The International Thriller Writers have announced the winners of their 2018 Thriller Awards. The writers association creates a list of the best book releases each year and during their annual ceremony, the finalists are announced. This year the ITW ceremony was headlined by George R. R. Martin, James Rollins, author of the bestselling Sigma Force novels who received the Silver Bullet award from the International Thriller Writers for his work in founding Authors United for Veterans.
Here are this year’s winners.
Best Hardcover Novel: Final Girls by Riley Sager
Three young women–the only survivors of mass killings–are known to the press as the Final Girls. But when one of the Final Girls is found dead, the other two uneasily join together to discover what’s really going on, and if someone is targeting the Final Girls to finish them off for good. See our interview here with Riley Sager about Final Girls and his newest book, The Last Time I Lied.
Best First Novel: The Freedom Broker by K.J. Howe
Thea Paris is the only woman among a small group of worldwide kidnap and ransom experts. When her father, a wealthy oilman, is kidnapped from his yacht, Thea might be the only one who can find him. “A spectacular start for what promises to be a great Thea Paris series,” says Kirkus Reviews in a starred review. If you enjoy The Freedom Broker, you’ll want to pick up the newly released book 2 in the Thea Paris series, Skyjack.
Best Paperback Original Novel: Grievance by Christine Bell
A year after her husband’s death, widow Lily Declan is finally pulling her life together. Then a strange letter, a home invasion, and someone stalking her on Facebook threaten to not only upend her world, but destroy it.
Best E-book Original Novel: Second Chance by Sean Black
In book 8 in Sean Black’s series of Ryan Lock thrillers, former military bodyguard Ryan Lock realizes that an enemy has emerged from his past to take revenge, and that enemy doesn’t care who else falls in the cross-fire.
Best Young Adult Novel: The Rains by Gregg Hurwitz
Hurwitz, well-known for his adult thrillers, gives younger readers chills of their own with this series-starter about two teenage brothers who are determined to survive an outbreak that zombie-fies all people over age eighteen. And Patrick Rain’s eighteenth birthday is only a few days away….
