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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 »

Book List: Author Liz Mugavero/Cate Conte

Leave a Comment / Book List, Cozy, Mystery, Nominated for Award, Paranormal, Reviews

Liz Mugavero, a delightful New England writer living in Massachusetts, has written three series, all three with animals as pals (and clue finders) for the lead characters. The first book in her first series, “Kneading to Die,” garnered her an Agatha nomination for Best First Mystery. It was clever, funny, and the beginning of one of the best cozy series out there, the Pawsatively Organic Mysteries. Who can forget the kibble on the body? Lolol

Cate Conte, Mugavero’s alter ego, pens the second series, the Cat Café Mysteries, also a big hit with the fans. Click on the titles (and a few reviews) to find out more about the enjoyable, wonderfully written books. A new title, “Gone, But Not Forgotten,” can be pre-ordered via the link below.

The third series, featuring a witch as the lead character, Full Moon Mysteries, is getting happy, great reviews.

Click on the titles to learn more about the books.

As Liz Mugavero:

Pawsatively Organic Mysteries:

Features Stan (Kristan) Connor, an Ex-Corporate PR Exec, & Nutty, her Maine Coon Cat. Among the fully fleshed out characters is a hunky bar owner boyfriend and his dog, making Stan’s life interesting as she navigates her new life in a small town and keeps finding bodies. Why the name for the series? Stan wants to open an organic animal treats business. Recipes included!

“Kneading to Die” – review here

“A Biscuit, A Casket” review here

“The Icing on the Corpse”

“Murder Most Finicky”

“Custom Baked Murder” review here

“Purring Around the Christmas Tree”

“Murder, She Meowed”

As Cate Conte: https://www.cateconte.com

The Cat Café Mysteries

Maddie James has a successful juice bar business on the west coast, but returns to her hometown of Daybreak Island off the coast of Massachusetts to take care of family matters. Maddie and a stray cat (based on one of Liz’ own cats) get caught up in murder! Maddie is a thoroughly enjoyable new character, with equally appealing love interests. The reason for the title of the series? Maddie is opening up a Cat Café, complete with cats for locals to adopt.

“Cat About Town” – review here

“Purrder She Wrote”

“Tell Tail Heart”

“A Whisker of a Doubt“

“Claws for Alarm“

“Gone, But Not Furgotten,” can be pre-ordered here.

You can read Liz Mugavero’s Author Profile here.

Cate Conte’s first title in The Full Moon Mystery series is the entertaining “Witch Hunt.”.

The second title, “Witch Trial,” is out now.

Happy Reading! 🙂

*Many thanks to Liz/Cate for the photos and book art! 🙂

Book List: Author Liz Mugavero/Cate Conte Read More »

“A Side of Murder” by Amy Pershing

Leave a Comment / Cozy, Debut Author, Mystery, Reviews

“A Side of Murder,” by Amy Pershing, is a delightful debut Cape Cod foodie mystery. Samantha Barnes is an up and coming chef in NYC, but a very public disagreement with her boss (who is also her ex) that involves a knife and a snipped body part, sends her home to an inheritance on Cape Cod and a restaurant review job. Sam hopes to escape far away enough from the media mess (and the ex) that her life has a chance to return to some sort of normal.

The fun writing, engaging characters, and a will-they-won’t-they relationship with a hunky Harbor Master (an old high school love) bring charm and the right amount of dreamy to the story. Delicious details about the food, a puzzler of a mystery, as well as great tips for cooking some of the dishes, make this a series well worth cozying up to.

Book #2, “An Eggnog to Die For,” has a Christmas theme, with a dead Santa, the Feast of the Five Fishes, a need for quiet in the midst of visiting parents with their own secrets, more recipes, and delightfully clever writing.

Book #3, “Murder is No Picnic,” is on the way in June! My copy is on pre-order. 🙂

“A Side of Murder” by Amy Pershing 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 »

2021 – Christmas Themed Mysteries and Romance

Leave a Comment / Bestselling Author, Book List, Cozy, Featured, Mystery, Short Stories/Collection

Christmas seems to be the most popular holiday theme for mysteries and fiction of all varieties. I discovered that there were hundreds from which to choose, with more written every year. Some writers focus entirely on Christmas in every book they publish.

If you are a fan of Christmas themed fiction, then this updated 2021 list of fifty-eight novels, novellas, and short stories is for you. The books were recommended by avid cozy booksellers and reviewers, as well as NBR and Kerrian’s Notebook subscribers. Click on the titles to find out more about the books, then snuggle up with a great Christmas read.

Susan Wittig Albert “The Darling Dahlias & the Poinsettia Puzzle”

Gretchen Archer “Double Deck the Halls”

Donna Andrews “The Twelve Jays of Christmas”

Mary Angela “Very Merry Murder”

Joy Avon “In Peppermint Peril”

Laurien Berenson “Here Comes Santa Paws”

Susan Bernhardt “Murder Under the Tree”

Brittany E. Brinegar “Holly Jolly Murder”

Leslie Budewitz “As the Christmas Cookie Crumbles”

Ellen Byron “A Cajun Christmas Killing”

Lynn Cahoon “Have a Holly Haunted Christmas”

Robyn Carr “A Virgin River Christmas”