Вручение 21 июля 2023 г.

Премия за книги, опубликованные в 2022 году.

Страна: США Место проведения: г. Анахайм, отель Anaheim Marriott, вечеринка Death by Chocolate Party, ежегодно проводимая во время Национальной конференции RWA Дата проведения: 21 июля 2023 г.

Главная тайна / саспенс

Лауреат
Spirit Daughters
Carol Potenza 0.0
A treasure beyond value. Her mother's life on the line.

When a murder victim falls out of a closet at Police Sergeant Nicky Matthews' feet, her investigation leads her to a powerful tribal fertility medicine. What Nicky keeps secret is this medicine was once at the center of her father's scientific research. He'd isolated the single most-important compound in a fertility treatment worth a fortune ... and one worth killing for. But when her father died, the identity and location of the plant that produced this compound was lost.

Or was it? Nicky's estranged mother may hold the key to the plant's rediscovery. Nicky insists her mother stay away because she is a target. Instead, her mother barges back into her daughter's life, determined to help Nicky solve the murder, and heal their contentious relationship. But her mother's return is the opening the killers need.

No way Nicky is ever going to let anyone hurt her mom, even if it means tracking the murderers into New Mexico high country in the depths of winter. Will she bring them to justice? Or just make them disappear?
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Exposed
Anna J Stewart 0.0

Второе место.

Working as a Hollywood photographer means Riley Temple has seen it all, but that theory is put to the test when she finds herself staring at the chilling image of a dead woman. When her questions about the film's origin results in an assault, a murder, and an attack on Riley herself, she finds herself reluctantly turning to the only person who assures her he can Detective Quinn Burton. To find those responsible for harming her friends and to protect those closest to her, she's willing to do anything. Even trust a cop. After more than a decade on the job, Quinn Burton knows a dangerous situation when he sees it. Those pictures Riley stumbled onto could very well overturn a notorious murder conviction--a conviction partially secured by Quinn's own police commissioner father. Quinn has always prided himself on being loyal, but seeing this case through means he'll have to betray his job, his family, or the woman he's falling in love with. As Quinn and Riley's relationship deepens, their investigation reveals the false conviction is only a small part of a much bigger conspiracy. They soon find themselves targeted by The Circle of the Red Lily, a secret society that for decades has maintained influence and violent control over Hollywood's powerful elite. A group that, until now, has remained hidden in the shadows.
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Last Liar Standing
Danielle Wong 0.0

Третье место.

Vonny Kwan wakes up in a Nevada hospital, the victim of a hit-and-run accident she doesn’t remember. As she struggles to recover from her injuries, she learns that she also has no memory of the past nine years, including her marriage and what she was even doing in the West.

While she’s still reeling from the shock of her amnesia, two detectives visit and inform her that her husband, John, was recently murdered. As more information comes to light, Vonny grows increasingly suspicious of everyone around her.

Vonny realizes she must piece together the last decade to uncover the truth. The missing chunk of time holds secrets about the person she became, the mysterious man she fell for, and the life she never wanted.
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Compromised Vows
Nadine Dandorf 0.0

Почётное упоминание.

Adrian Reilly has the life he's always a beautiful wife whose strength and tenacity match his own, and new friends that have become family, but retirement from Army Special Forces and a life lived in shadows is not all it's cracked up to be after a life of hunting evil men.

Embedded in Seamus Finnegan's illegal arms trade, CIA operator Andrea Williams has posed as Finnegan's business partner, wife, and mother of his child while covertly feeding Headquarters with unprecedented information. Her methodical and patient expertise has thwarted sales to those hostiles to the U.S., disrupted political rebellions, and saved countless lives in Europe and Asia until unexpected forces threaten to expose her and destroy all she has done.

Buried memories and broken promises threaten Reilly's marriage and friendships as he's pulled back into the clandestine world of misdirection and secret agendas. To find the truth behind what Andrea was bringing the CIA and what Seamus Finnegan is planning, Reilly compromises not only the vows he's made and the safety of those he loves, but the safety of the child that binds them all.
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Hooker Avenue
Jode Millman 0.0

Почётное упоминание.

HOOKER AVENUE is the second in the Queen City Crimes series, which sees the return of attorney Jessie Martin in upstate New York’s Hudson Valley. Jessie is on her way home during a pop-up thunderstorm when she spots a woman drowning in a storm drain. She pulls over to save the woman—only to discover that no good deed goes unpunished.

Responding to the scene is Jessie’s former best friend, Detective Ebony Jones. Ebony and her partner are investigating a string of disappearances of sex workers, and the assault matches the other crimes with one difference—the victim is still alive.

Before Jessie can make amends with Ebony, she’s thrown into a dilemma. A former rival has offered her a job in his law firm, and as an unemployed single mother, she can’t say no. But this also means she can’t help Ebony with her case. Jessie’s employer is now the attorney of record for the victim, Lissie Sexton, and Lissie has gone into hiding, which places the two old friends on opposite sides of the law.

As the evidence builds, Jessie’s personal life goes into a tailspin. She’s being stalked by the killer she helped put away, and the man in her life is ready to take their relationship to the next level. With her allegiance being pulled in every direction and horrific revelations coming to light, will Jessie be able to figure out where her loyalties lie and stop another killer plaguing the Hudson Valley before her own life hangs in the balance?
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Романтическая тайна/саспенс

Лауреат
Fiona and the Enigmatic Earl
Грейс Каллауэй 0.0
She is a member of a secret society of lady investigators. He is a spy for the Crown. Both want a marriage of convenience as a cover for their true activities... What could go wrong?

When her overprotective family tries to curtail her activities, spirited and independent debutante Fiona Garrity decides marriage is her surest way to freedom. All she needs is an accommodating, and preferably not too perceptive, husband with his own hobbies so that he will not interfere with hers. Destiny puts her into the path of a reputedly staid and scholarly earl. He would be the perfect candidate…if only his grey eyes were not quite so magnetic, and his virile nearness didn’t affect her in such a stimulating manner…

After the death of his first wife, Thomas Morgan, the Earl of Hawksmoor, has sworn off love. He is torn between his duty to produce an heir and his true passion: his work as an agent of the Crown. Fate gives him a solution when a dazzling debutante proposes a practical union that would allow them both to maintain private lives. She would be an impeccable choice…if only her heavenly gaze didn’t lay bare his secret needs and her delectable form didn’t tempt him to unleash his darkest desires…

Fiery passion threatens the negotiated rules of Fiona and Hawk’s marriage. As desire turns into love, a dangerous case brings them into shocking contact. Will their marriage of convenience survive attacks from the past and present and transform into a love for all time?

Grace's books feature hot historical romance, fun and feel-good happily ever afters, and exciting mystery and adventure. Her books are standalones which can also be enjoyed as part of her interconnected series.
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The Belle of Belgrave Square
Mimi Matthews 0.0

Второе место.

A London heiress rides out to the wilds of the English countryside to honor a marriage of convenience with a mysterious and reclusive stranger. Tall, dark, and dour, the notorious Captain Jasper Blunt was once hailed a military hero, but tales abound of his bastard children and his haunted estate in Yorkshire. What he requires now is a rich wife to ornament his isolated ruin, and he has his sights set on the enchanting Julia Wychwood. For Julia, an incurable romantic cursed with a crippling social anxiety, navigating a London ballroom is absolute torture. The only time Julia feels any degree of confidence is when she’s on her horse. Unfortunately, a young lady can’t spend the whole of her life in the saddle, so Julia makes an impetuous decision to take her future by the reins—she proposes to Captain Blunt. In exchange for her dowry and her hand, Jasper must promise to grant her freedom to do as she pleases. To ride—and to read—as much as she likes without masculine interference. He readily agrees to her conditions, with one provision of his own: Julia is forbidden from going into the tower rooms of his estate and snooping around his affairs. But the more she learns of the beastly former hero, the more intrigued she becomes…
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Heartstone
Rose Sartin 0.0

Третье место.

Separated by Time. Joined by Fate.
Life was tough enough already for Air Evac nurse Willie McAllister, and that was before she started living two lives.
After failing to save her cousin Josh's life following a horrific single-car accident, Willie finds herself overcome with grief and guilt. More than that, though, she's haunted by Josh's last words-a warning for her to stay away from the small Missouri town of Nevada. When a Deputy U.S. Marshal shows up at her door asking questions, she begins to suspect there's more to the whole thing than just a random car accident. Could Josh have been murdered?
In the depths of her sadness, though, Willie also begins seeing things she can't explain-glimpses of a distant figure, flashes of another time. She witnesses the life and tragic death of the Osage warrior, Stone Shaper, and the grief of Beth, his young bride. But why is she seeing these things, and what does it all mean? Why has she suddenly become connected to a man murdered almost two hundred years in the past?
As Willie's life begins to spin out of control, who will be there to catch her? The handsome marshal she thinks she may be falling for? The gentle old Osage minister who seems to know what she's seeing? Or the helpful local firefighter who keeps popping up whenever she needs a hand? All she knows is that she must find justice for Josh and closure for Stone Shaper. But will she have the chance to do it when the killer she seeks now has his sights set upon her?
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Connection
R.L. Merrill 0.0

Почётное упоминание.

From the author of Healer comes Connection, a tale of supernatural suspense in which one man's search for redemption pits him against a cunning religious leader and his community who are preparing for a violent end of the world.

Retired Army Captain Jackson Howe views his ability to "connect" with others as invasive and inconvenient, but he deals with it by only using his power to help others. He's found purpose at Havenhart Academy using art therapy with child victims of trauma and his friends have embraced him and his quirky behavior, but after meeting Delaney's friend Cassidy—and developing a stronger than usual "connection" with her—he fears he's destined to forever be on the outside looking in.

But when Cassidy's link to Havenhart makes her a target and the plane she's flying is hijacked, she's forced to crashland in the Florida Everglades and becomes a pawn in the struggle between good and evil. Jackson will call on his training—and special skills—to save her from an enemy determined to spread evil and hurt those Jackson holds dear.

Follow the continuing saga of Havenhart Academy in Book Two of the Gifted Series.
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Forbidden Love
Марисса Гарнер 0.0

Почётное упоминание.

Can a forbidden love last forever?

Archaeologist Sabrina Jefferson joins the dig in world-famous Chichen Itza so she can secretly work to prove a popular Mayan myth about forbidden love is a true story. When a freak accident connects her with the spirits of the famous lovers, she risks her life to search for an ancient artifact containing the body of their infant son. But if she accepts help from the sexy head of security, will she also be risking her heart?

Former Navy SEAL Pearce Talbot has a secret mission beyond supervising security for the Mayan dig funded by his wealthy boss. To get justice for his murdered fiancée, he must trap the black-market antiquities collector who evaded punishment. His plans for revenge take an unexpected detour when a fiercely independent archaeologist discovers the perfect bait to snare his prey…and also captures Pearce’s heart.
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Короткая романтическая тайна/саспенс

Лауреат
Cold Drip
Хизер Дэй Гилберт 0.0
BOOK 6 in the bestselling BARKS & BEANS CAFE cozy mystery series!!!

Welcome to the Barks & Beans Cafe, a quaint place where folks pet shelter dogs while enjoying a cup of java...and where murder sometimes pays a visit.

Thanksgiving is on the way, and Macy's thrilled when her boyfriend Titan says he's coming to town for a week-long visit. She plans to take him to some of her favorite haunts, including the sprawling caverns nearby.

But when the lights go out during their underground tour and a local society darling plunges to her death, Macy can't shake the feeling that the cave's slippery floors weren't entirely to blame. She taps into the admittedly limited skills of her upscale barista, Milo, to do a little snooping in the moneyed circles he moves in. When he unearths a sinkhole of lies, Macy slides straight toward a killer who's not about to stop until every leak is sealed...permanently.

Join siblings Macy and Bo Hatfield as they sniff out crimes in their hometown...with plenty of dogs along for the ride! The Barks & Beans Cafe cozy mystery series features a small town, an amateur sleuth, and no swearing or graphic scenes. Find all the books at heatherdaygilbert.com !
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Justified Vengeance
Lori Matthews 0.0

Второе место.

Langley Frost ditched her fast-paced career as a massage therapist to the A-list celebrities in L.A. for a simpler, down-to-earth life in Canyon Springs, Montana. When her new home is broken into, her uncomplicated life is turned upside down. She needs help, and she needs it fast.

Griffin Kane relied on gut instinct during his missions as an elite military operative. Now those instincts are key in his work for the Brotherhood Protectors. When a friend asks him a favor, he’s happy to help out. Little did he know it would complicate his life so badly.

As the number of unusual break-ins spike, Langley seems to be in the burglars’ crosshairs. Griffin must act fast to find the perpetrators and rescue the woman he’s falling in love with, before the violence escalates.
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The Vow
D.L. Wood 0.0

Третье место.

Some decisions are deadly.

Kate’s husband Erik left her a year ago, ending their marriage without warning for a trust-fund twenty-something and her luxurious global-hopping lifestyle. Now Kate is spending one last Christmas at her family’s Smoky Mountains cabin before selling it to raise cash. But when nostalgia moves her to keep the place, things quickly turn sinister, suggesting all is not what it seems. Someone is watching her...stalking her...leaving disturbing messages, convincing Kate that something truly dark is going on. As the frightening episodes ramp up, and Kate realizes something truly dark is happening, will she be able to uncover what’s really going on before it’s too late?

If you love twisty endings you can't predict, The Vow and The Deadly Decisions Collection is for you.

NOTE: The Vow is a novella—slightly shorter in length, but definitely not short on suspense. Previously a part of the Winter Deceptions box set.
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Roast Date
Хизер Дэй Гилберт 0.0

Почётное упоминание.

Welcome to the Barks & Beans Cafe, a quaint place where folks pet shelter dogs while enjoying a cup of java...and where murder sometimes pays a visit.

After much cajoling, Macy gives in to her neighbor, Vera, and agrees to come to her book club's Christmas party so she can share about the cafe. While public speaking isn't Macy's thing, she wants to brighten Vera's lonely holiday season...and she can sell a little house blend on the side.

When a lively book discussion spirals into a public roast of the mayor—who happens to be sitting in their midst—things get uncomfortable. Soon afterward, the mayor shows up dead in Vera's bathroom, and no amount of gingerbread cookies or eggnog can restore Vera to the club's good graces. 'Tis the season for Macy to find the murderer, or else Vera might be taking a long winter's nap in a jail cell.

Join siblings Macy and Bo Hatfield as they sniff out crimes in their hometown...with plenty of dogs along for the ride! The Barks & Beans Cafe cozy mystery series features a small town, an amateur sleuth, and no swearing or graphic scenes.
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Christmas Threat
Lynn Shannon 0.0

Почётное упоминание.

An unexpected threat…

Faith Hicks has always wanted a huge family, but when her husband died two years ago, that dream faded. When she discovers a baby in her barn, and is subsequently attacked, she’s thrust into a life-and-death situation.

Chase McKenzie is determined to protect Faith at all costs. His childhood friend has no idea he’s in love with her and he has no intention of telling her. It’s not worth risking their relationship. Especially since she’s still grieving.

Can Chase and Faith find their way to lasting love or will this Christmas threat be too much for them to survive?
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Долгая романтическая тайна/саспенс

Лауреат
Cold Silence
Тони Андерсон 0.0
FBI Hostage Rescue Team member Shane Livingstone is frustrated when an injury sidelines him during an operation to catch a sadistic killer. A killer who auctions off vicious ways to torture his victims and screens the events for money on the dark web. When a teammate dies during the op, a devastated Shane vows to track down the monster responsible—but to do so he’ll need access to specialized skills he doesn’t possess.

A bloody game of cat and mouse…

As a white-hat hacker at Alex Parker’s security firm, Yael Brooks knows how to track predators through the darkest recesses of cyberspace. She can’t say no to Shane’s request…even though she fears her own secrets may put her at risk.

With a serial killer who makes it personal…

Shane and Yael must work together as a team if they hope to stop this psychopath. As they begin to grow closer, Shane demands Yael’s complete trust, but trust is the one thing Yael is reluctant to give. As the chase intensifies and more people die, it becomes obvious that the killer knows exactly who Yael is and plans to make both her and Shane pay the ultimate price for getting in his way.
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Disarming Caine
Джанет Оппедисано 0.0

Второе место.

A mysterious painting. A madman with a gun. And a Christmas Sam and Antonio won’t soon forget. Samantha Caine All I need is to get through the holidays, then Antonio will finally be home from Naples. So when a friend brings a suspicious painting to my attention, I’m happy for a distraction.

Not as happy about the attempt on my friend’s life just after she tells me.

Then to make matters worse, Antonio’s contract in Italy is extended by another four months. Antonio Ferraro, Ph.D. Desperate to see Samantha again, I surprise her with a last-minute Christmas visit. But our reunion’s cut short by a shooting.

Someone’s after her, and I suspect it’s related to the painting she insists on searching for. Despite the danger, she won't call her FBI Art Crimes mentor until she's gathered enough evidence.

I swore to be her partner in all things. But I worry that helping with her investigation puts both of us in the line of fire, instead of keeping her safe. Love, revenge, and family secrets collide in this action-packed romantic suspense mystery. Disarming Caine is the third installment in the Caine & Ferraro series, featuring a strong heroine, an Italian love interest, and an art-world mystery in every book. The main couple is together from book one, with no cheating and no cliffhangers.
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Crash Site
Рейчел Грант 0.0

Третье место.

For archaeologist Fiona Carver, the Caribbean glistens with untold menace in a heart-racing novel by Rachel Grant, USA Today bestselling author of Dangerous Ground.

Fiona Carver has landed a dream assignment: conducting an archaeological inventory of Ruby Island, a privately owned, pristine gem in the Caribbean. Two months in paradise exploring and mapping a lush rainforest, vast caves, and a seventeenth-century star fort and following up on legends of hidden Spanish gold. Add a simmering reunion with wildlife photographer Dean Slater and it’s enough to take Fiona’s breath away. But the sparkle fades when Dean’s arrival is met with sudden, terrifying danger.

Reunited and determined to see the project through, Fiona and Dean find themselves in a swirl of intrigue as they delve into the complex history of the unspoiled refuge, now a tropical haven for billionaires and their secrets. But the work isn’t easy, as someone appears determined to kill the project—by any means necessary.

As betrayal casts tropical storm clouds over Ruby Island and treasured friendships dissolve into distrust, one thing becomes clear: Fiona and Dean are trapped in a dangerous paradise.
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Flash Point
Tracey Devlyn 0.0

Почётное упоминание.

In this first book of Steele Ridge's exciting new series, The Blackwells, USA Today bestselling author Tracey Devlyn plunges readers into the dangerous world of asset recovery with this one-night stand, frenemies to lovers story between a burned out recovery agent and a single mom who leads the FBI's art crime cases.

A treasure hunter thought he had everything in his life firmly in hand until a chance encounter with a mysterious redhead tests the limits of his self-control.

When FBI Special Agent Olivia Westcott’s boss hands over her next assignment, she has an opportunity to retrieve a priceless artifact and shut down a high-profile drug scheme in one fell swoop. All Liv has to do is work with the lead recovery agent of Blackwell Asset Recovery Services—with whom she’d had a passionate one-night stand two weeks prior—and not let her feelings compromise the case.

Zeke Blackwell still struggles with running the family business after his older brother unexpectedly left him in charge. Now he has the added responsibility of keeping drugs off the streets of small towns across Western North Carolina and keeping his hands off the too-enticing special agent while they’re planning the joint operation. As if that’s not enough to keep him up at night, he’s also searching for a centuries-old treasure that could change the course of his and his family’s lives.

But what starts as a high-value asset recovery spirals out of control when their enemies force Liv and Zeke to stay one step ahead of danger. Is their attraction worth the risk? Or will they find themselves playing a game too dangerous to survive?
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Into the Storm
Рейчел Грант 0.0

Почётное упоминание.

As a storm rolls in, a team of elite Navy SEALs arrives at a remote lodge for a wilderness training exercise that becomes terrifyingly real...

Xavier Rivera planned the exercise down to the smallest detail, but he didn't plan the arrival of archaeologist Audrey Kendrick—a woman he shared a passionate night with before betraying her in the worst way.

As the storm is unleashed on the historic lodge it becomes clear the training has been compromised. Trapped by weather, isolated by the remote wilderness, and silenced as communication with the world has been severed, unarmed SEALs face an unexpected and deadly foe.

Audrey and Xavier must set aside their distrust and desire and work together to save a team under fire and survive in a battle against the wild.
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