Killer Nashville Finalists Revealed

The 2025 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award Finalists were announced, honoring books published in 2024. The winners in each category and the top 3 winners overall will be announced at the Killer Nashville Awards Dinner on August 23, 2025, in Nashville, Tennessee. Congratulations to all!

 

Best Action Adventure

• Jericho Burning by T.G. Brown
• The General’s Gold by Bruce Robert Coffin
• Desperate Measures by Ley Esses
• Where Love Means Nothing by Howard Gimple 
• The North Line by Matt Riordan 

Best Comedy (includes comedic P.I. and crime caper)

• The Princess Shoppe by Kerry Blaisdell
• Swiped by L.M. Chilton
• Get Gribnitz by Howard Gimple 
• Model Ghost by TK Sheffield 
• Sorry, Knot Sorry by Lois Winston 

Best Cozy

• Beeswax Bewitchment by S.E. Babin 
• Elizabeth Sails by Kristin Owens 
• Study Guide For Murder by Lori Robbins 
• Framed For Murder by Marla White 
• Wheeling And Dealing by Becki Willis 

Best Historical

• Empowered By The Dream: A Journey Of Resilience by Gladys A. Barrio 
• The Paris Mistress by Mally Becker 
• A Killing On The Hill by Robert Dugoni 
• Find Your Way To My Grave by Chris Keefer 
• What Once Was Promised by Louis Trubiano 

Best Investigator (includes procedural, serious P.I., detective, and noir)

• The Things That Cannot Be Forgotten by Peter W.J. Hayes
• Last Dog Out by Candace Irving 
• Black & White by Justin M. Kiska 
• Tiger Claw by Michael Allan Mallory 
• Murder Outside The Box by Saralyn Richard 

Best Juvenile / Y.A.

• Beyond The Cemetery Gate: The Secret Keeper’s Daughter by Valerie Biel 
• Dead Girl by Kerrie Faye 
• Stealing Time by Tilia Klebenov Jacobs 
• Snowed by Twist Phelan 
• Star Brother by Maxine Rose Schur 

Best Literary

• She Ruined Our Lives by Chris Chan 
• An American Tragedy by Dan Flanigan 

Best Mainstream / Commercial

• Those That Did Not Die by Penny Fletcher 
• On The Mad River by Lucrecia Guerrero 
• People Will Talk by Kieran Scott 
• Between Lies And Revenge by Hannah Sharpe 
• Blindspot by Maggie Smith 

Best Mystery

• Drop Dead Sisters by Amelia Diane Coombs 
• Obey All Laws by Cindy Goyette 
• At First I Was Afraid by Marty Ludlum 
• A World Of Hurt by Mindy Mejia 
• Scorched: Burn Me Once… by Cam Torrens 

Best Nonfiction

• There Is No Ethan by Anna Akbari 
• Lovers In Auschwitz: A True Story by Keren Blankfeld 
• Ask Not: The Kennedys And The Women They Destroyed by Maureen Callahan 
• Tilghman: The Legendary Lawman And The Woman Who Inspired Him by Chris Enss
• Seeds Of Leadership by Wilson Lukang 

Best Sci-Fi / Fantasy

• Ocean’s Godori by Elaine Cho 
• The Canopy Keepers by Veronica G. Henry 
• Master Version 1.1 by Antanas Marcelionis 
• House Of Fire & Magic by Sherrilyn McQueen 
• The Building That Wasn’t by Abigail Miles 

Best Short Story Collection / Anthology

• Never Tell Collection by Kjersti Egerdahl
• Day by Patrick Kitson 
• Deeds Of Darkness by William Burton McCormick
• 6-Lane Highway by Sean Mitchell
• Larceny & Last Chances: 22 Stories Of Mystery & Suspense by Judy Penz Sheluk 

Best Southern Gothic

• Pocket Full Of Teeth by Lisa Kastner
• Kentucky Blood (Book I Of The Kentucky Blood Series) by Ashley Thomas Sheikh

Best Supernatural

• Not Born Of Woman by Teel Glenn
• A Place For Good And Evil by Stacey Horan
• City Of Innocent Monsters by Stacey Horan
• Dervla Alarms The Nanas by DR Ransdell
• Cold Snap by Lindy Ryan

Best Suspense

• A Friend In The Dark by Samantha M. Bailey
• If You Tell A Lie by Lucinda Berry
• The Next Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine
• Lost To Dune Road by Kara Thomas
• The Last Party by AR Torre

Best Thriller

• Rich Justice by Robert Bailey
• The Dredge by Brendan Flaherty
• The Mechanics Of Memory by Audrey Lee
• A Forgotten Kill by Isabella Maldonado
• The Ascent by Adam Plantinga

Best Western

• Knife River by Baron Birtcher
• Sarita by Natalie Musgrave Dossett
• The Broken Blood by Dwight Holing