Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: CIBAs

The 2024 Global Thriller First Place Round Up for High Stakes Suspense

The Global Thriller Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of High Stakes Thrillers. The Grand Prize Winner, Timothy S. Johnston’s book, A Blanket of Steel, will be promoted for years to come in our annual Hall of Fame article, as well as be featured on the Global Thriller contest page year ’round!

The best part about being a Chanticleer Int’l Book Award Winner is the continued love and promotion for your book!

The 2024 Global Thriller 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 Global Thriller Winners!

T.O. Paine – The Delusion

Don’t believe everything you read on the internet. It’ll drive you crazy. Literally.

Emma has sacrificed everything for her research in psychology at the University of Baltimore, dedicating her twenties to studying the persuasive effects of social media on the masses.

And, just when it’s about to pay off, her relentless graduate professor mysteriously disappears. They never got along, and the detective on the case blames her.

Now, desperate to clear her name, Emma sets out on a dangerous adventure only to discover a web of shocking lies and twisted motivations. Dark forces set in motion during the ‘90s converge, intertwining the dot com era, social media, and toxic manipulation.

A sinister, narcissistic madman has stolen her research, and with it, he can persuade the world to do as he wishes.

Emma is the only one who can stop him.

Find it Locally and on Amazon!

Charlie Robinson- Heavy Hysteria

From Chanticleer:

Scientific and moral questions swirl in Charlie Robinson’s latest thriller, Heavy Hysteria: A Novel of Corporate Intrigue Involving the Minerals of this Sacred Earth.

Readers are thrust into a suspenseful journey with worldwide implications alongside Dr. Charlie Cavanaugh, a 68-year-old priest and scientist.

Arriving home after a spiritual retreat, he is surprised by an FBI agent sitting with Cavanaugh’s gun on his lap. The agent has subverted a freshly enhanced security system to retrieve Cavanaugh’s encrypted, unpublishedHybrid Hysteriareport from a concealed USB stick.

The FBI needs Cavanaugh’s assistance with a delicate national security issue.

Read More Here

Find it Locally and on Amazon!

Tony Ollivier – The Tokyo Diversion

David Knight is still having a rough time…

Having survived the implanting of another man’s memories, ballet dancer David Knight is struggling to adjust. He has been hunted, attacked, and almost killed because a TV minister wanted the acquired memories destroyed; injuring his best friend. Now a year later, the memories are gone, but his life will never be the same.

While trying to find his new normal in Canada’s premier dance company and living a pauper’s life, he’s fired because of anger issues. But when friend and aging spymaster Asher Fitzsimmons offers him a three-day contract for some light surveillance of one of the world’s largest security software companies, he jumps at it. However, David is soon embroiled in a corporate conspiracy that drags him to Japan to save the life of a billionaire’s daughter and uncover the greatest sleight of hand in history.

Will David Knight survive The Tokyo Diversion?

Find it Locally and on Amazon!

Ralph R. “Rick” Steinke – Change of Mission

IN THIS COMPELLING third installment of the Jake Fortina global thriller series—set predominantly in Italy—US Army Lieutenant Colonel Jake Fortina and his Italian Carabinieri bride, Sara Simonetti-Fortina, must each face deadly threats from different enemies. Meanwhile, Jake’s decision to seek a change in his life’s mission turns out to be far more momentous than expected. Jake’s new mission will require him and Sara to face criminal and dark international enemies head-on, and to seek the assistance of his closest allies while employing his vintage resourcefulness and agility. Will the assistance provided by a highly trusted US Army sergeant and a Ukrainian Air Force colonel be sufficient for Jake Fortina to accomplish his mission? Find out in this fast-paced and heart-pounding thriller!

From Chanticleer:

This Series also won a First Place in the 2024 Series Award, book 1, Major Jake Fortina and the Tier One Threat, will be showcased in the first-place post for Series. You can also check out our review for book 2, Jake Fortina and the Roman Conspiracy, Our 2023 Global Thriller Grand Prize Winner here:

Talk about a ripped-from-the headlines thriller in Jake Fortina and the Roman Conspiracy!

In this multinational geopolitical thriller by Ralph R. “Rick” Steinke, a power-crazed Russian oligarch wants to usurp the current Russian dictator to take his place as the head of the government. He forms his own paramilitary force to steal priceless paintings from a Vatican church with plans to resell them for billions to fund his campaign. But why stop there? He also explodes illicit small-scale atomic weapons to further destabilize the Russian leader and cast himself as the country’s new czar.

Meanwhile, a crazed U.S. right wing military adjutant buys loads of AK-47s from the Italian mafia to arm U.S. paramilitary groups intent on enforcing their own far-right views in America.

Read More Here

Find it Locally and on Amazon!

Ron Singerton – Ruptured

RUPTURED: The story of a family torn apart, unsuspected betrayal, terrorism, secession, and potential civil war as the nation is sundered.

Following the loss of a hotly contested election, Jefferson Calhoun Lee, a former U.S. senator with a questionable past establishes the Nationalist Christian Republic of America, a conglomeration of states with ties to the old Confederacy.

Janice, wife of FBI Director Steven Whitinghill, accompanies her debonaire lover James Goodwin, a close friend of Lee, to the NCRA’s capitol in Montgomery, Alabama where Lee is sworn in as the all-powerful leader of the new nation. Amid mounting chaos U.S. President Edith Barnes is encouraged to declare war as powerful members of the NCRA engage in draconian measures that spin out of control. Janice, having severed her relationship with husband and daughter, learns of Goodwin’s checkered past and attempts to survive as her world turns upside down.

Find it Locally and on Amazon!

Sheri T. Joseph – Edge of The Known World

In a near future where DNA tests are used at ID checkpoints, brilliant Alexandra Tashen is hiding in the open. After a blissful childhood on a Texas ranch, she learned of the secret in her genes—a harmless inherited marker and ancestry that would get her deported to a brutal regime and likely death. Her adoptive father’s experimental gene therapy masks her marker, but not completely. Every security check is a one-in-ten chance of getting caught.

When her father vanishes, Alex risks everything in a headlong and often comic search across nations. A volatile love triangle develops with two brothers—one a disgraced intelligence officer, the other a damaged, charismatic diplomat—each guarding secrets of their own. As betrayals mount and the secrets unravel, Alex must confront the confounding choices between love, family loyalty, and moral obligation.

Edge of the Known World blends the tension of a global thriller with the heart of a love story.

Find it Locally and on Amazon!

Carla Seyler – A Place Unmade

Valentina Sorelli is a part-time graduate student and full-time marketing director of a community park in New Orleans. Jack Stillman is a corporate executive who hijacks his company’s research for personal gain, and he doesn’t care about the consequences. Their separate paths intersect when Valentina meets Jack’s son Sam, who becomes the link between the worlds of scientific discovery and corporate espionage.

As the story unfolds, Valentina and her classmates unite to try to stop Jack. They get a little help from a corporate whistleblower as well as the FBI. Valentina’s friendship with one of her classmates evolves into something more as they fight for their lives. A Place Unmade takes the reader on a provocative journey into the dangers lurking in our decreasing lack of biodiversity and patentable genetics.

Find it Locally and on Amazon!

Randall Krzak – Frozen Conquest

An international criminal gang, known as Diablo Corps, plans a series of devastating attacks to take over the G7 countries unless their demands are met. Secure in their hidden headquarters in Antarctica, they possess the means to disrupt the leading world economies. The CEO wants what other power-hungry people want—more power.

Will the G7 bend to the will of these rogues or will evil triumph? Diablo Corps believes their previous infiltration of the international banking system and world stock exchanges will allow them to risk all on a single gamble.

The Scandinavian Protection Agency joins forces with Bedlam to thwart the efforts of the group and restore faith. Will Antarctica become a smoking ruin or will the world suffer an economic meltdown?

From Chanticleer:

Frozen Conquest by Randall Krzak is a thrilling and intense conflict between the cold of Antarctica and the blazing ambition of those seeking global control, fusing the issues of power, greed, and survival into a high-stakes adventure.

The icy edge of Antarctica serves as the center of a sinister organization, Diablo Corps. The ruthless leader, Walter Brown, threatens global mayhem if his aspirations for power are not met. With technological efficiency and the ability to disrupt critical infrastructure, Diablo Corps is poised to leverage its capabilities against the G7. Soon, an anonymous climate-related warning is sent out, with events such as the hacking of the London metal exchange proving to authorities the true weight of that threat.

Such dire actions demand an immediate answer. A classified team of specialists is called upon to gather at Ramstein Air Base. With naturally skilled leader Craig, sharp and observant Evelyn, and the humor and humility of Rufus and August, the promising recruits form the Bedlam Quick Reaction Force (QRF) and venture out into the peril of a frozen land.

Read More Here

Find it Locally and on Amazon!

Thank you for joining us to celebrate the 2024 Global Thrillers 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 great High Stakes Suspense Thriller? The 2025 Global Thriller Book Awards are open through the end of July!

Submit to the Global Thriller Awards Today!

July 2, 2025
The 2025 Spotlight for the Book Series Awards, Fiction & Non-Fiction

One Book Hooks Readers—A Series Keeps Them Forever!

The Series Awards Celebrate Literary Worlds Worth Revisiting

The submissions for the 2025 Awards are underway, and Series closes on July 31, 2025!

There’s something magical that happens when a single great book becomes part of something larger—when characters you’ve grown to love continue their journeys, when worlds you’ve fallen into keep expanding, and when the story you thought was over reveals it was just the beginning. The Series Awards celebrate this unique literary achievement: the ability to sustain excellence across multiple volumes while building reader loyalty that lasts for years.

In today’s competitive market, a successful series doesn’t just sell books—it creates communities. From fantasy epics that span generations to mystery series featuring beloved detectives, from young adult adventures that grow with their audience to non-fiction works that build comprehensive expertise, series offer something no standalone work can: the promise that the story never truly ends.

The Power of Sustained Storytelling

Creating a successful series requires more than just writing multiple books—it demands the vision to build worlds that can support extended exploration, characters complex enough to evolve across volumes, and the skill to maintain consistent quality while keeping readers surprised. It’s the difference between telling a story and creating a literary universe.

Series also offer unparalleled marketing advantages. When readers discover a series they love, they don’t just buy one book—they buy the entire collection and eagerly await the next installment. Publishers understand this power: a successful series can anchor an entire catalog, creating reliable revenue streams and devoted readerships that traditional standalone novels rarely achieve.

But perhaps most importantly, series allow authors to explore themes and develop characters in ways that single volumes simply cannot accommodate. The greatest series become more than entertainment—they become ongoing relationships between authors and readers.

Multi-Genre Excellence

The Series Awards welcome submissions across every genre and format, recognizing that great serial storytelling knows no boundaries. Whether your series spans science fiction galaxies, historical periods, contemporary mysteries, or non-fiction expertise, we celebrate the unique challenges and rewards of multi-volume excellence.

Our categories align with all Chanticleer divisions, encompassing both fiction and non-fiction works. From epic fantasy trilogies to business guide series, from young adult adventures to literary explorations, every genre offers opportunities for the kind of sustained storytelling that creates lasting reader relationships.

Celebrating Our 2024 Grand Prize Winner!

We’re thrilled to honor Tim Facciola, whose epic fantasy series A Vengeful Realm claimed the 2024 Series Grand Prize with a completed trilogy that masterfully demonstrates everything we look for in award-winning series fiction. This sweeping saga—described as “Spartacus meets Game of Thrones”—follows Zephyrus from his awakening as an amnesiac gladiator through his ultimate confrontation with gods and destiny.

What makes A Vengeful Realm exemplary is Facciola’s ability to sustain complex world-building across three volumes while developing characters who evolve authentically with each installment. From The Scales of Balance through The Age of the End, readers witness not just epic battles and political intrigue, but profound character growth and an ever-expanding fictional universe that rewards investment.

The series showcases the marketing power of cohesive serial storytelling—Book 1 won the 2023 Overall Grand Prize for Best Book, proving that exceptional series often begin with exceptional individual volumes. Facciola’s achievement demonstrates how the best series create worlds readers never want to leave and characters they never want to say goodbye to. In addition to ongoing promotional features, A Vengeful Realm will be regularly promoted throughout the year and for the next five years in our upcoming Hall of Fame posts. Tim Facciola will also be invited to participate in a Chanticleer 10-Question Interview and receive continued recognition across our promotional platforms.

Looking at Series Excellence

Check out some of these outstanding series we’ve celebrated recently that showcase the power of sustained storytelling!

The Nightingale and Sparrow Chronicles
By Jerena Tobiasen

Jerena Tobiasen’s The Nightingale and Sparrow Chronicles weaves together the personal costs of duty with the sweeping political upheavals of early 20th century Europe. Through Viscount Simon Nightingale-Temple’s journey from naval officer to reluctant spy, Tobiasen creates a panoramic view of revolution, family loyalty, and survival.

Love and loss define the stakes in revolutionary Russia.

Beginning with Simon’s covert mission in Petrograd during the 1915 Russian Revolution, the series establishes its emotional core through Simon’s romance with Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna—the sole surviving Romanov daughter. As Mary hides among British aristocracy in the second book, her trauma from witnessing her family’s execution adds psychological depth to the espionage framework.

Family betrayal elevates traditional spy fiction.

What distinguishes Tobiasen’s work is her willingness to complicate spy narratives with intimate family conflicts. Simon’s forced recruitment into MI6 becomes doubly painful when he must investigate his own brother Richard’s treason. The series succeeds because Tobiasen balances meticulous historical research with emotionally resonant character development, grounding the series in lived historical reality while exploring timeless themes of loyalty and sacrifice.

Read the review for book 1 Tsarina’s Crown here and book 2 Tsarina’s Jewels here.

These works demonstrate how the best series create something greater than the sum of their individual volumes—building reader loyalty and literary worlds that endure.

Bella Brown Series
By J.W. Zarek

J.W. Zarek’s Bella Brown series captures the joy of childhood curiosity and the special bond between grandmother and granddaughter. Through Bella’s adventures with butterflies and everyday challenges, Zarek creates stories that blend whimsical exploration with gentle life lessons, all brought to vibrant life by illustrator Anastasia’s playful artwork.

Grandma Yetta’s wisdom guides Bella through wonder and worries.

Whether Bella is searching for Grandma Yetta’s missing butterfly locket across imagined global destinations or tackling her overwhelmingly messy room, their phone conversations form the emotional heart of each story. Yetta’s calm blue dialogue contrasts beautifully with Bella’s energetic pink text, making it easy for young readers to follow their conversations while emphasizing their different approaches to problem-solving. The series celebrates how patient guidance can transform daunting tasks—from cleaning chaos to processing memories—into manageable, even enjoyable experiences.

The books excel at teaching through discovery rather than preaching. Bella learns butterfly facts during her imaginative travels and cleaning strategies through Yetta’s step-by-step encouragement. Anastasia’s illustrations enhance this educational element with hidden details like Pip the Domovoi tucked throughout the pages, rewarding careful observation. The vibrant pastel artwork makes each location and emotion feel immediate, whether capturing the wonder of butterfly gardens or the satisfying transformation of a clean room.

Read the review for Bella Brown—Grandma’s Missing Butterfly Locket here and Bella Brown’s Messier Than Messy Room here.

Helena P. Schrader WWII Aviation Series
By Helena P. Schrader

Helena P. Schrader delivers two of the most authentic and compelling WWII aviation novels in recent memory, exploring the psychological toll of aerial warfare on RAF pilots and crews. Through meticulous research and deeply human storytelling, Schrader captures both the technical precision of military aviation and the emotional cost of sustained combat operations during Britain’s darkest hours.

Authentic aerial combat meets profound psychological insight.

From the dogfights of the Battle of Britain in Where Eagles Never Flew to the bomber campaigns of 1943-44 in Moral Fibre, Schrader demonstrates masterful command of aviation history and human psychology. Her aircraft practically come alive with technical detail—Hurricanes, Spitfires, and Messerschmitts engage in breathtaking aerial battles that feel immediate and visceral. Yet what elevates these novels beyond military fiction is Schrader’s unflinching examination of combat stress, survivor’s guilt, and the crushing weight of repeated missions under impossible conditions.

Character depth transcends genre expectations.

Kit Moran’s journey from decorated veteran to accused coward and back to redemption in Moral Fibre exemplifies Schrader’s nuanced approach to heroism. Rather than creating invincible warriors, she crafts vulnerable, authentic characters who struggle with fear, exhaustion, and moral complexity. The novels explore Britain’s class-conscious culture while celebrating the resilience and camaraderie that sustained the RAF through its most desperate period. Schrader’s authentic dialogue and multiple perspectives—including German airmen—create a comprehensive portrait of aerial warfare that honors both the sacrifice and the humanity of all involved.

Read the review for Where Eagles Never Flew here and Moral Fibre: A Bomber Pilot’s Story here.

Salem Stories Series
By Sandra Wagner-Wright

Sandra Wagner-Wright’s Salem Stories series brings 18th-century Massachusetts to vivid life through the interconnected sagas of the Derby and Crowninshield families. These meticulously researched novels explore how personal ambition and family loyalty shape the founding of American maritime commerce, told through the perspectives of both powerful patriarchs and the strong women who guide them behind the scenes.

Family rivalry drives early American enterprise.

The series chronicles the fierce competition between merchant dynasties as they build privateering empires through dangerous overseas trade. From Mary Derby’s marriage to George Crowninshield in the first novel to the next generation’s struggles in Sea Tigers & Merchants, Wagner-Wright demonstrates how family bonds and business rivalries intertwine across decades. The Derby and Crowninshield families are simultaneously connected through marriage and divided by commercial ambition, creating complex dynamics where brothers-in-law compete for dominance while their wives navigate the social and emotional costs of such rivalry.

Authentic historical detail anchors personal drama.

Wagner-Wright’s extensive research shines through rich period vernacular, detailed descriptions of maritime commerce, and unflinching portrayals of 18th-century hardships. The novels capture everything from the perils of childbirth without modern medicine to the treacherous realities of international trade in an era of pirates and hostile foreign governments. Rather than romanticizing the past, Wagner-Wright shows how families built fortunes through calculated risks while facing genuine dangers—both on the high seas and in Salem’s ruthless social hierarchies.

Read the review for Ambition, Arrogance and Pride here and Sea Tigers & Merchants here.

See the Chanticleer Difference for Yourself!

We’re excited about all the exceptional series we receive every year for both the CIBAs and for our Editorial Reviews. The Chanticleer International Book Awards offers an incredible $30,000 in cash, prizes, and promotion across all divisions!

The Series Awards provide recognition that extends far beyond individual book promotion. When we celebrate your series, we’re promoting an entire literary universe—creating marketing momentum that benefits every volume and builds anticipation for future installments.

Your Literary Universe Awaits Recognition

Whether you’ve completed a trilogy that ties together all loose ends or launched an ongoing series that promises years of reader engagement, the Series Awards recognize the unique achievement of sustained excellence across multiple volumes. For publishers, series recognition provides powerful marketing tools that highlight your investment in long-term storytelling. For authors, it validates the vision and commitment required to build worlds worth revisiting.

You know you want it…

Submit to the Series Awards today and let us celebrate the worlds you’ve built to last!

June 30, 2025
The 2025 Global Thriller Awards Spotlight for High Stakes Suspense!
The World is in Danger!

Can Your Hero Save the Day?

The Chanticleer Investigation Agency is on the phone asking: Can your hero save the world? The submissions for the 2025 Awards are underway, and Global Thriller Awards close submissions on July 31, 2025!

The Global Thriller Awards celebrate the highest-stakes suspense fiction—where the fate of nations, civilizations, or even humanity itself hangs in the balance. While our Clue Awards focus on personal crimes and our M&M Awards celebrate intimate mysteries, Global Thriller demands nothing less than world-shattering events and planet-threatening conspiracies.

This is where Jack Reacher meets Mission: Impossible, where scientific discoveries become weapons of mass destruction, and where a single hero’s actions determine whether civilization survives another day. From underwater empires fighting for the future of humanity to cyber-terrorists threatening global infrastructure, Global Thriller authors understand that sometimes saving the world is the only story worth telling.

The Categories Where Heroes Rise to Global Threats
- Historic features the theater of war, international spycraft, and epic conflicts that shaped our world—think The Hunt for Red October or wartime espionage where one mission changes history.
- LabLit merges real science with “what-if” scenarios that feel terrifyingly plausible—where cutting-edge research becomes humanity’s salvation or its doom, like The Andromeda Strain for the modern age.
- Science Fiction explores threats from beyond our known reality—alien invasions, interdimensional warfare, or technological catastrophes that make Independence Day look like a warm-up act.
- Dramatic delivers classic Die Hard-style consequences where personal stakes escalate to global proportions—one hero, impossible odds, and the clock ticking toward worldwide disaster.
- Action/Adventure needs no explanation—pure adrenaline-fueled storytelling where heroes race against time to prevent global catastrophe through spectacular set pieces and death-defying stunts.
- CyberTech (Cyberpunk) presents dystopian futures with 1980s aesthetics and futuristic technology—where digital wars determine physical reality and hackers hold the keys to civilization’s survival.
Celebrating Our 2024 Grand Prize Winner!

Timothy S. Johnston took home the 2024 Global Thriller Grand prize win with his epic underwater thriller A Blanket of Steel! This concluding volume of The Rise of Oceania series delivers everything we expect from world-class global thriller fiction.

Johnston’s masterpiece imagines a future where climate change has devastated the surface world, forcing humanity to colonize the ocean floors. As nations suffer famine, drought, and apocalyptic flooding, underwater leader Truman McClusky faces his gravest threat: a Russian assassin bent on destroying humanity’s last hope for oceanic civilization. With the fate of underwater colonies hanging in the balance, Mac must uncover the killer’s identity while leading the largest underwater battle ever assembled.

A Blanket of Steel represents the pinnacle of global thriller storytelling—The Expanse but told beneath Earth’s oceans, where one man’s final test determines the future of human survival. In addition to all the featured posts that have already gone out for the Global Thriller Awards, A Blanket of Steel will be regularly promoted throughout the year and for the next five years in our upcoming Hall of Fame post. Timothy S. Johnston will also be invited to participate in a Chanticleer 10-Question Interview, and A Blanket of Steel will receive a coveted Chanticleer Editorial Review.

Looking for Your Next World-Saving Read?

Check out some of these incredible global thrillers we’ve reviewed recently that showcase the life-or-death stakes that define the genre!

THE LAST RIVAL: A Time of Our Choosing
By Kyle Palmer

The Last Rival: A Time of Our Choosing by Kyle Palmer is a modern take on the mid-20^th century style of pulp-fiction, combining the genre’s brazen and entertaining storytelling with reflections on the deeper meaning behind all the action. This masculine romp through history dares to imagine the aftermath of World War II—in a slightly different world.

The story opens in Washington, DC, in 1946, through the eyes of a fictionalized “Wild Bill” Donovan. The real Wild Bill was an American soldier and intelligence officer, perhaps best-known for founding the CIA. Author Kyle Palmer deftly weaves such historic details into his fictionalized account of American history, offering readers a chance to learn as they come along for the ride.

From the machinations of government in Washington, DC, The Last Rival spirals into the wild resurgence of a World War II threat. The powers of the Third Reich haven’t truly been neutralized.

Read more here!

THE WOLF HUNTER: DESOLATION: Mack Murphy Series Book 1
By Terrence O’Malia

In The Wolf Hunter: Desolation, Book One of Terrence O’Malia’s Mack Murphy series, staff sergeant Mack Murphy is convinced there are three types of people: sheep, wolves, and hunters.

The sweet, innocent, dutiful sheep are blissfully unaware of the deadly wolves that could strike at any time. But thankfully, the hunters protect the sheep and even seek out the wolves to prevent their attacks on the flock. Mack defines himself steadfastly as a wolf hunter. He loves his family with all his heart and would do anything to protect them.

Mack’s protective nature continues into his military life where he is part of a team based in the mountains of Afghanistan. Just as it is with his family, he pledges his full allegiance to his team.

Read more here!

FROZEN CONQUEST
By Randall Krzak

Frozen Conquest by Randall Krzak is a thrilling and intense conflict between the cold of Antarctica and the blazing ambition of those seeking global control, fusing the issues of power, greed, and survival into a high-stakes adventure.

The icy edge of Antarctica serves as the center of a sinister organization, Diablo Corps. The ruthless leader, Walter Brown, threatens global mayhem if his aspirations for power are not met. With technological efficiency and the ability to disrupt critical infrastructure, Diablo Corps is poised to leverage its capabilities against the G7. Soon, an anonymous climate-related warning is sent out, with events such as the hacking of the London metal exchange proving to authorities the true weight of that threat.

Such dire actions demand an immediate answer. A classified team of specialists is called upon to gather at Ramstein Air Base. With naturally skilled leader Craig, sharp and observant Evelyn, and the humor and humility of Rufus and August, the promising recruits form the Bedlam Quick Reaction Force (QRF) and venture out into the peril of a frozen land.

Read more here!

CLIMATE DRAGON: Treachery, Pestilence & Weirding Weather
By S.W. Lawrence

Climate Dragonby S.W. Lawrence offers a unique blend of climate fiction, thriller, and real scientific inquiry, setting the stage for an intriguing trilogy centered on dual crises—an impending climate catastrophe and the outbreak of a mysterious disease.

Jake Harper, a newly minted engineering professor, and his romantic partner Abbey London, an infectious disease specialist, balance their burgeoning careers with their bustling inn outside Washington, D.C. But the demands of their lives are disrupted as the two crises draw in Jake and Abbey—the only people prepared to face them.

Jake’s suspicions of a cyberattack on the North American power grid grow after attending a lecture at George Washington University. Meanwhile, Abbey discovers an alarming new bleeding disorder spreading among the drug-injecting population, raising the stakes for both her career and personal safety as she navigates the risks to her pregnancy.

Read more here!

THE BYZANTINE CROSS
By Dena Weigel

The Byzantine Cross by Dena Weigel starts at the end of an explosive rogue mission. Sarah Kraft is committed to saving a record of irreplaceable relics from a bombing mission in World War II. Despite her extraordinary success, the OSS spy is later put out in the cold by her handler, Albert Phillips, for a mistake she didn’t commit.

Years after World War II has ended and the Cold War is dominating headlines, Kraft has a new role as an art insurance appraiser in New York. The company’s lip service for their rich clients and irreverence for her skills don’t sit well with Sarah. It becomes clear that her moral compass will soon lead her into unemployment. But right at the end of her rope, Agent Phillips returns to recruit her back into the organization, now rebranded the CIA.

Sarah Kraft’s mission is simple: break into the Kremlin and retrieve an ancient relic from before the birth of Christ.

Read more here!

These reviews represent just a glimpse of the high-stakes adventures and world-threatening scenarios waiting to be discovered in today’s global thriller 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. 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.

The World Needs Your Story!

Global catastrophes demand global recognition. Whether your thriller features international conspiracies, scientific disasters, or heroes racing to prevent worldwide destruction, the Global Thriller Awards provide the platform your world-saving story deserves.

In a world facing real global challenges, readers hunger for stories that remind them heroes can triumph against impossible odds. Your thriller could be the next to join the ranks of celebrated authors who understand that when the stakes are planetary, only the best storytelling will do.

You know you want it…

Don’t let your world-saving hero remain unknown—the deadline is July 31, 2025!

Submit to the Global Thriller Awards today and help save the literary world!
June 30, 2025
The 2025 M&M Hall of Fame for Cozy Mystery Books!

Curl up with a Cozy Mystery Today!

Agatha Christie in front of the TARDIS, as played by Fenella Woolgar in the Dr Who episode The Unicorn and The Wasp.

Summer is the best time to enter the M&M Book Awards

You have until July 31st to share your Novel with us and enter the 2025 CIBAs!

This Division is dedicated to one of the most Well-known Mystery authors, Dame Agatha Christie. Writer of Poirot, Miss Marple, Tommy and Tuppence, and so much more.

WWI Nurse, Writer, Playwright (and record holder of longest running Stage Play, The Mousetrap which opened in 1952), and Archaeologist, the latter of which contributed greatly to her novels.

When she wasn’t busy writing, She spent quite a good amount of her life working on excavations in Egypt and Iraq with her 2nd Husband, archaeologist Max Mallowan.

Agatha Christie (center) with Max Mallowan and Sir Leonard Woolley at the ruins of the Mesopotamian city of Ur in 1931

But enough about Christie. The Hall of Fame features the Grand Prize Winners of the Mystery and Mayhem Award who we are proud to have in the Chanticleer Family!

If Two Are Dead: A Garnick and Paschal Mystery
By Jeanne Matthews

An enigmatic raven-haired beauty mysteriously murdered and cast into a stranger’s grave, left for scurrilous resurrection men to uncover in the dark of night! In Jeanne Matthews’s historical mystery If Two Are Dead, Detectives Quinn Paschal and Gabriel Garnick take up this case of vicious murder and ignite a mire of secrets and resentment at the pinnacle of 1867 Chicago society.

After catching the body-snatchers in the act of stealing a freshly buried corpse to sell for medical research, Quinn and Garnick realize the body found in Emmett Buck’s grave is by no means that of a young man, but that of a woman, whose bloody head and clean clothes point to a complex mystery. With only her appearance and some identifying jewelry, Quinn insists they can and will catch the killer of ‘Marietta A.V.’ Enlisting the help of an unscrupulous journalist, they locate her husband, a wealthy and influential doctor.

The woman’s husband, Dr. Horace E. Vinings, offers them an incredible reward if they can find Marietta’s killer. But Quinn and Garnick suspect he might not like the answer he receives.

Read More Here

A Haunting at Linley: A Henrietta and Inspector Howard Novel
By Michelle Cox

In this seventh book of the series, Clive and Henrietta return to England to find Castle Linley in financial ruin. When Clive’s cousin, Wallace, invites an estate agent in to assess the home’s value, the agent is later found poisoned, throwing all of the Castle’s guests into suspicion. Clive and Henrietta are soon drawn into an investigation, which is slowed by an incompetent local inspector and several unexplained phenomena—the cause of which many, especially the frail Lady Linley, believe to be the workings of the ghost of a hanged maid.

Meanwhile, Gunther and Elsie have begun life on a farm in Omaha. Circumstances are difficult, but they are content—until Oldrich Exely appears, proposing an option Elsie finds difficult to ignore. Melody Merriweather, still masquerading as a nun to aid Elsie’s escape, likewise finds it difficult to ignore a letter with tragic news from home, while Julia, on the other hand, receives a very different sort of letter from Glenn Forbes.

Back in England, Clive is called away to London on suspicious business, leaving Henrietta to carry on with the investigation alone. When she is mysteriously locked in the study one night, however, things take on a more deadly, supernatural feel, leaving her to fear that Lady Linley’s “ghost” might just be real after all…

Order it today!

A Spying Eye: A Henrietta and Inspector Howard Novel
By Michelle Cox

Brooding Château du Freudeneck, just outside Strasbourg, France has villains in the drawing rooms, stolen art hidden in the cellars, and bats in the belfry – all the best elements for a 19th-century Gothic mystery.

However, in Michelle Cox’s novel, A Spying Eye it’s the 20th century. The Great War is passed, but the next war already looms on the horizon. The people of Strasbourg feel the growing conflict sharply, at the heart of Alsace-Lorraine, a fertile region that has been contested between France and Germany since time immemorial.

Which means those bats are in the unfortunate head of the elderly Baron Von Harmon, the current lord and master (as much as he’s still able to be, at least) of the Chateau, while the stolen art is pursued by both the villainous Nazis and the only slightly-less villainous agents of Britain’s MI5.

Read More Here

Ophelia’s Room
By Michael Scott Garvin

Ophelia’s Room by Michael Scott Garvin begins with a bang – and a child’s whimper.

A frantic, distraught father pounds on a bolted chapel door in a small country hospital…. A tiny, two-day-old infant cries in peril…. A deranged grandfather sees demons in every shadowy corner.

The opening scene read like something out of a young parent’s nightmare. Will their child be healthy? Will they grow up to be successful? Will the child be safe in their grandparents’ arms? Questions that any new mother and father ask themselves. In Garvin’s Ophelia’s Room, the answers are terrifying.

Read More Here

The Discovery
By Patrick M. Garry

Patrick M. Garry’s The Discovery encompasses a narrative that traverses a family legal case jigsaw puzzle toward a discovery of self by exploring the ghost of ancient regrets, basic human desires, and questions of faith.

Frank Horgan, a former lawyer at one of Minneapolis’ largest firms, now practices small-case litigation in the little community of Basswood Hills. Frank, a victim of his own follies, has one more chance to restore his career to its former glory. But not before a huge legal matter comes knocking on his door at his father’s diner. This case kicks off the legal drama, bringing in several main and secondary characters to play their parts in the ultimate discovery of buried contentedness and eventually a scandal that breaks into the national newspaper.

Meanwhile, Frank comes upon the case of the most prominent McCorkle family in Basswood Hills.

Read More Here

These Authors Solved the Mystery of Success

From Victorian Chicago to wartime France, these Hall of Fame winners prove that the best mysteries don’t just puzzle readers—they transport them to other worlds entirely. Each of these celebrated authors cracked the code that so many mystery writers struggle with: how to stand out in a crowded genre.

What’s their secret?

They didn’t let their stories remain unsolved cases buried in obscurity.

Your cozy mystery deserves the same recognition. In Dame Agatha Christie’s tradition, the M&M Awards celebrate authors who understand that the most satisfying mysteries combine clever plotting with unforgettable characters.

You know you want it…

The Case for Your Mystery

Will your amateur sleuth be next to join this prestigious lineup? Whether your story unfolds in a quaint English village or a bustling American town, the M&M Awards provide the recognition and promotional platform that transforms hidden gems into must-read mysteries.

You know you want it…

Time is running out—submit by July 31, 2025!

Don’t let your mystery remain a cold case. Enter the M&M Awards today!

June 27, 2025
The M&M Book Awards for Cozy Mysteries First Place Round Up from 2024

The Mystery & Mayhem Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Cozy and Not-So-Cozy Mysteries. The Grand Prize Winner, Jeanne Matthews’s book, If Two Are Dead will be promoted for years to come in our annual Hall of Fame article, as well as be featured on the M&M 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 M&M 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 M&M Winners!

Patrick E. Craig – The Boy In Blue Denim

Imagine if Miss Marple were Amish!

Jenny Hershberger returns to Apple Creek, Ohio, called by Detective Elbert Wainwright to help solve another cold case—a young Amish boy murdered in a deadly snowstorm and never identified. But as she digs into the case, she finds so many connections to her own life that the story becomes like a house of mirrors. As Jenny and Bobby Halverson travel from Apple Creek to Shipshewana, to Texas and Colorado, and back to Apple Creek, the trail grows warmer each day. But each step uncovers a new murder… and a new twist. Who is the killer? And who is…THE BOY IN BLUE DENIM?

Find it Locally and on Amazon!

Lori Roberts Herbst – Graven Images

A photo assignment at the cemetery leads Callie Cassidy to a corpse—this one above ground. Now, her search for the killer unearths some long-buried secrets…

Callie’s mother Maggie, a notorious hobby jumper, has embarked on a new pursuit—grave rubbing. When she recruits her daughter to photograph her first endeavor at the local cemetery, Callie brings golden retriever Woody and tabby cat Carl along for the outing. It’s a breathtaking autumn morning in Rock Creek Village, Colorado. Golden aspen leaves rustle in the cool breeze, and the air is filled with the scent of pine. What could go wrong on a day like this?

Then, a ghostly woman emerges from the trees, bleeding from a head wound and claiming to have no memory of how she arrived, or even who she is. Maggie quickly identifies her as a woman who disappeared from the village forty years ago—without a trace.

If that’s not enough intrigue, Woody disobeys her and sprints deeper into the cemetery. When Callie catches up to him, he is sitting sentinel at the tombstone of a recently deceased villager. And behind the stone, a man lies on the ground—with a pickaxe jutting from his neck.

Callie recognizes him as the low-level mobster who has been dating her best friend Tonya’s mother—and they’d been having problems. Did Tonya’s mother kill the man? Could it have been the mysterious woman? Or maybe someone with ties to his crime family?

Callie can’t resist investigating—and this time, Detective Raul Sanchez welcomes her assistance. Because if they can’t solve the crime soon, the town may be facing grave consequences…

Find it Locally and on Amazon!

Gail Noble-Sanderson – A Cup of Revenge

Swansea Station – 1947 The war is over, and with hopes of reconstruction beginning, rationing ending, and lives starting over, Drew awaits the decision regarding a new position with the railway. But mystery and mayhem arrive aboard an afternoon train carrying the new vicar, Liam O’Neill, and a cadre of visitors from Ireland. Drew’s attention is once again focused on unraveling the threads of revenge and solving another murder. The unfolding of an unexpected relationship with the young vicar proves another mystery for Drew to unravel. This is the second book in the award-winning Drew Davies Railway Mystery Series.

Find it Locally and on Amazon!

M.K. Graff – Death in the Orchard

The third Trudy Genova mystery from award-winning author M. K. Graff brings Trudy home, leaving her New York City studio consulting job to visit her rural hometown of Schoharie, three hours north. NYPD detective Ned O’Malley accompanies Trudy, primed to meet her family, but with a secret mission to find out what really happened when her father died eleven years ago.

Mario Genova’s death was deemed a tragic accident, but Trudy feels there was more to her beloved father acting out of character the day before he died. After years of hard work building a successful apple orchard business with her mother, Mario cleaned out their bank accounts. No reason-and no money-was ever found. As Trudy and Ned try to investigate without informing her family of their actions, a new death occurs on Genova Orchards property, and once again Trudy’s family is under scrutiny.

Find it Locally and on Amazon!

Miriam Verbeek – The Forest

She’s hired to find criminals. What if they find her first? She’s racing to stay alive and bring them to justice.

Saskia is an unlikely hero, a computer geek and mountain bike enthusiast, but when she arrives in the highlands of Australia to help restructure a family-owned logging company, she soon finds herself in the heart of a wild chase to uncover a surprising plethora of crimes. With the fate of a logging community hanging in the balance, can Saskia unravel the mystery in the forest before it’s too late?

From Chanticleer:

The Forest, a slow-burning mystery and the second book in Miriam Verbeek’s Saskia van Essen series, follows a young investigator trying to unravel a mystery that sits deep in the core of a private logging organization.

Saskia, a co-owner of International Financial Services, is requested by Tania to help uncover a network of criminal activity in her family’s Australian timber business. After taking over the company as its new director, Tania doubts the legitimacy of their remarkable profits, given high expenses, severe competition, and a substantial reduction in timber production that should have made it difficult to make any substantial gains.

Wasting no time, Saskia travels to Australia, having agreed to investigate possible criminal activity while helping the timber mill restructure.

Read More Here

Find it Locally and on Amazon!

Kari Bovee – The Pryce of Conceit

1885. Arabella Pryce is struggling with heartbreak. In keeping with her late husband’s final wishes, she must leave behind her dazzling celebrity and breathe new life into their namesake hotel in Colorado.

But when a beloved town beauty is found dead, all eyes—and suspicion—turn to her.

With blood-stained evidence, handsome sheriffs, and libelous journalists turning her investigation into a dangerous drama, this determined thespian fears she’s missed her cue for survival.

Amid whispered betrayals and shadowed secrets, a mischievous ghost guides her through a maze of perilous clues, drawing her ever closer to a truth more shocking than the lies surrounding her.

Can she unmask the true killer and clear her name before her reputation is ruined forever?

Find it Locally and on Amazon!

Thank you for joining us to celebrate the 2024 M&M 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 Cozy Mystery? The 2025 M&M Book Awards are open through the end of July!

Submit to the M&M Awards Today!

June 25, 2025
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
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
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.

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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.

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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
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