This past week, the International Thriller Writers hosted ThrillerFest, their annual thriller convention, in New York City. For those who haven’t been, or don’t know anything about it, ThrillerFest is almost like ComicCon but for thriller enthusiasts and writers.
With a number of activities set up in advance, aspiring writers can attend classes taught by some of today’s most successful authors, or partake in a session designed to pitch book ideas to industry professionals. Fans can even hit up book signings and meet their favorite writers. It’s a great opportunity for both writers and readers, attended by some of the genre’s biggest stars. Like, for example, Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin, who was this year’s Thriller Master.
The top highlight, though, happens at the end of the week every year when ITW kicks off their annual awards ceremony. So, which books won big at ThrillerFest in 2018? Find out below!
The International Thriller Writers (ITW) is proud to announce the most thrilling authors of 2018. The winners of this year’s ITW Thriller Awards are:
THRILLER MASTER AWARD: George R.R. Martin
SILVER BULLET AWARD: James Rollins
THRILLER LEGEND AWARD: Robert and Patricia Gussin (Oceanview Publishing)
The winners of the best young adult novel, best e-book original novel, best short story, best paperback original, best first novel, and best hardcover novel are:
BEST YOUNG ADULT NOVEL: The Rains by Gregg Hurwitz (Tor Teen)
BEST E-BOOK ORIGINAL NOVEL: Second Chance by Sean Black (Sean Black)
BEST SHORT STORY: Charcoal And Cherry by Zoe Z. Dean (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)
BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL NOVEL: Grievance by Christine Bell (Lake Union)
BEST FIRST NOVEL: The Freedom Broker by K.J. Howe (Quercus)
BEST HARDCOVER NOVEL: Final Girls by Riley Sager (Dutton)
There’s only one event where you can find New York Times best-selling authors lurking around every single corner, literary agents actually appearing in broad daylight, and fans openly plotting and conspiring with the most feared and revered names of the thriller genre. We hope that you join us in 2019 for ThrillerFest XIV, the International Thriller Writers’ fourteenth annual celebration of all things thriller, the largest event of its kind in the world. The highlight of the festival is the gala ITW Thriller Awards Banquet, during which a fresh batch of authors were announced as the chosen heroes of suspense. To learn more, go to ThrillerFest’s official website.
Congratulations to all the ThrillerFest 2018 winners! For more information on all the winning titles, click on the links above to find out more about the book, or to purchase your copy today.
Praised as “one of today’s finest book reviewers” by New York Times bestselling author Gayle Lynds, Ryan Steck (“The Godfather of the thriller genre” — Ben Coes) has “quickly established himself as the authority on mysteries and thrillers” (Author A.J. Tata). He currently lives in Southwest Michigan with his wife and their six children.