LibGuides: Christy Awards: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller (2000-)

The Christy Awards

Mystery / Suspense / Thriller

2000-2009

WINNER: Final Witness by James Scott Bell

FINALISTS:

A Ship Possessed by Alton Gansky
The Chairman by Harry Lee Kraus, Jr.

WINNER: The Great Divide by T. Davis Bunn

FINALISTS:

Blind Justice by James Scott Bell
Lethal Harvest by William Cutrer and Sandra Glahn

WINNER: Drummer in the Dark by T. Davis Bunn

FINALISTS:

Out of the Shadows by SIgmund Brouwer
Sadie's Song by Linda Hall

WINNER: Directed Verdict by Randy Singer

Directed Verdict [E-Book] by Randy Singer
Call Number: FIC SINGE RAN DI Ebook (OverDrive)
ISBN: 9781414333489
Publication Date: 2011-06-14
In Saudi Arabia, two American missionaries are targeted by the infamous religious police—Muttawa. The man is tortured and killed; his wife arrested on trumped-up charges before being deported to the United States. Compelled by the injustice of her plight, young attorney Brad Carlson files an unprecedented civil rights suit against Saudi Arabia and the ruthless head of the Muttawa. But the suit unleashes powerful forces that will stop at nothing to vindicate the Arabian kingdom. Witnesses are intimidated and some disappear; jurors are bribed; and a member of Brad’s own team may be attempting to sabotage the case. As Brad navigates a maze of treachery and deception, he must gamble his case, his career, and the lives of those he loves on his ability to bring justice to one family, challenge the religious intolerance of a nation, and alter the course of international law.

FINALISTS:

Crown of Thorns by Sigmund Brouwer
They Shall See God by Athol Dickson

WINNER: Thr3e by Ted Dekker

Thr3e by Dekker, Ted
Call Number: FIC DEKKE TED TH (Adult fiction)
ISBN: 9780849943720
Publication Date: 2003-06-03
Imagine answering your cell phone one day to a male voice that gives you three minutes to confess your sin. If you don't, the madman, Slater, will blow your car to smithereens. You barely manage to exit heavy traffic and ditch the car when, precisely three minutes later, your car blows sky high. The media and police descend on the scene; your world has just changed forever. So begins the nightmare that grows with progressively higher stakes. There's another phone call, another riddle. The cycle will not stop until the world discovers the secret of your sin, but you don't have a clue what that sin is. If not for Jennifer, the brilliant FBI agent working to corner Slater, you would indeed go mad.

FINALISTS:

Into the Nevernight by Anne de Graaf
The Lies of Saints by Sigmund Brouwer
Steal Away by Linda Hall

WINNER: Tiger in the Shadows by Debbie Wilson

FINALISTS:

The Assignment by Mark Andrew Olsen
River's Edge by Terri Blackstock

River's Edge (Cape Refuge #3) by Terri Blackstock
Call Number: FIC BLACK TER C3 (Adult fiction)
ISBN: 9780310235941
Publication Date: 2004-08-29
Ben Jackson is going head to head with Jonathan Cleary in Cape Refuge’s mayoral race—and he’s even expected to win—when his wife Lisa turns up missing the day before the major debate. Suddenly the town is in turmoil as proof of an alleged affair surfaces, indicating that Ben Jackson might have had motive to kill his wife. Meanwhile, newspaper owner Blair Owens has other suspicions—and so does Police Chief Cade. Together they dig deeply into the mysterious disappearance that soon spirals into a web of confusion, dark secrets, and unsettling fraud. Then the town’s psychic reveals the location of Lisa’s body—at the bottom of the river. Even though Blair doesn’t believe his paranormal gift is real, she can’t imagine how he knew where the body was. The small-town scandal quickly turns into a national media event. Is the murderer one of the obvious suspects . . . or someone they have no reason to doubt?

WINNER: River Rising by Athol Dickson

FINALISTS:

Comes a Horseman by Robert Liparulo
Last Light by Terri Blackstock

Last Light (Restoration series #1) by Terri Blackstock
Call Number: FIC BLACK TER R1 (Adult fiction)
ISBN: 9780310257677
Publication Date: 2005-09-20
Birmingham, Alabama, has lost all power. Its streets are jammed with cars that won’t start, its airport engulfed in flames from burning planes. All communications—cell phones, computers, even radios—are silent. Every home and business is dark. Is it a natural disaster . . . a terrorist attack . . . or something far worse? In the face of a crisis that sweeps an entire high-tech planet back to a time before electricity, the Branning family faces a choice. Will they hoard their possessions in order to survive—or trust God to provide as they share their resources with those around them? Yesterday’s world is gone. Family and community are all that remain. And the outage is revealing the worst in some. Desperation can be dangerous when a killer lives among them.

No award

WINNER: The Rook by Steven James

FINALISTS:

By Reason of Insanity by Randy Singer
Winter Haven by Athol Dickson

By Reason of Insanity [E-Book] by Randy Singer
Call Number: FIC SINGE RAN BY Ebook (OverDrive)
ISBN: 9781414341484
Publication Date: 2010-09-30
After a series of kidnappings and murders in Virginia Beach, newspaper reporter Catherine O'Rourke experiences disturbing dreams that detail each crime. In an effort to aid the investigation, she shares them with her confidential source—a detective working on the case. Catherine's intimate knowledge of the crimes immediately makes her a prime suspect. When scientific evidence corroborates her guilt, she's arrested and charged with murder. As she begins to doubt her own innocence, Catherine turns to Las Vegas lawyer Quinn Newberg, a high-priced specialist in the insanity defense. Quinn believes in justice, Vegas-style. But he doesn't believe in the supernatural, or that Catherine's dreams are anything other than the result of a fractured personality disorder. Who can understand the human mind? Quinn knows that insanity cases are unpredictable, but nothing had prepared him for this! To win, or even survive, Quinn will need more than his famed legal maneuvering and biting skepticism. On this case, he needs a miracle.

2010-2019

No award

WINNER: When Death Draws Near by Carrie Stuart Parks

FINALISTS:

Without Warning by Joel C. Rosenberg
If I Run by Terri Blackstock

Without Warning (J.B. Collins #3) by Joel C. Rosenberg
Call Number: FIC ROSEN JOEC C3 (Adult fiction)
ISBN: 9781496406163
Publication Date: 2017-03-14
As he prepares to deliver the State of the Union address, the president of the United States is convinced the Islamic State is on the run, about to be crushed by American forces once and for all. But New York Times foreign correspondent J. B. Collins tells the president he’s dead wrong. With the Middle East on fire, the Israeli prime minister dead, and Amman in ruins, Collins fears a catastrophic attack inside the American homeland is imminent. He argues that only an all-out manhunt to capture or kill Abu Kahlif—the leader of ISIS—can stop the attack and save American lives. But will the president listen and take decisive action before it’s too late?

WINNER: The House on Foster Hill by Jaime Jo Wright

FINALISTS:

Coldwater by Samuel Parker
Rule of Law by Randy Singer

Coldwater by Samuel Parker
Call Number: FIC PARKE SAM CO (Adult fiction)
ISBN: 9780800727345
Publication Date: 2018-01-02
Having forfeited his youth to the state prison system, Michael moved back to the only home he'd ever known. An empty shell of a man who now lived--if it could be called living--in the still vacant house of his parents in a town with one stoplight. A town that hated him. Had always hated him. And was ready to pick up where the prison system had let off. Now he's on the run from men who've tried to kill him once; but Michael is more than an ex-con. A powerful, sinister force creeps inside him, threatening and destructive. Who--and what--it will destroy next is the only real question.

WINNER: Every Wicked Man by Steven James

FINALISTS:

Called to Protect by Lynette Eason
Mind Games by Nancy Mehl

2020-2029

WINNER: The Girl Behind the Red Rope by Ted Dekker and Rachelle Dekker

The Girl Behind the Red Rope by Dekker, Ted and Rachelle Dekker
Call Number: FIC DEKKE TED GI (Adult fiction)
ISBN: 9781432869861
Publication Date: 2019-09-25
Ten years ago, Grace saw something that would forever change the course of history. When evil in its purest form is unleashed on the world, she and others from their religious community are already hidden deep in the hills of Tennessee, abiding by every rule that will keep them safe, pure--and alive. As long as they stay there, behind the red perimeter.

FINALISTS:

Echoes Among the Stones by Jaime Jo Wright
Smoke Screen by Terri Blackstock

Echoes among the Stones by Wright, Jaime Jo
Call Number: FIC WRIGH JAIJ EC (Adult fiction)
ISBN: 9780764234798
Publication Date: 2019-12-03
A mystery begins when Aggie Dunkirk exhumes secrets and uncovers a crime her eccentric grandmother has been obsessing over. Decades earlier, after discovering her sister's body in the attic, Imogene Grayson longs for justice. Two women, separated by time, vow to find answers . . . no matter the cost.
Smoke Screen by Blackstock, Terri
Call Number: FIC BLACK TER SM (Adult fiction)
ISBN: 9780310332602
Publication Date: 2019-11-05
Nate Beckett has spent his life fighting wildfires instead of the lies and rumors that drove him from his Colorado home town. His mother begs him to come to Carlisle now that his father has been released from prison, but it isn't until he's sidelined by an injury that he's forced to return and face his past. But that means facing Brenna too. Fourteen years ago, Nate was in love with the preacher's daughter. When Pastor Strickland discovered Brenna had defied him to sneak out with Nate, the fight between Strickland and Nate's drunken dad was loud--and very public. Strickland was found murdered later that night, and everyone accused Roy Beckett. When the church burned down, people assumed it was Nate getting even for his father's conviction. He let the rumors fly and left Carlisle without looking back. Now, Brenna is stunned to learn that the man convicted of murdering her father has been pardoned. The events of that night set her life on a bad course, and she's dealing with a brutal custody battle with her ex and his new wife where he's using lies and his family's money to sway the judge. She's barely hanging on, and she's turned to alcohol to cope. Shame and fear consume her. As they deal with the present--including new information about that fateful night and a wildfire that's threatening their town--their past keeps igniting. Nate is the steady force Brenna has so desperately needed. But she'll have to learn to trust him again first.

WINNER: Relative Silence by Carrie Stuart Parks

Relative Silence by Carrie Stuart Parks
Call Number: FIC PARKS CARS RE (Adult fiction)
ISBN: 9780785226185
Publication Date: 2020-07-14
FBI-certified forensic artist Carrie Stuart Parks combines her knowledge of art and forensics in this case of family secrets and deception.

FINALISTS:

Port of Origin by Lisa Harris & Lynne Gentry
Unknown Threat by Lynn H. Blackburn

Port of Origin (Agents of Mercy #2) by Lynne Gentry; Lisa Harris
Call Number: FIC HARRI LIS A2 (Adult fiction)
ISBN: 9798640219463
Publication Date: 2020-04-26
Foreign exploitation of Africa's natural resources has destroyed the fishing business of Dabir Omar. Hijacking oil tankers brings cash to his family in their remote village, but it doesn't buy the medical care needed to stop the deadly sickness attacking his people. When Dabir's son becomes ill, the desperate pirate sets sail for the Liberty, an international humanitarian medical ship ported on the coast. Against his better judgment, Dr. Josiah Allen agrees to work a two-week surgical stint on the Liberty, moored in Douala, Cameroon. Shortly after he arrives with his precocious six-year-old daughter, Josiah is sent ashore to investigate a mysterious illness at the ship's post-op clinic. While he's gone, Ebola-infected pirates hijack the medical ship where Josiah left his daughter. When pirate negotiations fail, Mackenzie Scott's privately-owned extraction unit comes in for the rescue. But when the medical ship where Mac had taken a wounded comrade is hijacked by pirates, the former military pararescue jumper becomes the pirate's key hostage. Both fathers go to war to save their children. If Mac can't convince them to work together, the winner of this conflict will be a deadly virus intent on destroying the world.

Unknown Threat by Lynn H. Blackburn
Call Number: FIC BLACK LYNH UN (Adult fiction)
ISBN: 9780800739614
Publication Date: 2021-03-02
After four US Secret Service Special Agents die in unusual circumstances within a ten-week span, FBI Special Agent Faith Malone is put in charge of the investigation. She'll have to work alongside USSS Agent Luke Powell to bring a killer to justice - before his name joins his friends' on the list.

Christy Awards

2000-2009

WINNER: Final Witness by James Scott Bell

FINALISTS:

A Ship Possessed by Alton Gansky

The Chairman by Harry Lee Kraus, Jr.

WINNER: The Great Divide by T. Davis Bunn

FINALISTS:

Blind Justice by James Scott Bell

Lethal Harvest by William Cutrer and Sandra Glahn

WINNER: Drummer in the Dark by T. Davis Bunn

FINALISTS:

Out of the Shadows by SIgmund Brouwer

Sadie's Song by Linda Hall

WINNER: Directed Verdict by Randy Singer

FINALISTS:

Crown of Thorns by Sigmund Brouwer

They Shall See God by Athol Dickson

WINNER: Thr3e by Ted Dekker

FINALISTS:

Into the Nevernight by Anne de Graaf

The Lies of Saints by Sigmund Brouwer

Steal Away by Linda Hall

WINNER: Tiger in the Shadows by Debbie Wilson

FINALISTS:

The Assignment by Mark Andrew Olsen

River's Edge by Terri Blackstock

WINNER: River Rising by Athol Dickson

FINALISTS:

Comes a Horseman by Robert Liparulo

Last Light by Terri Blackstock

No award

No award

WINNER: The Rook by Steven James

FINALISTS:

By Reason of Insanity by Randy Singer

Winter Haven by Athol Dickson

2010-2019

No award

No award

No award

No award

No award

No award

No award

WINNER: When Death Draws Near by Carrie Stuart Parks

FINALISTS:

Without Warning by Joel C. Rosenberg

If I Run by Terri Blackstock

WINNER: The House on Foster Hill by Jaime Jo Wright

FINALISTS:

Coldwater by Samuel Parker

Rule of Law by Randy Singer

WINNER: Every Wicked Man by Steven James

FINALISTS:

Called to Protect by Lynette Eason

Mind Games by Nancy Mehl

2020-2029

WINNER: The Girl Behind the Red Rope by Ted Dekker and Rachelle Dekker

FINALISTS:

Echoes Among the Stones by Jaime Jo Wright

Smoke Screen by Terri Blackstock

WINNER: Relative Silence by Carrie Stuart Parks

FINALISTS:

Port of Origin by Lisa Harris & Lynne Gentry

Unknown Threat by Lynn H. Blackburn