Left Coast Crime is an annual conference organised by mystery fiction fans for mystery fiction fans, first held in San Francisco in 1991. It is concerned with western North American region mysteries, but the conference itself travels worldwide, having been held in Canada and the United Kingdom, as well as different parts of the United States. The conference enables fans to mix with authors. A prominent author of western mystery fiction is invited to be guest speaker.
Conference participants have voted on an award for the most humorous mystery novel since 1996. The Bruce Alexander Memorial Historical Mystery (for a mystery set prior to 1950) has been voted since 2004. The PANIC is an award for the best Los Angeles noir in memory of Paul Anik and the first, for 2009, will be awarded at the 2010 conference in Los Angeles.
1996: The Fat Innkeeper by Alan Russell1997: No award given1998: Three To Get Deadly by Janet Evanovich1999: Four to Score by Janet Evanovich2000: Murder with Peacocks by Donna Andrews2001: No award given2002: tie: Dim Sum Dead by Jerrilyn Farmer and Fender Benders by Bill Fitzhugh2003: tie: The Hearse Case Scenario by Tim Cockey and Pipsqueak by Brian M. Wiprud2004: Mumbo Gumbo by Jerrilyn Farmer2005: tie: We'll Always Have Parrots by Donna Andrews and Blue Blood by Susan McBride2006: Cast Adrift by Peter Guttridge2007: Go to Helena Handbasket by Donna Moore2008: Murder With Reservations by Elaine Viets2009: Greasing the Pinata by Tim Maleeny2010: Getting Old Is a Disaster by Rita Lakin2011: The Pot Thief Who Studied Einstein by J. Michael Orenduff2012: The Real Macaw by Donna Andrews2013: The Girl Next Door by Brad Parks2014: The Good Cop by Brad Parks20152016The Bruce Alexander Memorial Historical Mystery
2004: For The Love Of Mike by Rhys Bowen2005: The Witch in the Well by Sharan Newman2006: Spectres In The Smoke by Tony Broadbent2009: Nox Dormienda, A Long Night For Sleeping by Kelli Stanley2010: A Trace of Smoke by Rebecca Cantrell2011: The Mapping of Love and Death by Jacqueline Winspear2012: Mercury's Rise by Ann Parker2013: Dandy Gilver and an Unsuitable Day for a Murder by Catriona McPherson2014: Dandy Gilver and a Bothersome Number of Corpses by Catriona McPherson20152016