Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: M&M

NEW: The 2024 Chanticleer Cover Design Awards (CCDAs) Long List for Fiction
The Chanticleer Cover Design Awards (The CCDAs) for Fiction recognizes artistic excellence across genre in great cover design. The CCDAs are a new Award Division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (The CIBAs).

Our design is inspired by books designed by the incomparable Coraline Bickford-Smith. Her simple, beautiful, and evocative designs do so much to make the book work as a visual ambassador, capturing the essence of story and compelling potential readers to pick it up, click on it, or share it with others. A well-designed cover signals professionalism, sets expectations for your genre, and serves as a powerful marketing tool to stand out in both digital and physical spaces.

Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring clear genres, audience, time periods, typography, and longevity across genres of Historical Fiction, Romance, Literary, Satire, Speculative Fiction, and Youth Reads.

These titles have moved forward in the first look rounds from all 2024 CCDA Fiction entries to the 2024 CCDA Fiction LONG LIST. These entries are now in competition for the 2024 CCDA Fiction Short List. The Short Listers will compete for the Semi-Finalists positions. FINALISTS will be chosen from the Semi-Finalists and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference, CAC25.

We will announce the 1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday, April 5th, 2025 in beautiful Bellingham, WA at the Bellingham Yacht Club sponsored by the 2025 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

These titles are in the running for the SHORT LIST of the 2024 Chanticleer Cover Design Awards novel competition for Fiction Books!

Join us in cheering on the following authors and their works!
- J. Shep – The December Issue
- Neal Rabin – Flat an Edgy Voyage of Accidental Discovery
- Jim Antonini – Bullets for Silverware
- Jim Antonini – The Butcher and the Butterfly
- Meredith Forde – The Protectee
- Raymond Paul Johnson – Conspiracy Ignited
- Judy Lannon – The Making of Genevieve
- Jean Rover – And Then Spring Comes
- Margaret Porter – A Change of Location
- Chuck Morgan – Resurrection the Deadly Mission
- L. J. Aldon – The Riddle of the Jeweled Cipher
- Jeff Hartman – How To Win the Nobel Peace Prize
- Chris Bennett – The Road To Revolution
- Travis Davis – One of Four
- Robert Brighton – The Phantom of Forest Lawn
- Abbe Rolnick – The Underpainting
- Marlene M. Bell – A Hush at Midnight
- Natia Khaduri – A Soldier’s Burden
- William Robert Reeves – The In-House Politician
- Ann Philipp – Grand Theft Death
- Lucinda Brant – Noble Satyr Roxton Foundation Series Book One
- Lucinda Brant – Their Graces Roxton Foundation Series Book
- Jason Farrell & Michael De Weever – Secret of the Emerald Star
- J.P. Rieger – Sunscreen Shower
- Laura C. Rader – Hatfield
- Deborah Swenson – Till My Last Day Book Two in the Desert Hills Trilogy
- Kim Gottlieb-Walker – Lenswoman in Love
- Natalie Musgrave Dossett – Sarita
- Dave Lager – Losses
- Mark A. Gibson – Roses in December
- Mark A. Gibson – A Song That Never Ends
- Joy Ann Ribar – The Medusa Murders
- Gail Noble-Sanderson – The Book of Rules
- C.L. Olsen – Old Crabby Turtle
- M.J. Evans – Coal Dust and Dreams
- Graydon Dee Hubbard – Network Apprentice Behind the Scenes in Talk Television
- Michelle Morningstar – The Space Between the Divine and the Unholy
- Michael J Bowler – Forever Boy
- R.W. Meek – The Dream Collector Book Book I Sabrine Sigmund Freud
- Lois Cahall – The Many Lives Loves of Hazel Lavery
- Deborah Swenson – Till My Last Breath Book One in the Desert Hills Trilogy
- Shami Stovall – Time-Marked Warlock
- Strider S.R. Klusman – Luna – The Adventures of Rhone & Stone, book 2
PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!

This post has been posted on the Chanticleer Facebook Page. We try to tag all authors listed here in the Facebook post. However, it is easier for us to tag authors when they have Liked and Followed us on Facebook.

Please click here to visit our page to LIKE, COMMENT, and SHARE on Facebook.

We will also be promoting this list in our Newsletter, which you can sign up for here!

Who will be the First Grand Prize Winner for the Fiction CCDAs?

Stay Tuned to find out!

Click here to learn more about the Cover Design Awards.

We are now accepting submissions into the 2025 Chanticleer Cover Design Awards for Fiction.

Please click here for more information.

Winners will be announced at the 2024 CIBA Awards Ceremony that is sponsored by the 2025 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

April 3 – 6, 2025! Save the Date for Registration!

Seating is Limited. The esteemed WRITER Magazine (founded in 1887) has repeatedly recognized the Chanticleer Authors Conference as one of the best conferences to attend and participate in for North America.

Join us for our annual conference as we enter our second decade and discover why!
February 12, 2025
The 2024 Chanticleer Int’l Book Award Finalists for Fiction!
Give a huge round of applause to all of the Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards (CIBAs) Finalists!

Every tier of the CIBAs is an important one, though few manage to rise this far in the ranks.

For our Fiction Authors, this post has links to all of the Finalist Awards for the CIBA Divisions we have for fiction. We will have a separate post for Non-Fiction and one more post for the Shorts Awards and Series Awards where you can find all the 2024 Finalists!

All Finalists in attendance will be recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference, and we will announce the Winners at the CIBAs Ceremonies on Saturday, April 5th at the Chanticleer Banquet. Banquet Only Tickets will open soon, and a limited number will be available!

Now let’s take a step back and look at where we came from to make this happen.

The remaining tiers are the First Place Winner, the Grand Prize Winners, and finally, the coveted Overall Grand Prize Winners. The Overall Grand Prize Winner takes home the $1000 and more! See the Book Award details here.

Now, presenting the links to the Fiction Awards Finalists
The Official 2024 CIBA Lists of the First Place and Grand Prize Winners for all Divisions of the CIBAs will start to be posted starting on Wednesday, April 9th, 2025.

We have badges available starting with the Short List. If you need a digital badge reflecting your tier level, please email info@ChantiReviews.com with your division and rank, and we will send you one as soon as possible.

The 2023 CIBA Grand Prize Winners!

The Annual Chanticleer Authors Conference is April 3-6, 2025

Don’t Delay, Register Today!

Make sure your Award gets the attention it deserves on Goodreads.com

In the Librarian Manual on Goodreads, you can go to your Book Edit Page — Literary Awards.

You want to list the Award for Chanticleer International Book Awards (CIBA) Winners, and be sure to include the year and what place you received. For example:

The year Long List, Short List, Semi-Finalist, or Finalist.

Note from Goodreads: “To add a new award or edit an existing award, you’ll need help from one of our volunteer librarians or a staff member.” For assistance, post in the Goodreads Librarians Group.

Always double check that you’ve written everything correctly before posting it. The search function for Awards on Goodreads is both case and punctuation sensitive.

The Overall Grand Prize Winner for the 2023 CIBAs was Timothy Facciola’s book A Vengeful Realm: The Scales of Balance Book 1

Remember, you don’t have to be present to win, but it sure is a lot more fun!

The esteemed WRITER Magazine (founded in 1887) has repeatedly recognized the Chanticleer Authors Conference as one of the best conferences to attend and participate in for North America.
January 31, 2025
Announcing the 2023 CIBAs Grand Prize Winners for Fiction!
A Huge Congratulations to all of the 2023 Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards (CIBAs) FICTION Division Grand Prize Winners!

Every tier of the CIBAs is an important one, though few rise to be one of the coveted Division Grand Prize Winners.
- See Non-Fiction, Series, and Shorts Grand Prize Winners here!
- See the Official Overall Grand Prize winner Post here!
This post has links to each of the 16 individual CIBA FICTION Divisions’ Grand Prize and First Place Category Winners. We will have a separate post for Non-Fiction Award Winners which will include the Shorts Awards, and the Series Awards’ winners.

All First Place and Grand Prize winners were announced and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference at the CIBAs Ceremonies on Saturday, April 20th at the Chanticleer Banquet. It is a huge honor for us to have the opportunity to recognize all Finalists, First Place Winners, and Grand Prize Winners with you live and in-person!

One of the most memorable moments was Awarding Burl Harmon, a 100-year-old veteran, his First Place Ribbon for Military & Front Lines Non-Fiction

Let’s take a step back and look at where we came from to make this happen.

Want to join in the fun? Submit to the 2024 CIBAs today!

Now, presenting the links to the 2023 CIBA Fiction Division Awards Grand Prize Winners!

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2023 CYGNUS Awards for Science Fiction is:

The Shadow of War

By Timothy S. Johnston

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2023 OZMA Awards is:

A Vengeful Realm: The Scales of Balance, Book 1

By Tim Facciola

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2023 PARANORMAL Awards is:

Becoming Crone

By Lydia M. Hawke

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2023 GLOBAL THRILLER Awards is:

Jake Fortina and the Roman Conspiracy

By Ralph R. “Rick” Steinke

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2023 CLUE Awards is:

The Other Murder

By Kevin G. Chapman

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2023 Mystery & Mayhem Awards is:

A Haunting at Linley

by Michelle Cox

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2023 DANTE ROSSETTI Awards is:

Sour Flower

by Maryanne Melloan Woods

Manuscript

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2023 GERTRUDE WARNER Awards is:

EXOSTAR

The Lost Space Treasure Series, Book 1

by Rae Knightly

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2023 LITTLE PEEPS Awards is:

The Girl Who Recycled 1 Million Cans

by Shaziya M. Jaffer, Brad W. Rudover, and Jessica Alexanderson with Scrap University

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2023 LARAMIE Awards is:

The Last Man

by Thomas Goodman

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2023 CHAUCER Awards is:

The Merchant from Sepharad

by James Hutson-Wiley

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2023 GOETHE Awards is:

If Someday Comes

by David Calloway

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2023 Hemingway Book Awards is:

The Silver Waterfall:

A Novel of the battle of Midway

by Kevin Miller

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2023 CHATELAINE Book Awards is:

A Sea of Glass

by Gail Avery Halverson

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2023 MARK TWAIN Awards is:

Quantum Consequence:

Physics, Lust and Greed, Book 5

by Mike Murphey

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2023 SOMERSET Awards is:

You Can’t Fool a Mermaid

by Judy Keesler Santamaria

We have badges available starting with the Short List. If you need a digital badge reflecting your tier level, please email info@ChantiReviews.com with your division and rank, and we will send you one as soon as possible.

The 2023 CIBA Grand Prize Winners!

Make sure your Award gets the attention it deserves on Goodreads.com

In the Librarian Manual on Goodreads, you can go to your Book Edit Page — Literary Awards.

You want to list the Award for Chanticleer International Book Awards (CIBA) Winners, and be sure to include the year and what place you received. For example:

The year Long List, Short List, Semi-Finalist, Finalist, First Place, Division Grand Prize, or Overall Grand Prize Winner

Note from Goodreads: “To add a new award or edit an existing award, you’ll need help from one of our volunteer librarians or a staff member.” For assistance, post in the Goodreads Librarians Group.

Always double check that you’ve written everything correctly before posting it. The search function for Awards on Goodreads is both case and punctuation sensitive.

The Overall Grand Prize Winner for the 2023 CIBAs was Tim Facciola’s Book A Vengeful Realm: The Scales of Balance Book 1

The esteemed WRITER Magazine (founded in 1887) has repeatedly recognized the Chanticleer Authors Conference as one of the best conferences to attend and participate in for North America.
See Non-Fiction, Series, and Shorts Grand Prize Winners here!

See the Official Overall Grand Prize winner Post here!

You can see all our Amazing Finalists below:

2023 Fiction Finalists

2023 Non-Fiction Finalists

2023 Shorts and Series Finalists
Well done climbing the CIBA Levels of Achievement!

PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!

Attn CIBA Winners: More goodies and prizes will be coming your way along with promotion in our magazine, website, and advertisements in Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards long-tail marketing strategy. Welcome to the CIBA Hall of Fame for Award Winners!

This post has been posted on the Chanticleer Facebook Page. We try to tag all authors listed here in the Facebook post. However, for Facebook to allow us to tag an author, that author must LIKE our page and Follow Chanticleer Reviews.

Please click here to visit our page to LIKE, COMMENT, and SHARE on Facebook.

A Note to ALL the WINNERS: The coveted CIBA Blue Ribbons will be mailed out starting in June. We will contact you with an email to verify your mailing address and other items. You will receive an OFFICIAL EMAIL NOTIFICATION with Digital Badges and more information.

Thank you for participating in the 2023 CIBAs! We are looking forward to reading your future entries.

The Chanticleer Team
May 21, 2024
The 2023 CIBAs Grand Prize Winners for Fiction!
A Huge Congratulations to all of the 2023 Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards (CIBAs) FICTION Division Grand Prize Winners!

Every tier of the CIBAs is an important one, though few rise to be one of the coveted Division Grand Prize Winners.
- See Non-Fiction, Series, and Shorts Grand Prize Winners here!
- See the Official Overall Grand Prize winner Post here!
This post has links to each of the 16 individual CIBA FICTION Divisions’ Grand Prize and First Place Category Winners. We will have a separate post for Non-Fiction Award Winners which will include the Shorts Awards, and the Series Awards’ winners.

All First Place and Grand Prize winners were announced and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference at the CIBAs Ceremonies on Saturday, April 20th at the Chanticleer Banquet. It is a huge honor for us to have the opportunity to recognize all Finalists, First Place Winners, and Grand Prize Winners with you live and in-person!

One of the most memorable moments was Awarding Burl Harmon, a 100-year-old veteran, his First Place Ribbon for Military & Front Lines Non-Fiction

Let’s take a step back and look at where we came from to make this happen.

Want to join in the fun? Submit to the 2024 CIBAs today!

Now, presenting the links to the 2023 CIBA Fiction Division Awards Grand Prize Winners!

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2023 CYGNUS Awards for Science Fiction is:

The Shadow of War

By Timothy S. Johnston

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2023 OZMA Awards is:

A Vengeful Realm: The Scales of Balance, Book 1

By Tim Facciola

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2023 PARANORMAL Awards is:

Becoming Crone

By Lydia M. Hawke

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2023 GLOBAL THRILLER Awards is:

Jake Fortina and the Roman Conspiracy

By Ralph R. “Rick” Steinke

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2023 CLUE Awards is:

The Other Murder

By Kevin G. Chapman

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2023 Mystery & Mayhem Awards is:

A Haunting at Linley

by Michelle Cox

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2023 DANTE ROSSETTI Awards is:

Sour Flower

by Maryanne Melloan Woods

Manuscript

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2023 GERTRUDE WARNER Awards is:

EXOSTAR

The Lost Space Treasure Series, Book 1

by Rae Knightly

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2023 LITTLE PEEPS Awards is:

The Girl Who Recycled 1 Million Cans

by Shaziya M. Jaffer, Brad W. Rudover, and Jessica Alexanderson with Scrap University

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2023 LARAMIE Awards is:

The Last Man

by Thomas Goodman

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2023 CHAUCER Awards is:

The Merchant from Sepharad

by James Hutson-Wiley

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2023 GOETHE Awards is:

If Someday Comes

by David Calloway

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2023 Hemingway Book Awards is:

The Silver Waterfall:

A Novel of the battle of Midway

by Kevin Miller

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2023 CHATELAINE Book Awards is:

A Sea of Glass

by Gail Avery Halverson

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2023 MARK TWAIN Awards is:

Quantum Consequence:

Physics, Lust and Greed, Book 5

by Mike Murphey

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2023 SOMERSET Awards is:

You Can’t Fool a Mermaid

by Judy Keesler Santamaria

We have badges available starting with the Short List. If you need a digital badge reflecting your tier level, please email info@ChantiReviews.com with your division and rank, and we will send you one as soon as possible.

The 2023 CIBA Grand Prize Winners!

Make sure your Award gets the attention it deserves on Goodreads.com

In the Librarian Manual on Goodreads, you can go to your Book Edit Page — Literary Awards.

You want to list the Award for Chanticleer International Book Awards (CIBA) Winners, and be sure to include the year and what place you received. For example:

The year Long List, Short List, Semi-Finalist, Finalist, First Place, Division Grand Prize, or Overall Grand Prize Winner

Note from Goodreads: “To add a new award or edit an existing award, you’ll need help from one of our volunteer librarians or a staff member.” For assistance, post in the Goodreads Librarians Group.

Always double check that you’ve written everything correctly before posting it. The search function for Awards on Goodreads is both case and punctuation sensitive.

The Overall Grand Prize Winner for the 2023 CIBAs was Tim Facciola’s Book A Vengeful Realm: The Scales of Balance Book 1

The esteemed WRITER Magazine (founded in 1887) has repeatedly recognized the Chanticleer Authors Conference as one of the best conferences to attend and participate in for North America.
See Non-Fiction, Series, and Shorts Grand Prize Winners here!

See the Official Overall Grand Prize winner Post here!

You can see all our Amazing Finalists below:

2023 Fiction Finalists

2023 Non-Fiction Finalists

2023 Shorts and Series Finalists
Well done climbing the CIBA Levels of Achievement!

PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!

Attn CIBA Winners: More goodies and prizes will be coming your way along with promotion in our magazine, website, and advertisements in Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards long-tail marketing strategy. Welcome to the CIBA Hall of Fame for Award Winners!

This post has been posted on the Chanticleer Facebook Page. We try to tag all authors listed here in the Facebook post. However, for Facebook to allow us to tag an author, that author must LIKE our page and Follow Chanticleer Reviews.

Please click here to visit our page to LIKE, COMMENT, and SHARE on Facebook.

A Note to ALL the WINNERS: The coveted CIBA Blue Ribbons will be mailed out starting in June. We will contact you with an email to verify your mailing address and other items. You will receive an OFFICIAL EMAIL NOTIFICATION with Digital Badges and more information.

Thank you for participating in the 2023 CIBAs! We are looking forward to reading your future entries.

The Chanticleer Team
May 9, 2024
The 2023 Chanticleer Int’l Book Award Finalists for Fiction!
Give a huge round of applause to all of the Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards (CIBAs) Finalists!

Every tier of the CIBAs is an important one, though few manage to rise this far in the ranks.

For our Fiction Authors, this post has links to all of the Finalist Awards for the 16 CIBA Divisions we have for fiction. We will have a separate post for Non-Fiction and one more post for the Shorts Awards and Series Awards where you can find all the 2023 Finalists!

All Finalists in attendance will be recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference, and we will announce the Winners at the CIBAs Ceremonies on Saturday, April 20th at the Chanticleer Banquet. We can’t express how excited we are to be able to do this in person with our fully vaccinated and boosted staff in a healthy metro area.

Now let’s take a step back and look at where we came from to make this happen.

The remaining tiers are the First Place Winner, the Grand Prize Winners, and finally, the coveted Overall Grand Prize Winners. The Overall Grand Prize Winner takes home the $1000 and more! See the Book Award details here.

Now, presenting the links to the Fiction Awards Finalists
The Official 2023 CIBA Lists of the First Place and Grand Prize Winners for all Divisions of the CIBAs will start to be posted starting on Wednesday, April 24th, 2024.

We have badges available starting with the Short List. If you need a digital badge reflecting your tier level, please email info@ChantiReviews.com with your division and rank, and we will send you one as soon as possible.

The 12th Anniversary Chanticleer Authors Conference is April 19-21, 2024

Don’t Delay, Register Today!

Make sure your Award gets the attention it deserves on Goodreads.com

In the Librarian Manual on Goodreads, you can go to your Book Edit Page — Literary Awards.

You want to list the Award for Chanticleer International Book Awards (CIBA) Winners, and be sure to include the year and what place you received. For example:

The year Long List, Short List, Semi-Finalist, or Finalist.

Note from Goodreads: “To add a new award or edit an existing award, you’ll need help from one of our volunteer librarians or a staff member.” For assistance, post in the Goodreads Librarians Group.

Always double check that you’ve written everything correctly before posting it. The search function for Awards on Goodreads is both case and punctuation sensitive.

The Overall Grand Prize Winner for the 2022 CIBAs was Michelle Cox’s book A Spying Eye

Remember, you don’t have to be present to win, but it sure is a lot more fun!

The esteemed WRITER Magazine (founded in 1887) has repeatedly recognized the Chanticleer Authors Conference as one of the best conferences to attend and participate in for North America.
March 22, 2024
The 2022 CIBAs Finalists for Fiction!
A Huge Congratulations to all of the Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards (CIBAs) Finalists!

Every tier of the CIBAs is an important one, though few manage to rise this far in the ranks.

For our Fiction Authors, this post has links to all of the Finalist Awards for the 16 CIBA Divisions we have for fiction. We will have a separate post for Non-Fiction and one more post for the Shorts Awards for both longer works and collections as well as , as well as the Series Book Awards.

All Finalists in attendance will be recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference, and we will announce the Winners at the CIBAs Ceremonies on Saturday, April 29th at the Chanticleer Banquet. We can’t express how excited we are to be able to do this in person with our fully vaccinated and boosted staff in a healthy metro area.

Now let’s take a step back and look at where we came from to make this happen.

The remaining tiers are the First Place Winner, the Grand Prize Winners, and finally, the coveted Overall Grand Prize Winners. The Overall Grand Prize Winner takes home the $1000 and more! See the Book Award details here.

Now, presenting the links to the Fiction Awards Finalists
The Official 2022 CIBA Lists of the First Place and Grand Prize Winners for all Divisions of the CIBAs will start to be posted after April 29th, 2023.

We have badges available starting with the Short List. If you need a digital badge reflecting your tier level, please email info@ChantiReviews.com with your division and rank, and we will send you one as soon as possible.

The 11th Anniversary Chanticleer Authors Conference is April 27-30, 2023

Don’t Delay, Register Today!

Make sure your Award gets the attention it deserves on Goodreads.com

In the Librarian Manual on Goodreads, you can go to your Book Edit Page — Literary Awards.

You want to list the Award for Chanticleer International Book Awards (CIBA) Winners, and be sure to include the year and what place you received. For example:

The year Long List, Short List, Semi-Finalist, or Finalist.

Note from Goodreads: “To add a new award or edit an existing award, you’ll need help from one of our volunteer librarians or a staff member.” For assistance, post in the Goodreads Librarians Group.

Always double check that you’ve written everything correctly before posting it. The search function for Awards on Goodreads is both case and punctuation sensitive.

The Overall Grand Prize Winner for the 2021 CIBAs was J.W. Zarek’s book THE DEVIL PULLS THE STRINGS

Remember, you don’t have to be present to win, but it sure is a lot more fun!

The esteemed WRITER Magazine (founded in 1887) has repeatedly recognized the Chanticleer Authors Conference as one of the best conferences to attend and participate in for North America.
April 3, 2023
Part Three of Three Official Postings of the 2021 Chanticleer International Book Awards (#CIBAs) Overall Grand Prize and Division Grand Prize and First Place Category Winners
We are deeply honored and excited to continue to announce the 2021 Winners of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs) with our third and final of three official postings.

CIBA Grand Prize Ribbons!

The winners were recognized at the CIBA ceremonies held on June 25th, 2022 in-person and by ZOOM webinars at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether, Bellingham, Wash.

The CIBA announcements were made LIVE with Chanticleerians participating and interacting from around the globe and North America.

Raising our glasses to cheer the CIBA Winners!

We want to thank all of the CIBA judges who read each and every entry and then comment, rate, and rank within each of the 25 CIBA Divisions. Without your labors of love for books, the Chanticleer International Book Awards would not exist. THANK YOU!

We want to thank all of the authors and publishers who participated in the 2021 Chanticleer International Book Awards (the CIBAs). Each year, we find the quality of the entries and the competitiveness of the division competitions increasing exponentially. We added a new level to the judging rounds in 2019—the premier Level of FINALIST per each CIBA Division. The CIBA judges wanted to add the Finalist Level of Achievement as a way to recognize and validate the entries that had outstanding merit but were not selected for the very few First Place Award positions within each genre division.

This post will recognize the First Place and Grand Prize Winners for the

Seven Non-Fiction Divisions:

Journey, Hearten, Harvey Chute, Mind and Spirit, I & I, Military & Frontline and Nellie Bly

along with the FIRST Winners for the

Short Story, and Book Series Awards,

and concluding with the

OVERALL 2021 GRAND PRIZE WINNER

for the 2021 Chanticleer International Book Awards

For the Cygnus, Ozma, Paranormal, Global Thrillers, M&M, Clue, Little Peeps, Gertrude Warner, and Dante Rossetti Book Awards, please click here for Part 1.

For the Laramie, Chaucer, Goethe, Hemingway, Chatelaine, Mark Twain, and Somerset Awards, click here for Part 2.

The JOURNEY Book Awards for

Narrative Non-Fiction, Memoirs, and Biographies

Grand Prize Winner is

BETTER OFF BALD: A Life in 147 Days

The Journey First Place Category Winners are:
- Rosie McMahan – Fortunate Daughter: A Memoir of Reconciliation
- Rosemary Keevil – The Art of Losing It: A Memoir of Grief and Addiction
- Heather Haldeman – Kids and Cocktails Don’t Mix: A Memoir
- Kathleen Lockyer – The Broken Wing Dance — Love, loss, trauma and how nature led me back to my wild self
- C.L. Olsen – The Home for Friendless Children
The INSTRUCTION and INSIGHT Book Awards

for How-To Guides, Travel Guides, Cook Books, Self-Help, and Enlightenment

Grand Prize Winner is

THE BLACK FOSTER YOUTH HANDBOOK by Angela Quijada-Banks

The I & I First Place Category Winners are:
- Wendela Whitcomb Marsh – Recognizing Autism in Women and Girls
- Geraldine Clouston and Susan Weintrob – indieBRAG Eat, Read & Dream Cookbook
- Jim & Jessica Braz – Baby Out of Wedlock
- Phoebe Walker – Freedom Found – Productive and Joyful Living In Spite of Chronic Pain
- M. J. Simms-Maddox, Ph.D. – A Handbook for Emerging and Seasoned Authors
Congratulations to the Inaugural

AWARD WINNERS for the

Military and Front Line Book Awards

of the CIBAs

The MILITARY & FRONT LINE Book Awards

for Service to Others Non-Fiction

Grand Prize Winner is

DEAR BOB: Bob Hope’s Wartime Correspondance with the G.I.s of World War II by Martha Bolten with Linda Hope

The Military & Front Line First Place Category Winners are:
- Vicki Cody – Fly Safe: Letters from the Gulf War and Reflections From Back Home
- Grover Nicodemus Street RN, Sandra de Abreu Guidry-Street MD, & Ja-ne de Abreu – Chasing the Surge: Life as a Travel Nurse in a Global Pandemic
- Margaret Thomson – The World Looks Different Now
- Burl Harmon – Combat Missions
- George Farag – Unbecoming My Father’s Son: A Memoir
The NELLIE BLY Book Awards

for Investigative and Long Form Journalism Non-Fiction

Grand Prize Winner is

AMERICA’S FORGOTTEN SUFFRAGISTS: Virginia and Francis Minor
by Nicole Evelina

The Nellie Bly First Place Category Winners are:
- Dori Jones Yang – When the Red Gates Opened
- Dr. Kate Dolan – Beating Drug Addiction in Tehran: a Women’s Clinic
- Abe Streep – Brothers on Three: A True Story of Family, Resistance, and Hope on a Reservation in Montana
- Janice S. Ellis, Ph.D. – Advancing the Good Society: Real Advocacy Journalism in Action
The HARVEY CHUTE Book Awards

for Business & Enterprise Non-Fiction

Grand Prize Winner is

BEYOND BALANCING THE BOOKS by George Marino

The Harvey Chute First Place Category Winners are:
- Stan Bernard, MD, MBA – Brands Don’t Win: How Transcenders Change Games
- Thomas Wideman – Welfare Cheese to Fine Caviar: How to Achieve Your Dreams Despite Your Upbringing
- Kate Dixon – Pay Up! Unlocking Insider Secrets of Salary Negotiation
- Cash Nickerson – Negotiating As a Martial Art
The MIND & SPIRIT Book Awards

for Spirituality and Enlightenment Non-Fiction

Grand Prize Winner is

ENLIGHTEN UP! by Beth Gibbs

The Mind and Spirit First Place Category Winners are:
- Mike Lutz – Jesus Speaking
- Reagan J. Pasternak – Griffin’s Heart: Mourning Your Pet With No Apologies
- Tammy Green – Living Without Skin: Everything I Never Knew About Fierce Vulnerability
- Starr Regan DiCiurcio – Divine Sparks: Interfaith Wisdom for a Postmodern World
The HEARTEN Book Awards

for Uplifting and Inspiring Non-Fiction

Grand Prize Winner is

DAWGS: A True Story of Lost Animals and the Kids Who Rescued Them
By Diane Trull and Meredith Wargo

The Hearten First Place Category Winners are:
- Fred Guttenberg – Find the Helpers
- Linda Morrow – Heart of This Family – Lessons in Down Syndrome and Love
- Lisa Dailey – Square Up: 50,000 miles in search of a way home
- Labar Laskie – Above the Din: Diary of the HepC Wonder Drugs
- Meg Nocero – Butterfly Awakens: A Memoir of Transformation Through Grief
The SHORT STORY Book Awards

for the CIBA Short Story Collections

Grand Prize Winner is

NEW YORK: Give Me Your Best or Your Worst by Elizabeth Crowens

The Shorts First Place Category Winners are:
- Leah Angstman – Shoot the Horses First
- Susannah Dawn – I’m Not What I Used To Be, Yet I Am Who I’ve Always Been – Excerpts From My Journey
- Domenick Venezia – The Edwerd Chronicles
- Frances Howard-Snyder – Through a Glass Darkly
- Helena P. Schrader – Grounded Eagles
The SHORT STORY Book Awards

for Short Stories, Novelettes, and Novellas

Grand Prize Winner is

HOMEGOING by Toni Ann Johnson

The Shorts First Place Category Winners are:
- Gina Detwiler – Before: Jared’s Story
- M. K. Wiseman – Sherlock Holmes & the Ripper of Whitechapel
- Elizabeth Wolf – The Royal Foetus: A very short novel based on the very short life of King Louis XVII
- Lindy Miller – Sleigh Bells on Bread Loaf Mountain
- Vicky Oliver – A Valentine to my Mothers and Other Dubious Role Models
- Kourtney Spadoni – In The Underwood
The BOOK SERIES Book Awards

for Fiction Series

Grand Prize Winner is

THE GUINEVERE’S TALE TRILOGY by Nicole Evelina

Daughter of Destiny, Camelot’s Queen, and Mistress of Legend

The Series First Place Category Winners are:

Ozma Book Awards for Series – Fantasy Fiction
- M. K. Wiseman – The Bookminder series
Dante Rossetti Book Awards for Series – Young Adult
- Pamela Beason – Run for Your Life
Chatelaine Book Awards for Series – Romantic Fiction
- Janet K. Shawgo – Look For Me Series
CLUE Book Awards for Series – Thriller/Suspense
- Kaylin McFarren – Threads
Mystery & Mayhem Book Awards for Series – Mysteries / Cozy and Not-so-Cozy
- Amy S. Peele – A Transplant Medical Murder Mystery series
Laramie Book Awards for Series – Americana / Western Fiction
- E. Alan Fleischauer – JT Thomas’s Series – Western series
CONGRATULATIONS to ALL!

And NOW for the

2021 CHANTICLEER INT’L BOOK AWARDS

BEST BOOK

and

OVERALL GRAND PRIZE WINNER

THE DEVIL PULLS THE STRINGS

by J.W. Zarek

J.W. Zarek will also be awarded $1,000 USD in recognition of her 2021 BEST BOOK of the YEAR – Chanticleer International Book Awards – Sponsored by Chanticleer Reviews & Media.

A Chanticleer Review of The Devil Pulls the Strings will be featured in the in the Chanticleer Reviews OnWord Magazine (print and epub) along with other promotional and marketing opportunities along with an interview with the author, J.W. Zarek.

Thank you J.W. Zarek for participating in the 2021 Chanticleer International Book Awards. We look forward to receiving future work in our CIBAs.

CONGRATULATIONS J.W. Zarek!

Six Grand Prize Winners with J.W. Zarek, the 2021 Overall Grand Prize Winner!

From all of us at Chanticleer International Book Awards and Chanticleer Reviews.

Looking for your Division? Check out our previous posts:

For the Cygnus, Ozma, Paranormal, Global Thrillers, M&M, Clue, Little Peeps, Gertrude Warner, and Dante Rossetti Book Awards, please click here for Part 1.

For the Laramie, Chaucer, Goethe, Hemingway, Chatelaine, Mark Twain, and Somerset Awards, click here for Part 2.

THANK YOU to VCAC21 SPONSORS and FRIENDS

And to FRIENDS of CHANTICLEER REVIEWS:

Cathy Ace, J.D. Barker, Robert Dugoni, Chris Humphreys, Bradley Metrock, Jessica Morrell, Scott Steindorff, and Paul Hanson of Village Books

We will post more photographs and information. Do check back and subscribe to the Chanticleer Reviews e-news letter.

We have exciting news for the Chanticleer Community on the horizon so do stay tuned!

You know you want a coveted Chanticleer Reviews Blue Ribbon!

Submit your works (manuscripts or novels published after or on January 1, 2019, are accepted) to the prestigious Chanticleer International Book Awards today! Entries are being accepted into the 2022 CIBAs in all 18 fiction divisions and seven non-fiction divisions.

Be sure to register early for the 11th Chanticleer Authors Conference that will start on April 23rd, 2023 with the 2022 CIBA banquet and ceremony scheduled to take place on Saturday, April 25th, 2023 at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, Wash.

Be well. Stay Healthy. Take Care!

An email will go out to all 2021 CIBA award winners prior to October 30, 2022, with instructions, links, and more information about the awards packages. We appreciate your patience. As stated many times before “One does not need to be present at the CIBA ceremony and banquet to win. But it sure is a lot more fun!”

As always, please contact us at Chanticleer@ChantiReviews.com with any questions, concerns, or suggestions!

We need good books, now more than ever!

The Chanticleer Reviews Team
July 13, 2022
The 2021 Chanticleer International Book Awards (#CIBAs) Overall Grand Prize and Division Grand Prize and First Place Category Winners | Part One of Three
We are deeply honored and excited to announce the 2021 Winners of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs). The Finalists were recognized at the Virtual Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Ceremonies, and the First Place Category and Grand Prize Winners were announced June 25th, 2022 at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether, Bellingham, Wash.

The 2022 Chanticleer Authors Conference and the 2021 Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards Banquet and Ceremony took place over June 23-26, 2022, with the CIBA Banquet happening on June 25th. Each year, Chanticleerians from around the globe come together to celebrate and cheer each other on at the annual CIBA banquet and awards evening at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether that is situated on beautiful Bellingham Bay, Washington State.

Meeting in-person for the first time since lockdown began brought such joy into our lives. The ability to celebrate, hug, and learn together with the extra space provided by the Hotel Bellwether made this a truly unforgettable experience. Champagne was poured and shared as the 2021 CIBA Grand Prize Division Award Winners were announced. Thank you to all who joined us in-person and virtually to make the CIBA Ceremonies a success!

The 2021 Grand Prize Winners in attendance!

After two virtual conferences, it was a joy and pleasure to feel the energy of an in-person crowd! It was amazing to have such a marvelous event with presenters like Cathy Ace, Judy Gaman, Betsy Graziani Fasbinder, Jessica Morrell, Nicole Evelina, Jodé Millman, Oriana Leckhert, Diane Garland, and more!

We are already excited and gearing up for our next conference in nine short months! Save the date for CAC23 April 27-30, 2023.

At the June 25th, 2021 Ceremonies, we were overjoyed to recognize the 18 Fiction and 7 Non-Fiction CIBA Divisions for the First Place Category and Grand Prize Winners!

First of all, we want to thank all of the CIBA judges who read each and every entry and then comment, rate, and rank within each of the 25 CIBA Divisions. Without your labors of love for books, the Chanticleer International Book Awards would not exist. THANK YOU!

We want to thank all of the authors and publishers who participated in the 2021 Chanticleer International Book Awards (the CIBAs). Each year, we find the quality of the entries and the competitiveness of the division competitions increases exponentially. We added a new level to the judging rounds in 2019—the premier Level of FINALIST per each CIBA Division.

The CIBA judges wanted to add the Finalist Level of Achievement as a way to recognize and validate the entries that had outstanding merit but were not selected for the very few First Place Award positions within each genre division. Promotional Stickers are available to those who have advanced in the CIBA Tiers of Achievement here.

A Recap of the CIBA Selection Process
- The 2021 CIBAs have 18 Fiction Divisions and 7 Non-fiction Divisions.
- First Place Category award winners were selected for each one of the 25 divisions from an overall field of titles that progressed to the Premier FINALIST Division Level from the Division Semi-Finalists positions from the Shortlists, the Long List, and the infamous beginning slush pile rounds.
- One Grand Prize award winner was selected from the First Place Category Award Winners for the 25 CIBA divisions.
- One Overall Grand Prize award winner was selected from the 25 divisions of Grand Prize Award Winners
This post will recognize the First Place and Grand Prize Winners for Cygnus, Ozma, Paranormal, Global Thrillers, M&M, Clue, Little Peeps, Gertrude Warner, and Dante Rossetti Book Awards.

For the Laramie, Chaucer, Goethe, Hemingway, Chatelaine, Mark Twain, and Somerset Awards, click here for Part 2.

For the Journey, Hearten, Nellie Bly, I&I, Mind & Spirit, Harvey Chute, Military & Frontline, Series, and Shorts Awards, click here for Part 3

THANK YOU to CAC22 SPONSORS and FRIENDS

CIBA Grand Prize Ribbons!

We are honored to present the

2021 Chanticleer International Book Awards

Grand Prize Winners

The 2021 CIBA Winners!

The CYGNUS Book Awards

for Science Fiction Novels

Grand Prize Winner is

A WAR IN TOO MANY WORLDS by Elizabeth Crowens
- J.W. Zarek – The Devil Pulls the Strings
- Sarah Lahey – Nostalgia Is Heartless, Book Two
- Akosua Sankofa – Monmouth Deep
- Rhett C. Bruno – Vicarious
- Steven Seril – The Destroyer of Worlds: ‘An Answer to Every Question’
- Charlene Newcomb – Echoes of the Storm
The OZMA Book Awards

for Fantasy Fiction

Grand Prize Winner is

PLAGUE OF FLIES: Revolt of the Spirits by Laurel Anne Hill
- David Fitz-Gerald – Waking Up Lost
- Allegra Pescatore – Where Shadows Lie
- L. A. Thompson – Isle of Dragons
- J.W. Zarek – The Devil Pulls the Strings
- KC Cowan – Asa’s Redemption
The Paranormal Book Awards

for Supernatural Fiction

Grand Prize Winner is

THE DEVIL PULLS THE STRINGS by J.W. Zarek
- K.T. Anglehart – The Wise One
- Miki Mitayn – The Conscious Virus
- Rebecca Kightlinger – Megge of Bury Down: The Bury Down Chronicles, Book One
- Kaylin McFarren – Annihilation
- J.G. Schwartz – The Curious Spell of Madam Genova
- Daniela Valenti – Sentinel 10: The Crystal Skull
The GLOBAL THRILLER Book Awards

for High Stakes Thrillers, Lab Lit, and Suspense Novels

Grand Prize Winner is

THE CHAMELEON by Ron McManus
- Timothy S. Johnston – Fatal Depth
- J Lawrence Matthews – One Must Tell The Bees
- Norman M. Jacobs, MD – A Divine Wind
- Randall Krzak – Mission: Angola (Xavier Sear Thriller Book 1)
- Andrew Kaplan – Blue Madagascar
The CLUE Book Awards

for Thrillers, Suspense, Legal, Detective, and Procedural Crime Novels

Grand Prize Winner is

THE VINES by Shelley Nolden
- Emily A. Myers – The Truth About Unspeakable Things
- James A. Ross – Coldwater Revenge
- T.L. Bequette – Good Lookin’: A Joe Turner Mystery
- Kevin Chapman – Fatal Infraction Mike Stoneman Thriller#4
- Rip Converse – Callie Awakens
- Amy S. Peele – Match: A Medical Murder Mystery
The M & M Book Awards for Mystery & Mayhem

for Cozy and Not-So-Cozy Mysteries

Grand Prize Winner is

OPHELIA’S ROOM by Michael Scott Garvin
- Lori Roberts Herbst – Double Exposure
- Cam Lang – The Concrete Vineyard
- Eileen Charbonneau – Death at Little Mound
- Codi Schneider – Cold Snap: A Viking Cat Mystery
- Darryl Wimberley – A Star in her CrownChasing Cleopatra
LITTLE PEEPS Book Awards for

Early Readers and Picture Books

Grand Prize Winner is

VICTORIA AND THE BIG BRAVE BREATH by Andrea Vaughan
- David Horn – Eudora Space Kid: The Great Engine Room Takeover
- Brooks Olbrys – Blue Ocean Bob Discovers His Purpose
- Peggy Sullivan – Shadow Walkers, The Secret Lives of the Shy Sisters
- Denise Ditto Satterfield – Tooth Fairy Day Celebration
- Rebecca Dwight Bruff – Stars of Wonder
GERTRUDE WARNER Book Awards

for Middle Grade Fiction

Grand Prize is

FISHING FOR LUCK by Murray Richter
- Sean March – Little Wade and Watchtower: Abigail and the Great Gang Trap
- J. B. Spector – The Sunlit Curse, The Mer-Prince Adventures
- Ben Gartner – Sol Invictus
- Jay Spenser – The Barn Owl Mystery
- Gloria Two-Feathers – Buck: Keeper of the Meadow
- Didem Saracel – Story of Carbon
The DANTE ROSSETTI Book Awards

for Young Adult Fiction

Grand Prize Winner is

TARO: Legendary Boy Hero of Japan by Blue Spruell
- P.H.C. Marchesi – Florissant
- Blue Spruell – TARO: Legendary Boy Hero of Japan
- Rektok Ross – Ski Weekend
- Nancy Thorne – The Somewhere I See You Again
- Mark Wakely – A Friend Like Filby
- Glen Dahlgren – The Game of War: The Trials of Dantess, Warrior Priest
Congratulations to ALL!

We will email each winner with more information about their prize packages and more information.

Be sure to FOLLOW and LIKE us Facebook and on Twitter @ChantiReviews

Not seeing your Awards Division? Check out the links below!

For the Laramie, Chaucer, Goethe, Hemingway, Chatelaine, Mark Twain, and Somerset Awards, click here for Part 2.

For the Journey, Hearten, Nellie Bly, I&I, Mind & Spirit, Harvey Chute, Military & Frontline, Series, and Shorts Awards, click here for Part 3

And the OVERALL GRAND PRIZE for the 2021 CIBAs!

We are now accepting entries into the 2022 Chanticleer International Book Awards.

Click here for more information and submission deadlines: https://test.chantireviews.com/contests/

As always, if you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions, please email us at Chanticleer@ChantiReviews.com — We will try to respond within 3 business days.

Thank you for joining us in celebrating the 2021 CIBA Winners! – The Chanticleer Team
July 11, 2022
The 2021 CIBAs Finalists for Fiction!
A Huge Congratulations to all of the Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards (CIBAs) Finalists!

Every tier of the CIBAs is an important one, though few manage to rise this far in the ranks.

For our Fiction Authors, this post has links to all of the Finalist Awards for the 16 CIBA Divisions we have for fiction. We will have a separate post for Non-Fiction and one more post for the Shorts Awards for both Individual Works and Collected Works, as well as the Series Book Awards.

All Finalists in attendance will be recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference, and we will announce the Winners at the CIBAs Ceremonies on Saturday, June 25th at the Chanticleer Banquet. We can’t express how excited we are to be able to do this in person with our fully vaccinated and boosted staff in a healthy metro area.

Now let’s take a step back and look at where we came from to make this happen.

The remaining tiers are the First Place Winner, the Grand Prize Winners, and finally, the coveted Overall Grand Prize Winners. The Overall Grand Prize Winner takes home the $1000 and more! See the Book Award details here.

Now, presenting the links to the Fiction Awards Finalists
The Official 2021 CIBA Lists of the First Place and Grand Prize Winners for all Divisions of the CIBAs will start to be posted June 29th, 2022.

Now Accepting Entries into the 2022 CIBAs.

If you don’t submit, you can’t win!

We have badges available starting with the Short List. If you need a digital badge reflecting your tier level, please email info@ChantiReviews.com with your division and rank, and we will send you one as soon as possible.

The 10th Anniversary Chanticleer Authors Conference is June 23-26, 2022

Don’t Delay, Register Today!

Goodreads Icon

Make sure your Award gets the attention it deserves on Goodreads.com

In the Librarian Manual on Goodreads, you can go to your Book Edit Page — Literary Awards.

You want to list the Award for Chanticleer International Book Awards (CIBA) Winners, and be sure to include the year and what place you received. For example:

The year Long List, Short List, Semi-Finalist, or Finalist.

Note from Goodreads: “To add a new award or edit an existing award, you’ll need help from one of our volunteer librarians or a staff member.” For assistance, post in the Goodreads Librarians Group.

Always double check that you’ve written everything correctly before posting it. The search function for Awards on Goodreads is both case and punctuation sensitive.

The Overall Grand Prize Winner for the 2020 CIBAs was Rebeca Dwight Bruff’s book Trouble the Water

This year we introduced the Non-Fiction Division for Military and Front Line Book Awards. These books focus on Narrative Non-Fiction that highlights the lives of service members, medical workers, and generally those who engage in public service. This is a division we’ve been waiting to launch for years, and we felt this was the year to make it happen. While we still are updating our site for this division, all 24 of our other CIBAs are now accepting entries for 2022.

The competition is already heating up!

Submit today!

Remember, you don’t have to be present to win, but it sure is a lot more fun! The CIBAs Ceremonies will also be livestreamed for those who can’t attend in person. Information about how to watch will be sent out by the week of the Conference to all finalists.

The esteemed WRITER Magazine (founded in 1887) has repeatedly recognized the Chanticleer Authors Conference as one of the best conferences to attend and participate in for North America.

Join us for our 10th annual conference and discover why!

Featuring: International Best Selling Author Cathy Ace along with experts in the business and marketing and promotion for authors from Kickstarter to Hindenburg.
May 18, 2022
MURDER BESIDE the SALISH SEA by Jennifer Mueller – Mystery, Thriller, World War II, Pacific Northwest

Brock Harker, World War II fighter pilot returns home to the Pacific Northwest on leave. He’s searching for a little peace once he finds his half Japanese wife who vanished while he was away. What he finds is Murder Beside The Salish Sea by author Jennifer Mueller, who artfully pulls Brock into an intriguing plot that hides the darkest of secrets.

Working as a pilot for the Flying Tigers in China, Brock earned the distinguished Order of the Cloud and Banner from the Chinese. After Pearl Harbor, he joins the Air Corps as a bomber pilot. Brock would say that flying was the one good thing his dad taught him, and he’d learned it so well he swore he could dogfight when he was ten years old. He should have been dead many times during these World War II years, but what has him frightened most is Amy’s disappearance. Half Japanese/American women have to watch themselves now. His heart broke when her letters stopped, and the letters he sent went unanswered. Now he’s determined to find her or find out what happened to her.

The search begins at his father’s home, the only family he has left. They parted years ago on the worst of terms, in large part because of his racist father’s hatred for Brock’s beloved Amy. Now, will his father greet Brock after all these years, or throw him away again? Brock reacquaints himself with his hometown of Bellingham, friends and other people he had known before, and meets military personnel on the nearby base. Several of these people become suspects in the ensuing murders. Brock is also accused by the police in his father’s murder. Brock applies wartime tactics and a little help from his friends to track and capture the murderer. Only then are devastating secrets revealed that may be unbearable for this war hero.

This thrilling, historical mystery that’s steeped in sweet romance tugs at a sense of adventure. The story travels across plot twists like an army jeep driving the diverse, Pacific Northwest landscape, from the Cascade Mountains to sandy beaches, and along the Straits to the Ocean. Hang on because just when the reader thinks the plot ahead is recognizable, there’s another curve and the view completely changes.

With Murder Beside The Salish Sea, Jennifer Mueller brings to life an important time in history, while weaving in poignant, personal drama. As Brock’s beloved wife Amy once said to him, “We endure what we cannot change.”

April 26, 2018