75th Annual Edgar Allan Poe Award Winners

On April 29, 2021 The Mystery Writers of America announced the winners of the 2021 Edgar Allan Poe Awards.  Video of the live broadcast can be found here.  For more information on the nominees check out our award nominations blog here. 

Winner, Best Novel – Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara 

This novels follows the story of Jai, (a 9 year old who watches too many reality police procedurals) and his friends Pari and Faiz. When a boy at school goes missing they put their skills to the test and try to find him, venturing into dangerous territory – the Indian bazaar at night, and the railway station at the purple line.  As more children continue to disappear the children discover that there is a danger present, and they must face their fears in order to discover the truth. 

Nazanine Hozar (author of Aria) comments "A dazzling journey into the heart of India and its most vulnerable citizens—its impoverished and disenfranchised children. A novel at once brimming with the wonder of childhood innocence, and constrained by the heartache of living amidst injustice and prejudice. Deepa Anappara shows us a modern, dangerously divided India that has long needed to be seen." 

Winner, Best Critical/Biographical - Phantom Lady: Hollywood Producer Joan Harrison, the Forgotten Woman Behind Hitchcock by Christina Lane 

 Joan Harrison started working for Hitchcock when she was 26, and she was the ‘worst secretary he ever had.’  However, she had other talents, and became one of his closest confidant and collaborator, helping to earn him the label of “Master of Suspense.”  

Joan became known as ‘the female Hitchcock’ and was a nominated for an Oscar for as a screenwriter for Rebecca, and went on to produce Alfred Hitchcock Presents. 

An interesting story of a powerhouse woman who was overlooked by history... 

Winner, Best Paperback Original - When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole 

Sydney’s beloved neighbourhood in Brooklyn is undergoing gentrification - new condos popping up everywhere- and friendly neighbourhood faces are disappearing. Sydney  is feeling frustruated, and meets a new friend Theo (and neighbour) on her walking tour.  As they look deeper into the changes they discover there are more than meets the eye with these changes-did their neighbours really move to the suburbs? 

Described by Entertainment Weekly as “Combining the voyeuristic paranoia of Rear Window with the searing social commentary of Get Out, this thriller from Alyssa Cole turns gentrification into fodder for a horror movie.” 

For more award winners, check out our list below: