Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Readers' Choice Award

Winner will be announced at the 2026 Killer Nashville Awards Dinner on August 22, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee

Has your book made it to the Readers’ Choice Award nominees list? Promote it on your website and social media using our Killer Nashville Readers’ Choice Award image!

THE 2026 NOMINEES

Novel Threat / Traci Abramson

Victim #8 / Traci Abramson

Reconnect / Traci Abramson

Royal Intrigue / Traci Abramson

Shadows of Trust / Traci Abramson

Empty Boxes / Robin Acton

Chasing Shadows / A.C. Adams

Nest of Thieves / Jules Adrienn

Love at First Spark / Helen Aitken

e-llegal Treasures / C.V. Alba

Amish Country Killer / Mary Alford

Flashes of a Dying Hour / Lynda Allen

The Bleeding Woods / Brittany Amara

Barracuda Bay / Carmen Amato

Traitor in the Lake / Carol Amorosi

Ghosts in the Glades / Staci Andrea

Touch of the Elegrian / Cheryl Arko

Haunted by a Broken Oath / Dee Armstrong

Blame It On Paris / Helen B. Aitken

The Woke and the Dead / Mark Bacon

Without a Shadow of Doubt / Kathleen Bailey

The Guilty Sleep / Jeremy Baker

The Vatican Deal / Michael Balter

Vacations Can Be Murder: A True Crime Lover's Travel Guide to New England / Dawn Barclay

Shanghai Sunset The Great Adventures of Breeze Lee (Book 1) / Sharon Barnes

The Dragon's Lair / Sharon Barnes

Deadly When Disturbed / D. M. Barr

Better Off Dead: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Elton John and Bernie Taupin (Volume 1) / D. M. Barr

She Had To Die / Rebecca Barrett

Deep Orange Cover: The Allegiance / Joel Barrows

The Enemy Within / Julie Bates

Beneath The Rings Joe / Battaglia

Welcome to Cottonmouth / Jay S. Bell

SWIPE / R.G. Belsky

Swimming With Manatees / Bill Bennett

Killer Cache / Michelle Bennington

Pearl Bound / Natalie Bergman

Fighting Words: Bruisers, Brawlers, & Bad Intentions / Scott Blackburn, edt.

The Price of Freedom / Michael C. Bland

What If It's True / D. M. Bourgeois

The Terror of Roan / Jodi Bowersox

Time Agents: Alterations / Jodi Bowersox

The Girl Goes Home / Dorian Box

Deadly Exploits / Janet Boydell

The Last Hamilton / Jenn Bregman

Whatever It Takes / Alan Brenham

Mirror Image (Bennett Auction Series) / Kay Brooks

Cut Them Down / T.G. Brown

The Forbidden Heiress / Gledé Browne Kabongo

Line of Succession / David Bruns

The Peeper / John Bukowski

Bad Pennies / John Bukowski

Whiz Kid: A Novel / Joel Burcat

Snake Wife / Samantha Burgess-Smith

The Villain's Journey-How to Create Villains Readers Love to Hate / Debbie Burke

Chase Harlem / Elise Burke Brown

The Pilgrim: A Tale of the 3M Detective Agency / Thomas Burns

Cult! A Natalie McMasters Mystery / Thomas Burns

For Every Evil Under The Sun / Alexandra Burt, V.P. Chandler, Laura Oles

Shot Full of Love / Charnel Burton

Deadly Secrets at Ballyford Castle / Ellen Butler

Devil in the Dunes / Wendy Byard

Questioner / Steve C. Posner

Tough Fluff - Fluff and Flowers Mystery 1 / Sheryl C.D. Ickes

Deadly Fortune / Jared Cade

The Not So Frail Detective Agency / Sandra J. Cady

DoubleHelix / JL Calder

How to Fake a Haunting / Christa Carmen

The Cost of Peace for Gods and Men / T.H. Casperson

Well-Behaved Children Seldom Make History / Chris Chan

Sherlock Poems: The Complete Adventures of Sherlock Holmes in Verse / Chris Chan

Junior: A Son of the Gulf Cartel / Mike Chavarria

Everyone in the Group Chat Dies / L. M. Chilton

Streets of Nashville / Michael Cody

Midnight Somewhere / Johnny Compton

The Thanjavur Incident / David Cornish

Broken Things / Diane Corso

A Spy Inside the Castle / MB Courtenay

Proof / Jon Cowan

Bye Bye Blackbird / Elizabeth Crowens

The Demonologists' Legacy / K. Scott Culpepper

Jigsaw Man / Bill Cusano

The Old Cranberry Ladies Garden Club: The Widow Murderess / Bill Cusano

Night Flight / Anne Da Vigo

Downstate / Jeffery Deaver

Super Natural Crimes Unit: NYPD / Keith R. A. DeCandido

Deadly Route / Karen DeVanie, Anne Varner

Unbroken Circle / C. S. Devereaux

Knights in Manhattan / Kay DiBianca

Karma Never Sleeps / R John Dingle

Wings of Madness / R John Dingle

Colorado K-9 Rescue / Kathleen Donnelly

Every Fall / Angela Douglas

Sins in Black / Dita Dow

Devil's Hand / Lori B. Duff

A Dead Draw / Robert Dugoni

Welcome to Murder Week / Karen Dukess

Hungerstone / Kat Dunn

The Warbler / Sarah Beth Durst

Broken Alliance / David E Graham

Wildwood Exit / Joel E. Turner

Alibis collection / Kjersti Egerdahl, edt.

Murder in the Mix / Carolyn Eichhorn

Ebola: A Microbial Mystery / Millicent Eidson

Kaua'i Storm / Tori Eldridge

Last Seen / J.T. Ellison

The Sins We Inherit / Carlo Emanuele

Meet the Kellys: The True Story of Machine Gun Kelly and his Moll Kathryn Thorne / Chris Enss

After Pearl / Stephen Eoannou

Whisper of Treasure and Lies / Trish Esden

Boiling Point / Ley Esses

Do Not Resuscitate / Scott Eveloff

The Substance of Fear / Richard F. McGonegal

SERAPH / Cheryl Fallin

Dead Cold / Lisa Fantino

Winning Hand / Mike Faricy

The Secret of the Angel Who Died at Midnight / Rosy Fenwicke

Exposure of Obsession / Lila Ferrari

Memories of a Hunter's Moon / M. Flagg

Soldiers of Babylon / Dan Flanigan

Incident at Cougar Creek / Mary Flodin

Those Who Chose Evil / Kate Flora

Nearly Legal / Kate Francis

Photograph / Brian Freeman

Shaw Connolly Lives to Tell / Gillian French

The Golden Age of Magic / Luanne G. Smith

Fleet Landing / Wendy Gee

The Summer Guests / Tess Gerritsen

Twisted Tales / James Glass

Eight Pieces of Eight / Rick Glaze

Only Way Out / Tod Goldberg

The End of the World As We Know It / Christopher Golden, Brian Keene

With Our Bellies Full and the Fire Dying / Debra H. Goldstein

Eye of the Storm / Charles Gomez

Cold Case in Cook County / David Goodlett

Parts Unknown / Karen S. Gordon

The Silent Trumpet / Bill Gormley

Diamond in the Ruf / Cindy Goyette

Shifting Tides / J. Reid Graham

Doppelgänger Jumper / Judy Lyn Gregg

Cabal / Sean Hagerty

Maiden Voyage / Bradley Harper

The Haunting of Emily Grace / Elena Hartwell

Murder in Maplewood / Jade Hawthorne

Splintered Justice / Kim Hays

Bump and Run / Richard Helms

Waylaid on Whidbey Island / Laurie Herlich

No Mercy for the Innocent / Nancy Herriman

The Ruby Cradle / James L Hill

The Moth and Other Tantalizing Tales / James L Hill

A Walk in the Dark / Roy M. Hiller

Nether Land: High School Temptation, Insurance Haze, Stolen Resolution, and Murder / Kem Hinton

Island Endgame / Rebecca Hodge

Friends Helping Friends / Patrick Hoffman

Intentionally / D. W. Hogan

The Thunder Head / Dwight Holing

Wizard of Most Wicked Ways / Charlie N. Holmberg

Meringues, Matrimony and Murder / Polly Holmes

There Will Be Pirates / Stacey Horan

The Killing Fields of East New York / Stacy Horn

Her Burning Lies / Pamela Fagan Hutchins

Chaos From the Cosmos / Pål A. Hvistendahl

Blood on the Wire / Candace Irving

Gone Fishin': Crime Takes a Holiday / James M. Jackson, Ed.

The Real Dreamwalker Presents: El Nino / Ashlyn Jacobs

A Walking Shadow / Teel James Glenn

No Easy Way Back / Josh Jensen

The Miner's Myth / Russell Johnson

Dark Honor / Kay Johnson

Spare the Rod / Russell Jones

The Diva of Mud Flats / Jonni Jordyn

Speak Her Name: Stories From a Life in True Crime / Mary Jumbelic

86 The Chef / Adam K. Watson

Don't Tell Me How to Die / Marshall Karp

Death By Mistake: A Josiah Reynolds Mystery / Abigail Keam

Killer Tracks / Mary Keliikoa

Raven / Robert T. Kelley

The Fact Checker / Austin Kelley

The Nascent Bloom: Book 1 Caught / Evie Kelley

Erie Ending / Christy J. Kendall

A Suitable Spy / Arthur Kerns

The Moorwitch / Jessica Khoury

Snake-Eater / T. Kingfisher

Bonedale / Patrick Kitson

Corvus / Marko Kloos

Murder on the Green / Christine Knapp

Murder at First Light / Christine Knapp

Minus One / Mark Kolody

Chasing Justice / Rena Koontz

Shroud of Ice / Sharon Krasny

Smoked by Scotch / Lucy Lakestone

Beach Blanket Bedlam / John Lamb

Terror in Desert Skies / Kathryn Lane

Chilled to the Bone / B.D. Lawrence

Nightshade / Lynessa Layne

Revenge on Ice / Linda LeBlanc

Butterfly Pinned / Leslie Liautaud

Women Like Us / Katia Lief

Beyond the Gates: An HOA Mystery / Linda Lovely

Rule One / Michael Lucker

A Dagger of Lightning / Meredith Lyons

Cops & Robbers / Justin M. Kiska

Darkness on Magnolia Lake / Kerry Malone

Unstoppable / Michael Maloof

Murder with a Glass of Malvasia / Alexander Marriott

The Black Friars / Aaron McAfee

Bullets In The Water / Conor McAnally

Where Evil Waits / Dianne McCartney

The Twilight Town: A Dallas '63 Novel / Terrence McCauley

The Room at the End of the Hall / Susan McCormick

Frailty of Fact Liz / McCoy Hamilton

Not Good People / Audra McElyea

Hang on St. Christopher / Adrian McKinty

El Guapo Lives! / M. K. McQueenie

Earthbound: The Obstacles to Human Space Exploration and the Promise of Artificial Intelligence / Dennis Meredith

The Wedding Planner's Secret / Teresa Michael

Her Dark Christmas / Addison Michael

The Summit Society / Lisa Miller

The Education of Asa Paxton: Coming of Age in the Heart of Dixie / Gary Minder

The Second Son / Paula Minydzak

Imber / Deborah Mistina

Needle and Bone / Tonya Mitchell

Parrot Prose: A Coral Shores Veterinary Mystery / DL Mitchell

Untied Lines: A Mick Nassau Key West Mystery / DL Mitchell

Dying Cry: A Timber Creek K-9 Mystery / Margaret Mizushima

The Forbidden Strain / Brian Montross

Giant Steps / Patrick H. Moore

A Love this Grim / Elora Morgan

Too Cursed to Kiss / J. Morgyn White

Earth Mover / J.C. Murphey

The Murderer's Girl / K.L. Murphy

Villain in the Vineyard / Judy L. Murray

Eight Minutes: A Novel / Gregory N Whitis

The Shattered King / Charlie N. Holmberg

The Fatal Saving Grace: An Ed Earl Burch Novel / Jim Nesbitt

Psycho-logist / Diana Nuri

Pudding Heroes: The Rising Child / Steven Ochs

Grabtown / Sarah P. Blanchard

The Conjurer's Wife / Sarah Penner

Hard Town / Adam Plantinga

Eerie Basin / Ivy Pochoda

The Cézanne Chihuahua / D.R. Ransdell

The Seven Gates of Guinee / Martha Reed

Dead Man's Hand: Aces & Eights Collected Short Stories II / Martha Reed

The At tic, A Flip or Flop Mystery / Lynda Rees

Red Moscow / R. C. Reid

Treasures in Time / Susan Reiss

Proscription / JJ Renek

Mrs. Oliver's Twist / Saralyn Richard

The Last Beach Town / Deb Richardson-Moore

Remote: The Six / Eric Rickstad

After the Ocean / Lauren Rico

Voices of the Elysian Fields / Michael Rigg

Murder in Fifth Position / Lori Robbins

Crimson Thaw / Bruce Robert Coffin

The Perfect Divorce / Jeneva Rose

S'more Love: A Sentient Food Billionaire Why Choose Romance / K. Rose

Down to the Bone / Caitlin Rother

Murder May I / Cathy Rueter

Wyoming Double Jeopardy / Juno Rushdan

Big Sky Slayer / Juno Rushdan

Dead Weight / Richard Rybicki

Water Grave / Mitchell S. Karnes

The Women Who Stand Between / Jeannee Sacken

All’s Faire In Love And Murder / Cindy Sample

It's Not Even Past / Anna Scotti

Airplane, Atlanta & an Assassin / Mary Seifert

Deadly Vision / T.D. Severin

The Burial Tide / Neil Sharpson

A Change In Destiny: Dark Suspicions / Janet Shawgo

My Sister's Quilt / Janet Shawgo

Damage Control / Kirsten Shuford

Transplant / Deborah Siminou

Missing Mom / Lynn Slaughter

Her Final Gamble / Mary V. Slinkard

The Unfavored Children's Club / BJ Sloan

Malice / Sharon Smith

Beyond the Enemy / BK Spencer

Broke Road / Matthew Spencer

Count My Lies / Sophie Stava

Gold Miner's Daughter / Rick Steeby

The White Feather Murders / Laraine Stephens

No Good Time A Nick Donahue Adventure / Cathi Stoler

Midnight for Justice (Warren & Carmichael Legal Thrillers) / Charlotte Stuart

In$urance Blues (A John Smith Mystery) / Charlotte Stuart

Unicorns Can Be Deadly (A Discount Detective Mystery / Charlotte Stuart

Raven's Legacy (A Jonah St. Clair Mystery) / Charlotte Stuart

Descartes' Shadow / Don Stuart

Dirty Hazel and the Cat Woman / Dana Summers

A Great Reckoning / Dale T. Phillips

The Lost Hours / Lynn Tavernier

Speak with the Dead / E. C. Taylor

The Faker's Guide to Survival / Caroline Taylor

Hypocrisy / A.J. Thibault

The Battle of the Smokehouse (Book II of the Kentucky Blood Series) / Ashley Thomas Sheikh

Honeysuckle and Bone / Trisha Tobias

HAVOC: Trouble on the Trail / Cam Torrens

The First to Die / Suzanne Trauth

Boss Brooks: A True Story of Fraud, Family and Forgiveness from Tennessee to Texas / Kathy Turner

The Cold Winter: Battle of Niagara Falls / Chris Underwood

The Kill Clause / Lisa Unger

Digital Soul / Vincent Valkier

The Scrolls of Time / Joss Walker

Tourist Season / Brynne Weaver

The Wretched and Undone / J. E. Weiner

Justice For The Forgotten / R. Weir

Risky Pursuit / Nancy G. West

The Violence of Sound / Jeff Wheeler

The Alchemy of Fate / Jeff Wheeler

Seven For a Secret Never To Be Told / Derek Wheeless

Allure of Elegance / R. F. Whong

The Bone Witcher of Knob Mountain / Becki Willis

Whispers of the Unseen Watcher / Adam Wilson

The Fire Diamond / CB Wilson

Seams Like the Perfect Crime / Lois Winston

The Butcher And The Liar / SL Woeppel

All That Lies Beneath / D.L. Wood

The Book of Christmas Joy / Darrow Woods

Night Watcher / Daphne Woolsoncroft

Omniviolence / Jones Worthington

Deadly Odds 8.0 / Allen Wyler

Two Birds, One Stone / Janet Yeager

Killing Me Slothly / Melissa Yi

2026 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Readers’ Choice Award

Every year Killer Nashville receives hundreds of submissions for our Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award competition for best books of the previous year. It takes several rounds of judging by industry professionals to determine the winner(s). However, the Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Readers’ Choice Award is different. This is your chance to vote for YOUR Top 10 favorites! You may vote for up to 10 titles, but you can only vote once. Spread the word and encourage other fans to vote! Voting is open until midnight Friday, July 31st, 2026.

Killer Nashville was a runaway favorite among our readers, earning more votes than any other event on our list and attracting writers, agents, editors, fans of crime and thriller literature, and forensic experts from across the country every year.
— The Writer Magazine
When The Devil’s Bible won the Killer Nashville Silver Falchion, I was overwhelmed with gratitude. Having a group of your peers affirm your work gives you the kind of confidence boosts that lasts—even in those darker times of self-doubt when it’s just you and your computer.
— Dana Chamblee Carpenter
I started writing at the age of sixty-three, so I was anxious to hit the ground running as an author. The Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award has clearly advanced my career and I encourage others to reach for their dreams and to seek the recognition this award bestows. Keep writing!
— Bradley Harper