Only two weeks ago Edgar Award-winning author Elizabeth C. Bunce was tapped by the Mystery Writers of America for her third Edgar Award nomination (details here).  Today the Agatha Awards announced Elizabeth is a finalist again this year for its award–the fourth year in a row.  Elizabeth’s novel Myrtle, Means, and Opportunity now joins her novels Premeditated Myrtle, Cold-Blooded Myrtle, and In Myrtle Peril as Agatha Award finalist.  Back-to-back nods for any author or series is a rare thing–with four in a row her Myrtle Hardcastle Mysteries joins an exclusive and distinguished niche of series written by the likes of Louise Penny, Ellen Byron, Hank Phillipi Ryan, Penny Warner, and Rhys Bowen.

Malice Domestic, Ltd. has been overseeing the Agatha Awards since the 1980s.  The award honors mystery and crime works written in the tradition of the novels of celebrated mystery author Agatha Christie.

Nominees are announced each year in the spring and winners are awarded at the mystery writers convention Malice Domestic.

A haunted Scottish estate!  A string of murders!  Amateur detective Myrtle Hardcastle returns in her fifth adventure, a blend of Scooby-Doo and Clue, but who had the motive, means, and opportunity to commit the crimes?  It’s more mayhem, mischief, and murder to sleuth out for our astute and irrepressible heroine.  Myrtle and her daring sidekick Peony the cat must unmask a hidden killer, during a treasure hunt on an isolated Scottish island that was just inherited by her partner in detecting crime, Miss Judson.  If you love all things Scottish, this book is for you.  Elizabeth has even included a Scots lexicon in the back for readers to keep up with Myrtle, lots of crime and history trivia, and Easter eggs pulled from two centuries of mystery fiction.

Edgar Award-winning author and borg contributor Elizabeth C. Bunce launched her Myrtle Hardcastle Mystery Series in 2020.  Publishers Weekly referred to the series as “the best thing to happen to youth mysteries since Trixie Belden.” Not only did Premeditated Myrtle win the 2020 Edgar Award, it was named an Honor Book by the century-old Society for Midland Authors, and it was named to the Library of Congress’s annual Great Reads from Great Places list.

With this week’s nomination, Elizabeth and her series now have garnered an Edgar Award, three Edgar Award nominations, four Agatha Award nominations, and three Anthony Award nominations–plus last year her book In Myrtle Peril took home the Silver Falchion Award–the second time she was a finalist for that award.

Elizabeth’s reviews of books, TV, and movies at borg can be found here — follow her website and blog here. The Myrtle Hardcastle Mystery Series is published by Algonquin Young Readers, a division of Workman Publishing Company and Hachette Publishing.  Artwork and design for the series is created by Brett Helquist (A Series of Unfortunate Events), Laura Williams, and Carla Weise.  Premeditated Myrtle, How to Get Away with Myrtle, Cold-Blooded Myrtle, In Myrtle Peril, and Myrtle, Means, and Opportunity are all available in hardcover, Audiobook, eBook, and paperback, with international editions available in German and Russian, and soon to be available in Chinese.  Audiobooks of each book were performed by British actor Bethan Rose Young (Knightfall, High Seas).

This year the Malice Domestic mystery genre conference is being held April 26-28, with Lori Rader-Day as toastmaster.  This year’s convention honors Sujata Massey and the late Tony Hillerman.  Read the full list of nominations for the Agatha Awards at its website here.

Congratulations, Elizabeth, and to all the 2024 nominees!