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