Edgar Awards 1957: Complete list of winners

The Mystery Writers of America’s Edgar Awards have long served as the gold standard for recognizing excellence in crime fiction and mystery writing, and the 1957 ceremony proved no exception. That year, Charlotte Armstrong claimed the Best Novel Edgar for A Dram of Poison, a psychological thriller that showcased her mastery of domestic suspense. Armstrong’s win was particularly significant given the competitive field of the era—the Edgar Awards were still in their relative infancy, having been established just eight years earlier, and they were rapidly gaining prestige within the literary community as the premier honor for the mystery and crime genres.

What made Armstrong’s victory noteworthy was the novel’s exploration of ordinary people caught in extraordinary circumstances, a hallmark of her storytelling approach. A Dram of Poison delved into the darker corners of suburban life and human psychology, themes that would come to define much of the golden age of suspense fiction that was flourishing in the 1950s. The award validated Armstrong’s particular talent for creating tension from character-driven narratives rather than mere plot mechanics, positioning her among the decade’s most important voices in mystery fiction.

Below, you’ll find the complete list of 1957 Edgar Award winners, celebrating a year when the Academy honored some of crime fiction’s finest contributions.

Best Novel

• A Dram of Poison by Charlotte Armstrong