Thriller Awards Banquet

2025 ITW Thriller Awards

International Thriller Writers is thrilled to announce the winners for the 2025 ITW Thriller Awards!

BEST STANDALONE THRILLER NOVEL

  • Kimberly Belle

    THE PARIS WIDOW

    Harlequin – Park Row

  • Will Dean

    THE CHAMBER

    Little, Brown & Co.

  • T.J. Newman

    WORST CASE SCENARIO

    Harlequin – MIRA Books

  • Jason Rekulak

    THE LAST ONE AT THE WEDDING

    Flatiron Books

  • Lisa Scottoline

    THE TRUTH ABOUT THE DEVLINS

    Penguin/Putnam

BEST STANDALONE MYSTERY NOVEL

  • Libby Cudmore

    NEGATIVE GIRL

    Datura Books

  • Laura Dave

    THE NIGHT WE LOST HIM

    Simon & Schuster

  • Kellye Garrett

    MISSING WHITE WOMAN

    Mulholland Books

  • Harry Hunsicker

    THE LIFE AND DEATH OF ROSE DOUCETTE

    Oceanview Publishing

  • Dervla McTiernan

    WHAT HAPPENED TO NINA?

    William Morrow

  • Lori Roy

    LAKE COUNTY

    Thomas & Mercer

BEST SERIES NOVEL

  • David Baldacci

    TO DIE FOR

    Grand Central Publishing

  • Eric Beetner

    THE LAST FEW MILES OF ROAD

    Level Best Books

  • Ann Cleeves

    THE DARK WIVES

    Minotaur

  • Meg Gardiner

    SHADOWHEART

    Blackstone Publishing

  • Iris Johansen, Roy Johansen

    FLASHBACK

    Grand Central Publishing

  • Isabella Maldonado

    A FORGOTTEN KILL

    Thomas & Mercer

BEST FIRST NOVEL

  • Kate Brody

    RABBIT HOLE

    Soho Crime

  • Jaime deBlanc

    AFTER IMAGE

    Thomas & Mercer

  • Carinn Jade

    THE ASTROLOGY HOUSE

    Atria

  • Alejandro Nodarse

    BLOOD IN THE CUT

    Flatiron Books

  • Marie Tierney

    DEADLY ANIMALS

    Henry Holt & Co.

BEST AUDIOBOOK

  • Sally Hepworth

    DARLING GIRLS

    Macmillan, Narrated by Jessica Clarke

  • Jon Lindstrom

    HOLLYWOOD HUSTLE

    Dreamscape Media, Narrated by Jon Lindstrom

  • Kate Alice Marshall

    NO ONE CAN KNOW

    Macmillan Audio, Narrated by Karissa Vacker

  • Hilton Reed

    BEYOND ALL DOUBT

    Dreamscape Media, Narrated by George Newbern

  • Amy Tintera

    LISTEN FOR THE LIE

    Macmillan, Narrated by January LaVoy and Will Damron

BEST YOUNG ADULT NOVEL

  • Adam Cesare

    INFLUENCER

    Union Square & Co., LLC

  • Ripley Jones

    THE OTHER LOLA

    Wednesday Books

  • Marisha Pessl

    DARKLY

    Delacorte

  • Natalie Richards

    49 MILES ALONE

    Sourcebooks Fire

  • Melanie Sumrow

    GIRLS LIKE HER

    Balzer + Bray

BEST SHORT STORY

  • Stefanie Leder

    NOT A DINNER PARTY PERSON

    Soho Crime

  • Twist Phelan

    DOUBLE PARKED

    Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine

  • Ivy Pochoda

    JACKRABBIT SKIN

    Amazon Original Stories

  • Lisa Unger

    THE DOLL'S HOUSE

    Amazon Original Stories

  • Joseph S. Walker

    AND NOW, AN INSPIRING STORY OF TRAGEDY OVERCOME

    Wildside Press

Also receiving special recognition during the ThrillerFest XX Awards Banquet:

  • 2025 ThrillerMaster, John Grisham
  • 2025 Silver Bullet Award, James Patterson
  • 2025 Spotlight Guest, Oyinkan Braithwaite
  • 2025 Spotlight Guest, Jennifer Hillier
  • 2025 Thriller Legend, Neil Nyren
  • 2025 ThrillerFan, McKenna Jordan

The Board of Directors and members of the International Thriller Writers wish to
congratulate all the winners and nominees of the 2025 Thriller Awards.

Special thanks to the Thriller Award judges for their hard work and dedication!

Submissions for the 2026 ITW Thriller Awards will open on July 1st at thrillerwriters.org.

Tosca Lee
ITW Board of Directors, Vice President, Awards

ITW Community

  • patrons
  • sponsors
  • supporters

  • Actives

    • Sandra Brannan

    • Clive Cussler*

    • Dirk Cussler*

    • Shane Gericke*

    • Faye and Jonathan Kellerman*

    • John Lescroart

    • Joanie McDonell

    • Karin Slaughter

    • Larry D. Thompson

    Associates

    • Tucker Andersen

    • Andrew Kimball

  • Actives

    • Kathleen Antrim*

    • David Baldacci*

    • Neal Baer

    • Steve Berry*

    • J. Jackson Bentley

    • Gary Braver*

    • Sandra Brown*

    • Dale Brown*

    • John Case*

    • Lee Child*

    • James Comey

    • Michael Connelly

    • Glenn Cooper

    • Richard Curtis*

    • Jack F. Du Brul*

    • David Dun*

    • Joseph Finder

    • Brian Garfield*

    • Tess Gerritsen*

    • Leslie Glass*

    • Jeff Gunhus

    • Vicki Hinze*

    • Lisa Jackson

    • Alex Kava*

    • Raymond Khoury

    • Deborah LeBlanc

    • Eric Van Lustbader*

    • D. P. Lyle M.D.*

    • Gayle Lynds*

    • Steve Martini

    • Brad Meltzer

    • David Morrell*

    • Katherine Neville*

    • Michael Palmer (2004-2013)*

    • James Patterson*

    • Andrew Peterson

    • Douglas Preston*

    • Lissa Price

    • Keith Raffel

    • Christopher Reich*

    • James Rollins*

    • M.J. Rose*

    • JoAnn Ross

    • Hank Phillippi Ryan

    • John Saul*

    • Andy Siegel

    • Susan Arnout Smith

    • R.L. Stine*

    • Brad Thor*

    • Lisa Unger

    • Paul Vidich

    Associates

    • Maria Carvainis

    • Leisure Books*

    • JK Franko*

    • Brian Hand

    • Ed Mitchell*

    • Henry Morrison*

    • Adrian Muller*

    • Bill Sewell

    • Tor/Forge Books*

    • Your Book Is Your Hook!

  • Actives

    • Steve Alten*

    • Ashok Banker

    • Ted Bell*

    • Emily Benedek

    • Janet Berliner-Gluckman*

    • Gary Birken

    • Mike Bond

    • Sandra Brannan

    • Allison Brennan

    • Mike Brogan

    • Jan Burke*

    • Lorenzo Carcaterra

    • Lincoln Child*

    • Stephen Coonts*

    • Brian D’Amato

    • B. J. Daniels

    • Nelson DeMille

    • Eileen Dreyer*

    • Joanna Elm

    • Linda Fairstein*

    • Vince Flynn (2004-2013)*

    • Chris Fox

    • Joel Goldman*

    • Howard Gordon

    • Heather Graham*

    • Thomas Greanias

    • Gary Grossman

    • Humphrey Hawksley

    • Bonnie Hearn Hill*

    • Mark Imhof

    • Alan Jacobson

    • Judith Kelman*

    • Harley Jane Kozak

    • Jon Land

    • Dennis Lynds (2004-2005)*

    • Patricia McLinn

    • Michael McMenamin

    • Francine Mathews*

    • Nan McCann

    • Kyle Mills*

    • Twist Phelan

    • Christopher Rice*

    • Wendy Roberts

    • John Sandford

    • James Siegel*

    • Carl T. Smith*

    • Deborah Smith*

    • Taylor Smith*

    • L.A. Starks

    • Mariah Stewart*

    • Peter Straub*

    • Lee Strobel

    • M. Diane Vogt*

    • Thomas Waite

    • Stuart Woods*

    Associates

    • Linda Adams*

    • Brilliance Audio*

    • Mike Brogan

    • Brian Godden

    • Steve Hadden*

    • Emory Hackman

    • Inkwell Management, LLC*

    • Jennifer Kreischer

    • Mario Mastro*

    • Vicki Montet

    • Amy Rivers

    • Mike Trigg

*original member joined by June 4, 2005