Founder Clay Stafford of the Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference is pleased to announce this year’s Silver Falchion Award Finalists. The Silver Falchion Award is given for the Best Book in each category for the previous year (2024). Winners in each category will be announced at the annual Killer Nashville Awards Dinner taking place on August 23rd at the Embassy Suites Nashville South/Cool Springs Hotel in Franklin, TN.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the conference which hosts aspiring and established writers from all over the world to network and develop their writing skills in fiction and nonfiction that incorporate elements of mystery, thriller and suspense.
And here is the complete listing of all of the Finalists. Congratulations to the nominees:
2025 KILLER NASHVILLE SILVER FALCHION AWARD FINALISTS
(for best books of 2024)
Best Action Adventure
JERICHO BURNING
T.G. Brown
THE GENERAL’S GOLD
Bruce Robert Coffin and LynDee Walker
DESPERATE MEASURES
Ley Esses
WHERE LOVE MEANS NOTHING
Howard Gimple
THE NORTH LINE
Matt Riordan
Best Comedy (includes comedic P.I. and crime caper)
THE PRINCESS SHOPPE
Kerry Blaisdell
SWIPED
L.M. Chilton
GET GRIBNITZ
Howard Gimple
MODEL GHOST
TK Sheffield
SORRY, KNOT SORRY
Lois Winston
Best Cozy
BEESWAX BEWITCHMENT
S.E. Babin
ELIZABETH SAILS
Kristin Owens
STUDY GUIDE FOR MURDER
Lori Robbins
FRAMED FOR MURDER
Marla White
WHEELING AND DEALING
Becki Willis
Best Historical
EMPOWERED BY THE DREAM: A JOURNEY OF RESILIENCE
Gladys A. Barrio
THE PARIS MISTRESS
Mally Becker
A KILLING ON THE HILL
Robert Dugoni
FIND YOUR WAY TO MY GRAVE
Chris Keefer
WHAT ONCE WAS PROMISED
Louis Trubiano
Best Investigator (includes procedural, serious P.I., detective, and noir)
THE THINGS THAT CANNOT BE FORGOTTEN
Peter W.J. Hayes
LAST DOG OUT
Candace Irving
BLACK & WHITE
Justin M. Kiska
TIGER CLAW
Michael Allan Mallory
MURDER OUTSIDE THE BOX
Saralyn Richard
Best Juvenile / Y.A.
BEYOND THE CEMETERY GATE: THE SECRET KEEPER’S DAUGHTER
Valerie Biel
DEAD GIRL
Kerrie Faye
STEALING TIME
Norman Birnbach and Tilia Klebenov Jacobs
SNOWED
Twist Phelan
STAR BROTHER
Maxine Rose Schur
Best Literary
SHE RUINED OUR LIVES
Chris Chan
AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY
Dan Flanigan
Best Mainstream / Commercial
THOSE THAT DID NOT DIE
Penny Fletcher
ON THE MAD RIVER
Lucrecia Guerrero
PEOPLE WILL TALK
Kieran Scott
BETWEEN LIES AND REVENGE
Hannah Sharpe
BLINDSPOT
Maggie Smith
Best Mystery
DROP DEAD SISTERS
Amelia Diane Coombs
OBEY ALL LAWS
Cindy Goyette
AT FIRST I WAS AFRAID
Marty Ludlum
A WORLD OF HURT
Mindy Mejia
SCORCHED: BURN ME ONCE…
Cam Torrens
Best Nonfiction
THERE IS NO ETHAN
Anna Akbari
LOVERS IN AUSCHWITZ: A TRUE STORY
Keren Blankfeld
ASK NOT: THE KENNEDYS AND THE WOMEN THEY DESTROYED
Maureen Callahan
TILGHMAN: THE LEGENDARY LAWMAN AND THE WOMAN WHO INSPIRED HIM
Chris Enss
SEEDS OF LEADERSHIP
Wilson Lukang
Best Sci-Fi / Fantasy
OCEAN’S GODORI
Elaine Cho
THE CANOPY KEEPERS
Veronica G. Henry
MASTER VERSION 1.1
Antanas Marcelionis
HOUSE OF FIRE & MAGIC
Sherrilyn McQueen
THE BUILDING THAT WASN’T
Abigail Miles
Best Short Story Collection / Anthology
NEVER TELL COLLECTION
Kjersti Egerdahl, ed.
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD / Andrea Bartz (author)
EVERYWHERE WE LOOK / Liv Constantine (author)
SCORPIONS / Rachel Howzell Hall (author)
THE BAD FRIEND / Caroline Kepnes (author)
JACKRABBIT SKIN / Ivy Pochoda (author)
THE GHOST WRITER / Loreth Anne White (author)
DAY
Patrick Kitson (author)
DEEDS OF DARKNESS
William Burton McCormick (author)
6-LANE HIGHWAY
Sean Mitchell (author)
LARCENY & LAST CHANCES: 22 STORIES OF MYSTERY & SUSPENSE
Judy Penz Sheluk, ed.
HIT-AND-RUN / Christina Boufis (Author)
WHEEL OF FORTUNE / John Bukowski (Author)
THE POOL / Brenda Chapman (Author)
HAIL MARY BLUES / Susan Daly (Author)
INCIDENTS AND INTENTIONS / Wil A. Emerson (Author)
THE CRIMSON SALAMANDER / Tracy Falenwolfe (Author)
NO GOOD DEEDS / Kate Fellowes (Author)
NOT THIS TIME / Molly Wills Fraser (Author)
THE CASE OF THE PILFERED PARKA / Gina X. Grant (Author)
A PROMISE KEPT / Karen Grose (Author)
RED INK / Wendy Harrison (Author)
SKEETER’S BAR AND GRILL / Julie Hastrup (Author)
A TIGHT SQUEEZE / Lary M. Keeton (Author)
UNCLE RANDY’S MONEY / Charlie Kondek (Author)
THE PURLOINED PARCHMENT / Edward Lodi (Author)
THE RAGE CAGE / Bethany Maines (Author)
ONCE A THIEF / Gregory Meece (Author)
ROBBERY AT THE BIRDCAGE / Cate Moyle (Author)
THE CONSTELLATION NECKLACE / KM Rockwood (Author)
THE LAST CHANCE COALITION / Judy Penz Sheluk (Author)
THE HOSPITAL BOOMERANG / Kevin R. Tipple (Author)
ARTIFACT / Robert Weibezahl (Author)
Best Southern Gothic
POCKET FULL OF TEETH
Aimee Hardy
KENTUCKY BLOOD (BOOK I OF THE KENTUCKY BLOOD SERIES)
Ashley Thomas Sheikh
Best Supernatural
NOT BORN OF WOMAN
Teel Glenn
A PLACE FOR GOOD AND EVIL
Stacey Horan
CITY OF INNOCENT MONSTERS
Stacey Horan
DERVLA ALARMS THE NANAS
DR Ransdell
COLD SNAP
Lindy Ryan
Best Suspense
A FRIEND IN THE DARK
Samantha M. Bailey
IF YOU TELL A LIE
Lucinda Berry
THE NEXT MRS. PARRISH
Liv Constantine
LOST TO DUNE ROAD
Kara Thomas
THE LAST PARTY
AR Torre
Best Thriller
RICH JUSTICE
Robert Bailey
THE DREDGE
Brendan Flaherty
THE MECHANICS OF MEMORY
Audrey Lee
A FORGOTTEN KILL
Isabella Maldonado
THE ASCENT
Adam Plantinga
Best Western
KNIFE RIVER
Baron Birtcher
SARITA
Natalie Musgrave Dossett
THE BROKEN BLOOD
Dwight Holing
Ollie Media
Auntiemwrites Crime-Mystery Author M K Graff 