard [short story]
“No Escape from Destiny” by Arthur Leo Zagat [novella]
The Red Planet, by Russ Winterbotham [novel]
The 2023 International Thriller Award Finalists in
seven categories have been announced. Again this year, SMFS list members are
represented in the “Best Short Story” category. Those members are:
Barb Goffman for “The Gift.” (Land
of 10,000 Thrills: Bouchercon Anthology 2022, Down & Out Books)
Smita Harish Jain for "Publish or Perish.” (Ellery
Queen’s Mystery Magazine: September/October 2022)
Josh Pachter’s translation of Dominique Biebau's short
story, "Russian for Beginners." (Ellery
Queen’s Mystery Magazine: March/April 2022)
Anna Scotti for "Schrödinger, Cat" (Ellery
Queen’s Mystery Magazine: March/April 2022)
Winners will be announced at ThrillerFest XVIII
on Saturday, June 3rd, in New York City. For more information,
including the full list of all the finalists this year, go to the International
Thriller Writers website.
#10 G.M. Malliet -
“The White Star”
#9 Steve Hockensmith - “Curious Incidents”
#7 Smita Harish Jain - “The Fraud of Dionysus”
#6 Joseph Walker - “The Last Man in Lafarge”
#5 Anna Scotti - “No Legacy So Rich”
#4 David Dean - “A Season of Night”
#2 Bill McCormick - “Demon in the Depths”
#1 Karen Harrington - “Boo Radley College Prep”
Daniel Bartlett. "A Complicated History."
Michael Bracken. "Dead Man's Gorge."
Joseph Goodrich. "A Philosophical Difference."
Karen Harrington. "Lucky Stars."
Smita Harish Jain. "The Manglik Curse."
Sharyn Kolberg. “The Thesaurus of Love and Death.”
Sylvia Warsh. "The Natural Order of Things."
Smita Harish Jain. "The Fraud of Dionysus."
Richard Helms. "Sweeps Week."
G. M. Malliet. "The White Star."
Gigi Pandian. "The Locked Room Library."
Joseph S. Walker. "The Last Man in LaFarge."