One of my duties at the New Ulm Public Library (NUPL) is selecting and purchasing Adult Fiction books. I use many tools to decide what to buy but I find curated lists to be some of the most helpful. So, when I saw that the Mystery Writers of America had announced the 2023 Edgar Allan Poe Award Nominations and had a list posted on their website, I was excited. Not only did I want to make sure I hadn’t missed adding a choice book to the library’s collection, I also wanted the information to use for readers’ advisory.

Celebrated yearly in honor of writer Edgar Allan Poe, The Edgar Allan Poe Awards honor the best in mystery fiction, nonfiction and television published and produced in 2022. Because a high percentage of library users nationwide–and in New Ulm–love a good mystery, I decided to share titles from three categories of the award nominees. All of the included titles are available at NUPL or regionally in the Traverse des Sioux Library System. Stop by the library, the NUPL website www.newulmlibrary.org, or give us a call to place a hold on any of these titles.

Best Novel

Devil House by John Darnielle

Like a Sister by Kellye Garrett

Gangland by Chuck Hogan

The Devil Takes You Home by Gabino Iglesias

Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka

The Maid by Nita Prose

Best First Novel by American Author

Jackal by Erin E. Adams

Don’t Know Tough by Eli Cranor

Shutter by Ramona Emerson

More Than You’ll Ever Know by Katie Gutierrez

Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li

The Lillian Jackson Brown Memorial Award

The Shadow of Memory by Connie Berry

Buried in a Good Book by Tamara Berry

Smile Beach Murder by Alicia Bessette

Desert Getaway by Michael Craft

The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood

See the entire list at www.mysterywriters.org

New Ulm Public Library is located at 17 N Broadway and is open Monday-Thursday from 9:30 a.m.-8 p.m. and Friday-Saturday from 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. The Library will be closed Monday, February 20 for President’s Day.

For more information on library events and hours, visit www.newulmlibrary.org and choose Library Events.