The Mystery Writers of America have named their two Grand Masters for 2025.
The organization of crime fiction writers announced in a news release that Laura Lippman and John Sandford will receive the honors, given to “acknowledge important contributions to this genre, as well as for a body of work that is both significant and of consistent high quality.”
Lippman, known for her crime novels set in Baltimore, including The Sugar House, No Good Deeds, and Lady in the Lake, reacted to her selection, saying, “I have always been proud to be associated with the crime-writing community and MWA, both of which have given me so much over the past three decades. Truly—obviously—words fail me.”
Sandford, the Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and author of novels such as Rules of Prey, The Night Crew, and Dark Angel, said in a statement, “Believe me when I say I’m extremely flattered to be included in the company of so many great storytellers, people I’ve read and admired for years.”
The MWA first conferred its Grand Master Honor in 1955, to Agatha Christie. Other recipients include James M. Cain, John le Carré, Mary Higgins Clark, Walter Mosley, and Katherine Hall Page.
Lippman and Sandford will accept their awards at the Edgar Awards ceremony in New York on May 1.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
