Edgar Awards 1946: Complete list of winners

The 1946 Edgar Awards marked an important moment for mystery and crime fiction, honoring the year’s finest works in a category that would become one of publishing’s most prestigious honors. Named after Edgar Allan Poe himself, the Edgars have long served as the gold standard for detective and mystery writing, and this inaugural recognition of excellence set the tone for what would become a celebrated tradition. The very first Best First Novel award went to Julius Fast for Watchful at Night, a debut that caught the attention of the Mystery Writers of America and signaled the organization’s commitment to spotlighting fresh voices in the genre.

This inaugural year of the Edgar Awards is particularly fascinating because it captures a literary moment right after World War II, when American readers were hungry for the kind of tense, intricate plotting that crime fiction could deliver. Julius Fast’s recognition as the inaugural winner of the Best First Novel category proved prescient—the author would go on to build a significant career, though Watchful at Night remains a notable entry in mystery fiction history. The establishment of these awards represented the mystery writing community’s desire to formalize and celebrate achievement in a genre that, while wildly popular, hadn’t yet received such institutional recognition.

The 1946 Edgar Awards winners list follows below, documenting the first year of what would become an enduring fixture in the literary calendar:

Best First Novel

• Watchful at Night by Julius Fast