Thriller awards shortlist

The International Thriller Writers named these five finalists for Best Standalone Novel: Cross My Heart by Megan Collins; ZigZag Girl by Ruth Knafo Setton; The Burning Library by Gilly Macmillan; The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen; and So Happy Together by Olivia Worley. (thrillerwriters.org(thrillerwriters.org)) Those five books are listed with publishers as follows: Cross My Heart (Atria), ZigZag Girl (Black Spring Press), The Burning Library (William Morrow), The Locked Ward (St. Martin’s Press), and So Happy Together (Minotaur). (thrillerwriters.org(thrillerwriters.org)) Five Books highlights that the 2026 standalone shortlist is all-female and describes Cross My Heart as a psychological thriller about a transplant recipient who becomes obsessed with her donor’s husband. (fivebooks.com(fivebooks.com)) Five Books further profiles ZigZag Girl as a 1950s Atlantic City noir built around a stage illusionist who finds a dead body, and calls The Burning Library a fast-paced suspense centred on a medieval manuscript likened to The Da Vinci Code. (fivebooks.com(fivebooks.com)) Winners will be announced at ThrillerFest XXI on Saturday, May 9, 2026, at the New York Hilton Midtown in New York City, where the ITW presents awards across multiple categories. (thrillerwriters.org(thrillerwriters.org)) The ITW page also published finalists for other categories on the same list, including Best Series Novel and Best First Novel, confirming the standalone shortlist was released as part of the full 2026 finalists announcement. (thrillerwriters.org(thrillerwriters.org))