Year Category Author Title Result Ref. 1989 Gay M/SF Michael Nava Goldenboy Winner [ 1] Donald Ward Death Takes the Stage Finalist [ 1] Joseph Hansen Obedience Michael Bishop Unicorn Mountain George Baxt Who’s Next Lesb. M/SF Antoinette Azolakov Skiptrace Winner [ 1] Sandy Bayer The Crystal Curtain Finalist [ 1] Dolores Klaich Heavy Gilt Claire McNab Lessons In Murder Judy Grahn Mundane's World 1990 Gay Mys. Mark Richard Zubro Simple Suburban Murder Winner [ 2] Samuel M. Steward Caravaggio Shawl Finalist [ 2] Stan Leventhal Faultlines: Stories of Suspense Michael Nava Finale edited Jeffrey N. McMahan Somewhere in the Night Lesbian Mys. Katherine V. Forrest The Beverly Malibu Winner [ 2] Antoinette Azolakov The Contactees Die Young Finalist [ 2] Barbara Wilson Dog Collar Murders Claire McNab Fatal Reunion Ellen Hart Hallowed Murder 1991 Gay Mys. Michael Nava Howtown Winner [ 3] Stan Leventhal Black Marble Pool Finalist [ 3] Grant Michaels Body To Dye For Joseph Hansen Boy Who Was Buried This Morning Mark Richard Zubro Why Isn’t Becky Twitchell Dead? Lesbian Mys. Barbara Wilson Gaudi Afternoon Winner (tie) [ 3] Lauren Wright Douglas Ninth Life Sarah Dreher A Captive In Time Finalist [ 3] Claire McNab Death Down Under Camarin Grae Slick 1992 Gay Mys. Joseph Hansen A Country of Old Men Winner [ 4] Stan Cutler Best Performance by a Patsy Finalist [ 4] Larry Townsend Master’s Counterpoints Mark Richard Zubro Sorry Now? Stan Cutler The Face on the Cutting Room Floor Lesbian Mys. Katherine V. Forrest Murder by Tradition Winner [ 4] Claire McNab Cop Out Finalist [ 4] Amanda Kyle Williams The Providence File Sandra Scoppetone Everything You Have is Mine Mary Morell Final Session 1993 Gay Mys. Michael Nava The Hidden Law Winner [ 5] Steve Johnson Final Atonement Finalist [ 5] Grant Michaels Love You to Death Larry Townsend One for the Master, Two for the Fool Richard Stevenson Third Man Out Lesbian Mys. Jaye Maiman Crazy for Loving Winner (tie) [ 5] Elizabeth Pincus Two-Bit Tango J. M. Redmann Deaths of Jocasta Finalist [ 5] Nikki Baker Lavender House Murder Ellen Hart Stage Fright 1994 Gay Mys. Steven Saylor Catilina’s Riddle Winner [ 6] Joseph Hansen Bohannon’s Country Finalist [ 6] Grant Michaels Dead On Your Feet George Baxt Mae West Murder Case John Cooke Torsos Lesbian Mys. Mary Wings Divine Victim Winner [ 6] Mabel Maney Case of the Not-So-Nice Nurse Finalist [ 6] Sandra Scoppetone I'll Be Leaving You Always Nikki Baker Long Goodbyes Barbara Wilson Trouble In Transylvania 1995 Gay Mys. John Berendt Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil Winner [ 7] Samuel Delaney Mad Man Finalist [ 7] Grant Michaels Mask for a Diva George Baxt Queer Kind of Love Caleb Carr The Alienist Lesbian Mys. Ellen Hart Small Sacrifice Winner [ 7] Claire McNab Body Guard Finalist [ 7] Mabel Maney Case of the Good-For-Nothing Girlfriend Sandra Scoppetone My Sweet Untraceable You Randye Lordon Sister's Keeper 1996 Gay Mys. R. D. Zimmerman Closet Winner [ 8] Mark Richard Zubro Another Dead Teenager Finalist [ 8] George Baxt Queer Kind of Umbrella Richard Stevenson Shock to the System Steven Saylor The Venus Throw Lesbian Mys. J. M. Redmann The Intersection of Law and Desire Winner [ 8] Jaye Maiman Baby, It's Cold Finalist [ 8] Ellen Hart Faint Praise Elizabeth Pincus Hangdog Hustle Penny Mickelbury Night Songs Jaye Maiman Someone to Watch 1997 Gay Mys. Michael Nava Death of Friends Winner [ 9] Steven Saylor Murder on the Appian Way Finalist [ 9] John Morgan Wilson Simple Justice Grant Michaels Time to Check Out R. D. Zimmerman Tribe Lesbian Mys. Ellen Hart Robber's Wine Winner [ 9] Jackie Manthorne Final Take Finalist [ 9] Claire McNab Inner Circle Katherine V. Forrest Liberty Square 1998 Gay Mys. David Hunt The Magician’s Tale Winner [ 10] Christopher Bram Gossip Finalist [ 10] R. D. Zimmerman Hostage John Morgan Wilson Revision of Justice Michael Nava The Burning Plain Lesbian Mys. Randye Lordon Father Forgive Me Winner [ 10] Katherine V. Forrest Apparition Alley Finalist [ 10] Carole laFavor Evil Dead Center Cynthia Webb No Daughter of the South Jaye Maiman Old Black Magic 1999 Gay Mys. R. D. Zimmerman Outburst Winner [ 11] Grant Michaels Dead as a Doornail Finalist [ 11] Fred Hunter Federal Fag Richard Stevenson Strachey’s Folly Randy Boyd Uprising Lesbian Mys. Nicola Griffith The Blue Place Winner [ 11] Randye Lordon Mother May I Finalist [ 11] Claire McNab Past Due Sarah Dreher Shaman's Moon Ellen Hart Wicked Games 2000 Gay Mys. John Morgan Wilson Justice at Risk Winner [ 12] Mark Zubro Drop Dead Finalist [ 12] R. D. Zimmerman Innuendo Lev Raphael The Death of a Constant Lover Keith Hartman The Gumshoe, the Witch, and the Virtual Corpse Lesbian Mys. Ellen Hart Hunting the Witch Winner [ 12] J. M. Redmann Lost Daughters Finalist [ 12] Clair McNab Murder Undercover Mary Wings She Came in Drag Katherine V. Forrest Sleeping Bones 2001 Gay Mys. John Morgan Wilson The Limits of Justice Winner [ 13] Christopher Rice A Density of Souls Finalist [ 13] Krandall Kraus Love’s Last Chance Michael Craft Name Games Casey Nelson Nothing Gold Can Stay Lesbian Mys. Jean Marcy Mommy Deadest Winner [ 13] Val McDermid Booked for Murder Finalist [ 13] Barbara Wilson The Case of the Orphanned Bassoonists Claire McNab Death Understood Therese Szymanski When Evil Changes Face 2002 Gay Mys. Michael Nava Rag and Bone Winner [ 14] Michael Craft Boy Toy Finalist [ 14] Warren Dunford Making a Killing Mark Richard Zubro Sex and Murder.Com Dorien Grey The Butcher’s Son Lesbian Mys. Ellen Hart Merchant of Venus Winner [ 14] Alex Marcoux Back to Salem Finalist [ 14] Mabel Maney Kiss the Girls and Make Them Spy Pat Welch Moving Targets Lauren Maddison Witchfire 2003 Gay Mys. Christopher Rice The Snow Garden Winner [ 15] [ 16] Michael Craft Hot Spot Finalist [ 16] Greg Herren Murder in the Rue Dauphine Dorien Grey The Hired Man Drew Gummerson The Lodger Lesbian Mys. Elizabeth Woodcraft Good Bad Woman Winner (tie) [ 15] [ 16] Ellen Hart Immaculate Midnight Claire McNab Accidental Murder Finalist [ 16] Heather Dune Macadam The Weeping Buddha Lauren Maddison Death by Prophecy 2004 Gay Mys. John Morgan Wilson Blind Eye Winner [ 17] Greg Herren Bourbon Street Blues Finalist [ 17] Mark Richard Zubro Dead Egotistical Morons Elliott Mackle It Takes Two David Stukas Wearing Black to the White Party Lesbian Mys. Elizabeth Sims Damn Straight Winner [ 17] Baxter Clare Cry Havoc Finalist [ 17] Bett Reece Johnson The Woman Who Found Grace Lauren Maddison Epitaph for an Angel Ida Swearingen Owl of the Desert 2005 Gay Mys. Anthony Bidulka Flight of Aquavit Winner [ 18] Greg Herren Jackson Square Jazz Finalist [ 18] John Morgan Wilson Moth and Flame Gary Zebrun Someone You Know Dorien Grey The Role Players Lesbian Mys. Katherine V. Forrest Hancock Park Winner [ 18] Ellen Hart An Intimate Ghost Finalist [ 18] Jennifer L. Jordan Commitment to Die Claire McNab The Wombat Strategy Mary Vermillion Death by Discount 2006 Gay Mys. D. Travers Scott One of These Things is Not Like the Other Winner [ 19] W. Randy Haynes Cajun Snuff Finalist [ 19] Rick Copp The Actor’s Guide to Greed Dorien Grey The Paper Mirror Michael Allen Dymmoch White Tiger Lesbian Mys. Alicia Gaspar De Alba Desert Blood: The Juarez Murders Winner [ 19] Penny Mickelbury Darkness Descending Finalist [ 19] Ellen Hart The Iron Girl Radclyffe Justice Served Katherine V. Forrest Women of Mystery 2007 Gay Mys. Garry Ryan The Lucky Elephant Restaurant Winner [ 20] Greg Herren Mardi Gras Mambo Finalist [ 20] Randall Peffer Provincetown Follies, Bangkok Blues James Lear The Back Passage Josh Lanyon The Hell You Say Lesbian Mys. Laurie R. King The Art of Detection Winner [ 20] Jessica Thomas The Weekend Visitor Finalist [ 20] Joan Opyr Idaho Code Ellen Hart Night Vision Rose Beecham Sleep of Reason 2008 Gay Mys. Greg Herren Murder in the Rue Chartres Winner [ 21] [ 22] Chris Beakey Double Abduction Finalist [ 22] Caro Soles Drag Queen in the Court of Death Neil Plakcy Mahu Surfer Roberto Ferrari Pierce Anthony Bidulka Stain of the Berry Lesbian Mys. Gabrielle Goldsby Wall of Silence Winner [ 21] [ 22] Gerri Hill In the Name of the Father Finalist [ 22] Ursula Steck Laura's War Ellen Hart Mortal Groove Jennifer L. Jordan Selective Memory 2009 Gay Mys. Scott Sherman First You Fall Winner [ 23] Neil Plakcy Mahu Fire Finalist [ 23] John Morgan Wilson Spider Season Anthony Bidulka Sundowner Ubuntu Stephen Anable The Fisher Boy Lesbian Mys. Josie Gordon Whacked Winner [ 23] Diane Anderson-Minshall Blind Faith Finalist [ 23] Ali Vali Calling the Dead Jessica Thomas Losers Weepers Ellen Hart Sweet Poison 2010 Gay Mys. Michael Thomas Ford What We Remember Winner [ 24] Josh Aterovis All Lost Things Finalist [ 24] Ralph Ashworth Killer of Orchids Greg Herren Murder in the Garden District Rob Byrnes Straight Lies Lesbian Mys. J. M. Redmann Death of a Dying Man Winner [ 24] Paulette Callen Command of Silence Finalist [ 24] Ellen Hart The Mirror and the Mask Joan Opyr From Hell to Breakfast Josie Gordon Toasted 2011 Gay Mys. David Lennon Echoes Winner [ 25] Richard Stevenson Cockeyed Finalist I.E. Woodward Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers Garry Ryan Smoked Greg Herren Vieux Carre Voodoo Lesbian Mys. Val McDermid Fever of the Bone Winner [ 25] Ellen Hart The Cruel Ever After Finalist Kim Baldwin Missing Lynx Stella Duffy Parallel Lies J. M. Redmann Water Mark 2012 Gay Mys. Richard Stevenson Red White Black and Blue Winner [ 26] David Lennon Blue’s Bayou Finalist [ 27] Marshall Thornton Boystown: Three Nick Nowak Mysteries Garry Ryan Malabarista Jess Faraday The Affair of the Porcelain Dog Lesbian Mys. Kim Baldwin Dying to Live Winner [ 26] AJ Quinn Hostage Moon Finalist [ 27] R. E. Bradshaw Rainey Nights: A Rainey Bell Thriller Martha Miller Retirement Plan Val McDermid Trick of the Dark 2013 Gay Mys. Jeffrey Round Lake on the Mountain: A Dan Sharp Mystery Winner [ 28] [ 29] Rod Shelton Bokassa’s Last Apostle Finalist [ 29] Anthony Bidulka Dos Equis Janice Law Fires of London Steve Neil Johnson The Yellow Canary Lesbian Mys. J. M. Redmann Ill Will Winner [ 28] [ 29] C.P. Rowlands Jacob's War Finalist [ 29] Robin Silverman Lemon Reef R. E. Bradshaw Molly: House on Fire Ellen Hart Rest for the Wicked 2014 Gay Mys. Janice Law The Prisoner of the Riviera: A Francis Bacon Mystery Winner [ 30] [ 31] Greg Herren Baton Rouge Bingo Finalist [ 31] Marshall Thornton Boystown 5: Murder Book David Lennon Fierce Garry Ryan Foxed Jonathan Gregory In Real Life, The 3rd Gemini & Flowers Mystery Mark Zubro Pawn of Satan Jon Michaelsen Pretty Boy Dead Sarah Black The General and the Elephant Clock of Al-Jazari Lesbian Mys. Katherine V. Forrest High Desert Winner [ 30] [ 31] Val McDermid Cross and Burn Finalist [ 31] Anne Holt Death of the Demon Laura Antoniou The Killer Wore Leather: A Mystery Ann Roberts Point of Betrayal R. E. Bradshaw The Rainey Season Jean Sheldon She Overheard Murder Ellen Hart Taken by the Wind Jenna Rae Turning on the Tide Diane Wood Web of Obsessions Ian Hamilton The Wild Beasts of Wuhan: An Ava Lee Novel 2015 Gay Mys. Katie Gilmartin Blackmail, My Love: A Murder Mystery Winner [ 32] [ 33] Jameson Currier A Gathering Storm Finalist [ 32] Marshall Thornton Boystown 6: From the Ashes David Swatling Calvin’s Head David Lennon DeadFall Josh Lanyon Fair Game Janice Law Moon Over Tangier Rafe Haze The Next Lesbian Mys. Ellen Hart The Old Deep and Dark Winner [ 32] [ 33] Anne Laughlin The Acquittal Finalist [ 32] Charles Atkins Done to Death Valerie Bronwen Slash and Burn Stevie Mikayne UnCatholic Conduct 2016 Gay Mys. Marshall Thornton Boystown 7: Bloodlines Winner [ 34] [ 35] Jeffrey Round After the Horses Finalist [ 36] Jon Wilson Cheap as Beasts Wallace Godfrey Introducing Sunfish & Starfish: Tropical Drag Queen Detectives Rhys Ford Murder and Mayhem Christopher Bollen Orient Tom Mendicino The Boys from Eighth and Carpenter Robert Karjel The Swede Lesbian Mys. Victoria Brownworth Ordinary Mayhem Winner (tie) [ 34] [ 35] Ann Aptaker Tarnished Gold Ellen Hart The Grave Soul Finalist [ 36] Lee Winter The Red Files Debra Hyde The Tattered Heiress: Volume Two of the Charlotte Olmes Mystery Series Stevie Mikayne Illicit Artifacts Cari Hunter No Good Reason R. E. Bradshaw Relatively Rainey 2017 Gay Mys. J. Aaron Sanders Speakers of the Dead: A Walt Whitman Mystery Winner [ 37] Dal Maclean Bitter Legacy Finalist [ 38] L. A. Fields Homo Superiors Michael Nava Lay Your Sleeping Head Janice Law Nights in Berlin Lesbian Mys. Jessica L. Webb Pathogen Winner [ 37] Jessie Chandler Blood Money Murder Finalist [ 38] Cheryl A. Head Bury Me When I'm Dead Andrea Bramhall Collide-O-Scope Lynn Ames Final Cut Lee Winter Requiem for Immortals Jennifer L. Jordan Under Contract T. L. Hart Walk-in 2018 Gay Mys. Marshall Thornton Night Drop Winner [ 39] [ 40] Marshall Thornton Boystown 10: Gifts Given Finalist [ 41] Kim Fielding Love is Heartless Mark Zubro Ring of Silence Michael Nava Street People C. S. Poe The Mystery of the Curiosities Rhys Ford Tramps and Thieves Kate Sherwood Long Shadows Lesbian Mys. A. E. Radley Huntress Winner [ 39] [ 40] J. M. Redmann The Girl on the Edge of Summer Finalist [ 41] Andrea Bramhall The Last First Time Cari Hunter A Quiet Death Ellen Hart Fever in the Dark Kate Jessica Raphael Murder Under the Fig Tree: A Palestine Mystery Anne Holt Odd Numbers Jessica L. Webb Repercussions 2019 Gay Mys. Marshall Thornton Late Fees: A Pinx Video Mystery Winner [ 42] Joseph Olshan Black Diamond Fall Finalist [ 43] Marshall Thornton Boystown 11: Heart’s Desire David S. Pederson Death Checks In John Copenhaver Dodging and Burning: A Mystery Bud Gundy Somewhere Over Lorain Road Neil S. Plakcy Survival Is a Dying Art: An Angus Green Novel Jeffrey Round The God Game: A Dan Sharp Mystery Lesbian Mys. Claire O'Dell A Study in Honor: A Novel Winner [ 42] Joseph Fink Alice Isn't Dead : A Novel Finalist [ 43] Gerri Hill The Locket Catherine Maiorisi A Matter of Blood Ellen Hart A Whisper of Bones A. Rose Mathieu Secrets of the Last Castle Linda J. Wright Stolen: A Kieran Yeats Mystery 2020 Gay Mys. Michael Nava Carved in Bone: A Henry Rios Novel Winner [ 44] [ 45] [ 46] Michael Craft ChoirMaster: A Mister Puss Mystery Finalist [ 47] [ 48] David S. Pederson Death Takes a Bow Marshall Thornton Rewind Greg Herren Royal Street Reveillon Timothy Jay Smith The Fourth Courier Chris Gill The Nowhere Liam McIlvanney The Quaker Lesbian Mys. Ann McMan Galileo Winner [ 44] [ 45] [ 46] Catherine Maiorisi The Blood Runs Cold Finalist [ 47] [ 48] Claire O'Dell The Hound of Justice Amelia Ellis The Mirror of Muraro Charlotte Greene Gnarled Hollow Ellen Hart Twisted at the Root: A Jane Lawless Mystery 2021 LGBTQ Tom Ryan I Hope You're Listening Winner [ 49] [ 50] [ 51] A. E. Radley Death Before Dessert Finalist [ 52] Cheryl A. Head Find Me When I'm Lost Stephen Spotswood Fortune Favors the Dead Rosalie Knecht Vera Kelly Is Not a Mystery 2022 LGBTQ John Copenhaver The Savage Kind Winner [ 53] P. J. Vernon Bath Haus Finalist [ 54] Jennifer Hanlon Wilde Finding the Vein Michael Nava Lies With Man Stephen Spotswood Murder Under Her Skin 2023 LGBTQ+ Hayley Scrivenor Dirt Creek: A Novel Winner [ 55] David C Dawson A Death in Berlin Finalist [ 56] Joshua Moehling And There He Kept Her Ann McMan Dead Letters from Paradise Lev A. C. Rosen Lavender House 2024 LGBTQ+ Cari Hunter A Calculated Risk Winner [ 57] Don't Forget the Girl Rebecca McKanna Finalist [ 58] The Good Ones Polly Stewart Transitory J. M. Redmann Where the Dead Sleep Joshua Moehling