Eli Cranor, writer in residence and visiting instructor in the Arkansas Tech University Department of English and World Languages, will participate in a launch party for his fourth novel, “Mississippi Blue 42,” on Sunday, Aug. 3.
The launch party will take place at The Old Bank Sports Grill in Russellville Downtown. Doors will open at 4:30 p.m. Cranor will discuss the book at 5 p.m. Books will be available for purchase from Dog Ear Books of Russellville, which will be on location at the launch party. A book signing will follow the discussion. Admission will be free and open to the public.
The Aug. 3 launch party will include a special appearance by New York Times bestselling author Scott Carson, who will discuss his book “Departure 37.”
According to information provided by publisher Soho Crime, “Mississippi Blue 42” centers on an investigation by special agent Rae Johnson into the “tangled web of a college football empire…and the bloody greed that fuels it.”
Soho Crime’s description states that “Mississippi Blue 42” provides “a hard and often hilarious look at the big-money world of college athletics.”
Cranor graduated from Russellville High School and played college football at Florida Atlantic University and Ouachita Baptist University. He also played professional football and was a high school football coach before launching his writing career. Cranor lives in his hometown of Russellville with his wife and children.
“Don’t Know Tough,” Cranor’s first novel, won the Peter Lovesey First Crime Novel Contest. It was named to USA Today’s list of Best Books of the Year and one of the New York Times’ Best Crime Novels of 2022. Mystery Writers of America selected Cranor as the winner of the Edgar Allan Poe Award for best first novel by an American author.
In 2023, Cranor released “Ozark Dogs.” It was shortlisted for the Crime Writers’ Association Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award and was nominated for the Barry Award for best mystery or crime novel. A national bestseller, “Ozark Dogs” was recognized by the New York Times, The Guardian, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and CrimeReads as one of the best novels in its category for 2023.
Cranor released his third novel, “Broiler,” in 2024. It is one of 30 books selected to the long list for the 2025 Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award. “Broiler” is a crime fiction novel published by Soho Crime. Amazon selected it one of the 20 best mysteries, thrillers and suspense books of 2024. The Minneapolis Star Tribune and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel named it to their lists of top summer books for 2024. CrimeReads named “Broiler” most anticipated crime fiction of the year. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel named it one of the best mystery books of 2024.
Learn more about “Mississippi Blue 42” at www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/778180/mississippi-blue-42-by-eli-cranor.
