Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: detective story

The CLUE Awards for Suspense/Thriller Fiction 2016 First Place Category Winners
The CLUE Awards Writing Competition recognizes emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Suspense/Thriller Fiction. The CLUE Awards is a division of Chanticleer International Novel Writing Competitions.

Congratulations to the 2016 CLUE Awards First In Category Award Winning Suspense/Thriller Fiction Novels:
- Detective: A Matter of Justice by Keith Tittle
- Private Eye/Noir: The Innocent Dead by Keith Dixon
- Legal Thriller: Almost Mortal by Christopher Leibig
- Suspense: The Sage Wind Blows Cold by Clint Hollingsworth
- International Espionage: Epstein’s Pancake by Bjarne Rostaing
- U.S. Political Thriller: Do Not Assume by Elaine Williams Crockett
- Undercover Work: Behind The Mask by Dana Ridenour
- Eco/Natural Resources Thriller: Seed of Control by Lawrence Verigin
- Investigative: Striking Blind by Lonna Enox
CLUE Award Winners: Dana Ridenour, Keith Tittle, Lawrence Verigin, Clint Hollingsworth, Elaine Williams Crockett, and Lonna Enox

CONGRATULATIONS to Keith Tittle author of the CLUE GRAND PRIZE winner — A Matter of Justice!

The 2016 CLUE Short Listers competed for these First Place Category Positions. The CLUE First Place Category Award Winners’ novels have competed for the CLUE Grand Prize Award for the 2016 Suspense/Thriller Fiction Novels. These winners were announced and recognized at the annual Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Gala, Bellingham, Wash., on April 1st, 2017.

The First In Category award winning titles will receive an award package including a complimentary Chanticleer Book Review of the winning title, digital award badges, shelf talkers, book stickers, and more.

Congratulations to those whose works made the CLUE Awards 2016 FINALISTS and SHORT-LISTERS lists.

More than $30,000 worth of cash and prizes will be awarded to the 2017 Chanticleer Novel Writing Competition winners! Fifteen different genres to enter your novels and compete on an international level.

We are now accepting entries into the 2017 CLUE Awards. The deadline is September 30, 2017. Click here for more information or to enter.

More than $30,000 worth of cash and prizes will be awarded to the 2017 Chanticleer Novel Writing Competition winners! Fifteen different genres to enter your novels and compete on an international level.

More than $30,000 dollars in cash and prizes are awarded to Chanticleer International Blue Ribbon Awards Winners annually.

Please note that Global Thrillers and Lab Lit fiction entries were moved to the newly offered Global Thrillers Awards 2017.
April 6, 2017
St Louis Affair: The Adventures of Herbert Falken by Michael Scheffel – Historical Thriller/Detective

This tantalizing whodunit is set in 1899 St. Louis and revolves around the heinous murder of a prominent wealthy citizen, Charles Garrett, whose body is discovered on the banks of the Mississippi River. Because the crime scene is devoid of clues and political pressure for a fast resolution abounds, the city police turn to professional Inquiry Agent, Herbert Falken, for assistance.

Falken, also known by the public as Major Falken from his heroic exploits fighting renegade raiders along the US – Mexican border, is well respected for his deductive abilities and previous success in solving a perplexing string of grisly crimes. What the public doesn’t know is that Falken is haunted by his own personal and professional demons.

Not long after departing from this crime scene, however, Falken discovers a curious fact: Charles Garrett’s public and private personas are polar opposites. Faced with a growing list of suspects and demands from the Governor on down to the average citizen for an immediate arrest, Falken feels the pressure. If it weren’t for James Westfall (former army officer mustered out due to a permanent leg injury) Falken’s aide-de-camp, our hero would be in dire straights. Westfall not only records critical crime scene and subject interview information, but he also cares for and tries to protect Falken—sometimes from himself.

A strong cast of well-drawn and individually distinctive characters who aid, circumvent, and forestall Falken’s pursuit of justice adds richness to the story.

Scheffel’s use of architectural design, clothing and accouterments, individual and class attitudes, and various character traits and dialects to resurrect old St. Louis is a true highlight of the book. He deftly crafts different scenes in smooth, articulate detail without hindering the story’s pace. Whether it’s inside Falken’s dining room, traveling across uneven paving bricks in a horse-drawn buggy, trudging along the muddy banks along the river, descending into a seedy opium den, or watching Falken get his butt kicked in a bare-knuckle brawl, the reader is right there. Another treat is the seamless placement of real-world news events into dialogue, which adds both authenticity and consistency to the setting.

Overall, St Louis Affair: The Adventures of Herbert Falken is an entertaining turn-of-the-century page-turner with plenty of twists to keep the reader guessing to the end. Michael Scheffel grabs the reader’s attention from the first sentence and doesn’t let go until the very last in St. Louis Affair: The Adventures of Herbert Falken, a fast-paced, page-turner that will have the reader hoping that he is hard a work penning a new tale involving Herbert Falken, Inquiry Agent.

February 19, 2017
SPECIAL AGENT FRANCESCA (Undercover FBI Book 1) by Mimi Barbour – entertaining wild ride

From the city that never sleeps to Sin City, Mimi Barbour’s “Special Agent Francesca: Undercover FBI” is a thrill-fest, rapid-paced investigative novel with a lot of heat.

Mimi Barbour takes her reader in a rush to Sin City, piling on the intrigue and mystery within the first few pages, and, of course, introduces FBI Agent Frankie Donovan. Miss Fran Murphy, an alias our heroine uses while posing as a new hotel owner in order to fight the thugs who threatened the last owner. All in the chase to get Mr. D, an evil and violent crime boss in the city that never sleeps.That isn’t all Frankie has on her back: part of her undercover background is Sean Collins, her fake fiancé, so-called body-guard, and all heart-throbbing desire. As an initial series of bad impressions melt away, along with Frankie’s rigid professional control, she is able to help Sean realize his deepest dreams.

Frankie is struggling to leave the shadow of her icy, overbearing, type-A mother behind in New York City while wrapping her head around the recent, sudden revelation that her father is actually alive and living in Las Vegas as a detective – with a wife and three more daughters. As they plunge into building the father-daughter bonds denied to them for more than twenty years, professional intrudes on the personal, and Frankie heads for Los Angles to investigate a pair of kidnappers for her father. Sean takes co-pilot, until Frankie lets loose a little more control, and their impromptu vacation heats up fast.

Author Mimi Barbour does not pull punches in the drama and keeps the tension wound, throwing Frankie, who deplores violence, into fight after fight, culminating in a prize-fight challenge that could put Frankie in way over her pretty head.

And she’s not the only one with mysteries to solve and confrontations to face: something is going on with Sean’s best friend, and he’ll bring all his experience as a psychologist to figure it out. Anticipation and action ride high and higher still in this rapid pace investigative novel, dangling the hope of happiness for Special Agent Francesca over the threat to her life.

Barbour professes to enjoy cop TV shows and that was what inspired her to create her FBI agent series. She placed the first in the series in the hotbed of Las Vegas, the gambling capital of North America. The story explodes with steamy scenes, gritty language, and a lot of action – a lot of page turning action in this entertaining debut.

December 16, 2016
TOURIST TRAPPED by K. J. Klemme — a madcap international mystery

Can a spunky female attorney and her computer-geek sidekick survive the violence of paid kidnappers and cold-blooded murderers, a dangerously deranged mother and her captive children, the vicious plotting of a twisted psychopath, a traitorous fiancé, and at times the worst enemy of all—their own reluctance to let go and let love work its magic?

Amanda Sloane, high-profile Chicago divorce lawyer, gets a panic call from her estranged father, Don, telling her that her half-sister Rebecca and her fiancé have disappeared in Cancun, Mexico. Don wants Amanda to help find her. Amanda, forced to recall how Don abandoned her and her mother, is reluctant. But even as she tries to avoid the situation, friends begin to tell her how good-hearted she is, even though she is usually seen, and often sees herself, as relationship destroyer, someone who “goes through men like Starbucks goes through coffee cups.”

Acting on the newfound wish to do the right thing for what little family she has, she heads for Cancun, dragging her nerdy co-hort Chad Cooper along to deal with her clients at long distance, under her always strict supervision.

Before long they’re in Mexico desperately hunting for Rebecca, despite minimal cooperation from the local police, some temptations of the lush natural surroundings, the call of a long-lost love, and a plethora of clues that, as Chad diligently and correctly points out, just don’t add up. To complicate matters, under Cancun’s romantic spell Amanda thinks she might be falling for Chad even though she has a fiancé back home who wants her help in getting him elected, and Chad has a wife he never talks about.

Then Chad is called away to Portland where he secretly has his own person-hunt. Amanda is left battling bad guys, and being stalked by a powerful, politically motivated psychopath who wants her gone by whatever means.

In Klemme’s deft hands, regret may be tempered by reconciliation, trust may push aside the shadows of treachery, and the seeming end of the story forms a new beginning. Tourist Trapped, designed as Part One of a trilogy, is a madcap, fast-paced international mystery that pits multi-layered villainy against inexperienced, but spirited, sleuthing with a back-beat of newly minted love.

August 5, 2016
HOW the MIGHTY FALL by E. J. Chadwell, an enthralling murder mystery

A great mystery has readers so immersed in the action that the book’s pages fly by as readers look to determine the murderer. However, readers can only be captivated by such a narrative if it contains a clever plot, dynamic characters, the right dose of clues together with red herrings, subplots that enhance the story, and a logical, yet unexpected ending which readers try to attain as they read.

How the Mighty Fall is a story with a plot and denouement that qualifies as a top-drawer mystery.

The story starts engulfed in action. Connie Ross is hosting a party onboard her yacht that readers immediately learn is her sanctuary.

“Inexplicably drowsy, Ross had been forced to leave her party. She now held tightly onto the rail as she bobbed and weaved in time with the churning waters.”

“She relaxed her grip, however, when a familiar voice offered help by massaging her back and getting her to relax. Ross drifts as she relaxes, releases her hold on the rail, when ‘one forceful push against her back sent Ross over the rail.’ ”

Home on maternity leave, Officer Gigi Mirabelli gets a middle of the night call from Jimmy Frail, Chief of Detectives, who cancels the rest of her two months leave to put her back on duty for the high-profile missing person’s case of Connie Ross, the media mogul. She will collaborate with Harry Burns, a homicide detective.

Although not yet confirmed, authorities suspect murder. Connie’s celebrity status makes the case one which authorities want to be resolved quickly. The press will keep the case front and center, making its resolution a high priority.

Mirabelli and Burns do not fit into any stereotype of detectives on a missing person or a murder case. Their physical description, dialogue, and actions highlight their differences as they seek to solve the mystery. Readers will subtly learn more about them in the course of the action, with bits of their personal lives that explain their unique approach to the case, and just enough humor that makes the discovery pleasurable.

Who is Connie Ross? As the story develops, the author shows readers the many sides of this powerful woman. Who would want to kill her? Readers discover along with Mirabelli and Burns that the list of her enemies is a very long one.

The author executes the mystery with excellent characterization of all the characters, with superb dialogue, and with a strong clever plot that never fails to hold reader interest. The intriguing clues have readers working with Mirabelli and Burns to solve the mystery; Chadwell adds just the right amount of captivating twists and turns to keep her readers pondering the solution. The not easily determined ending is powerful.

An enthralling murder mystery that is set in the city that never sleeps.

July 29, 2016
VALENTINE’S DAY by April Kelly, — a Rick Valentine Mystery, Book 1

A clever plot, engaging characters, and a solid dose of self-deprecating humor make this detective mystery unique and a highly entertaining read.

Rick Valentine, a twenty-something, newly minted private investigator, is discovering that setting up one’s own PI business isn’t all that easy.

Clients aren’t lining up outside his office door and those who do come are more interested in having him find their lost cat than solve a real crime. Rick doesn’t exactly have an instinct for the business, either—once he’s stumbled onto a crime, he’s more likely to dig himself deeper with the bad guys than help put them behind bars. In fact, most of the people in Rick’s life seem to spend their time looking out for him, making sure that he survives to fight another day.

However, readers don’t make it very many pages into this cleverly written novel before realizing that there is far more going on behind the scenes than first appears to be the case.

A past employer who keeps Rick afloat by tossing him odd jobs here and there might also be connected with the death of Rick’s father. His “receptionist” no longer acts like a receptionist at all, instead exhibiting an alarming proficiency at handling a very large, very lethal gun.

Are these two drawing Rick into a life-threatening situation, keeping tabs on him for some reason having to do with his past, or helping him survive as he builds his business? And why are there two truly scary, murderous thugs suddenly looking for him?

April Kelly begins this first novel in her Rick Valentine Mystery series by gently introducing the reader to quirky, humorous characters and carefully laying the foundation for a more complex plot that is tied to past events in the main character’s life. After settling into thinking you are reading just another humorous cozy mystery, you suddenly realize you are hooked, thoroughly enjoying yourself, and unable to put the book down. This is fun! Clues pile upon clues, nothing is as it seemed in the beginning; Rick’s past is far more mysterious than it originally appeared to be and all those entertaining people you met early on have become compelling characters you truly care about.

Kelly has used her background as a television writer to skillfully develop a far more entertaining mystery novel than is typical of the genre. Valentine’s Day is highly recommended for those who love a good whodunit, endearing characters, and some laugh-out-loud moments.

June 7, 2016
The ONLY CLUE — The Neema Mystery Series, Book 2 by Pamela Beason – a gorilla mystery

When three gorillas disappear, Dr. Grace McKenna stands to lose not only her livelihood and her professional reputation, but also three close friends, in this lively new novel by animal advocate and author Pamela Beason.

Grace, assisted by a crew of young advocates from the Animal Rights Union, reluctantly fulfills a request from her project funders to hold a public exhibit of Neema, a mother gorilla, her baby Kanoni, and Neema’s giant, grumpy mate, Gumu. A dedicated cop, Matt Finn, supplies the project’s security protection (and Grace’s romantic interest).

After the public event, the apes vanish, a huge pool of blood on the floor of the gorilla compound is “the only clue” to what might have happened. Did they escape into the wild? Were they “liberated” by ARU operatives, or captured by exotic animal traders?

Grace can’t believe Neema would desert her, because the two have a close kinship based on their mutual use of sign language. Matt is sure someone connected with the project freed the gorillas on principle, or stole them for cash. He focuses on Tony Zyrnek, father of Jon, Grace’s most trusted assistant. Tony just got out of prison, is charming to a fault, and has a slew of highly questionable, greedy associates.

The project goes on lockdown, with Grace justifiably fearful of the consequences if word of the disappearance gets out. Matt and Grace are torn apart by the calamity, making it harder for both to function.

Matt’s investigations become increasingly complicated by crimes outside the compound, but his thorough police work gradually uncovers important evidence about the fate of the missing apes. Major revelations also result from Grace’s desperate delving into the bizarre international underworld where rare animals are bred and sold for profit.

Beason’s book, the second in her “Neema” series, will excite, enchant, and educate. Readers unaware of the innate intelligence of apes may be surprised to learn that Neema’s rather sophisticated communication abilities are based on verified fact. Beason skillfully shows us the human world through gorilla eyes.

Both dedicated animal rights proponents and people new to the dynamics of ape/human interaction will empathize with Gumu, Neema, and Kanoni’s struggles; while fans of the “locked room mystery” genre will fix their attention on the plight of the humans and their efforts to find more clues before it’s too late.

The Only Clue is a well-crafted mystery to inform as well as intrigue and captivate, opening an engaging realm of fictional exploration and speculation—the special bond that can happen between gorillas and people. Highly recommended.

June 3, 2016
THE BLEAK: a Sam Dyke Investigations, Book 4 by Keith Dixon

“The ninth rule of private detection states that you should never take on a client you think might be nuts. I wasn’t entirely convinced this was the case with the woman who’d called me that morning, but I was certainly tending that way.”

Sam Dyke is a private investigator whom you can’t help but enjoy getting to know. Readers will quickly get to understand Dyke’s character by his sharing of his detective tenets.

The case involves a distraught female named Margaret, who is deeply concerned over the recent behavior of her boss Nathan. Though apprehensive, Dyke takes on her case anyway even if it goes against his better judgement.

What unfolds is a fast-paced thriller based in England, specifically in Crewe, where a number of questionable suicides have taken place. One of these suicides turns out to be Margaret’s boss.

Dyke shares more of his detective axioms: “I’ve found that once I start a case it tends to move quickly. I hadn’t exactly started on this— whatever “it” turned out to be— but things still moved along at a click.”

Sam’s focus rests upon the research facility where Nathan worked. In fact, Sam is asked by the CEO of the company to look into Nathan’s death as well. This was not well received by some of the employees. “Why are you letting Dyke into all this? He’s a little toe-rag who shouldn’t be truffling around looking for something that he won’t find.”

Sam faces near silence and some pretty stiff push-back from some of those whom he interviews: “What do you think you’re going to find, exactly? What do you think people are going to tell you?”

Sam counters with “I won’t know until they tell me. That’s the way it is in this game. One minute, complete ignorance, the next, enlightenment. Private detection is almost a spiritual act.”

A real sense of danger and suspense culminates in some fairly intense moments for our main character. At times you are left wondering if Sam Dyke has taken on his last case.

When Sam interview’s Nathan’s wife, Isobel, what she tells him gives him grave reason for concern. “In the last eighteen months I watched my husband change from someone who enjoyed his life, enjoyed his work and enjoyed whatever spare time he had left to spend with me. He changed into someone whom I barely recognized. He didn’t eat well. He didn’t sleep well. He spent more time at the office than any sane man should.”

As the story progresses you learn of the bleak. Who or what is the bleak? You’re going to have to read this well-crafted detective tale to find out. Keith Dixon has given readers a thrill ride in this fast-paced story of hidden truths waiting to be discovered.

Keith Dixon’s winning protagonist is Sam Dyke; a gritty British detective who can take as well as give. Fans of hard-boiled detective series are going to revel in following the cases of Sam Dyke, Investigations.

June 2, 2016
The CLUE Awards for Suspense/Thriller Fiction 2015 First Place Category Winners
The CLUE Awards Writing Competition recognizes emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Suspense/Thriller Fiction. The CLUE Awards is a division of Chanticleer International Novel Writing Competitions.

We are pleased to announce the 2015 CLUE Awards Official First Place Category Winners. Good Luck to them as they compete for the 2015 CLUE Grand Prize Award.

Please note that Global Thrillers and Lab Lit fiction entries were moved to the newly offered Global Thrillers Awards 2016.

Congratulations to the 2015 CLUE Awards First In Category Award Winning Suspense/Thriller Fiction Novels:
- Blended Genre: Timothy S. Johnston – The Tanner Sequence
- Suspense/Thriller: K. J. Klemme – Tourist Trapped
- Mystery/Crime: Patrick M. Garry – Blind Spots
- Manuscript Mystery/Crime: Scott D. Smith – Guilty Deeds
- Espionage/Spy: Michele Daniel – The Red Circle
- Contemporary Suspense: Christine Benedict – Anonymous
- Mystery: Lonna Enox – Blood Relations
- Historical/Vintage Thriller: Michael Scheffel – St. Louis Affair: The Adventures of Herbert Falken
- Legal/Medical/Police Procedural: Laurie Stevens for The Mask of Midnight
- Courtroom Drama: Hubert Crouch for The Word
- True Crime: Zach Fortier for CurbChek Reload
- International Mystery & Crime: Marian Exall – A Dangerous Descent
More than $30,000 dollars in cash and prizes are awarded to Chanticleer International Blue Ribbon Awards Winners annually.

The CLUE First Place Category award winners will compete for the CLUE Grand Prize Award for the 2015 Suspense/Thriller Fiction Novel. Grand Prize winners, blue ribbons, and prizes will be announced and awarded on April 30, 2016 at the Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Gala, Bellingham, Wash.

The First In Category award winning titles will receive an award package including a complimentary Chanticleer Book Review of the winning title, digital award badges, shelf talkers, book stickers, and more.

We are now accepting entries into the 2017 CLUE Awards. The deadline is September 30, 2016. Click here for more information or to enter.

Congratulations to those who made the CLUE Awards 2015 FIRST PLACE official listing.

More than $30,000 worth of cash and prizes will be awarded to the 2015 Chanticleer Novel Writing Competition winners! Ten genres to enter your novels and compete on an international level.

Who will take home the $1,000 purse this coming April at the Chanticleer Awards Gala and Banquet?
March 15, 2016
The CLUE Awards for Thriller/Suspense Novels 2015 – Official Finalist Listing
The CLUE Awards Writing Competition recognizes emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genres of Thriller and Suspense Novels. The CLUE Awards is a division of Chanticleer International Novel Writing Competitions.

More than $30,000.00 dollars worth of cash and prizes will be awarded to Chanticleer Book Reviews 2015 writing competition winners at the Chanticleer Authors Conference April 30, 2016!

The CLUE Awards FIRST IN CATEGORY sub-genres are:
- Suspense/Thriller
- Detective/Crime
- Private Eye/Noir
- Legal/Medical/Police Procedural
- Spy/Espionage
- 2015 — Amateur Sleuth/Cozy
The following titles will compete for the FIRST IN CATEGORY Positions and Awards Packages.

This is the OFFICIAL FINALIST POSTING of Authors and Titles that have made it to the Short-list of the CLUE 2015 Novel Writing Contest.
- CG Fewston for A Time to Love in Tehran
- K. J. Klemme for Tourist Trapped
- Patrick M. Garry for Blind Spots
- Shirley Worley for Easy Money
- Sue Barnard for The Unkindest Cut of All
- Michael A Smith for The Money Game
- Timothy S. Johnston for The Void; The Freezer; & The Furnace
- J.G. Schwartz for Inventing Madness
- Timothy Smith for The Red House on the Hill
- Antonio Commisso for Silent Partner
- Dave Edlund for Relentless Savage
- Joe Young for Indian Country
- Hannah Warren for The Cottage on the Border
- Gary Grossman for Old Earth
- Joe Corso for Lafitte’s Treasure
- Laurie Stevens for The Mask of Midnight
- Virgil Alexander for The Baleful Owl
- Matt Stewart for The Man from KNEW News
- DL Koontz for Edging through Darkness
- Mark Pople for Rogers Park
- Ivan Light for Deadly Secret of the Lusitania
- Megan Davidson for The Thundering
- Carol Hedges for Death & Dominion
- Lucy Carol for Hot Scheming Mess
- John T. Young for The Princess of Poland
- Keith Tittle for A Matter of Justice
- Scott D. Smith for Guilty Deeds
- K. J. Klemme for Tourist Trapped
- Mimi Barbour for Special Agent Maximilian
- Michele Daniel for The Red Circle
- Zach Fortier for Landed on Black; Hero to Zero; Street Creds
- Lonna Enox for Blood Relations
- Rian Everest for The Tangerine Tigress & The Tangerine Trio
- M. L. Rowland for Murder on the Horizon
- Ken Oder for The Closing & Old Wounds to the Heart
- Marilyn Ida Horowitz for The Book of Zen
- Christine Benedict for Anonymous
- Debra Erfert for Relative Evil
- Joan Hall Hovey for The Deepest Dark
- S.J. Dunn for Angry Enough to Kill
- Hubert Crouch for The Word
- Kent Politsch for Blood Anger
- Stephen Kaminski for Murder, She Floats
- Tom Dalgliesh for All Corpses on Deck
- D. J. Adamson for Outre
- J.A. Faura for Apex Predator
- N.G. West for Nine Days to Evil
- Vanessa Leigh Hoffman for Treasure
- Chief John J. Mandeville for Pine Village Co-op Murders and Sherlockito
- J.J. Chow for Seniors Sleuth
- Vinnie Hansen for Black Beans & Venom
- Marian Exall for A Dangerous Descent
The CLUE Finalists will compete for the CLUE Awards First In Category Positions, which consists of Four Judging Rounds. First Place Category Award winners will automatically be entered into the CLUE GRAND PRIZE AWARD competition, which has a cash prize of $250 or $500 dollars in editorial services. The CBR Grand Prize Genre Winners will compete for the CBR Overall Grand Prize for Best Book and its $1,000 purse.
- All First In Category Award Winners will receive high visibility along with special badges to wear during the Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Gala.
- First In Category winners will compete for the CLUE Awards Grand Prize Award for the $250 purse and the CLUE Grand Prize Ribbon and badges.
- TEN genre Grand Prize winning titles will compete for the $1,000 purse for CBR Best Book and Overall Grand Prize.
- A coveted Chanticleer Book Review valued at $345 dollars U.S. CBR reviews will be published in the Chanticleer Reviews magazine in chronological order as to posting.
- A CBR Blue Ribbon to use in promotion at book signings and book festivals
- Digital award stickers for on-line promotion
- Adhesive book stickers
- Shelf-talkers and other promotional items
- Promotion in print and on-line media
- Review of book distributed to on-line sites and printed media publications
- Review, cover art, and author synopsis listed in CBR’s newsletter
- Default First in Category winners will not be declared. Contests are based on merit and writing craft in all of the Chanticleer Writing Competitions.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions, concerns, or suggestions at Info@ChantiReviews.com.

Congratulations to the Finalists in this fiercely competitive contest!
Good Luck to all of the CLUE Finalists as they compete for the coveted First Place Category positions.

First In Category announcements will be made in our social media postings as the results come in.

The CLUE Grand Prize Winner and the First Place Category winners will be announced and recognized at the April 30th, 2016 Chanticleer Writing Contests Annual Awards Gala, which takes place on the last evening of the Chanticleer Authors Conference that will be held in Bellingham, Wash.

We are now accepting submissions into the 2016 CLUE Awards writing competitions for Western Fiction. Please click here for more information or to enter the contests.
March 3, 2016