The Edgar Awards are presented each year by the Mystery Writers of America. These prizes are awarded in a number of categories but the most prestigious one, in my view, is the award for Best Novel. This year there were seven books chosen as finalists in that category. Two of them were written by authors who appeared on the show last year to talk about them. S.A. Cosby is a bright new star in the crime fiction galaxy, his fourth book, "All the Sinners Bleed" burnished his reputation even more. On the other hand James Lee Burke is an old pro who has published over forty novels over the last sixty years. Burke has won Edgars before but not recently.
I picked these interviews to run together. In the first one I talked to S.A. Cosby about James Lee Burke. A few years ago I exchanged some emails with Jim's daughter, the novelist Alafair Burke, and she mentioned that she had just given her dad a copy "Razorblade Tears," a book by S.A. Cosby. It is truly a small world. I think one of these two books has an excellent chance of winning this year.
The Book Nook on WYSO is presented by the Greene County Public Library with additional support from Washington-Centerville Public Library, Clark County Public Library, Dayton Metro Library, Wright Memorial Public Library, and Tipp City Public.
