The following was taken verbatim this morning from the MWA website.

As usual — should I reveal this? — I have read or watched very few of the books, stories, plays or movies honored below, but if I may insert a personal aside, I somehow have the feeling that one of the nominees is especially pleased. I don’t blame him. Congratulations to all!

2007 Edgar® Nominees

Best Novel • First Novel • Paperback Original • Critical/Biographical
Fact Crime • Short Story • Young Adult • Juvenile • Play
TV Episode Teleplay • Motion Picture Screenplay
Robert L. Fish Memorial • Grand Master • Raven • Mary Higgins Clark

Mystery Writers of America is proud to announce on the 198th anniversary of the birth of Edgar Allan Poe, its Nominees for the 2007 Edgar Allan Poe Awards, honoring the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction, television and film published or produced in 2006. The Edgar Awards will be presented to the winners at our 61st Gala Banquet, April 26, 2007 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, New York City.

Best Novel Nominees

* The Pale Blue Eye by Louis Bayard (HarperCollins)
* The Janissary Tree by Jason Goodwin (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
* Gentleman and Players by Joanne Harris (HarperCollins – William Morrow)
* The Dead Hour by Denise Mina (Hachette Book Group – Little, Brown and Company)
* The Virgin of Small Plains by Nancy Pickard (Random House – Ballantine Books)
* The Liberation Movements by Olen Steinhauer (St. Martin’s Minotaur)

Best First Novel By An American Author

* The Faithful Spy by Alex Berenson (Random House)
* Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn (Crown – Shaye Areheart Books)
* King of Lies by John Hart (St. Martin’s Minotaur – Thomas Dunne Books)
* Holmes on the Range by Steve Hockensmith (St. Martin’s Minotaur)
* A Field of Darkness by Cornelia Read (Warner Books – Mysterious Press)

Best Paperback Original

* The Goodbye Kiss by Massimo Carlotto (Europa Editions)
* The Open Curtain by Brian Evenson (Coffee House Press)
* Snakeskin Shamisen by Naomi Hirahara (Bantam Dell Publishing – Delta Books)
* The Deep Blue Alibi by Paul Levine (Bantam Dell Publishing – Bantam Books)
* City of Tiny Lights by Patrick Neate (Penguin Group – Riverhead Books)

Best Critical/Biographical

* Unless the Threat of Death is Behind Them: Hard-Boiled Fiction and Film Noir by John T. Irwin (Johns Hopkins University Press)
* The Science of Sherlock Holmes: From Baskerville Hall to the Valley of Fear by E.J. Wagner (John Wiley & Sons)

Best Fact Crime

* Strange Piece of Paradise by Terri Jentz (Farrar, Straus & Giroux)
* A Death in Belmont by Sebastian Junger (W.W. Norton and Co.)
* Finding Amy: A True Story of Murder in Maine by Capt. Joseph K. Loughlin & Kate Clark Flora (University Press of New England)
* Ripperology: A Study of the World’s First Serial Killer by Robin Odell (The Kent State University Press)
* The Beautiful Cigar Girl: Mary Rogers, Edgar Allan Poe and the Invention of Murder by Daniel Stashower (Dutton)
* Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer by James L. Swanson (HarperCollins – William Morrow)

Best Short Story

* “The Home Front” – Death Do Us Part by Charles Ardai (Hachette Book Group – Little, Brown and Company)
* “Rain” – Manhattan Noir by Thomas H. Cook (Akashic Books)
* “Cranked” – Damn Near Dead by Bill Crider (Busted Flush Press)
* “White Trash Noir” – Murder at the Foul Line by Michael Malone (Hachette Book Group – Mysterious Press)
* “Building” – Manhattan Noir by S.J. Rozan (Akashic Books)

Best Young Adult

* The Road of the Dead by Kevin Brooks (Scholastic – The Chicken House)
* The Christopher Killer by Alane Ferguson (Penguin YR – Sleuth/Viking)
* Crunch Time by Mariah Fredericks (Simon & Schuster – Richard Jackson Books/Atheneum)
* Buried by Robin Merrow MacCready (Penguin YR – Dutton Children’s Books)
* The Night My Sister Went Missing by Carol Plum-Ucci (Harcourt Children’s Books)

Best Juvenile

* Gilda Joyce: The Ladies of the Lake by Jennifer Allison (Penguin Young Readers – Sleuth/Dutton)
* The Stolen Sapphire: A Samantha Mystery by Sarah Masters Buckey (American Girl Publishing)
* Room One: A Mystery or Two by Andrew Clements (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)
* The Bloodwater Mysteries: Snatched by Pete Hautman & Mary Logue (Penguin Young Readers – Sleuth/Putnam)
* The Case of the Missing Marquess: An Enola Holmes Mystery by Nancy Springer (Penguin Young Readers – Philomel/Sleuth)

Best Play

* Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure by Steven Dietz (Arizona Theatre Company)
* Curtains by Rupert Holmes (Ahmanson Theatre)
* Ghosts of Ocean House by Michael Kimball (The Players’ Ring)

Best Television Episode Teleplay

* The Closer – “Blue Blood”, Teleplay by James Duff & Mike Berchem (Turner Network Television)
* Dexter – “Crocodile”, Teleplay by Clyde Phillips (Showtime)
* House – “Clueless”, Teleplay by Thomas L. Moran (Fox/NBC Universal)
* Life on Mars – Episode 1, Teleplay by Matthew Graham (BBC America)
* Monk – “Mr. Monk Gets a New Shrink”, Teleplay by Hy Conrad (USA Network/NBC Universal)

Best Motion Picture Screen Play

* Casino Royale, Screenplay by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade & Paul Haggis, based on novel by Ian Fleming (MGM)
* Children of Men, Screenplay by Alfonso Cuarón, Timothy J. Sexton, David Arata, Mark Fergus & Hawk Ostby, based on a novel by P.D. James (Universal Pictures
* The Departed, Screenplay by William Monahan (Warner Bros. Pictures)
* The Good Shepherd, Teleplay by Eric Roth, based on a novel by Joseph Kanon (Universal Pictures)
* Notes on a Scandal, Screenplay by Patrick Marber (Scott Rudin Productions)

Robert L. Fish Memorial Award

* William Dylan Powell “Evening Gold” – EQMM November 2006 (Dell Magazines)

Grand Master

Stephen King

Raven

* Books & Books (Mitchell Kaplan, owner)
* Mystery Loves Company Bookstore (Kathy & Tom Harig, owners)

The Simon & Schuster – Mary Higgins Clark Award

* Bloodline by Fiona Mountain (St. Martin’s Minotaur)