2026 Killer Nashville Award Winners and Finalists

2026 KILLER NASHVILLE SILVER FALCHION AWARD
Best Books of 2025

BEST BOOK OF 2025
LAST SEEN / J.T. Ellison
1ST RUNNER UP BEST BOOK OF 2025
LINE OF SUCCESSION / David Bruns
2ND RUNNER UP BEST BOOK OF 2025
THE MOORWITCH / Jessica Khoury

BEST ACTION ADVENTURE
THE TERROR OF ROAN / Jodi Bowersox
BOILING POINT / Ley Esses
NO EASY WAY BACK / Josh Jensen
UNSTOPPABLE / Michael Maloof
THE FATAL SAVING GRACE: AN ED EARL BURCH NOVEL / Jim Nesbitt
EIGHT MINUTES / Gregory N. Whitis

BEST COMEDY
BLAME IT ON PARIS / Helen Aitken
LOVE AT FIRST SPARK / Helen Aitken 
BYE BYE BLACKBIRD / Elizabeth Crowens 
ALL’S FAIRE IN LOVE AND MURDER / Cindy Sample 
IN$URANCE BLUES (A JOHN SMITH MYSTERY) / Charlotte Stuart
SEAMS LIKE THE PERFECT CRIME / Lois Winston

BEST COZY
KILLER CACHE / Michelle Bennington
TOUGH FLUFF - FLUFF AND FLOWERS MYSTERY 1 / Sheryl C.D. Ickes
DEATH BY MISTAKE: A JOSIAH REYNOLDS MYSTERY / Abigail Keam
MURDER ON THE GREEN / Christine Knapp
AIRPLANE, ATLANTA & AN ASSASSIN / Mary Seifert
SEVEN FOR A SECRET NEVER TO BE TOLD / Derek Wheeless

BEST HISTORICAL
TRAITOR IN THE LAKE / Carol Amorosi
TIME AGENTS: ALTERATIONS / Jodi Bowersox
NO MERCY FOR THE INNOCENT / Nancy Herriman
SHROUD OF ICE / Sharon Krasny
NEEDLE AND BONE / Tonya Mitchell
TREASURES IN TIME / Susan Reiss

BEST INVESTIGATOR
CHASE HARLEM / Elise Burke Brown
PROOF / Jon Cowan
AFTER PEARL / Stephen Eoannou
THOSE WHO CHOSE EVIL / Kate Flora
BLOOD ON THE WIRE / Candace Irving
JUSTICE FOR THE FORGOTTEN / R. Weir

BEST JUVENILE / YA
KNIGHTS IN MANHATTAN / Kay DiBianca
DOPPELGÄNGER JUMPER / Judy Lyn Gregg
THE NASCENT BLOOM / Evie Kelley
MISSING MOM / Lynn Slaughter
HONEYSUCKLE AND BONE / Trisha Tobias
RISKY PURSUIT / Nancy G. West

BEST LITERARY
WELL-BEHAVED CHILDREN SELDOM MAKE HISTORY / Chris Chan
THE WARBLER / Sarah Beth Durst
EYE OF THE STORM / Charles Gomez
THE FACT CHECKER / Austin Kelley
WOMEN LIKE US / Katia Lief

BEST MAINSTREAM / COMMERCIAL
THE MINER’S MYTH / Russell Johnson
THE COLD WINTER: BATTLE OF NIAGARA FALLS / Chris Underwood
THE BUTCHER AND THE LIAR / S.L. Woeppel

BEST MYSTERY
THE DEMONOLOGISTS’ LEGACY / K. Scott Culpepper
A DEAD DRAW / Robert Dugoni
RULE ONE / Michael Lucker
HARD TOWN / Adam Plantinga
DAMAGE CONTROL / Kirsten Shuford
BROKE ROAD / Matthew Spencer

BEST NONFICTION
THE VILLAIN’S JOURNEY-HOW TO CREATE VILLAINS READERS LOVE TO HATE / Debbie Burke
NETHER LAND: HIGH SCHOOL TEMPTATION, INSURANCE HAZE, STOLEN RESOLUTION, AND MURDER / Kem Hinton
BEACH BLANKET BEDLAM / John Lamb
EARTHBOUND: THE OBSTACLES TO HUMAN SPACE EXPLORATION AND THE PROMISE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE / Dennis Meredith
BOSS BROOKS: A TRUE STORY OF FRAUD, FAMILY AND FORGIVENESS FROM TENNESSEE TO TEXAS / Kathy Turner

BEST SCI-FI / FANTASY
TOUCH OF THE ELEGRIAN / Cheryl Arko
BROKEN ALLIANCE / David E. Graham
WIZARD OF MOST WICKED WAYS / Charlie N. Holmberg
THE MOORWITCH / Jessica Khoury
THE VIOLENCE OF SOUND / Jeff Wheeler

BEST SHORT STORY COLLECTION/ANTHOLOGY
SHADOWS OF TRUST / Traci Abramson
THE NOT SO FRAIL DETECTIVE AGENCY / John Connor
WITH OUR BELLIES FULL AND THE FIRE DYING / Debra H. Goldstein
GONE FISHIN’: CRIME TAKES A HOLIDAY / James M. Jackson 
THE CONJURER’S WIFE / Sarah Penner
FOR EVERY EVIL UNDER THE SUN / V.P. Chandler, Alexandra Burt, Laura Oles

BEST SOUTHERN GOTHIC
GHOSTS IN THE GLADES / Staci Andrea
THE PILGRIM: A TALE OF THE 3M DETECTIVE AGENCY / Thomas Burns
UNBROKEN CIRCLE / C.S. Devereaux
THE EDUCATION OF ASA PAXTON: COMING OF AGE IN THE HEART OF DIXIE / Gary S. Minder
THE BATTLE OF THE SMOKEHOUSE (BOOK II OF THE KENTUCKY BLOOD SERIES) / Ashley Thomas Sheikh
THE WRETCHED AND UNDONE / J.E. Weiner 
BEST SUPERNATURAL
HAUNTED BY A BROKEN OATH / Dee Armstrong
A WALKING SHADOW / Teel James Glenn
SNAKE-EATER / T. Kingfisher
A LOVE THIS GRIM / Elora Morgan
DEAD WEIGHT / Richard Rybicki
TOO CURSED TO KISS / J. Morgyn White 

BEST SUSPENSE
THE PEEPER / John Bukowski
LAST SEEN / J.T. Ellison
THE FORBIDDEN HEIRESS / Gledé Browne Kabongo
WYOMING DOUBLE JEOPARDY / Juno Rushdan
BIG SKY SLAYER / Juno Rushdan
TOURIST SEASON / Brynne Weaver

BEST THRILLER
WELCOME TO COTTONMOUTH / Jay S. Bell
LINE OF SUCCESSION / David Bruns
SERAPH / Cheryl Fallin
THE FORBIDDEN STRAIN / Brian Montross
THE BUTCHER AND THE LIAR / S.L. Woeppel
ALL THAT LIES BENEATH / D.L. Wood

BEST TRUE CRIME
VACATIONS CAN BE MURDER: A TRUE CRIME LOVER’S TRAVEL GUIDE TO NEW ENGLAND / Dawn Barclay
JUNIOR: A SON OF THE GULF CARTEL / Mike Chavarria
THE KILLING FIELDS OF EAST NEW YORK / Stacy Horn
SPEAK HER NAME: STORIES FROM A LIFE IN TRUE CRIME / Mary Jumbelic
DOWN TO THE BONE / Caitlin Rother

BEST WESTERN
CUT THEM DOWN / T.G. Brown
THE THUNDER HEAD / Dwight Holing