Goodness and community may not be the first words that spring to mind when thinking about the thriller genre, a broad category that the International Thriller Writers (ITW) association defines as including “murder mystery, detective, suspense, horror, supernatural, action, espionage, true crime, war, adventure, and myriad similar subject areas.” But both were at the heart of the 19th ThrillerFest, which culminated with an awards banquet on June 1 at the Sheraton Times Square in Manhattan.

At the banquet, I.S. Berry was awarded ITW’s Best First Novel award for the The Peacock and the Sparrow (Atria), just a month after winning the Edgar Award for Best First Novel by an American Author. In her acceptance speech, Berry emphasized the inclusiveness of the writing community she’s experienced through ITW, which she wryly characterized as starkly contrasting with what she’d encountered in her previous career. Prior to penning espionage fiction, Berry had served in Iraq during the Second Gulf War as an operations officer for the CIA. Coincidentally, one of the only others to win both an Edgar and ITW award for a first novel was Jason Matthews, another former CIA for Red Sparrow, in 2014.

In her introduction of 2024 ITW Silver Bullet Award recipient Louise Penny, ITW VP for author services Lisa Gardner, observed that at the center of Penny’s 18 New York Times bestselling Chief Inspector Armand Gamache novels—despite plots replete with cruelty and murders—is the message that “goodness exists.” Gardner detailed the many ways Penny exemplified that message—for example, in 2020, Penny wrote a Gamache novella, The Hangman, for adults reading at a third grade level, to assist GoodReads Canada with a program it had developed to combat illiteracy by publishing books for emerging adult readers. Gardner also highlighted Penny’s charitable work in other areas, including as an advocate for hospice, as a volunteer for palliative care, and as a supporter of canine rescue.

In her acceptance remarks, Penny said that she was moved by speaking with emerging authors at ThrillerFest, and commented that they were starting their careers at a time when rules were no longer binding, allowing writers to do “whatever they wanted.” She hearkened back to her own beginnings; Penny first thought of becoming a writer at the age of eight, inspired by a life-changing encounter with E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web, but didn’t achieve her dream until age 45, with the publication of her first novel, Still Life, in 2005, which she said left her feeling “joyous and relieved.” Displaying her trademark self-deprecating humor, Penny said that she was always happy to receive an award that she hadn’t just created and bestowed upon herself.

ITW Co-President Gregg Hurwitz responded to winning Best Audiobook for The Last Orphan (Macmillan) with a combination of political humor and graciousness toward its narrator, Scott Brick, whom he called a “human jukebox.” Hurwitz puckishly credited his victory to his successful machinations to have the votes of an alternate slate of electors be the ones that were counted in his category. Brick, in turn, thanked ITW, for welcoming the narrator community, and Hurwitz, for providing an emotional “kick in the feels” in every volume of his action-packed Orphan X series.

Dennis Lehane, a 2024 ThrillerMaster honoree along with Tess Gerritsen, also spoke of his journeys as writer. Walter Mosley, a 2023 ThrillerMaster honoree, introduced Lehane, whom he credited, in a lyrical speech, with bringing noir to Lehane’s Boston roots, in novels that included both “quiet despair and the essential decency of people” who “found grace at the worst points of their lives.”

The evening ended on a high note with Lehane’s acceptance speech, which celebrated new talent, specifically debut authors. Every writer in the audience, Lehane reminded them, had once been where they were—never believing they’d ever be published before it finally happened—and he extended an offer of support to emerging writers in the audience as they continue to navigate the vicissitudes of their careers in writing.

Lehane credited a book he read when he was 11, William Goldman’s Marathon Man—which he considers the “uber-thriller”—as lighting the fuse of his own interest in writing. He added that, although life lacks the neat narrative structure of fiction, the importance of stories in helping people make sense of a confusing world is one of life’s most consistent throughlines.

A complete list of authors honored by ITW includes:

Best First Novel
The Peacock and the Sparrow by I.S. Berry (Atria)

Best Paperback Original Novel
The Paleontologist by Luke Dumas (Atria)

Best E-book Original Novel
The Killing Room by Robert Swartwood (Blackstone)

Best Young Adult Novel
Stateless by Elizabeth Wein (Little, Brown)

Best Short Story
Unknown Caller by Lisa Unger (Amazon Original Stories)

Best Audiobook
The Last Orphan by Gregg Hurwitz and narrated by Scott Brick (Macmillan)

Best Hardcover Novel
All The Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby (Flatiron Books)

Special Recognitions