Lambda Literary Awards 2009: Die ausgezeichneten Krimis

vom Krimiblogger

Am 28. Mai 2009 wurden in New York die → 21. Lambda Literary Awards vergeben. Mit diesen Preisen wird lesbische, schwule, bisexuelle und transgender Literatur in verschiedenen Kategorien ausgezeichnet. Wie jedes Jahr gab es auch diesmal die Kategorien „Gay Mystery“ und „Lesbian Mystery“, also schwule bzw. lesbische Kriminalliteratur. Nominiert waren → diese Titel und gewonnen haben….


Gay Mystery
First you fall
Scott Sherman: First You Fall
(Verlag: Alyson Books)

Verlagstext:
When his friend’s death is ruled a suicide, Kevin Connor—a hustler by trade, sleuth by default—sets out to prove a case of murder. It doesn’t help matters that the victim’s grown children, who disapproved of their father’s gay lifestyle, are only concerned about their inheritance. But they are not Kevin’s only problem. His high-strung mother has moved in with him—and she knows nothing about his questionable . . . job.

Buch bestellen bei:
» amazon.de » libri.de » buch24.de » buecher.de


Lesbian Mystery
Wacked
Josie Gordon: Wacked
(Verlag: Bella Books)

Verlagstext:
Death by family values. Lonnie Squires knows that if they’d warned her about this possibility in seminary, she would certainly have remembered.

One little day of perfection—it hadn’t seemed like an impossible task. Scrub up Middelburg and keep it looking morally upright and conservatively righteous for just one day. Called on by her bishop to pull off this simple feat, vice principal Lonnie Squires believes her experience with primary school kids and their parents has equipped her for the challenge. She plans to survive the summer with plenty of time to spare for indulging her rabid devotion to soccer. It’s not as if a girlfriend will be missing her.

Politicos, parishioners and the general populace all want a piece of the action—and of her, if anything goes wrong. It’s just one little day where everyone pretends no one has any secrets. But Lonnie soon discovers the inherent flaw in the idea when the journalist who planned to expose the hypocrisy of Family Values Day turns up dead. With the swing of a shovel, Lonnie’s one little day turns into one big nightmare.

What secrets would someone kill to protect? Is anyone who they seem to be? And, most of all, which upstanding Middelburg citizen now wants Lonnie dead as well?

Buch bestellen bei:
» amazon.de » libri.de » buch24.de » buecher.de

Wie fast immer wird sich wohl leider kein deutscher Verlag mit diesen Büchern beschäftigen, bleibt also nur die Originallektüre. Welche Bücher in den weiteren Kategorien ausgezeichnet wurden, → erfährt man hier. Dort erfährt man auch, welche Kriterien ein Buch erfüllen muss, um für den Preis nominiert zu werden: „LGBT content“ und „Quality of the writing“. Interessanterweise wird beim zweiten Punkt noch einmal etwas genauer auf das Genre „Mystery“ eingegangen:

„For the genre categories (Mystery, Romance, Erotica, Science Fiction, etc.), the quality of the writing should also fulfill the expectations of the genre. When assessing a mystery, consider how the mystery stands in relation to its genre: a) is it traditional, b) does it challenge the conventions of a mystery in a new and interesting way, or c) is it not really a mystery but a novel with a few mysterious elements?“

Konventionen sind also auch hier noch immer sehr wichtig, Veränderungen müssen „neu“ und „interessant“ sein. Darüber dürfen wir uns jetzt gerne streiten.