Spokane Valley author wins award for ‘cozy’ mystery novel

When Tamara Berry heard she was nominated for a new award given by the Mystery Writers of America, she thought the most that would come of it was a fun trip to New York.

At a venue on Times Square Thursday night, Berry’s novel “Buried in a Good Book” became the first winner of the Lilian Jackson Braun Memorial Award.

“I think I was pretty shaky for a while,” Berry said.

Berry writes novels in a variety of genres, from contemporary romance to romantic doggie comedies (yes, dogs in love) to cozy mysteries.

The Lilian Jackson award honors one of the cozy mystery genre’s greats, who wrote more than two dozen novels in her “The Cat Who …” series.

Cozy mysteries have all the intrigue of a traditional mystery novel but less grisliness and gore. Jessica Fletcher’s “Murder, She Wrote” and Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple series are popular examples.

“Buried in a Good Book” is the first in Berry’s “By the Book Mysteries” series about a thriller author, Tess Harrow, who moves to a cabin in the woods with her teenage daughter to heal from her recent divorce. The pair has barely arrived when an explosion reveals the book’s murder.

The Jackson Braun award was given as part of the Edgar Allan Poe Awards.

“I read some of the other books in my category, so I obviously didn’t think I was going to win,” Berry said of her surprise.

The genre is growing now, Berry noted, with so many good books on the market.

“I’m excited to see where it goes from here,” Berry said. “I know a lot of authors who deserve to be recognized also.”

While the recognition is nice, it won’t change her plans to continue to series.

“The awards come and go. You get nominated, you don’t get nominated. You win, you don’t win,” Berry said. “Most of it is just sitting at a computer writing.”

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Tamara Berry’s name.