Fans of crime fiction and true crime: I’d like to draw your attention to two award-winning authors who’ve recently published two exciting new books.

Duke Southard is a First Place winner of the 85th Annual (2016) “Writer’s Digest” Writing Competition, a finalist of the 2016 Tucson Festival of Books Literary Awards, and a finalist of the 2015 Indie Publisher Next Generation Book Awards, to list just some of his accolades.

Southard’s new book Cracks in the Wall (Wheatmark, 2016) is a suspense novel in the Parker Havenot Police Detective Series. The plot centers on the murder of a young mother of three in a quiet suburban town in what appears be an open-and-shut case. Detective Havenot, however, is not so sure, suspecting that the key to the murder lies somewhere in the victim’s past. This book is a fantastic fast-paced read from the first page to the surprising ending.

Gregory A. Fournier is a Finalist Award winner of the 2011 USA Best Books contest, and an Honorable Mention winner of the 2011-2012 Los Angeles Book Festival, in both cases for Zug Island: A Detroit Riot Novel (Wheatmark, 2011).

Fournier’s new book Terror in Ypsilanti: John Norman Collins Unmasked (Wheatmark, 2016) is a true crime book about the infamous 1967–69 Michigan Murders in which serial killer John Norman Collins brutally murdered a series of young women on, or near, the campuses of Eastern Michigan University and the University of Michigan, until his capture and conviction for the murder of Karen Sue Beineman. The other murders attributed to Collins never went to trial, with one exception, and became cold cases. Fournier tells the stories of these other victims, recreates the infamous trial that took Collins off the streets, and details Collins’s time spent in prison. Fournier’s carefully researched book is based on hundreds of vintage newspaper articles, thousands of police reports, and countless interviews. Not to be missed.

Both authors are also active bloggers who blog about true crime, writing, and other topics. Their blogs can be found at dukesouthard.com and fornology.com. Here’s hoping both authors keep writing great books, blogging, and winning awards!