Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: Mystery Suspense

SECOND CHANCE by Linell Jeppsen, a western thriller

In the early years of the twentieth century, the northern woods of Idaho were known for their booming mining towns. Families filed and worked claims, hoping to make a decent living and create a home for themselves on the Western frontier. Unfortunately, those booming mining towns also had their fair share of crime. Claim jumping, the violent practice of stealing valuables and producing claims, was commonplace.

In the fifth book of The Deadman series Second Chance, Linell Jeppsen uses this fascinating setting to craft a story about a trio of rich and powerful men who have made it their goal to acquire mining claims in Wallace, Idaho, using whatever means necessary. The local miners and their families who get in their way tend to end up dead.

Matthew Wilcox, recently retired from law enforcement, has established a new detective agency with his son, Chance. He and Chance are just coming off their first case, a successful sting operation against an illegal boxing scheme. Matthew is looking forward to some relaxation and training sessions with a new stallion they’ve acquired. But the newly installed telephone rings, and the news on the other end isn’t good: Matthew’s lady friend, Annie Thurston, has been nearly beaten to death and her friend is murdered.

This new case, Matthew quickly learns, is larger in scope than what he and Chance have handled in the past. What begins as a series of relatively simple-looking claim jumps and acts of violence in the Northern Idaho woods ends up stretching all the way to the playgrounds of the rich and powerful in Seattle. The Wilcoxes are up against very powerful, very connected, evil villains.

Jeppsen has written a fast-paced, entertaining historical mystery set in the Northwest in a timeframe that is unusual for the western genre—the early twentieth century.

Using extensive research and her in-depth knowledge of the area, she provides an authentic blend of mystery and western genres, plenty of action, and even a bit of romance. Her ear for the vernacular of the time is dead-on, and her knowledge of the locales, from Idaho to Puget Sound, is clearly extensive.
Readers will be drawn to the characters from the very beginning, and will enjoy spending time with them again as they take on a trinity of bad guys. The Deadman series is an action-packed, engaging blend of western and mystery fiction not to be missed.

September 22, 2015
THE SEARCH OF GRACE by James Gottesman, a suspenseful women’s fiction novel

In November 1972, the sisters of St. Joseph’s Orphanage in Missoula, Montana were stunned to find that a small child, approximately two years old, had been left on their doorstep in the middle of the night. Though she appeared to be in good health and had clearly been well cared for, she carried no identification. After six weeks of attempts by the orphanage and the police to discover who she was, the sisters decided to name her Grace Helena Pine, and to give her a birth date of January 1st.

This incident was the first of several that led Grace to believe—as many orphaned children do—that no one would ever truly want her. Her biological parents, an absent yet silently malevolent force in her life, had never wanted her; potential adoptive parents who loved her were forced to give her back to the orphanage. And once she turned eighteen, even the orphanage asked her to leave.

Through luck and no small amount of determination, Grace eventually meets and marries a young doctor, has children, and achieves her own professional success as a professor in linguistics. Years of counseling and hard work have paid off in terms of a reasonably normal life with a family she deeply loves. Nonetheless, she remains haunted by the traumas of her childhood, many of which are similar to those suffered by children in her circumstances. Deep down, she understands that she will never be completely whole until she knows where she came from.

Through serendipity, her daughter and her nephew both see a woman on the news who looks so much like Grace that both children think she is Grace. The woman even has the same unique mannerisms. Grace decides to investigate, and as she slowly unravels the truth about her past, she unknowingly threatens the lives of others as well as her own. Someone very powerful doesn’t want the truth revealed.

A former oncologist, James Gottesman uses his extensive medical knowledge as well as detailed research into the psychology of abandoned children to craft a fascinating suspense novel. He accurately portrays the plight of illegitimate children in the late twentieth century, institutionalized by wealthy and powerful families afraid of the potential stain on their good name. Gottesman also shows how such an emotionally fraught situation can cause the biological family members to react with denial and suspicion, making it difficult for the child to ever develop a meaningful relationship with them. However, as Dr. Gottesman reminds us: genetics are irrefutable and will almost always cause the truth to come out.
Gottesman’s characters are engaging and well-developed; his story builds on itself as the tension heightens and the suspense builds. Highly recommended for those who enjoy women’s fiction novels with literary complexity, but that are still page turners. The Search of Grace is a riveting and satisfying read.

September 16, 2015
VALHALLA REVEALED by Robert A. Wright, a historical thriller

The year is 1945, and governments around the world are debating how to navigate the political and economic fallout from World War II. The trials in Nuremberg seek to punish those who participated in the Third Reich, whether they are members of the military, or businessmen who produced the armaments that gave Germany its fearsome power. Former officers of the Third Reich have fled to South America, hoping to evade capture. Though the Marshall Plan is helping to rebuild the war-ravaged economies of Western Europe, all eyes are turning toward the Stalinist Soviet Union, wondering whether an even larger threat now looms.

Businessman Paul Hoffman, whose family was first introduced in Beyond Ultra, struggles to deal with his grief over the ravages the war has forced upon his family. With a mother and brother dead, another brother missing, and a father exiled in Spanish Guinea, Paul must hold the family together while managing its business interests on three continents—the vineyards in Spain, commodities businesses in Africa, and import/export companies in the United States.

While dealing with divided family loyalties and attempting to lead his family forward, Paul also copes with his grief and survivor’s guilt over the deaths of his family members, as well as a haunting desire to discover what happened to his missing brother Hans, a German U-boat captain who disappeared at the end of the war. Paul’s search for answers will take him to the corners of the globe and uncover secrets with ties to international military and spy networks.

Employing meticulous research, in-depth knowledge of real historical events, and a deft hand for describing famous figures of the post-World War II era, Robert Wright has crafted a novel rich in detail and amazing in scope. Readers are introduced to people such as Heinrich Mueller, infamous leader of the Gestapo, exiled former SS officers in Paraguay, Stalinist Soviets, and William Donovan, head of the wartime OSS and predecessor to the CIA.

While the people of Western Europe and America re-awaken after a long and arduous war, complacent in the knowledge that their governments are back in control of world events, Wright reveals the true historical impact of decisions made by a small group of powerful businessmen largely unknown outside their inner circle. Valhalla Revealed is an astonishing novel—it is hard to cover the breadth of it in a review. The informative 540 pages will fly by with intrigue and surprise. Fortunately for its readers, Beyond Ultra, the prequel, will help satisfy the desire to unravel more of Robert Wright’s epic saga of two families whose destinies are intertwined.

Highly recommended to those who love historical fiction and international espionage thrillers.

September 11, 2015
THE TREASURE OF MALAGA COVE by John Gillgren, an adventure children’s novel

Reading John Gillgren’s The Treasure of Malaga Cove is its own enjoyable treasure hunt. I was immediately immersed in the adventures of history, the ocean, and more suspense than I anticipated from a children’s book. The author takes his readers on a captivating series of diving adventures and page-turning treasure hunts with the Cali Family as they try to solve mysteries of the high seas.

The story begins in 1577 on Sir Francis Drake’s flagship the Golden Hind. While looking for an easier path to Asia, this ship endure storms, battles with the Spanish and Portuguese, and Drake himself faces the mutiny of his own crew members.

The plot fast forwards four hundred years into the future. The novel’s protagonist Carmine Cali discovers a skull while learning how to dive in the Malaga Cove in southern California. Waves of mystery wash over the setting as Carmine can’t find the skull on a second dive. He spends several years with his wife, Elaine, and his three children, Snail, Carmen, and Caroline, trying to prove that the skulls exist, and link them to the flagship the Golden Hind and its crew members.

Gillgren is extraordinary at crafting a realistic and engaging narrative. The planning that Carmine and his family do for each of their dives, in addition to the time constraints, are point on with how a divemaster would construct his or her plans. Readers will anticipate every moment of action as the story pulls them in with the dangers that lurk in the ocean, whether it be the high tides or the sharks casting shadows beneath the water’s surface.

Readers will appreciate that Gillgren has created such a dynamic protagonist. Carmine’s protective watch over his family highlights his strong character as a father and protector. His reluctance to leave the water when they’ve found new information is realistic and captures the reader in the moment of discovery. He’s a character all readers will love and root for to find the truth in the end.

Suspense is the buried treasure in and of itself in this tale, and readers will never experience a dull moment. The plot twisted and turned in every direction, revealing by the end which character is deemed untrustworthy. The things I learned about Carmine’s family are presented in such a way that readers look forward to learning more about their individual character arcs in subsequent novels.

While many events unravel quickly, this is still an appropriate book for a younger audience and for a family to read together. It’s a fun story with straightforward dialogue and plot. And while the author judiciously presents responsible diving techniques and know-how, readers without diving knowledge will be able to follow along with it.

If anything, I think more detail of the reefs around Malaga Cove would have been a great addition to the story. The ocean adds a rich context to the tale, as well as an element of unexpected danger. However, the lack of some description made me revel in the details that were present.

Gillgren has delivered a mystery story ala Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew, but with more contemporary individuals playing those roles. The Treasure of Malaga Cove is a fantastic novel for children and their families wanting to dive into the depths of mystery and adventure. I will certainly read the next books in the series: The Treasure of Ching Shih and The Treasure of Ocracoke Island.

This is the first book in an adventure series that will invite readers of all ages to set sail into the high seas of their imagination with the adventures of the Cali Family as they hunt for mysterious treasure.

September 9, 2015
FIRE TRAP by Richard Mann, a mystery-thriller novel

The biotech start-up Genetrix has been begging for a fourth round of funding from the venture capitalists at Hillberg in order to keep pace with well-funded rival, Roark, in a race to see who can put a breakthrough drug delivery system into the marketplace first.

Just when the high-tech movers and shakers should have been positioning themselves for a taste of profit, the top research and development scientist at Genetrix dies in an absolutely epic explosion that shakes its headquarters in Silicon Valley.

And that is the white hot intense opening of this clever whodunit. Was it murder or suicide? And who gets the insurance money after a heavily covered “key man” has died? It is up to ace insurance investigator Randy Justice, who just opened his Justice Investigations office in Portland, Oregon to connect the dots and match wits with the hipster swells of the high-tech corporate elite.

Randy’s pretty good, knows his own flaws, and can enjoy a scotch. He can handle tough corporate venture capitalists, and he can wrangle with his two feisty teenagers. Randy knows when to play his hunches and his sidekick, Arnie, keeps him focused.

Randy moved to Portland because he just inherited his parents’ performance theater. He splits his time between a love of the theater and the thrill of chasing down bad guys. I found the author’s frequent glances into the world of the performing arts to be both charming and informative, and he seems to freely enjoy poking fun at the quirks of West Coast culture.

In Fire Trap, first-time novelist Richard Mann dives fearlessly into the shark-infested waters of venture capitalists and high tech in this mystery-thriller. Mann juggles the complexities required of the successful whodunit with the sure-handed skill of a veteran mystery writer.

Indeed, Mann seems to be completely at ease with the genre. He demonstrates a solid knowledge of his material, managing to massage potential deal breakers such as the mundane intricacies of policies and insurance investigation, along with forensic science, into Fire Trap’s tightly knitted plot without losing momentum or the white hot intensity of the narrative pace.

Fire Trap is a totally satisfying mystery/thriller that, in spite of a few nods to the stereotypical, it thrills, amuses, and entertains. Randy Justice faces the deadly dynamics of the biotech corporate world while managing to squeeze a little theater culture and some romance into his life. Mann’s packing so much entertainment into the confines of a mere 206 pages is no less than a marvel—it’s a mystery! First-time novelist Richard Mann has hit one out of the park with this fascinating and uniquely clever whodunit.

Reviewer’s Note: Fire Trap won First Place in the Clue Awards Private Eye Category for 2013.

September 3, 2015
THE DEVIL’S HOOK by Pearl R. Meaker, second book in cozy mystery series

Empty-nester Emory Crawford is more than just a dab hand at home-making and fiber art. As a newly-installed instructor for the Twombly College crocheting class, she’s also mother hen, mentor, and counselor to her eager students. So when a rash of mysterious gifts, all in the color red, start showing up in the girls’ dorm rooms, Emory’s intuitive radar system goes on alert. Then one of Emory’s students, a recipient of the unwanted gifts, turns up missing and Emory is tasked with piecing together the meager clues left behind.

In the spirit of calming frayed nerves, Emory consents to move the class from the college campus to the comfortable Twombly residence only to find that society maven Amy Twombly and her wealthy husband Jairus are locked in marital combat over Jairus’s new, and decidedly attractive, personal assistant. Between Amy’s erratic behavior and her shouting matches with Jairus’s assistant, Emory thinks things couldn’t get much worse – until she finds Amy’s custom-made, bloodwood crochet hook protruding from the eye of Jairus’s stone-cold dead assistant. With motive, means, and opportunity all pointing to Amy, Twombly’s antagonistic Police Captain Henry Schneider considers the case closed. But Emory’s gut tells her otherwise.

In the search for the truth, Amy’s daughter Madison plays Nancy Drew to Emory’s Miss Marple. Using the full powers of her “Gift of Knowing” and a little help from her forensic scientist hubby, Emory and her sleuthing partner Madison unlock the secrets of the past and learn that not everyone is who they claim to be.

In The Devil’s Hook, author Pearl R. Meaker delivers a fully-developed cast of rich, quirky characters that are sure to satisfy the discerning cozy mystery enthusiast. Her inquisitive and highly intuitive main character Emory Crawford, provides the perfect sounding board for all of the supporting characters and is a clever match to the brilliant young side-kick, Madison Twombly. The author also demonstrates a unique ability to illuminate the myriad facets of human relationships revealing, in the process, the similarities in all of us.

Twists and turns abound in this delightfully engaging second installment of Pearl R. Meaker’s Emory Crawford mystery series. With the down home small town feel of Murder She Wrote and the multi-layered complexity of an Agatha Christie mystery, The Devil’s Hook is a cleverly-crafted and enjoyable whodunit style cozy mystery.

September 1, 2015
The CLUE 2014 AWARDS FIRST PLACE Category Winners for Suspense and Thriller Novels
Chanticleer Book Reviews is honored to announce the First Place Category Winners for the CLUE AWARDS 2014 for Suspense and Thriller Novels, a division of Chanticleer Blue Ribbon Writing Competitions.

The CLUE Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Suspense and Thriller Fiction. The First Place Category Winners will be recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Gala held in late September 2015.

Chanticleer Reviews is proud to be a literary affiliate of the Historical Novel Society.

Congratulations to The CLUE FIRST PLACE Category 2014 Award Winners:
- Historical: Rachel B. Ledge for The Red Ribbon
- Romantic Suspense: Mimi Barbour for Special Agent Francesca
- International Intrigue/World Events: Lawrence Verigin for The Dark Seed
- Contemporary Mystery/Suspense: Pamela Beason for The Only Clue
- Private Eye/Noir: Keith Dixon for The Bleak
- Police Procedural: Jode Susan Millman for The Midnight Call
- Spy/Espionage: Michelle Daniel for The Red Circle
- Psychological Thriller: Rebecca Nolen for Deadly Thyme
- Cozy/Amateur Sleuth: JoAnn Basset for I’m Kona Love You Forever
- True Crime: Gayle Nix Jackson for Orville Nix: The Missing JFK Assassination Film
Honorable Mention: Susan Holmes, Deadly Ties, A Waterside Kennels Mystery

CONGRATULATIONS!

To view the 2014 CLUE Finalists whose works made it to the short list, please click here.

Good Luck to the CLUE First Place Category Winners as they compete for the CLUE AWARDS 2014 GRAND PRIZE position!

The 1st Place Category Winners compete for the CLUE AWARDS 2014 GRAND PRIZE position. The 2014 CLUE category winner was announced at the Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Gala in September 2015. See the Grand Prize Winners.

The deadline for The CLUE Awards 2014 was September 30, 2014.
The deadline for The CLUE Awards 2015 is September 30, 2015.

GRAND PRIZE Overall CLUE Awards 2013 Winner is:

Clyde Curley for Raggedy Man

To view the 2013 CLUE Award Winners, please click here.

To enter the 2015 CLUE Awards, please click here. The deadline is September 30, 2015.

To enter your work into a Chanticleer Writing Competition, please click here.

CBR’s rigorous writing competition standards are the reason literary agencies seek out our winning manuscripts and self-published novels. Our high standards are also another reason our reviews are trusted among booksellers and book distributors.Chanticleer Book Reviews & Media, L.L.C. retains the right to not declare “default winners.” Winning works are decided upon merit only. Please visit our Contest Details page for more information about our writing contest guidelines.

Please do not hesitate to contact Info@ChantiReviews.com with any questions, concerns, or suggestions about CBR writing competitions. Your input and suggestions are important to us.

Thank you for your interest in Chanticleer Book Reviews international writing competitions.
August 29, 2015
ANONYMOUS by Christine Benedict, a psychological thriller

“No one suspected the things her mother had done,” but Debra Hamilton knows full well what skeletons lurk in her past, and she’s spent a lifetime putting distance between herself and the crimes of her schizophrenic mother.

With the potential of mental illness lodged like a genetic time bomb in every cell of her body, Debra lives in constant fear that she’ll follow in her mother’s footsteps. So when things go missing and Debra starts hearing noises in the 100 year-old fixer-upper that she and her husband Greg bought, she’s terrified that her mind, like her mother’s, is beginning to crack.

Debra’s pragmatic neighbor, Julie, delivers her own brand of common sense in dealing with the “events” that continue to occur in the old farmhouse. Julie’s skepticism turns to concern and then fear as she experiences, first-hand, the otherworldly presence plaguing Debra’s life. Then Julie’s fears mount when she starts receiving graphic, sexually-charged letters from an anonymous stalker. As the intent of the letters becomes darker and more menacing, Debra’s and Julie’s worlds collide in ways they’ve never imagined.

Part ghost story, part psychological thriller, Christine Benedict’s Anonymous illuminates the bond forged between two women, both survivors of a traumatic past, who become unlikely allies in the fight for their lives.

In Anonymous, author Christine Benedict has created a world rich in character. Through the use of flashbacks she invites the reader to learn more about the two main characters, Debra Hamilton and Julie Zourenger, allowing the reader to identify with each of the women. The author also breathes life into the subsidiary characters. Debra’s supportive and loving husband, Greg, is skillfully counter-balanced by Julie’s angry, verbally abusive husband, Kyle.

As to the genesis of the anonymous stalker, his history will leave readers wondering about things that go bump in the night. It’s chilling to know that all the letters in the novel are from the man who stalked the author twenty-plus years ago, and he still remains anonymous as of today.

With a new plot twist around every corner, the author delivers a complex story of obsession and jealousy that will keep the reader turning page after satisfying page. Since its release, Christine Benedict’s novel Anonymous has received stunning accolades and was shortlisted for a variety of literary awards. Fans of literary heavyweights A.M. Homes (“The End of Alice”) and Robert Clark (“Mr. White’s Confession”) will find that Christine Benedict’s Anonymous hits all the marks for an engrossing, edge-of-your-seat read.

Reviewer’s note: This book contains graphic violence and adult content.

August 17, 2015
The CLUE AWARDS for Suspense/ Thriller Novels 2014 Official Finalist Listing
The CLUE Awards writing competition recognizes emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Suspense/Thriller Novels. The CLUE Awards is a division of the Chanticleer Awards International Writing Competitions.

We are pleased to announce the CLUE Awards Official Finalists List for 2014 Entries, otherwise known as the “Short List.” The Official Finalists Listing is comprised of entries that have passed the first three rounds of judging from the entire field of entrants. To pass the first three rounds of judging, more than sixty pages of the works below have been read and have deemed worthy by the CBR judges of continuing in competition for the CLUE FIRST IN CATEGORY positions and their prize packages.

Congratulations to the CLUE AWARDS 2014 FINALISTS:
- Rachel B. Ledge for The Red Ribbon
- Jay Rund for Fatal Feast
- Lawrence Verigin for Dark Seed
- Pamela Beason for Shaken and The Only Clue
- Michelle Daniel for The Red Circle
- Rebecca Nolen for Deadly Thyme
- Ricardo M. Fleshman for The Dying Dance
- R. H. Yocum for Darkest Hour: A Tony Allison Thriller
- Mimi Barbour for Special Agent Francesca
- Nancy Adair for Soon Coming
- Martha Everhart Braniff for Broken Moon
- Charles Kowalski for Mind Virus
- Bob LiVolsi for Public Offerings Book 1: Birthright
- Deborah Stevens for The Serpent’s Disciple
- James Gilliam for The SADM Project
- Lynn Kennedy for Deadly Provenance
- Brandon Jett for Thanatos: Cheating the Ferryman
- Jeff A. Clements for Aphilion
- Gayle Nix Jackson for Orville Nix: The Missing JFK Assassination Film
- Wendy Dewar Hughes for The Glass Dolphin
- Richard Mann for Film Shot
- Ian Bull for The Pictures Kill
- S.L. Schultz for Little Shadow
- Keith Dixon for The Bleak
- Jode Susan Millman for The Midnight Call
- Janet K. Shawgo for Find Me Again
- Alan Brenham for Cornered
- JoAnn Bassett for I’m Kona Love You Forever
- Karen Musser Nortman for The Lady of the Lake
- Sara Stamey for Islands
- Fred Shackelford for The Ticket
- Marilyn Larew for Spider Catchers
- Jessi Hersey for Changing the Bloodline
- M.K. Graff for The Scarlet Wench
- J. Gunnar Grey for Trophies
- Kaylin McFarren for Buried Threads
- Michael Hicks Thompson for The Parchman Redeemer
- James Edwards for The Deadening
- D. J. Adamson for Admit to Mayhem
- Leona DeRosa Bodie & G E Gardiner for Glimpse of Sunlight
- Roni Teson for Twist
- Corey Lynn Fayman for Border Field Blues
Good luck to all the CLUE Awards Finalists who made the Short List as they compete for the First In Category Positions!

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

The CLUE First in Category award winners will compete for the CLUE Grand Prize Award for Best Suspense/Thriller Book 2014. Grand Prize winners, blue ribbons, and prizes will be announced and awarded on September 29th at the Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Gala, Bellingham, Wash.

The First In Category award winners will receive an award package including a complimentary book review, digital award badges, shelf talkers, book stickers, and more.

We are now accepting entries into the 2015 CLUE Awards. The deadline is September 30, 2015. Click here for more information or to enter.

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 September at the Chanticleer Awards Gala and Banquet?

Last year’s Chanticleer Grand Prize winner was Michael Hurley for The Prodigal.

Last year’s CLUE GRAND PRIZE Award winner was Clyde Curley for Raggedy Man.
August 12, 2015
The M&M Awards for Mystery & Mayhem Novels 2014 First Place Category Winners
Chanticleer Book Reviews is honored to announce the First Place Category Winners for the M&M Awards 2014 for Mystery & Mayhem Cozy Novels, a division of Chanticleer Blue Ribbon Writing Competitions.

The M&M Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of cozy mysteries novels. The First Place Category Winners will be recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Gala held in late September 2015.

The M&M FIRST PLACE 2014 Award Winners are:
- Amateur Sleuth: Wendy Delaney for SEX, LIES, and SNICKERDOODLES
- Romance: Janet Shawgo for FIND ME AGAIN
- Animals: Pamela Beason for THE ONLY CLUE
- Blended Genre: Winslow Elliott for SATI and the RIDER
- Classic Cozy: Stephen Kaminski for DON’T CRY OVER KILLED MILK
- Female Sleuth: Julie Mulhern for The DEEP END
- Humorous: Ann Philipp for GRAND THEFT DEATH
- American Mystery: Amy Beth Arkawy for DEAD SILENT
- Classic British Cozy: Marni Graff for GREEN REMAINS
- Y/A/New Adult: Julie Moffett for NO PLACE LIKE ROME
- Senior Sleuths: Mark Reutlinger for MRS. KAPLAN and the MATZOH BALL of DEATH
- Legal/Medical/Lab: Ken Malovos for CONTEMPT of COURT
CONGRATULATIONS!

Congratulations to all of the 2014 M&M Finalists Short List! This is a highly competitive writing competition and many of the calls were close. We invite you to enter your new works into the M&M 2016 Awards.

Congratulations to those whose works were selected for First Place Category positions. Good Luck to the M&M First Place Category Winners as they compete for the M&M AWARDS 2014 GRAND PRIZE position!

The 1st Place Category Winners compete for the M&M AWARDS 2014 GRAND PRIZE position. The 2014 M&M category winner was announced at the Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Gala in September 2015. See the Grand Prize Winners.
- The deadline for entries for the M&M Awards 2014 was March 31, 2014.
- The deadline for entries for the M&M Awards 2015 was March 31, 2015.
- The deadline for entries for the M&M Awards 2016 is March 31, 2016.
GRAND PRIZE Overall M&M Awards 2013 Winner was:

Berndatte Pajer, for Fatal Induction

To view the 2013 M&M Award Winners, please click here.

To compete in the 2016 M&M Awards or for more information, please click here.

CBR’s rigorous writing competition standards are the reason literary agencies seek out our winning manuscripts and self-published novels. Our high standards are also another reason our reviews are trusted among booksellers and book distributors.Chanticleer Book Reviews & Media, L.L.C. retains the right to not declare “default winners.” Winning works are decided upon merit only. Please visit our Contest Details page for more information about our writing contest guidelines.

Please do not hesitate to contact Info@ChantiReviews.com with any questions, concerns, or suggestions about CBR writing competitions. Your input and suggestions are important to us.

Thank you for your interest in Chanticleer Book Reviews international writing competitions.
July 25, 2015