BEST NOVEL<\/strong><\/p>\n Winner<\/span><\/p>\n In the fall of 1863, the Union army is in control of the Mississippi river. Much of Louisiana, including New Orleans and Baton Rouge, is occupied. The Confederate army is retreating toward Texas, and being replaced by Red Legs, irregulars commanded by a maniacal figure, and enslaved men and women are beginning to glimpse freedom.<\/em><\/p>\n When Hannah Laveau, an enslaved woman working on the Lufkin plantation, is accused of murder, she goes on the run with Florence Milton, an abolitionist schoolteacher, dodging the local constable and the slavecatchers that prowl the bayous. Wade Lufkin, haunted by what he observed\u2014and did\u2014as a surgeon on the battlefield, has returned to his uncle\u2019s plantation to convalesce, where he becomes enraptured by Hannah. Flags on the Bayou is an engaging, action-packed narrative that includes a duel that ends in disaster, a brutal encounter with the local Union commander, repeated skirmishes with Confederate irregulars led by a diseased and probably deranged colonel, and a powerful story of love blossoming between an unlikely pair. As the story unfolds, it illuminates a past that reflects our present in sharp relief.<\/em> – Grove Press<\/p>\n This title is also available in large print, Playaway audiobook, and CD Audiobook.<\/p>\n Finalists<\/span><\/p>\n BEST FIRST NOVEL BY AN AMERICAN AUTHOR<\/strong><\/p>\n Winner<\/span><\/p>\n Shane Collins, a world-weary CIA spy, is ready to come in from the cold. Stationed in Bahrain off the coast of Saudi Arabia for his final tour, he has little use for his mission\u2014uncovering Iranian support for the insurgency against the monarchy. Then Collins meets Almaisa, a beautiful and enigmatic artist, and his eyes are opened to a side of Bahrain most expats never experience, to questions he never thought to ask.<\/em><\/p>\n When his trusted informant inside the opposition becomes embroiled in a murder, Collins finds himself drawn deep into the conflict. His budding romance with Almaisa\u2014and his loyalties\u2014are upended; in an instant, he\u2019s caught in the crosswinds of a revolution. Drawing on all his skills as a spymaster, he sets out to learn the truth behind the Arab Spring, win Almaisa\u2019s love, and uncover the murky border where Bahrain\u2019s secrets end and America\u2019s begin.<\/em> – Atria Books<\/p>\n Finalists<\/span><\/p>\n BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL<\/strong><\/p>\n Winner<\/span><\/p>\n This title is also available in large print and a discussion box.<\/p>\n Finalists<\/span><\/p>\n BEST JUVENILE<\/strong><\/p>\n Winner<\/span><\/p>\n Rafa would rather live in the world of The Forgotten Age, his favorite fantasy role-playing game, than face his father\u2019s increasing restrictions and his mother\u2019s fading presence. But when Rafa and his friends decide to take the game out into the real world and steal their school cafeteria’s slushie machine, his dad concocts a punishment Rafa never could\u2019ve imagined\u2014a month working on a ranch in New Mexico, far away from his friends, their game, and his mom\u2019s quesitos in Miami.<\/em><\/p>\n Life at Rancho Espanto isn\u2019t as bad as Rafa initially expected, mostly due to Jennie, a new friend with similarly strong opinions about Cuban and Korean snacks, and Marcus, the veteran barn manager who’s not as gruff as he appears. But when Rafa’s work at the ranch is inexplicably sabotaged by a man (or a ghost) who may not be what he seems, Rafa and Jennie explore what’s behind the strange events at Rancho Espanto\u2014and discover that the greatest mystery may have been with Rafa all along.<\/em> – Farrar, Straus and Giroux<\/p>\n BEST YOUNG ADULT<\/strong><\/p>\n Winner<\/span><\/p>\n Piper Gray starts a true-crime podcast investigating a seventeen-year-old cold case in this thrilling YA murder mystery by\u00a0New York Times\u00a0bestselling author April Henry.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Seventeen years ago, Layla Trello was murdered and her killer was never found. Enter true-crime fan Piper Gray who is determined to reopen Layla\u2019s case and get some answers. With the help of Jonas\u2014who has a secret of his own\u2014Piper starts a podcast investigating Layla\u2019s murder. But as she digs deeper into the mysteries of the past, Piper begins receiving anonymous threats telling her to back off the investigation, or else. The killer is still out there, and Piper must uncover their identity before they silence her forever.\u00a0<\/em> – Christy Ottaviano Books<\/p>\n THE G.P. PUTNAM’S SONS SUE GRAFTON MEMORIAL AWARD – Presented on behalf of G.P. Putnam’s Sons<\/strong><\/p>\n Winner<\/span><\/p>\n On a crisp autumn day in Painters Mill, Chief of Police Kate Burkholder responds to a call only to discover an Amish man who has been violently killed with a crossbow, his body abandoned on a dirt road. Aden Karn was just twenty years old, well liked, and from an upstanding Amish family. Who would commit such a heinous crime against a young man whose life was just beginning?<\/em><\/p>\n The more Kate gets to know his devastated family and the people\u2014both English and Amish\u2014who loved him, the more determined she becomes to solve the case. Aden Karn was funny and hardworking and looking forward to marrying his sweet fianc\u00e9, Emily. All the while, Kate\u2019s own wedding day to Tomasetti draws near…<\/em><\/p>\n But as she delves into Karn\u2019s past, Kate begins to hear whispers about a dark side. What if Aden Karn wasn\u2019t the wholesome young man everyone admired? Is it possible the rumors are a cruel campaign to blame the victim? Kate pursues every lead with a vengeance, sensing an unspeakable secret no one will broach.<\/em><\/p>\n The case spirals out of control when a young Amish woman comes forward with a horrific story that pits Kate against a dangerous and unexpected opponent. When the awful truth is finally uncovered, Kate comes face to face with the terrible consequences of a life lived in all the dark places.<\/em> – Minotaur Books<\/p>\n This title is also available in large print, CD audiobook, and Playaway audiobook.<\/p>\n Finalists<\/span><\/p>\n THE LILIAN JACKSON BRAUN MEMORIAL AWARD<\/strong> – Endowed by the estate of Lilian Jackson Braun<\/strong><\/p>\n Winner<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s a hot and sticky Sunday in Lafayette, Louisiana, and Glory has settled into her usual after-church routine, meeting gamblers at the local coffee shop, where she works as a small-time bookie. Sitting at her corner table, Glory hears that her best friend\u2014a nun beloved by the community\u2014has been found dead in her apartment.<\/em><\/p>\n When police declare the mysterious death a suicide, Glory is convinced that there must be more to the story. With her reluctant daughter\u2014who has troubles of her own\u2014in tow, Glory launches a shadow investigation into Lafayette\u2019s oil tycoons, church gossips, a rumored voodoo priestess, nosey neighbors, and longtime ne’er-do wells.<\/em><\/p>\n As a Black woman of a certain age who grew up in a segregated Louisiana, Glory is used to being minimized and overlooked. But she\u2019s determined to make her presence known as the case leads her deep into a web of intrigue she never realized Lafayette could harbor.<\/em><\/p>\n Danielle Arcenaux\u2019s riveting debut brings forth an unforgettable character that will charm and delight crime fans everywhere and leave them hungry for her next adventure.<\/em> – Pegasus Crime<\/p>\n Finalists<\/span><\/p>\n The 2024 Edgar Award Winners have been announced! I look forward to this event all year. The 2024 Edgar Allan Poe Awards honor the best in mystery fiction, nonfiction, and television published or produced in 2023. The categories are best novel, best first novel by an American author, best paperback[Read more]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[361,5,1,8],"tags":[8474,8473,993],"class_list":["post-52215","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio-books","category-read-a-likes","category-reference","category-staff-picks","tag-edgar-allan-poe","tag-edgar-awards","tag-winners"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pd0CXx-dAb","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52215","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52215"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52215\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52315,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52215\/revisions\/52315"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52215"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52215"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/flags-on-the-bayou.jpg?resize=256%2C400&ssl=1\")
<\/a>Flags on the Bayou<\/a><\/em><\/strong> by James Lee Burke<\/p>\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/the-peacock-and-the-sparrow.jpg?resize=257%2C400&ssl=1\")
<\/a>The Peacock and the Sparrow<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>by I.S. Berry –<\/p>\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/vera-wongs-unsolicited-advice-for-murderers.jpg?resize=259%2C400&ssl=1\")
<\/a>Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers<\/a><\/em><\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>by Jesse Q. Sutanto<\/p>\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/the-ghosts-of-rancho-espanto.jpg?resize=258%2C400&ssl=1\")
<\/a>The Ghosts of Rancho Espanto<\/a><\/em><\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>by Adrianna Cuevas<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/girl-forgotten.jpg?resize=264%2C400&ssl=1\")
<\/a>Girl Forgotten<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by April Henry<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/an-evil-heart.jpg?resize=263%2C400&ssl=1\")
<\/a>An Evil Heart<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by Linda Castillo<\/p>\n\n
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<\/a>Glory Be<\/a><\/em><\/strong> by Danielle Arceneaux<\/p>\n\n