Bestselling Author Archives

2022 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Awards

Leave a Comment / Adventure, Award Winner, Bestselling Author, Cozy, Crime, Featured, Historical, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Suspense, Thriller

From the Killer Nashville site: “We believe all engaging stories have three elements: mystery, thriller, and suspense. Since 2008, the Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Awards have recognized the best stories from the previous year told through various media utilizing the elements of mystery, thriller, and/or suspense. Judges are professional writers, book reviewers, librarians, academics, and—in specialized cases—specific industry peers. Focus is on quality, not popularity.”

Congratulations to the finalists and winners (indicated in red)!

2022 Best Action Adventure Finalists
“Murder at Buckskin Joe” – J.v.L. Bell
“Killers!: A Natalie McMasters Mystery” – Thomas A. Burns, Jr.
“Castoffs of the Gods” / Sonja Dewing
“The Cornmarket Conspiracy” / Sharon Hoisager
“Fatal Depth” / Timothy S. Johnston
“Beneath a Wrathful Sun” / M. Elliot Lamb
“The Pilate Scroll” / M.B. Lewis
“Came A Horseman” / Paul McHugh
“Alaskan Christmas Escape” / Juno Rushdan
“The Last of Her” / Brent Spencer

2022 Best Cozy Finalists
“Where the Light Shines Through” – Kathleen Bailey
“Dead on My Feet”- Patricia Broderick
“An Embarrassment of Itches” / M.K. Dean
“Time After Tyme” / Kay DiBianca
“The Evening’s Amethyst” / M. K. Graff
“Suitable for Framing” / Lori Roberts Herbst
“The Unkindness of Ravens” / M.E. Hilliard
“Muffins & Magic” / Polly Holmes
“Death By Chance” / Abigail Keam
“The Fog Ladies: In the Soup” / Susan McCormick
“Gone Missin’” / Peggy O’Neal Peden
“Death at the Salon” / Louise Rose-Innes
“Murder Worth a Thousand Words” / Becki Willis
“Stitch, Bake, Die!” / Lois Winston

2022 Best Historical Finalists
“Heirs of Falcon Point” – Traci Abramson
“Cry of the Innocent” / Julie Bates
“The Turncoat’s Widow” / Mally Becker
“After Alice Fell” / Kim Taylor Blakemore
“The Artist Colony” / Joanna FitzPatrick
“No One Must Know” / Susan Frances
“Murder Under A Full Moon: A 1930s Mona Moon Mystery” / Abigail Keam
“Murder Under A New Moon” / Abigail Keam
“The Promise of Deception” / Jessica Sly
“Zebra: Friends by Fate. Enemies by Destiny” / Jill Wallace

2022 Best Investigator Finalists
“All That Fall” – Kris Calvin
“The Blessed Bones” / Kathryn Casey
“Girl Missing” / Kate Gable
“Be Mine Forever” / D.K. Hood
“In the Name Of” / Candace Irving
“Now & Then” / Justin M. Kiska
“The Lost Dragon Murder” / Michael Allan Mallory
“The Disappearance of Trudy Solomon” / Marcy McCreary
“Striking Range: A Timber Creek K-9 Mystery” / Margaret Mizushima
“Hide in Place” / Emilya Naymark
“At First Light” / Barbara Nickless
“The Labyrinth” / Owen Parr
“The Winter Girls” / Roger Stelljes

2022 Best Mystery Finalists
“An Ambush of Widows” – Jeff Abbot
“Red Rabbit On The Run” – Jodi Bowersox
“Bluff” / John DeDakis
“A Killer’s Daughter” / Jenna Kernan
“When Silence Screams” / Mark Edward Langley
“The Dark Remains” / William McIlvanney & Ian Rankin
“Spirit: An Andrea Kelley Mystery (The Archivist Book 2)” / Elle Andrews Patt
“The Archivist” / Rex Pickett
“The Scorpion’s Tail” / Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
“Grave Reservations” / Cherie Priest
“The Ruthless” / David Putnam
“Hunted in the Holler” / Drew Strickland
“Death and Consequences, An Eastern Shore Mystery” / Cheril Thomas
“The First Day of Spring” / Nancy Tucker
“Bye, Buy Baby” / Becki Willis

2022 Best Sci-fi / Fantasy Finalists
“Journey to the Past” – Esteban Corio
“Schrodinger’s Cat” – Ronald Crittenden
“Hall of Skulls” / Jamie Eubanks
“The Last Beekeeper” / Jared Gulian
“House of Bastiion” / K.L. Kolarich
“Beryl Blue, Time Cop” / Janet Raye Stevens
“Tomb of the Queen” / Joss Walker
“Consent, Vol. 1: Erdos” / Wilson Whitlow
“Missing on Orbital 4: A Jake Hemlock Adventure” / Cory Wilcox

2022 Best Suspense Finalists
“In Harm’s Way” – Traci Abramson
“Redemption” – Traci Abramson
“Nanny Needed” / Georgina Cross
“Waiting for the Night Song” / Julie Carrick Dalton
“Hostile Intent” / Lynette Eason
“Furious: Sailing into Terror” / Jeffrey James Higgins
“Rattlesnake Road” / Amanda McKinney
“Redemption Road” / Amanda McKinney
“The Reunion” / Kiersten Modglin
“Cottonmouth: A Jessica James Mystery” / Kelly Oliver
“Woman in Shadow” / Carrie Stuart Parks
“Her Ocean Grave” / Dana Perry
“The Next Wife” / Kaira Rouda
“What Comes After” / JoAnne Tompkins
“Beneath the Marigolds” / Emily C. Whitson

2022 Best Thriller Finalists
“Her Name is Knight” – Yasmin Angoe
“The Ambulance Chaser” – Brian Cuban
“The Chaos Kind” / Barry Eisler
“Devil’s Ledger” / Lorraine Evanoff
“A Slow Fire Burning” / Paula Hawkins
“Furious: Sailing into Terror” / Jeffrey James Higgins
“56 Days” / Catherine Ryan Howard
“Blink of an Eye” / Iris Johansen
“The Missing Piece” / John Lescroart
“Stone the Dead Crows” / Carrie Magillen
“The Family Tree” / Steph Mullin and Nicole Mabry
“Point Option” / Ian O’Connor
“The Kingdoms” / Natahsa Pulley
“The Siren” / Katherine St. John
“Impostor Syndrome” / Kathy Wang

2022 Silver Falchion Best Books of 2021
“Girl Missing” / Kate Gable
“The Reunion” / Kiersten Modglin

2022 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Awards Read More »

Book List: Author Barbara Ross

Leave a Comment / Award Winner, Bestselling Author, Book List, Cozy, Holidays, Mystery, Reviews, Short Stories/Collection

Author Barbara Ross’ Maine Clambake Mysteries series is thoroughly entertaining with terrific writing, an engaging cast of core characters, intriguing murders, and the Maine setting that is a personality in itself. It is no wonder that the series has been nominated so often for top mystery awards. Our own NBR readers chose “Clammed Up” as a Top Ten read for that year. I have tried several of the delicious recipes in the books and can report that they are tasty and easy to make.

Click on the titles and check out the books:

Maine Clambake Mysteries:

“Clammed Up” (review here)

“Boiled Over”

“Musseled Out” (review here)

“Fogged Inn” (review here)

“Iced Under”

“Stowed Away” (It won the Maine Literary Award for Crime Fiction. Truly an excellent read.)

“Steamed Open” (review here)

“Sealed Off“

“Shucked Apart“

“Muddled Through” (out now)

Jane Darrowfield Mysteries:

“Jane Darrowfield, Professional Busybody” (First in the series, review here, part of the ‘Four Books, Four Genres’ post)

“Jane Darrowfield and the Madwoman Next Door” (shortlisted for the Maine Literary Award for Crime Fiction)

Shorter Stories:

“Nogged Off” standalone novella 4.5 in the Clambake series

“Logged On” – standalone novella 6.5 in the Clambake series – pre-order

“Hallowed Out” – standalone novella 7.5 in the Clambake series – pre-order

“Scared Off” – novella in “Halloween Party Murder“

Stand Alone:
“The Death of an Ambitious Woman”

Buy them all and Enjoy! 🙂

Book List: Author Barbara Ross Read More »

2022 Hammett Prize

Leave a Comment / Bestselling Author, Crime, Featured, Legal, Mystery, Nominated for Award, Suspense, Wartime

The Hammett Prize is bestowed by The International Association of Crime Writers (North American Branch). The award was given in June, 2022 for a 2021 work of literary excellence in the field of crime writing by an American or Canadian author. The prize is the famous ‘Thin Man’ bronze trophy, and bragging rights. 🙂

Congratulations to the winner (indicated in red) and all the nominees!

Razorblade Tears, by S.A. Cosby – a story of bloody retribution, heartfelt change—and maybe even redemption.
Stung, by William Deverell – a lawyer must defend seven boisterous environmentalists accused of sabotaging an Ontario plant that pumps out a pesticide that has led to the mass death of honeybees.
Five Decembers, by James Kestrel – a gripping thriller, a staggering portrait of war, and a heartbreaking love story.
Harlem Shuffle, by Colson Whitehead – entertaining novel of heists, shakedowns, and rip-offs set in Harlem in the 1960s.
The Sacrifice of Lester Yates, by Robin Yocum – new political thriller from the author of bestselling novel The Essay.

(book descriptions from Barnes & Noble and Amazon)

2022 Hammett Prize Read More »

2022 ThrillerFest Awards

2 Comments / Adventure, Bestselling Author, Crime, Debut Author, Featured, Nominated for Award, Suspense, Thriller

Thriller writers bring us thrills and chills and keep us awake long into the wee hours of the morning. We love those stay-awake reads! Check out the 2022 International Thriller Writer ThrillerFest Awards finalists and winners (indicated in red). Congratulations to all!

BEST HARDCOVER NOVEL
Megan Abbott – THE TURNOUT
S. A. Cosby – RAZORBLADE TEARS
Alice Feeney – ROCK PAPER SCISSORS
Rachel Howzell Hall – THESE TOXIC THINGS
Alma Katsu – RED WIDOW
Eric Rickstad – I AM NOT WHO YOU THINK I AM

BEST AUDIOBOOK
S. A. Cosby – RAZORBLADE TEARS (Narrated by Adam Lazarre-White)
Samantha Downing – SLEEPING DOG LIE (Narrated by Melanie Nicholls-King and Lindsey Dorcus)
Rachel Howzell Hall – HOW IT ENDS (Narrated by Joniece Abbott-Pratt)
Gregg Hurwitz – PRODIGAL SON (Narrated by Scott Brick)
Nadine Matheson – THE JIGSAW MAN (Narrated by Davine Henry)

BEST FIRST NOVEL
Abigail Dean – GIRL A
Eloísa Díaz – REPENTANCE
Amanda Jayatissa – MY SWEET GIRL
David McCloskey – DAMASCUS STATION
Eric Redman – BONES OF HILO

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL NOVEL
Joy Castro – FLIGHT RISK
Aaron Philip Clark – UNDER COLOR OF LAW
C. J. Cooke – THE LIGHTHOUSE WITCHES
Jess Lourey – BLOODLINE
Terry Roberts – MY MISTRESS’ EYES ARE RAVEN BLACK

BEST E-BOOK ORIGINAL NOVEL
Greig Beck – THE DARK SIDE: ALEX HUNTER 9
John Connell – WHERE THE WICKED TREAD
Wendy Dranfield – LITTLE GIRL TAKEN
E.J. Findorff – BLOOD PARISH
S. E. Green – MOTHER MAY I
Andrew Kaplan – BLUE MADAGASCAR
Karin Nordin – LAST ONE ALIVE

2022 ThrillerFest Awards Read More »

2022 – CrimeFest

Leave a Comment / Bestselling Author, Crime, Debut Author, Featured, Fiction, Mystery, Nominated for Award, Readers Under 12, Suspense, Thriller, Young Adult/Teen

CrimeFest celebrates the best of crime fiction first published in the UK. In general, the titles are sent in by the publishers for consideration, then read and reduced to the list of finalists you see below. A group of British crime fiction reviewers selects both the finalists and the winners.

The 2022 in-person convention was held May 12-15, 2022, in Bristol. The awards for titles published in 2021 were announced at the Gala that weekend. Each winner received a commemorative Bristol Blue Glass commemorative award. Some winning authors also received one thousand pounds. The winners are indicated in red.

Specsavers Crime Fiction Debut Award nominees:
– Abigail Dean for Girl A
– Janice Hallett for The Appeal
– Saima Mir for The Khan
– Rahul Raina for How to Kidnap the Rich
– Lara Thompson for One Night, New York
– David Heska Wanbli Weiden for Winter Counts

AUDIBLE SOUNDS OF CRIME AWARD
The Audible Sounds of Crime Award is for the best unabridged crime audiobook first published in the United Kingdom in 2021 in both printed and audio formats. The winning author and audiobook reader(s) share the £1,000 prize equally.

– Lee and Andrew Child for Better Off Dead, reader Jeff Harding
– Abigail Dean for Girl A, reader Holliday Grainger
– Paula Hawkins for Slow Fire Burning, reader Rosamund Pike
– Lisa Jewell for The Night She Disappeared, reader Joanna Froggatt
– Liane Moriarty for Apples Never Fall, reader Caroline Lee
– Richard Osman for The Man Who Died Twice, reader Lesley Manville
– K.L. Slater for The Marriage, reader Lucy Price-Lewis
– Karin Slaughter for False Witness, reader Kathleen Early

eDUNNIT AWARD
The eDunnit Award is for the best crime fiction ebook first published in both hardcopy and in electronic format in the United Kingdom in 2021.

– Megan Abbott for The Turnout
– Gianrico Carofiglio for The Measure of Time
– Michael Connelly for The Dark Hours
– Abigail Dean for Girl A
– Cath Staincliffe for Running Out of Road
– Andrew Taylor for The Royal Secret

LAST LAUGH AWARD
The Last Laugh Award is for the best humorous crime novel first published in the United Kingdom in 2021.

– Simon Brett for An Untidy Death
– Andrea Camilleri for Riccardino
– Christopher Fowler for Bryant & May: London Bridge is Falling Down
– Janice Hallett for The Appeal
– Mick Herron for Slough House
– Antti Tuomainen for The Rabbit Factor

Best Crime Novel for Children (ages 8-12):
– Frank Cottrell-Boyce for Noah’s Gold
– Maz Evans for VI Spy: Licence to Chill
– Anthony Horowitz for Nightshade
– Anthony Kessel for The Five Clues
– Jennifer Killick for Crater Lake Evolution
– M.G. Leonard for Twitch
– Alexandra Page (illustrator: Penny Neville-Lee) for Wishyouwas
– Ella Risbridger for The Secret Detectives

Best Crime Novel for Young Adults (ages 12-16):
– Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé for Ace of Spades
– Angeline Boulley for Firekeeper’s Daughter
– Andreina Cordani for The Girl Who…
– William Hussey for The Outrage
– Holly Jackson for As Good As Dead
– Patrice Lawrence for Splinters of Sunshine
– Jonathan Stroud for The Outlaws of Scarlett & Browne
– C.L. Taylor for The Island

Congratulations to all the nominees and winners!

2022 – CrimeFest Read More »

The Agatha Awards – 2021 Books

Leave a Comment / Bestselling Author, Cozy, Debut Author, Featured, Historical, Mystery, Nominated for Award, Non-fiction, Readers Under 12, Short Stories/Collection, Young Adult/Teen

The winners of the Agatha Awards for 2021 Books (named for Agatha Christie) have been announced. The nominated books were first published in the United States by a living author between January 1 and December 31, 2021. The awards were given to mystery and crime writers during the live Malice Domestic conference on April 23, 2022.

The Agatha Awards recognize the “traditional mystery,” meaning that there is no graphic sex and no excessive violence in the writing. Thrillers or hard-boiled detectives cannot be found here, but instead, picture Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot at work.

Congratulations to all the nominees and winners (winners indicated in red)!

Best Contemporary Novel
Cajun Kiss of Death by Ellen Byron
Watch Her by Edwin Hill
The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny
Her Perfect Life by Hank Phillippi Ryan
Symphony Road by Gabriel Valjan

Best Historical Novel
Murder at Mallowan Hall by Colleen Cambridge
Clark and Division by Naomi Hirahara
The Bombay Prince by Sujata Massey
Death at Greenway by Lori Rader-Day
The Devil’s Music by Gabriel Valjan

Best First Novel
The Turncoat’s Widow by Mally Becker
A Dead Man’s Eyes by Lori Duffy Foster
Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala
Murder in the Master by Judy L. Murray
Mango, Mambo, and Murder by Raquel V. Reyes

Best Short Story
“A Family Matter” by Barb Goffman (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine Jan/Feb 2021)
“A Tale of Two Sisters” by Barb Goffman in Murder on the Beach (Destination Murders)
“Doc’s at Midnight” by Richie Narvaez in Midnight Hour (Crooked Lane Books)
“The Locked Room Library” by Gigi Pandian (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine July/Aug 2021)
“Bay of Reckoning” by Shawn Reilly Simmons in Murder on the Beach (Destination Murders)

Best Non-Fiction
The Combat Zone: Murder, Race, and Boston’s Struggle for Justice by Jan Brogan
Murder Most Grotesque: The Comedic Crime Fiction of Joyce Porter by Chris Chan
The Irish Assassins: Conspiracy, Revenge, and the Phoenix Park Murders that Stunned Victorian England by Julie Kavanaugh
How to Write a Mystery: A Handbook from Mystery Writers of America by MWA with editors Lee Child and Laurie R. King

Best Children’s/YA Mystery
Cold-Blooded Myrtle by Elizabeth C. Bunce
The Forest of Stolen Girls by June Hur
I Play One on TV by Alan Orloff
Leisha’s Song by Lynn Slaughter
Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche by Nancy Springer

The Agatha Awards – 2021 Books Read More »

2022 Left Coast Crime Awards (the Lefties)

Leave a Comment / Bestselling Author, Book List, Cozy, Crime, Debut Author, Featured, Historical, Mystery, Nominated for Award, Suspense

Left Coast Crime 2022 presented four Lefty Awards at the rescheduled convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Saturday, April 9, 2022. Titles must have been published for the first time in the USA or Canada during 2021, in book or ebook format. Congratulations to all the nominees and winners (indicated in red)!

Lefty for Best Humorous Mystery Novel
°	Ellen Byron, Cajun Kiss of Death
°	Jennifer Chow, Mimi Lee Cracks the Code
°	Elle Cosimano, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It
°	Cynthia Kuhn, How To Book a Murder
°	Raquel V. Reyes, Mango, Mambo, and Murder
°	Wendall Thomas, Fogged Off

Lefty for Best Historical Mystery Novel (Bruce Alexander Memorial) for books covering events before 1970
°	Susanna Calkins, The Cry of the Hangman
°	John Copenhaver, The Savage Kind
°	Naomi Hirahara, Clark and Division
°	Sujata Massey, The Bombay Prince
°	Catriona McPherson, The Mirror Dance
°	Lori Rader-Day, Death at Greenway

Lefty for Best Debut Mystery Novel
°	Alexandra Andrews, Who Is Maud Dixon
°	Marco Carocari, Blackout
°	Zakiya Dalila Harris, The Other Black Girl
°	Mia P. Manansala, Arsenic and Adobo
°	Wanda M. Morris, All Her Little Secrets

Lefty for Best Mystery Novel
°	Tracy Clark, Runner
°	S.A. Cosby, Razorblade Tears
°	Matt Coyle, Last Redemption
°	William Kent Krueger, Lightning Strike
°	P.J. Vernon, Bath Haus

2022 Left Coast Crime Awards (the Lefties) Read More »