Edgar Award winners announced; Stephen King takes top prize

The Edgar Award for best novel went to Stephen King for “Mr. Mercedes� at a banquet held Wednesday night in New York City.

The Edgar Awards are presented annually by the Mystery Writers of America. James Ellroy served as one of two grand masters for the awards, saying, “We are here to vulgarize literature.� The other grand master, Lois Duncan, took a gentler approach, saying, “I want to thank three men: my husband, my agent, and the handsome young man who will help me off this stage.�

Other winners included Chris Abani, whose novel “The Secret History of Las Vegas� took the award for best paperback original, and recent Los Angeles Times book prize for mystery recipient Tom Bouman, whose “Dry Bones in the Valley� was awarded best first novel by an American author.

The complete list of Edgar winners is below:

Novel: “Mr. Mercedes� by Stephen King (Simon & Schuster – Scribner)

First novel by an American author: “Dry Bones in the Valley� by Tom Bouman (W.W. Norton)

Paperback original: “The Secret History of Las Vegas� by Chris Albani (Penguin Randomhouse – Penguin Books)

Fact crime: “Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood� by William Mann (HarperCollins Publishers – Harper)

Critical/biographical: “Poe-Land: The Hallowed Haunts of Edgar Allan Poe� by J.W. Ocker (W.W. Norton – Countryman Press)

Short story: “What Do You Do?� – “Rogues� by Gillian Flynn (Penguin Randomhouse Publishing – Ballantine Books)

Juvenile: “Greenglass House� by Kate Milford (Clarion Books – Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers)

Young adult: “The Art of Secrets� by James Klise (Algonquin Young Readers)

Television episode teleplay: “Episode 1� – “Happy Valley,� teleplay by Sally Wainwright (Netflix)

Simon & Schuster-Mary Higgins Clark Award (presented Tuesday at MWA’s agents and editors party): “The Stranger You Know� by Jane Casey (Minotaur Books)

Previously announced awards were: Robert L. Fish Memorial Award to “Getaway Girl,� Ellery Queen Mystery magazine, by Zoë Z. Dean (Dell Magazines); Raven awards to Ruth & Jon Jordan, Crimespree Magazine, and Kathryn Kennison, Magna Cum Murder; and the Ellery Queen Award to Charles Ardai, editor and founder, Hard Case Crime.

Book news and more; I’m @paperhaus on Twitter