Nero Award
Encyclopedia
The Nero Award is a literary award for excellence in the mystery genre presented by The Wolfe Pack, a society founded in 1978 to explore and celebrate the Nero Wolfe
stories of Rex Stout
. The Nero Award is presented annually at the Black Orchid Banquet, traditionally held on the first Saturday in December in New York City.
Nero Wolfe
Nero Wolfe is a fictional detective, created in 1934 by the American mystery writer Rex Stout. Wolfe's confidential assistant Archie Goodwin narrates the cases of the detective genius. Stout wrote 33 novels and 39 short stories from 1934 to 1974, with most of them set in New York City. Wolfe's...
stories of Rex Stout
Rex Stout
Rex Todhunter Stout was an American writer noted for his detective fiction. Stout is best known as the creator of the larger-than-life fictional detective Nero Wolfe, described by reviewer Will Cuppy as "that Falstaff of detectives." Wolfe's assistant Archie Goodwin recorded the cases of the...
. The Nero Award is presented annually at the Black Orchid Banquet, traditionally held on the first Saturday in December in New York City.
Winners
- 1979 – The Burglar Who Liked to Quote Kipling by Lawrence BlockLawrence BlockLawrence Block is an acclaimed contemporary American crime writer best known for two long-running New York–set series, about the recovering alcoholic P.I. Matthew Scudder and gentleman burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr, respectively...
- 1980 – Burn This by Helen McCloyHelen McCloyHelen McCloy , pseudonym Helen Clarkson, was an American mystery writer, whose series character Dr. Basil Willing debuted in Dance of Death . Willing believes, that "every criminal leaves psychic fingerprints, and he can't wear gloves to hide them." He appeared in 13 of McCloy's novels and in...
- 1981 – Death in a Tenured Position by Carolyn Gold HeilbrunCarolyn Gold HeilbrunCarolyn Gold Heilbrun was an American academic and prolific feminist author of both important academic studies and popular mystery novels under the pen name of Amanda Cross....
(writing as Amanda Cross) - 1982 – Past, Present and Murder by Hugh PentecostJudson PhilipsJudson Pentecost Philips was an American writer who wrote more than 100 mystery and detective novels under the pseudonyms Hugh Pentecost and Philip Owen, as well as under his own name...
- 1983 – The Anodyne Necklace by Martha GrimesMartha GrimesMartha Grimes is an American author of detective fiction.She was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to William Dermit Grimes, Pittsburgh's city solicitor, and to June Dunnington, who owned the Mountain Lake Hotel in Western Maryland where Martha and her brother spent much of their childhood. Grimes...
- 1984 – Emily Dickinson is Dead by Jane LangtonJane LangtonJane Gillson Langton is an American mystery writer and author of children's literature.-Biography:Langton was born in Boston, Massachusetts. She studied astronomy at Wellesley College and the University of Michigan, receiving a bachelor's degree in 1944. She received an M.A. in art history from...
- 1985 – Sleeping Dog by Dick Lochte
- 1986 – Murder in E MinorMurder in E MinorMurder in E Minor is a 1986 Nero Wolfe novel written by Robert Goldsborough. The action takes place in New York City, primarily New York County, better known as Manhattan....
by Robert GoldsboroughRobert Goldsborough (author)Robert Gerald Goldsborough is an American author of mystery novels.Goldborough grew up in the Chicago area. Although he worked for 45 years for the Chicago Tribune and Advertising Age, he first came to prominence in the 1980s with the publication, with the approval of the estate of Rex Stout, of... - 1987 – The Corpse in Oozak’s Pond by Charlotte MacLeodCharlotte MacLeod- Life and work :Born in Bath, New Brunswick, Canada, in 1922, Charlotte MacLeod emigrated to the United States in 1923, and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1951. She attended the Art Institute of Boston. During the late 1940s and early 1950s, she worked as a copy writer for Stop and Shop...
- 1988 – no award presented
- 1989 – no award presented
- 1990 – no award presented
- 1991 – Coyote WaitsCoyote WaitsCoyote Waits is a novel by Tony Hillerman. It was adapted as a TV film, which aired in 2003.-Coyote Waits :The plot involves rock formation vandalism, a dead policeman, an elderly Navajo accused of his murder, a bottle of expensive scotch, and a book on Navajo witchcraft beliefs.This book...
by Tony HillermanTony HillermanTony Hillerman was an award-winning American author of detective novels and non-fiction works best known for his Navajo Tribal Police mystery novels... - 1992 – A Scandal in Belgravia by Robert BarnardRobert BarnardRobert Barnard is an English crime writer, critic and lecturer.- Life and work :Born in Essex, Barnard was educated at the Colchester Royal Grammar School and at Balliol College in Oxford....
- 1993 – Booked To Die by John DunningJohn Dunning (writer)John Dunning is an American writer of non-fiction and detective fiction. He is known for his reference books on old-time radio and his series of mysteries featuring Denver bookseller and ex-policeman Cliff Janeway.- Life :...
- 1994 – Old Scores by Aaron ElkinsAaron ElkinsAaron Elkins is an American mystery writer. He is best known for his series of novels featuring forensic anthropologist Gideon Oliver—the 'skeleton detective'.Education and background:...
- 1995 – She Walks These Hills by Sharyn McCrumbSharyn McCrumbSharyn McCrumb is an American writer whose books celebrate the history and folklore of Appalachia. McCrumb is the winner of numerous literary awards, and the author of the Elizabeth McPherson series, the Ballad series, and the St...
- 1996 – A Monstrous Regiment of WomenA Monstrous Regiment of WomenA Monstrous Regiment of Women is the second book in the Mary Russell series of mystery novels by Laurie R. King.-Explanation of the novel's title:...
by Laurie R. KingLaurie R. KingLaurie R. King is an American author best known for her detective fiction. Among her books are the Mary Russell series of historical mysteries, featuring Sherlock Holmes as her mentor and later partner, and a series featuring Kate Martinelli, a fictional lesbian San Francisco, California, police... - 1997 – The PoetThe Poet (novel)The Poet is a novel written by award-winning American author Michael Connelly. It was first published in 1996; a sequel, The Narrows, was published in 2004. The Poet won the 1997 Dilys Award....
by Michael ConnellyMichael ConnellyMichael Connelly is an American author of detective novels and other crime fiction, notably those featuring LAPD Detective Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch and criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller. His books, which have been translated into 36 languages, have garnered him many awards... - 1998 – Sacred by Dennis LehaneDennis LehaneDennis Lehane is an American author. He has written several award-winning novels, including A Drink Before the War and the New York Times bestseller Mystic River, which was later made into an Academy Award-winning film. Another novel, Gone, Baby, Gone, was also adapted into an Academy...
- 1999 – The Bone CollectorThe Bone Collector (book)The Bone Collector is a 1997 novel by Jeffery Deaver.The book introduces the character of Lincoln Rhyme, a quadriplegic forensic criminalist.- Plot Overview :...
by Jeffery DeaverJeffery DeaverJeffery Deaver is an American mystery/crime writer. He has a bachelor of journalism degree from the University of Missouri and a law degree from Fordham University and originally started working as a journalist. He later practiced law before embarking on a successful career as a best-selling... - 2000 – Coyote Revenge by Fred Harris
- 2001 – Sugar House by Laura LippmanLaura LippmanLaura Lippman is an American author of detective fiction.-Biography:Lippmann was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. She is the daughter of Theo Lippman Jr., a well known and respected writer at the Baltimore Sun, and Madeline Lippman, a retired school librarian for the...
- 2002 – The Deadhouse by Linda FairsteinLinda FairsteinLinda Fairstein is an American feminist author and former prosecutor focusing on crimes of violence against women and children. She served as head of the sex crimes unit of the Manhattan District Attorney's office from 1976 until 2002 and is the author of a series of novels featuring Manhattan...
- 2003 – Winter and Night by S.J. Rozan
- 2004 – Fear Itself by Walter MosleyWalter MosleyWalter Ellis Mosley is an American novelist, most widely recognized for his crime fiction. He has written a series of best-selling historical mysteries featuring the hard-boiled detective Easy Rawlins, a black private investigator and World War II veteran living in the Watts neighborhood of Los...
- 2005 – The EnemyThe Enemy (novel)The prequel, The Enemy is the eighth book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child.-Plot introduction:In the last hours of 1989, two-star Army General Ken Kramer is in a North Carolina motel when he dies of a fatal heart attack...
by Lee ChildLee ChildJim Grant , better known by his pen name Lee Child, is a British thriller writer. His wife Jane is a New Yorker, and they currently live in New York state. His first novel, Killing Floor, won the Anthony Award for Best First Novel.... - 2006 – Vanish by Tess GerritsenTess GerritsenTess Gerritsen, M.D., is a Chinese-American novelist and retired physician. Her first name is really Terry; she decided to feminize it when she was a writer of romance novels.-Early life:...
- 2007 – All Mortal Flesh by Julia Spencer-FlemingJulia Spencer-FlemingJulia Spencer-Fleming is an American novelist.She lives in Maine with her husband, 3 children, a dog, and two cats.-Rev. Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne series :...
- 2008 – Anatomy of Fear by Jonathan Santlofer
- 2009 - The Tenth Case by Joseph Teller
- 2010 - Faces of the Gone by Brad Parks
External links
- Guidelines for the Nero Award for Best Mystery Fiction at The Wolfe Pack, the official site of the Nero Wolfe Society