The Mystery Writers of America announced the winners of three special awards on Friday, honoring author Barbara Neely, publisher Kelley Ragland, and mystery convention Left Coast Crime.
Neely, known for her novels featuring maid and detective Blanche White (Blanche on the Lam, Blanche Cleans Up) won the organization’s Grand Master Award. The MWA praised Neely for addressing “themes and issues that extend beyond mystery and into political and social commentary.”
Previous winners of the Grand Master Award include Sue Grafton, Stephen King, Walter Mosley, and Agatha Christie.
The group chose Ragland, the associate publisher and editorial director of Minotaur Books, to receive its Ellery Queen Award, given to “outstanding people in the mystery-publishing industry.” Ragland has worked with authors including Jeffrey Archer, Chelsea Cain ,and Charlaine Harris.
“My work with mystery authors at Minotaur Books ...and within the mystery community—what I have always found to be the most supportive, generous, and dedicated slice of the publishing world—is a source of great joy to me,” Ragland said in a statement.
Left Coast Crime received the MWA’s Raven Award, which “recognizes outstanding achievement in the mystery field outside the realm of creative writing.” The convention was first held in 1991, and takes place each year in a city in the western United States.
The convention joins a list of previous winners including literary critic Marilyn Stasio, magazine publishers Jon and Ruth Jordan, and San Diego bookstore The Mysterious Galaxy.
Michael Schaub is an Austin, Texas–based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.