The 2013 Agatha Award finalists have been announced. The Agathas recognize mysteries that best exemplify the work of Agatha Christie.

Amongst the nominees you will find mysteries of the “cozy” variety, which steer clear of explicit sex, language or violence.

Best Contemporary Novel

The Wrong Girl  (M)
by Hank Phillippi Ryan

“A spine-chilling, heart-wrenching suspense novel that explores a terrifying scenario striking at the heart of every family. Does a respected adoption agency have a frightening secret? Tipped off by a determined ex-colleague on a desperate quest to find her birth mother, Boston newspaper reporter Jane Ryland begins to suspect that the agency is engaging in the ultimate betrayal…” -publisher

Through the Evil Days (M)
by Julia Spencer Fleming

“On a frigid January night, Chief of Police Russ Van Alstyne and Reverend Clare Fergusson are called to the scene of a raging fire that quickly becomes a double homicide and kidnapping. Which is the very last thing Russ needs. Currently he’s struggling with the prospect of impending fatherhood. And his new wife is not at all happy with his proposal for their long-delayed honeymoon: a week in an ice-fishing cabin. The vestry of St. Alban’s Church has called for the bishop to investigate Clare’s “unpriestly” pregnancy. She has one week to find out if she will be scolded, censured, or suspended from her duties. Officer Hadley Knox is having a miserable January as well. Her on-again-off-again lover, Kevin Flynn, has seven days to weigh an offer from the Syracuse Police Department that might take him half a state away. As the days and hours tick by, Russ and Clare fight personal and professional battles they’ve never encountered.” – publisher

Pagan Spring  (M)
by G.M. Malliet

“Spy-turned-vicar Max Tudor, reveling in his new-found personal happiness with Awena Owen, feels that life at the moment holds no greater challenge than writing his Easter sermon. With Awena away, he looks forward to a dinner that includes newcomers to the village like West End dramatist Thaddeus Bottle and his downtrodden wife Melinda. But when one of the dinner guests is found dead in the pre-dawn hours, Max knows a poisonous atmosphere has once again enveloped his perfect village of Nether Monkslip. Connections to long-ago crimes, some sparked by the paintings of a famous local artist, help Max unravel the clues–but can he restore peace to Nether Monkslip and still manage to finish his sermon?” – publisher

How the Light Gets In  (M)
 by Louise Penny

” In Three Pines Chief Inspector Armand Gamache investigates the disappearance of a woman who was once one of the most famous people in the world and now goes unrecognized by virtually everyone except the mad, brilliant poet Ruth Zardo.” – publisher

Clammed Up  (M)
by Barbara Ross

“Summer has come to Busmans Harbor Maine and tourists are lining up for a taste of authentic New England seafood courtesy of the Snowden Family Clambake Company. But there’s something sinister on the boil this season. A killer has crashed a wedding party adding mystery to the menu at the worst possible moment. Julia Snowden returned to her hometown to rescue her family’s struggling clambake business–not to solve crimes. But that was before a catered wedding on picturesque Morrow Island turned into a reception for murder.” – publisher

And the other categories…

Best First Novel
Death Al Dente by Leslie Budewitz
You Cannoli Die Once by Shelley Costa
Board Stiff by Kendel Lynn
Kneading to Die by Liz Mugavero
Front Page Fatality by LynDee Walker

Best Historical Novel
Heirs and Graces by Rhys Bowen
Death in the Time of Ice by Kaye George (presently unavailable)
A Friendly Game of Murder by J.J. Murphy
Murder in Chelsea by Victoria Thompson
A Question of Honor by Charles Todd