I’m delighted to announce that Killer Debt, book #4 of my Michael Stoddard American Revolution Mystery series, has been nominated for the prestigious Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense. To grab a nomination, Killer Debt had to be a better read than several dozen competing books in the historical crime fiction category and receive well over 80 out of a possible 88 points on the judges’ scorecards.

The lady who phoned me to convey the good news was one of the judges who’d read Killer Debt. She said it was the best mystery she’d read in years. She loved what I’d done with the history, with making a redcoat the hero and building so many layers of complexity into his life. She also loved the facts that although it’s a mid-series book, I made it high-stakes and essentially standalone. “You have a new fan!” she proclaimed.

The Daphne Award gives a shout-out to my book’s editor. Without his piercing insight for the past 15 or so years, my books would be “almost there.” And the nomination process gives equal weight to all entries, regardless of the publishing route. If you aren’t traditionally published, the award provides wonderful industry validation for your work.

Thank you, folks, for the support you’ve provided all these years!