Congratulations are due my friend Doug Allyn (that's us above in 2011) for snagging EQMM's 2012 Readers Award. His winning story, "Wood-Smoke Boys," appeared in the March/April 2012 issue. He also claimed the sixth spot, for "Death of a Drama Queen." Doug is surely the Grand Poo-Bah of mystery story writers, and one of these days I expect to see a name change to DAMM (Doug Allyn's Mystery Magazine).
A tip of the fedora also goes to two writers I don't know - except through their work - David Dean and Lia Matera, who took the Silver and Bronze awards.
My friend Skyler Hobbs is crying in his beer for placing only fourth for "Skyler Hobbs and the Garden Gnome Bandit," but I assured him that's twice as good as his eighth place finish in 2010, for "Skyler Hobbs and the Rabbit Man."
Here's the whole list:
1. "Wood-Smoke Boys" by Doug Allyn (Mar/Apr)
2. "Mariel" by David Dean (Dec)
3. "Champawat" by Lia Matera (Sept/Oct)
4. "Skyler Hobbs and the Garden Gnome Bandit" by Evan Lewis (Sept/Oct)
5. "Dial Country Code 91 + M for Murder" by Stewart Brown (Dec)
6. "Death of a Drama Queen" by Doug Allyn (Sept/Oct)
7. "So Near Any Time Always" by Joyce Carol Oates (Mar/Apr)
8. "Black Pearls" by Clark Howard (May)
9. "One Angry Julius Katz and Eleven Befuddled Jurors" by Dave Zeltserman (June)
10. "Golden Chance" by S.J. Rozan (Dec)