Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine released the results of its 2019 Readers Award poll, and I’m thrilled with this year’s winner—David Dean’s “The Duelist,” my own favorite story of the year—and finalists: stories by Paul D. Marks, Doug Allyn, and G.M. Malliet, all friends and all writers whose work I adore.
I was thrilled as well to see my story “Better Days” (from EQMM‘s May/June 2019 issue) land in the Top Ten—tied for Sixth Place with Trey Dowell’s “Heat,” a terrific and unforgettable story. “Better Days” is currently a finalist for this year’s Agatha Award and is temporarily available to read at EQMM‘s website.
Congrats to all the writers with stories in the Top Ten this year!