Chanticleer Book Reviews

Author: chanti

The 2025 Spotlight on the M&M Awards for Cozy and Not-so-Cozy Mystery Books!
Got a Marketing Conundrum for Your Cozy Mystery?

Solve It by Entering the M&M Awards!

The submissions for the 2025 CIBAs are underway, and Mystery & Mayhem Awards close submissions on July 31, 2025!

The Mystery and Mayhem Awards celebrate the art of the puzzle, inspired by the legendary Agatha Christie and the tradition of mysteries where brilliant minds triumph over criminal schemes. While our Clue Awards focus on gritty thrillers and our Global Thriller Awards feature high-stakes suspense on a global scale, M&M honors the cozy (and not-so-cozy) mysteries where amateur sleuths reign supreme and the violence often happens off-page.

Why rely on police detectives when a curious librarian, a sharp-eyed baker, or a meddling village resident can solve the case just as well? From quaint English villages to small American towns, the M&M Awards recognize stories where wit, observation, and a good cup of tea are often more valuable than forensic labs and SWAT teams.

The Categories Where Curiosity Conquers Crime
- Amateur Sleuth features everyday heroes who stumble into mysteries—think Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache series or the Thursday Murder Club, where regular people use extraordinary insight to catch criminals.
- Romantic Mystery blends heart-fluttering romance with puzzling crimes, proving that love and mystery make the perfect pair—whether it’s a meet-cute over a murder scene or romance blooming during a dangerous investigation.
- Historical Mystery transports readers to bygone eras where period details and historical context add richness to the puzzle—from Victorian London to Jazz Age speakeasies, these stories prove that human nature and criminal minds are timeless.
- Classic/British Cozy honors the tradition of Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, and modern masters who understand that the most satisfying mysteries often happen in drawing rooms rather than dark alleys.
- Mystery Caper/Adventure features lighter, more playful mysteries with humor and hijinks—think Knives Out energy where the puzzle-solving is as entertaining as it is clever.
- Animal Mystery showcases our four-legged detectives and the humans who love them, proving that sometimes the best witness has fur and four paws.
- Small Town Cozy Mystery explores the dark secrets hiding behind picket fences and friendly facades, where everyone knows everyone—and someone knows too much.
- Blended Genre celebrates mysteries that incorporate elements of fantasy, paranormal, or other genres while maintaining that cozy mystery heart.
Congratulations once more to our 2024 M&M Grand Prize Winner
Jeanne Matthews for
If Two Are Dead!

Set in 1867 Chicago, this compelling novel showcases everything we love about historical mysteries: rich period detail, complex characters, and a puzzle that keeps readers guessing until the final revelation. Matthews’ masterful blend of historical authenticity and classic mystery plotting in the Historical Mystery category exemplifies the sophisticated storytelling we seek to recognize. In addition to all the featured posts that have already gone out for the M&M Awards, If Two Are Dead will be regularly promoted throughout the year and for the next five years in our upcoming Hall of Fame post. Jeanne Matthews will also be invited to participate in a Chanticleer 10-Question Interview, and If Two Are Dead will receive a coveted Chanticleer Editorial Review.

Looking for Your Next Puzzling Read?

Check out some of these incredible cozy and not-so-cozy mysteries we’ve reviewed recently that showcase the delightful diversity of the genre!

RED HERRINGS RADIO: The Media Mysteries Series Book 6
By Gail Hulnick

From its very first page, Red Herrings Radio, from Gail Hulnick’s Media Mysteries series, evokes the classic mystery novels of days gone by. We meet protagonist Lillian on September 7, 1964, in the pre-dawn hours as she heads to work. The early shift at a bustling radio station may seem like excitement enough, but soon Lillian’s faced with unexpected and unpleasant thrills: there’s a dead body at work, and it’s one of her best friends.

Red Herrings Radio uses many elements of classic mystery, even down to the noir lighting of the early-morning streets. Yet it also diverges from mystery-novel tradition in interesting ways.

Unlike many older mystery books, it has not only a female sleuth, but a focus on the challenges and barriers faced by a woman in the 1960s. The book is studded with authentic period details, from Beatles mania and folk music to the Royal Tour and the World’s Fair. It also doesn’t shy away from the weightier topics of the era. As Lillian investigates Susan’s death, she finds herself grappling with looming issues like abortion and gender equality. Author Gail Hulnick gives these issues their due complexity, painting a realistic picture of the 1960s as an era of global change and growing pains.

Read more here!

A HAUNTING At LINLEY: A Henrietta and Inspector Howard Novel
By Michelle Cox

Dire darkness descends upon Castle Linley in A Haunting at Linley by award-winning author Michelle Cox. Lord Linley is dead, black blankets and sashes cover windows, mirrors, and all sources of light. Mourning overtakes all—well, almost all.

Henrietta and her husband, Inspector Clive Howard, return to England and the estate. They come to offer comfort, but quickly discover the family needs much more help than anticipated.

Lord Linley’s death is only the first.

Read more here!

TOMMY ROCKET And The GOOBER PATROL
By Thomas R. Kuhn

Tommy Rocket and the Goober Patrol by Thomas R. Kuhn follows Nate, a young boy growing up in the 1970s, whose friendship with the kid genius robot builder, Tommy Rocket, leads him into mysterious adventures.

Tommy’s father invented the Prometheus chip that gives sentience to robots, and from a young age Tommy started creating a gang of robots called the Goober Patrol. Eccentric and wheelchair-bound, Tommy prefers to tinker with his robots at home. But he befriends Nate after he saves Tommy from bullies.

When Tommy’s aptly named ‘Monster-bot’ gets loose, Nate is tasked with finding and securing the rogue bot before anyone finds out. But the two boys soon find out there is more at work than one missing robot. There’s another tinkerer in town and they’re building their own special group of robots—which look just like one of Tommy’s creations. Nate and Tommy have to find out who has gotten their hands on the Prometheus chip before it’s too late.

Read more here!

PARALLEL SECRETS
By ML Barrs

In the small Missouri town of Walkers Corner, it seems everyone has a dark secret. In Parallel Secrets by ML Barrs, a TV journalist comes to town to do a magazine piece on a missing girl and begins uncovering many of those hidden stories.

Motivated by feelings of guilt for not following up on a previous unsolved case, Vicky Robeson’s joins the search for the missing child. She’s tenacious in her investigation. As a TV station journalist currently between jobs, she has well-honed investigative skills, specifically in her ability to wheedle stories from even the most reluctant people. She’s familiar with Walkers Corner; and as a reporter for a St. Louis TV station, she covered the case of a never-identified mystery girl. She believes the two cases are connected. The similarities that link these cases to her own experiences as a child make her unable to let this new story go.

Safe to say, her investigating is not welcomed by most of the locals in this close-knit town.

Read more here!

These reviews represent just a glimpse of the clever plots and charming characters waiting to be discovered in today’s mystery fiction.

See the Chanticleer Difference for Yourself!

We’re excited about all the wonderful mysteries we receive every year for both the CIBAs and for our Editorial Reviews. Throughout this year’s M&M Book Awards, we had the pleasure of promoting over 70 books as they advanced through our competition tiers. The Chanticleer International Book Awards offers an incredible $30,000 in cash, prizes, and promotion across all divisions!

This is the journey from beginning to end for the CIBAs! Every list you make means more promotion for you and your work as each advancement tier is posted right here on our website, on our social media, and also out in our newsletter! Your book deserves to be discovered.

Don’t Let Your Mystery Remain Unsolved!

The cozy mystery market is more vibrant than ever, with readers hungry for clever puzzles, charming characters, and satisfying resolutions. Whether your amateur sleuth is a retired teacher with a knack for observation, a small-town baker who stumbles upon murder, or a historical figure solving crimes in a bygone era, the M&M Awards provide the recognition and promotional platform your mystery deserves.

Mystery fiction has the unique power to engage readers’ minds while providing the comfort of justice served and puzzles solved. Don’t let your story remain a cold case—submit to the M&M Awards today and join the ranks of celebrated mystery writers who’ve found their audience through Chanticleer!

You know you want it…

Submit to the M&M Awards today!
June 23, 2025
THE SUMMER Of HAIGHT by George Petersen – Surreal Fiction, 1960s, Literary Fiction

In The Summer of Haight, George Petersen opens a doorway into the hallucinatory dreamscape of 1967 San Francisco, where the counterculture’s bright ideals are shadowed by something far more sinister.

Forget the peace signs and flower crowns. This isn’t a nostalgic romp through Haight-Ashbury. It’s a slow-burning gothic mystery where the air smells of something rotting just beneath the incense, and reality unravels one eerie page at a time.

The Summer of Haight centers on Longfellow, a straight-laced, impeccably dressed British lawyer living in San Francisco. He’s logical, loyal, and just rigid enough to feel like he’s constantly one step out of place in the groovy chaos of 1960s counterculture. His best friend, the brilliant and eccentric scientist Dr. Jonathan St. Amour, seems to be riding high—hosting elite parties, building a private laboratory under his Victorian mansion, and showing off his mysterious new pet cat, Zelda, who wears a custom-cut diamond in the shape of a cat’s eye.

Things start to tilt sideways when Jonathan suddenly asks Longfellow to draft a new will—one that leaves everything to a man named Dr. Asmodeus Youngblood.

This ‘Youngblood’ is nobody Longfellow has ever met, and Jonathan refuses to introduce them. In fact, he makes Longfellow promise not to investigate him. Naturally, this only makes Longfellow more suspicious.

What follows is a descent into something much stranger than legal drama. Youngblood isn’t just a mystery; he’s a walking contradiction, a man who looks like a flamboyant hippie but moves with something menacing in his step. He sleeps during the day, unnerves everyone in the house, and seems to have an unnatural hold over Jonathan. Even Zelda is terrified of him.

As Longfellow breaks his promise and trails Youngblood through the fog-choked streets of the Haight, the novel morphs into a fever dream.

There are LSD-drenched parties, glowing body paint, hallucinatory visions, and ominous signs that Youngblood may not be entirely human. The scenes at the Fillmore Auditorium—strobe-lit nudity and shadowy faceless figures—feel like a cross between Eyes Wide Shut and a haunted lava lamp. At one point, the atmosphere turns almost otherworldly: “Wide-eyed and anxious, I climbed the stairs to the auditorium, a red apple in one hand, a bright yellow balloon in the other… Janis Joplin belted out ‘Summertime’ on stage… tie-dye backdrops bathed in luminous liquid colors… A puppeteer hung a life-size marionette from the balcony so it could dance with the flower girls on the floor below…”

Despite the surrealism, The Summer of Haight is also about aging, longing, and identity.

Jonathan’s longing to be young again, to break free from the restrictions of respectability and embrace something primordial, is familiar but also terrifying. Readers will find the story clearly depicts how simple it is to lose oneself while pursuing the illusion of independence.

The prose is moody, poetic, and at times playfully gothic.

There’s fog, firelight, hidden blades, secret cellars, and symbolic snakes. But the pace is deliberate; it doesn’t sprint. Rather, it creates a dense atmosphere that allows the reader to feel the dread.

If you like stories where a seemingly rational world starts to fray at the edges—where one must question not only the nature of the villain but that of reality itself—then The Summer of Haight by George Petersen might be your kind of delirium. It’s haunting, heady, and more than a little hypnotic.

June 23, 2025
Don’t let your Books Slip into the Shadows! Speculative Fiction Deadline Looms!
Time is Running Out for your Book to be Discovered!

Three great speculative fiction divisions close at the end of June!
Your book shouldn’t stay hidden!

Enter the CIBAs today!

Only 10 days left to submit your books to the prestigious CIBAs and embark on an extraordinary journey to success. With over $30,000 in prizes awarded annually, now is the time to make your mark!

We’re looking for the best of the best for Speculative Fiction! Chanticleer started with a mandate to offer a platform specifically to indie authors and presses, and now every year we receive every type of work, from brilliant manuscripts to Big Five publications. Does your book have what it takes?

The Shelley Awards for Paranormal Fiction, Ozma Awards for Fantasy Fiction and the Cygnus Awards for Science Fiction are still open!

We are proud to recognize ALL of these 2024 CIBA Winners in Speculative Fiction Divisions!

Cygnus Award Winners!
- Timothy S. Johnston – A Blanket of Steel
- Peter Dingus – Deep Time
- A. R. Black – No Man’s Land
- Thomas R. Weaver – Artificial Wisdom
- Shami Stovall – The Half-Life Empire
Ozma Award Winners!
- Curt Locklear – Treasure and Murder In Ireland
- Glen Dahlgren – The Realm of Gods
- Susan Wands – High Priestess and Empress, Book Two, Arcana Oracle Series
- Prue Batten – The Red Thread
- S.G. Blaise – Meddling Mages
- J.A. Nielsen – The Claiming
Shelley Award Winners!
- Evette Davis – The Gift
- Alexander Fernandez – Above the Ashes
- Keith Steinbaum – In Lieu of Flowers
- Tim Facciola – Ghosts of Rheynia
- AA DaSilva – Periphery
- Rhett C. Bruno and Jaime Castle – Vein Pursuits
And the 2024 Grand Prize Champions of Speculative Fiction

Congratulations once more to these powerhouse authors!

From left to right we have The Cygnus Grand Prize Winner Ares, the Ozma Grand Prize Winner Circle of Stars, and the Shelley Grand Prize Winner Time-Marked Warlock

More than just recognition

The CIBAs are your portal to discoverability in a world with millions of books published annually. Whether your book makes it to the first lists or all the way to the coveted Blue Ribbon, the CIBAs signal to readers, booksellers, and industry professionals that you’re serious about your craft.

Join the ranks of celebrated authors who’ve taken this critical step.

Your book deserves to be discovered, celebrated, and shared with the world. Don’t miss the chance to showcase your talent and gain valuable recognition at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (April 2026) where Winners from all 28 Book Award Divisions will be announced and honored.

Your story deserves to be heard.

Submit now and leave a lasting impression.

The Cygnus Awards for Science Fiction

The Ozma Awards for Fantasy Fiction

The Shelley Awards for Paranormal Fiction

Don’t Delay! Enter Today!
June 20, 2025
The 2025 Clue Hall of Fame for the Best in Thriller/Suspense

Who’s at the door at this late hour?

It’s the Clue Awards closing at the end of July!

The Clue Awards features the best suspense and thriller books, including both fiction and true crime! We are delighted to feature these amazing authors from the last five years of Clue Grand Prize Awards!

Here is the official Hall of Fame for the Grand Prize Winners of the Clue Awards!

Enemies Domestic
By John DeDakis

The review for the 2024 Grand Prize Winner is forthcoming, in the meantime here is what some Goodreads readers have been saying-

“A fantastic thriller which will keep you locked in. The story picks up exactly where Fake left off and is another super satisfying ride on the Lark Chadwick roller coaster.
And it was scarily realistic. We live in a time of societal dilemmas, a few of which are explored in Lark’s personal life.
The book both entertains and shares multiple angles of some tough discussions.” -Matthew

“If you haven’t read the other books in the series, don’t sweat it. ENEMIES DOMESTIC reads like a standalone thriller. The plot is frighteningly realistic, loaded with suspense and intrigue, and cleverly crafted. I was on edge until the very end.” -Lori

“Suspend your disbelief and you’ll race through John Dedakis’ sixth novel featuring Lark Chadwick, a reporter who’s tapped to be the president’s press secretary. Trouble begins when a rightwing journalist falsely reports she is planning an abortion. When she fails to arrive at the White House two days later, the search for her begins followed by a hunt for her captors. And that’s only in the opening chapters of this gripping thriller.” -Barry

You can find the book here!

The Other Murder
by Kevin G. Chapman

In The Other Murder by Kevin G. Chapman, two ambitious journalists find themselves at the knife’s edge as they seek to uncover the entire truth of a gruesome double homicide.

“An error does not become truth because of multiplied propaganda, nor does truth become error because nobody sees it.” –Mahatma Gandhi

Hannah, a journalist with the American Cable News network, is pulled away from a date by her editor to cover the breaking news of a shooting in Washington Square Park. The victim is Angelica Monroe, a White girl from Westchester County and a sophomore at NYU. She was shot at a close range, as shown by the dark hole above her left eye.

The murder becomes much more mysterious and complicated when Paulo, a reporter for a small community newspaper, makes a connection between Angelica’s murder and the shooting of a Latino teen, Javier Estrada, on the other side of the park on the same night.

Read More Here

The Vines
By Shelley Nolden

Shelley Nolden’s debut novel, The Vines, embraces multiple genres as it chills, fascinates, and horrifies, from historical and magical realism to fantasy and horror.

Nolden has melded fanaticism, medical anomalies, and the frailties of human behavior together with a historic setting, creating a narrative Kudzu vine that grows rapidly and spares nothing in its path. This particular vine consists of two main branches that intertwine, bridging time and linking parallel realities, one past, one present.

The Gettler men of Long Island, New York have shepherded a secret medical research project for generations, with the exception of Finn, the youngest man in the family.

Read More Here

A Venomous Love
By Chris Karlsen

Detective Rudyard Bloodstone is facing the most bizarre crime spree of his career as a copper on the Victorian streets of London. Someone is using a poisonous Cape cobra as a weapon.

What begins as a simple robbery scheme turns deadly when a wealthy businessman is killed via cobra attack, the crimes go from strange to deadly. Rudyard (Ruddy) and his partner, Archie Holcomb, have few clues and no idea what would cause such a change in the criminal’s behavior.

When the criminal returns to the estate and attacks the victim’s daughter, Ruddy’s suspicions are confirmed.

Read More Here

Salvaging Truth
By Joanne Jaytanie

Famed marine biologist and researcher Claudia Rawlings is presumed dead. When Claudia’s research vessel goes down, her daughter Riley goes on a desperate search to discover what happened, eventually turning to Dagger Eastin, co-owner of Hunters and Seekers a marine salvage business. Dagger soon realize this isn’t a simple search and reclaim mission when someone takes a shot at him during an exploratory dive with Riley.

Former Navy SEALs, Dagger, and his partners Kaleb LaSalle and Stone Garrison are the definitions of relentless, and they quickly become embroiled in the investigation that has caught the attention of some very influential people, all seeking Claudia’s important research. And while Riley learns that her mother has left behind clues to her missing research, the Hunters and Seekers pull out all the stops to help and protect her. The wild scavenger hunt sends Dagger and Riley on a trip to discover the truth, but Russian spies, big oil cronies, and psychopathic hitmen lurk around every corner.

Read More Here

These Authors Cracked the Code

From political conspiracies to medical mysteries, these Hall of Fame winners prove that exceptional crime fiction comes from authors who understand that the best thrillers don’t just entertain—they reveal uncomfortable truths about power, justice, and human nature.

Each of these celebrated authors shares one crucial element: they didn’t let their stories remain unsolved mysteries buried in obscurity. They submitted to the Clue Awards and transformed their manuscripts from hidden evidence into compelling cases that readers can’t put down.

The Case for Your Crime Fiction

Your thriller deserves more than digital silence.

In today’s saturated market, even the most gripping crime stories can disappear without a trace. These Hall of Fame winners broke through the noise because they understood that exceptional writing needs strategic promotion and credible recognition.

This could be your story next year.

The Clue Awards don’t just crown winners—we build careers through comprehensive promotion at every advancement tier. From Long List to Grand Prize Winner, we’re actively working to connect your crime fiction with readers who are hungry for exactly the kind of story you’ve crafted.

Time Is Running Out!

Deadline: July 30, 2025

Don’t let another case go cold—Submit to the Clue Awards today!

Those who submit and advance will have the chance to win the Overall Grand Prize of the CIBAs and $1000!

June 20, 2025
Chanticleerians in the News: Go from Page to Screen with Kim Hornsby

Masterclass Instructor, USA Today Bestselling Author, and Chanticleer Keynote Kim Hornsby invites you to join her on the next adventure!

Realize your book-to-screen dreams in Greece this fall!

When your mission is to Discover Today’s Best Books, you come across good news regarding authors!

Kim Hornsby came to Chanticleer as a First Place Winner for the Paranormal Awards (now Shelley Awards) almost a decade ago for her book Dream Jumper, which has been optioned for film. She gave the Friday keynote at the last Chanticleer Authors Conference where she shared insights from her journey from bestselling novelist to produced screenwriter—and she’s ready to show authors how to follow in her footsteps.

Braving Rapids is streaming now!

Hornsby’s family adventure film Braving Rapids launched May 15th across streaming platforms, bringing her rafting screenplay to life with what she describes as “a darling puppy” and a heartwarming story about a grieving family’s healing journey. And the good news keeps coming as her Lifetime Thriller, Secret Life of My Other Wife recently premiered on LMN!

This Amazon #1 and USA Today bestselling author wants to share her book-to-screen expertise. Hornsby is heading to the Greek Isle of Patmos this September 20-25, 2025 to mentor writers at an exclusive retreat focused on transforming novels into screenplays.

Beautiful Patmos, Greece

Authors can learn to write a screenplay while staring at the cerulean Aegean Sea, and already one Chanticleer author has signed up for the adventure. For authors dreaming of seeing their stories on screen, this is a rare opportunity to learn from someone who’s actually done it. From her island home off Seattle, Hornsby has transformed her Chanticleer-recognized paranormal fiction into a multimedia success spanning streaming platforms, cable networks, and film options.

Registration is open now, and spots are limited!

Ready to turn your own stories into award-winning successes?

You know you want it…

Don’t miss out! Several Chanticleer International Book Award divisions have deadlines fast approaching. Kim’s journey from Shelley Award winner to produced screenwriter shows exactly what recognition can launch. Whether you’re crafting paranormal fiction for our Shelley Awards or working in any of our genre divisions, professional recognition opens doors to opportunities you might never have imagined.

Submit your manuscript today before deadlines close!

June 20, 2025
A Moment of Reflection with Dr. Janice Ellis, Social Scientist & CIBA Nellie Bly Grand Prize Winner
When Personal Becomes Powerful

In a time when we’re all thinking what it means to be an American, it is important to self-reflect on what these turbulent times mean, what change is happening, and what our values as Americans will be in the future.

Chanticleer Book Reviews wants to honor this moment by examining the work of an author we’ve had a relationship with for years. Janice S. Ellis, Ph.D. has been an author for more than thirty years, writing for newspaper columns and appearing on broadcast radio and streaming services regularly. Along with many other awards, her books have won the CIBA Grand Prize in the Nellie Bly Division for Investigative and Long Form Journalism Works and the CIBA Journey Book Awards for Overcoming Adversity. Her works address political, racial, educational, and socioeconomic news and issues.

At Chanticleer, we’ve had the honor of recognizing Dr. Ellis’s exceptional work. More importantly, her works have consistently earned five-star reviews from our editorial team for books including:
Inspiration from Dr. Janice S. Ellis

Dr. Ellis’ most recent contribution to the Missouri Independent is called “Longing for a State and Country I Can Believe In.” Her article has been distributed in publications across the country—and we want to share it with you as well! This column is a self-reflective piece that strikes a chord with what many of us are feeling today. Here’s an excerpt from the article:

This column is a major departure from how I have written columns for nearly four decades.

It is personal.

I have avoided using “I’ and have endeavored to remain objective and impersonal as I have addressed and analyzed myriad social, educational and political issues across race, age, gender and socioeconomic status.

That has been my practice, whether writing for radio, in print when I wrote for The Kansas City Star and other newspapers, or online writing for The Missouri Independent the last four years. Even in my own blog.

Maybe the “I” in this column is a “collective I” that tugs.

I have a hunch that many of my fellow Missourians and Americans may be feeling as I do as we live through unprecedented, tumultuous, and unsettling political times.

What are you longing for?

We invite you to read the full article here.

Discovering Voices That Matter

This is exactly why Chanticleer exists—to discover, celebrate, and amplify the voices that help us understand our world and ourselves. Dr. Ellis represents the kind of author we’re proud to champion: someone whose work combines rigorous journalism with deep humanity, whose perspective is informed by lived experience, and whose willingness to evolve keeps her relevant across decades.

As Dr. Ellis reminds us, “E pluribus unum”—out of many, one. It’s a motto that speaks not just to our national identity, but to the power of diverse voices coming together to create understanding.

Celebrating Juneteenth and the Stories That Unite Us

This Juneteenth, we encourage reflection on the stories that have shaped us and the voices that continue to guide us forward. Dr. Ellis’s journey from objective journalist to someone willing to say “I” in service of a larger “we” reminds us that the most powerful writing often comes when we’re brave enough to be both professional and personal.

Want to learn more about Dr. Janice Ellis and the books she’s written? Here are links to our interview with Dr. Ellis
and a Chanticleer review of her book—
- 10-Question Interview
- Shaping Public Opinion: How Real Advocacy Journalism™ Should be Practiced
We hope you all have a joyous Juneteenth!

More about Dr. Ellis

Janice S. Ellis, M.A., M.A., Ph.D., a native daughter of Mississippi, grew up and came of age during the height of the Civil Rights Movement and the Women’s Liberation Movement.

Dr. Ellis has been an executive throughout her career, first in government, then in a large pharmaceutical company, and later as a president and CEO of a marketing firm and a bi-state non-profit child advocacy agency. In addition to those positions, she has been writing columns for more than four decades on race, politics, education, and other social issues for newspapers, radio, and online. Her commentary can be found at janicesellis.com. You can follow her on here on Facebook.
June 19, 2025
The Clue Book Awards for Thriller/Suspense First Place Round Up from 2024

The Clue Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Thriller and Suspense Mysteries. The Grand Prize Winner, John DeDakis’s book, Enemies Domestic will be promoted for years to come in our annual Hall of Fame article, as well as be featured on the Clue contest page year ’round!

The best part about being a Chanticleer Int’l Book Award Winner is the love and attention you get all year ‘round!

The 2024 Clue Winners were announced at the 2025 Chanticleer Authors Conference in April, and you can see the official winners post here!

Join us in celebrating the 2024 First Place Clue Winners!

Pamela Beason – If Only

With her housemate Blake away and her lover Chase also absent, Sam Westin embarks on a backpacking trip in the North Cascades, hoping to photograph elusive gray wolves. Blake, reeling from a recent breakup, has taken a six-week job far away in Evansburg, caring for three gorillas while their owner, Dr. Grace McKenna, is on vacation. But events take a dark turn when the baby gorilla is shot by an intruder, prompting Grace’s lover, Detective Finn, to investigate.
Sam’s impromptu trip becomes dangerous when she finds a corpse and then stumbles upon an injured immigrant and packhorse carrying drugs. After a gunshot forces her to flee her campsite, Sam faces a perilous cross-country journey with the injured man and horse in tow.
In Evansburg, while following the trail of the gorilla shooting, Detective Finn stumbles upon a murdered woman in a nearby abandoned house and her child hiding in the gorilla barn. With both investigations going nowhere fast, it will take Sam visiting Blake and the gorillas to spot a clue that may be the link needed to solve all the crimes.

Find it Locally and on Amazon!

Jeff Nania – Musky Run

Olympic medalist Anna MacDonald comes home to Namekagon County to emcee the Great Wilderness Race as predators stalk the Northwoods. While occasional interactions with potentially dangerous animals are old hat for most residents, this changes when unpredictable behavior patterns make it unclear who is the hunter and who is the hunted. Sheriff John Cabrelli and the new Musky Falls chief of police work swiftly to keep the community calm as they try to piece together the clues before it is too late.

Musky Run is the fourth book in the award-winning Northern Lakes Mystery series, following Figure Eight, Spider Lake, and Bough Cutter.

Find it Locally and on Amazon!

Sean Hagerty – Jones Point

By day, we’re your neighbors. Your boss. Your teacher. By night, we hunt the monsters who hunt our children.

As a Special Operations soldier, Dane Cooper was trained and tested to handle the toughest, most dangerous situations around the world. He was not, however, prepared for the abduction of his daughter.

That kidnapping sends him into a downward spiral, the depths of which are unknown even to Dane. But a lifeline is thrown to him by a mysterious cabal, which sees his skills as paramount to helping others.

Now investigating other grieving parents’ cases, Dane must conceal his efforts from the zeal of an FBI agent hot on the trail of the vigilante cabal, a dedicated Virginia Bureau of Investigation team, and an elusive network of monsters at the center of it all. Punishing the wicked while searching for his little angel, Dane must also overcome the struggle with his own demons.

Find it Locally and on Amazon!

Kathryn Caraway – Unfollow Me

This harrowing true crime novel telling the story of the authors experience with a stalker is not yet released, but we are excited to see it come out eventually and see her story told! Unfollow Me is also Chanticleer’s 2024 Journey Grand Prize Winner and won a First Place for Cover Design in Non-Fiction. For more information see the authors website at kathryncaraway.com and unfollowme.com for the authors advocacy project for stalking awareness.

From Chanticleer:

When you’re a target of stalking, “Each day is a fight to stay alive. Even while sleeping, you must be ready.” So reveals Kathryn Caraway in Unfollow Me, a spine-tingling true crime novel tracing a life shattered by severe stalking.

Although the author uses the pseudonym “Kathryn Caraway” throughout this novel to protect her identity, her harrowing tales of being the target of a stalker and fighting for her rights to freedom and safety are a testament to the real danger she was exposed to. Caraway’s experience creates a compelling story of one woman’s brave quest for justice against her torturer.

Kathryn emotionally, mentally, and physically falls apart at the hands of a violent, ubiquitous presence. Despite the severity of the crimes committed against her, Kathryn’s concerns are routinely dismissed as irrational and hysterical by law enforcement officials, lawyers, and even long-time friends.

Before a malicious intruder targets her, Kathryn is a beloved mother, a wonderful friend, and a confident employee. But after she is introduced to Todd, he begins to slowly strip her life from her control.

Read More Here

Carl Vonderau – Saving Myles

When the FBI can’t help, an unassuming banker takes matters into his own hands to bring his son home

Wade, a respected banker in La Jolla, CA, and his estranged wife, Fiona, make the unbearable decision to send their teenage son, Myles, away to an expensive treatment center after a streak of harmful behavior. After a year of treatment, Myles comes home, seemingly rehabilitated. But soon, he sneaks off to Tijuana to buy drugs—and is kidnapped.

When the ransom call comes, Fiona is frantic and accepts help from Andre, the Quebecois whose charity Fiona runs. Wade is wary of Andre’s reputation and the bank he owns, but seeing no other way to secure a kidnap negotiator or the ransom, he swallows his doubts to get his son home.

In order to get the ransom money, Wade makes a deal with Andre—he’ll work for Andre’s bank in exchange for the cash. But as Wade races to rescue Myles before his kidnappers lose their patience, he realizes he’s wrapped up in more crime than just a kidnapping—he’s now indebted to a cartel.

Find it Locally and on Amazon!

Shanessa Gluhm – A River of Crows

In 1988, Sloan Hadfield’s brother Ridge went fishing with their father and never came home. Their father, a good-natured Vietnam veteran prone to violent outbursts, was arrested and charged with murder. Ridge’s body was never recovered, and Sloan’s mother—a brilliant ornithologist—slowly descended into madness, insisting her son was still alive.

Now, twenty years later, Sloan’s life is unraveling. In the middle of a bitter divorce, she’s forced to return to her rural Texas hometown when her mother is discharged from a mental health facility.

Overwhelmed by memories and unanswered questions, Sloan returns to the last place her brother was seen all those years ago: Crow’s Nest Creek. There, she is shocked to hear a crow muttering the same syllable over and over: Ridge, Ridge, Ridge.

When the body of another boy is found, Sloan begins to question what really happened to her brother all those years ago. What she discovers will shock her small community and turn her family upside down.

Find it Locally and on Amazon!

Michael Pronko – Shitamachi Scam

In Tokyo, there isn’t always respect for older people. Sometimes, it’s the opposite.

After the suspicious deaths of a seventy-something woman and a student recluse, Detective Hiroshi tracks down a gang of scammers who target retirees, robbing them of their pensions, life savings, and even the deeds to their homes. Hiroshi teams up with Detective Ishii, who’s been running a women’s crime task force. Together, they find out who has been ripping off the pensions, life savings, and deeds to homes in shitamachi, the older, eastern side of the city.

With his personal life on hold (almost), Hiroshi finds out how complex the traditional life of Tokyo still is. With old-school Detective Takamatsu and ex-sumo wrestler Chief Sakaguchi watching his back, he finds out who’s behind the scams, and who’s behind the scammers.

Find it Locally and on Amazon!

Thank you for joining us to celebrate the 2024 Clue First Place Winners!

Your book can join the Tiers of Achievement, but only if you submit to the Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards!

Got a spine-tingling thriller?

The 2025 Clue Book Awards are open through the end of July!

Submit to the Clue Awards Today!

June 18, 2025
UNFOLLOW ME by Kathryn Caraway – Memoirs, Stalking, Contemporary Social Issues

When you’re a target of stalking, “Each day is a fight to stay alive. Even while sleeping, you must be ready.” So reveals Kathryn Caraway in Unfollow Me, a spine-tingling true crime novel tracing a life shattered by severe stalking.

Although the author uses the pseudonym “Kathryn Caraway” throughout this novel to protect her identity, her harrowing tales of being the target of a stalker and fighting for her rights to freedom and safety are a testament to the real danger she was exposed to. Caraway’s experience creates a compelling story of one woman’s brave quest for justice against her torturer.

Kathryn emotionally, mentally, and physically falls apart at the hands of a violent, ubiquitous presence. Despite the severity of the crimes committed against her, Kathryn’s concerns are routinely dismissed as irrational and hysterical by law enforcement officials, lawyers, and even long-time friends.

Before a malicious intruder targets her, Kathryn is a beloved mother, a wonderful friend, and a confident employee. But after she is introduced to Todd, he begins to slowly strip her life from her control.

Todd absorbs Kathryn’s routines and destroys any sense of safety. He starts hurtful rumors that damage her reputation and cause her to doubt herself and others around her. He invades an office space in her home, installs secret security cameras and listening devices, tracks her car, kidnaps her dog, clones her phone, and befriends her abusive ex-husbands, making her life a living nightmare.

His aggressive actions only increase in extremity and frequency.

Overtime, Kathryn’s circle of trusted people becomes smaller. Her sleep and mental health degrade as she spends every second aware of her vulnerability and Todd’s proximity. Any sense of normalcy is turned upside down as Kathryn is forced to become a ghost observing the shambles of her previous life.

An inspiring story of survival, Unfollow Me brings awareness to the horrors of stalking and its devastating effects on the mental health of those targeted.

Despite the seemingly endless suffering and anxiety, Kathryn remains steadfast in her commitment to defend her safety and punish Todd for his crimes against her and his other targets. Juggling hundreds of pages of documented incidents in a black binder, Kathryn assembles a case against Todd. Her sacrifices and bravery serve as an eye-opening lesson to readers on the lack of resources for those subjected to stalking and how to support those who are in danger.

Caraway’s true-to-life novel focuses much-needed attention on stalking as a crime, its consistent dismissal by law enforcement, and the suffering of those who have been targeted

Caraway not only shares her first-hand experience as a person who’s been the target of a sadistic stalker, but also the lack of compassion by those who are supposed to protect her. Left to fend for herself, Kathryn spends three years advocating for her own survival as any semblance of trust for others is demolished, which leads her to distrust her own mind. “My sole focus was on survival,” she writes. “Life, as I knew it, had become unbearable.”

Caraway’s diligent attention to detail, a practice learned from years of scrupulous incident documentation, allows her to craft a truly captivating story. Readers will find themselves clenching every muscle in anticipation as Unfollow Me unfolds, horrified and enraged, but ultimately inspired.

Unfollow Me by Kathryn Caraway won Grand Prize in the 2024 CIBA Journey Awards for Overcoming Adversity in Narrative Non-Fiction.

June 18, 2025
The 2025 Clue Spotlight for Thriller/Suspense Fiction
Lock Your Doors and Leave the Lights On!

The Clue Awards Spotlight the Darker Side of Crime Fiction

The submissions for the 2025 Awards are underway, and Clue closes submissions on July 30, 2025!

The Clue Awards celebrate the grittier, more intense side of crime and mystery fiction—where shadows hold secrets, justice comes at a cost, and the line between hero and villain blurs. While cozy mysteries offer comfort, the Clue Awards recognize the authors who aren’t afraid to explore the darker corners of human nature and criminal minds.

From psychological thrillers that keep readers awake at night to political conspiracies ripped from today’s headlines, the Clue Awards honor the storytellers who understand that the best crime fiction doesn’t just entertain—it reveals uncomfortable truths about the world we live in.

You know you want it…

The Categories That Define Crime Excellence
- Detective/Crime features the classic investigative stories where seasoned detectives and determined cops work to solve cases that challenge both their skills and their moral compass.
- Suspense/Thriller delivers heart-pounding tension and psychological complexity—think Gone Girl meets The Silence of the Lambs, where every page turn could reveal a shocking twist.
- Private Eye/Noir captures the atmospheric world of hard-boiled investigators and morally ambiguous characters navigating corruption and betrayal in the tradition of Raymond Chandler and modern masters like Tana French.
- Legal/Medical/Police Procedural combines professional expertise with compelling storytelling—from courtroom dramas to forensic mysteries that showcase the intersection of science and justice.
- US Political Thriller explores the dangerous world of power, corruption, and conspiracy in American politics, more relevant than ever in today’s climate.
- Spy/Espionage/Undercover delves into the shadowy world of international intrigue, double agents, and high-stakes missions where one wrong move could mean death.
- True Crime/Investigation represents our newest unique non-fiction category, recognizing the section in the bookstore right next to thrillers. Stories of real criminal events that will chill you.
Celebrating Our 2024 Clue Grand Prize Winner for Thriller/Suspense!

John DeDakis with his Clue Grand Prize Ribbon

After months of reviewing entries, we’re thrilled to announce that John DeDakis claimed the 2024 Clue Grand Prize with his politically charged thriller Enemies Domestic! This achievement is particularly meaningful given DeDakis’s extraordinary background as a CNN Senior Copy Editor and former White House correspondent who covered presidents Reagan and Carter.

DeDakis brings authentic expertise to the political thriller genre that few authors can match. His 25-year career at CNN, including his role as Senior Copy Editor for “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer,” provides him with insider knowledge of how political crises unfold—knowledge that translates into gripping, believable fiction.

Enemies Domestic represents the pinnacle of political thriller writing: a story that feels ripped from tomorrow’s headlines, crafted by someone who’s spent decades in America’s newsrooms. In addition to all the featured posts that have already gone out for the Clue Awards, Enemies Domestic will be regularly promoted throughout the year and for the next five years in our upcoming Hall of Fame post. John DeDakis will also be invited to participate in a Chanticleer 10-Question Interview, and Enemies Domestic will receive a coveted Chanticleer Editorial Review.

Looking for Your Next Edge-of-Your-Seat Read?

Check out some of these incredible crime and thriller books we’ve reviewed recently that showcase the diversity and intensity of the genre!

BUTTERFLY PINNED
By Leslie Liautaud

Fleeing a small and troubled life back home, college student Marin falls headfirst into the attention of the fabulous, wealthy, and mercurial Bette. In Leslie Liautaud’s psychological thriller Butterfly Pinned, Marin gives body and soul to Bette for agonizing want of transformation.

Marin has toiled for the chance to become someone new and continues to fall back into her old limitations. Even as she moves to Chicago with a college scholarship, she struggles to escape the shadows of anxiety and poor self-esteem. But a chance meeting with Bette Winston casts her in glorious and terrible light.

Bette enthralls Marin with poetry, luxury, and the backdoor invitation to a world of refined grandeur. She convinces Marin to double-major in philosophy, while pulling her away from classes and all other mundane responsibilities. Marin gets to share this new world with Bette’s high-class friends Ozzie and Harry, shunning any connection to her old, embarrassing life. But as she meets those who know Bette beneath her lustrous glamor, Marin glimpses a sinister history.

Read more here!

WHERE The SLEEPING LADY LIES
By M.E. Schuman

An Environmental Thriller inspired by the 9.2 Good Friday earthquake of 1964 in South Central Alaska, M.E. Schuman’s Where the Sleeping Lady Lies is a story of political espionage and environmental danger.

The legend of the Sleeping Lady is a tale of a giant woman who falls asleep waiting for her lover to return from battle. When tragic news arrives that her lover was killed, the other women cannot bear to wake her, and to this day the Sleeping Lady still lies as part of the landscape.

In the present day, Sam is on her way back to Alaska, a few weeks after a catastrophic earthquake has hit.

Read more here!

SMITE The WATERS: The Isaak Collection
By David T. Isaak

Smite the Waters by David T. Isaak begins with the xenophobic billionaire Rex Atwater whose goal is to eliminate terrorism. His certainty that it’s “us” or “them” has led him to one horrifying conclusion: he must nuke Mecca.

Convinced of his twisted plot’s perfection, Atwater assembles a deadly team. Carla Smukowski is a military assassin mourning the death of her brother. Boyce Hammond works as a covert FBI agent deeply entrenched in a right-wing movement. And rounding out the cast is Gerald Graves, a nuclear expert willing to commit this heinous crime. Together, they vow to annihilate terrorism.

Virtually every character in this story is fully fleshed out, gritty and driven, to draw the reader deep into their individual stories.

Read more here!

SOMETHING I KEEP UPSTAIRS
By J.D. Barker

An old and hungry thing wakes beneath the house on Wood Island. It calls out to another generation of children. In J.D. Barker’s supernatural mystery, Something I Keep Upstairs, a circle of New Castle teenagers digs up the unholy secrets of those who came before them.

When the hermit Geraldine Rote dies without clear cause, her grandson Spivey inherits Wood Island and the historic house upon it. He plans to spend the summer as a carefree sixteen-year-old rather than submitting to another round of cancer treatments. With the help of the mysterious estate lawyer Marston, Spivey escapes his parents’ reach.

At first, the island becomes a perpetual party, drawing an endless stream of kids and alcohol. But only a few learn the truth behind Wood Island’s dark stories.

Read more here!

These reviews are only a glimpse of the compelling criminal minds and complex investigations waiting to be discovered in today’s crime fiction.

See the Chanticleer Difference for Yourself!

We’re excited about all the exceptional books we receive every year for both the CIBAs and for our Editorial Reviews. Throughout this year’s Clue Book Awards, we had the pleasure of promoting more than fifty books as they advanced through our competition tiers. The Chanticleer International Book Awards offers an incredible $30,000 in cash, prizes, and promotion across all divisions!

This is the journey from beginning to end for the CIBAs! Every list you make means more promotion for you and your work as each advancement tier is posted right here on our website, on our social media, and also out in our newsletter! Your book deserves to be discovered.

Don’t Let Your Crime Story Remain Unsolved!

Submission Deadline: July 30, 2025

The crime and thriller market is more competitive than ever, but readers are hungry for authentic, well-crafted stories that keep them guessing until the final page. Whether your thriller explores political corruption, features a hardboiled detective, or investigates a real criminal case, the Clue Awards provide the recognition and promotion platform your work deserves.

Crime fiction has the power to illuminate society’s darkest corners while delivering the satisfaction of justice served. Don’t let your story remain in the shadows—submit to the Clue Awards today and join the ranks of celebrated crime writers who’ve found their audience through Chanticleer!

Submit to the Clue Awards today!
June 16, 2025
UNAUTHORIZED DISCLOSURES: A Navy Memoir of the 1980s by Rod Haynes

Rod Haynes’s memoir Unauthorized Disclosures: A Navy Memoir of the 1980s portrays military life without filter, transcending glamorous and heroic images to explore the daily struggles, leadership challenges, emotional battles, and personal growth during his decade of military service.

We first meet Rod as a young man trying to navigate a directionless civilian life. The burdens of unemployment, fractured family relationships, and an identity crisis lead him to a chance encounter in Seattle with ‘Space Case’, an eccentric, troubled, yet honest character. The relationship offers a glimpse at rock bottom—which Rod fears most.

Rod decides to join the Navy because he needs employment.

We follow Rod to Officer Candidate School (OCS), a mentally and physically grueling journey toward adapting to a new leadership role. He tells of the essence of leadership taught in the school, which emerges not through the wearing of a uniform, but through sacrifice, battling doubt, and a drive to look out for others. Marching in sleeting rain, performing relentless drills, and encounters with hard-nosed instructors, Rod ultimately survives the intense pressure of military training with the assistance of a fellow Officer Candidate, a prior enlisted sailor willing to show Rod survival techniques in a high stress military training environment.

Rod must transition his lessons from theory to practice in real Navy life as he’s assigned to USS Joseph Hewes, a Navy frigate.

The narrative intensifies with shipboard politics, the real-time pressure of a safety officer’s role, and new tests in leadership. With little glamour found in the life of a junior naval officer, there are gritty chores to perform and relentless demands to address. A racial incident prompts Rod to explore biases and inequalities within, demonstrating that leadership involves more than adherence to rules—it also means standing up for moral principles.

Rod is no longer the confused youth who once wandered the streets of Seattle; he is now a leader whom people follow and trust, a role that comes with profound responsibilities. As USS Joseph Hewes is deployed into the perilous waters of the North Atlantic, Rod and his crew face challenges not only from Soviet submarines but also from icy winds and raging storms.

Though a physically perilous experience, Rod emerges from the storm with new admiration for the Captain’s ship-driving skills and thanks that the entire crew survived the tempest.

This enlightening memoir lays out Rod’s journey from an inexperienced, self-doubting officer to a dependable leader. His portrayal of real life in Ronald Reagan’s era of building a larger Navy is vivid and well researched.

It’s a journey in which his nerves are constantly tested by drills, unpredictable emergencies, and unforgiving deck watches. He must also confront something that no class or training manual could prepare him for: losing a fellow officer and good friend to an accidental drowning overseas shatters Rod with a sense of helplessness. He realizes that being a leader entails not just issuing commands but also being accountable for the consequences, regardless of the pain that accompanies the orders.

The character of Ellen Kincaid introduces an important layer of gender equality to the memoir through her silent strength and resilience.

Haynes does not confine Ellen’s character to a clichéd romantic subplot. Instead, she possesses an independent arc, maintaining a strong presence in the Navy’s male-dominated environment and contributing meaningfully to Rod’s development.

In October 1983, the USS Joseph Hewes was performing naval gunfire support duty off the coast of Beirut, Lebanon at the time of the Hezbollah attack on the US Marine compound at Beirut International Airport. Haynes’s eye-witness account of 241 US Marines killed during the attack on the morning of October 23, 1983 is a sobering reminder of the dangerous duty he is engaged in.

Unauthorized Disclosures by Rod Haynes stands out as a narrative combining the authenticity of a memoir with the emotional depth of fiction. Every chapter serves as a lesson. The reader encounters reflections on duty, dignity, or the bonds of camaraderie. It’s an honest story of a life that transcends the honor of uniforms and medals, capturing the inner pain, growth, and resilience of the human spirit.

Unauthorized Disclosures by Rod Haynes won First Place in the 2024 CIBA Military and Frontline Awards for Service to Others Non-Fiction.

June 16, 2025