Mystery Writers of America recently announced this year’s Grand Masters, along with the Raven Award and Ellery Queen Award winners.
Congratulations to the new Grand Masters, Laura Lippman and John Sandford. If you’re not yet fans of these authors, check the Webstore for copies of their books. https://store.poisonedpen.com/
The 2025 Raven Award goes to Face in a Book bookstore in El Dorado Hills, California.
Peter Wolverton, Senior Editor at St. Martin’s Press, is the recipient of the Ellery Queen Award.
Congratulations to the winners of these prestigious awards!
Here is the press release from MWA.
MWA Announces 2025 Grand Masters, Raven & Ellery Queen Award Recipients
Celebrates 80th Anniversary in 2025
January 15, 2025 —New York, NY—Today Mystery Writers of America (MWA) announces the recipients of its special awards. The board chose Laura Lippman and John Sandford as the 2025 Grand Masters, the 2025 Raven Award recipient is Face in a Book Bookstore & Gifts, and Peter Wolverton of St. Martin’s Publishing Group will receive the Ellery Queen Award. They will accept their awards at the 79th Annual Edgar Awards Ceremony, which will be held May 1, 2025, at the Marriott Marquis Times Square in New York City.
“Laura Lippman’s contributions to the mystery genre—as a writer, a teacher, and a role model for aspiring writers—especially women writers—make her a wonderful choice for Mystery Writers of America’s Grand Master,” said MWA Executive Vice President Donna Andrews. “And, as someone who’s been a fan of John Sandford since the first few pages of Rules of Prey, I’m overjoyed to see him getting the well-deserved recognition of being named MWA Grand Master.”
MWA’s Grand Master Award represents the pinnacle of achievement in mystery writing and was established to acknowledge important contributions to this genre, as well as for a body of work that is both significant and of consistent high quality.
On being notified of the honor, Laura Lippman said, “It was a little humbling how many cliches rushed into my brain when I found out I was to be named a Grand Master by Mystery Writers of America. Things like ‘This is a dream come true!’ and ‘I can’t believe this is happening!’ were, alas, my initial responses. And even now that I’ve been given some time to absorb the news—it still feels like a dream come true. I have always been proud to be associated with the crime-writing community and MWA, both of which have given me so much over the past three decades. Truly—obviously—words fail me.”
Lippman is a New York Times best-selling novelist who has been named one of the “essential” crime writers of the last 100 years. She has published 25 novels, two short story collections, a book of essays, and one children’s book. Her work has won or been shortlisted for every major prize given to crime novelists working in English. A limited series, based on her 2019 novel Lady in the Lake, aired on AppleTV in 2024. She lives in Baltimore and New Orleans.
Sandford is the pseudonym for the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist John Camp. He is the author of 35 Prey novels, the Kidd novels, the Virgil Flowers novels, and six other books, including three YA novels co-authored with his wife Michele Cook. Camp won the Pulitzer Prize in journalism in 1986 and was one of four finalists for the prize in 1980. He also was the winner of the Distinguished Writing Award of the American Society of Newspaper Editors for 1985.
On learning of the honor, Sandford said, “Believe me when I say I’m extremely flattered to be included in the company of so many great storytellers, people I’ve read and admired for years. My thanks to the MWA and all its members.”
Previous Grand Masters include Katherine Hall Page, R.L. Stine, Michael Connelly, Joanne Fluke, Laurie R. King, Charlaine Harris, Jeffery Deaver, Barbara Neely, Martin Cruz Smith, William Link, Peter Lovesey, Walter Mosley, Lois Duncan, James Ellroy, Robert Crais, Ken Follett, Sara Paretsky, James Lee Burke, Sue Grafton, Stephen King, Ira Levin, Mary Higgins Clark, Lawrence Block, P.D. James, Ellery Queen, Daphne du Maurier, Alfred Hitchcock, Graham Greene, and Agatha Christie, to name a few.
The Raven Award recognizes outstanding achievement in the mystery field outside the realm of creative writing. For 2025, Mystery Writers of America selected Face in a Book in El Dorado Hills, CA.
“We are utterly shocked, humbled and delighted to learn that Face in a Book is receiving the Raven Award from the Mystery Writers of America,” Tina Ferguson, store owner, said. “Face in a Book is proud to celebrate over a decade of dedicated service to the literary community. Since opening its doors in 2012, the bookstore has worked tirelessly to create a vibrant, welcoming space for both mystery writers and readers. Through special events, author signings, and a curated selection of mystery novels, Face in a Book has become a hub for fans of the genre to connect, discover, and dive deep into the thrilling world of whodunits, exotic locations, and complex characters.”
Previous Raven Award recipients include Crime Writers of Color, Eddie Muller, Lesa Holstine, Malice Domestic, Left Coast Crime, Marilyn Stasio, The Raven Bookstore, BOLO Books, Dru Ann Love, Sisters in Crime, and Oline Cogdill.
The Ellery Queen Award was established in 1983 to honor “outstanding writing teams and outstanding people in the mystery-publishing industry.” This year the Board chose to honor Peter Wolverton, who began his career 35 years ago at St. Martin’s Press. In that time, Wolverton has held many roles—from Editor to Associate Publisher to Editorial Director and now Executive Editor and Vice President—publishing many amazing authors such as John Hart, Donna Andrews, Arnaldur Indridason, Julia Spencer-Fleming and many, many more.
On learning he would receive the Ellery Queen Award, Wolverton said, “Mysteries have been a part of my publishing career from the first day I joined St. Martin’s and I was blessed to have Ruth Cavin and Tom Dunne as mentors. 35 years later it’s amazing to me that I’m joining Ruth and my great colleague Kelley Ragland as a recipient of the Ellery Queen Award. Mysteries forever!”
Previous Ellery Queen Award winners include Michaela Hamilton, The Strand Magazine, Juliet Grames, Reagan Arthur, Kelley Ragland, Linda Landrigan, Neil Nyren, Charles Ardai, and Janet Hutchings.
“Working with Pete Wolverton for nearly twenty years has given me a deep appreciation for his skill as an editor and his passion for the crime fiction genre,” Andrews said. “How lovely to see him recognized with the Ellery Queen Award.”
The Edgar Awards, or “Edgars,” as they are commonly known, are named after MWA’s patron saint Edgar Allan Poe and are presented to authors of distinguished work in various categories. MWA is the premier organization for mystery writers, professionals allied to the crime-writing field, aspiring crime writers, and those who are devoted to the genre. The organization encompasses some 3,000 members including authors of fiction and nonfiction books, screen and television writers, as well as publishers, editors, and literary agents. For more information on Mystery Writers of America, please visit the website: www.mysterywriters.org