The annual conference that ran Friday through early Sunday, named the winners of the coveted teapot, The Agatha. The Malice Domestic Conference is always held at the end of April, on the Friday after the Mystery Writers of America has their banquet, citing the best in crime fiction by bestowing authors with a bust of Edgar A. Poe. Unlike the Edgars, where the best novels of the year are decided by fellow authors, the Agathas are voted on by fans. This can tend to create a great deal of repeat offenders, as popular authors, whether they wrote the best book that year or not, are voted in by their fans. A perennial favorite, Margaret Maron once again picked up a teapot this year for Best Novel.