Eli Cranor, writer in residence and instructor at Arkansas Tech University, has earned a place on the long list for the 2025 Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award for his novel “Broiler.”
According to information provided by the Mark Twain House and Museum, the award recognizes “distinguished fiction that tells American stories in a uniquely American voice, one that reflects Mark Twain’s incisive curiosity and humanity.”
Cranor’s “Broiler” is one of 30 books selected to the long list for the 2025 Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award, which is in its ninth year. More than 150 submissions were considered for the long list.
“It’s a really strong list,” said Rand Richards Cooper, board member and chair of the judging committee. “It includes a broad range of subjects, literary forms and author backgrounds, making it a true reflection of the rich storytelling landscape in America today.”
The short list for the award will be announced in August, and the finalists will be revealed in September. The winning author will receive $25,000 and will be recognized during an event in Hartford, Conn., in November.
“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.
The book tells the story of Gabriela Menchaca and Edwin Saucedo and the chain of events that unfolds after Saucedo is fired from his job by plant manager Luke Jackson.
“Cranor paints a vivid, devastating portrait of the cruelty surrounding an imbalanced system, all while maintaining a wicked level of tension that drives this powerful story forward,” wrote Dwyer Murphy of CrimeReads. “He is a writer at the top of his game.”
Learn more about “Broiler” at www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/743692/broiler-by-eli-cranor.
Cranor 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.
His first novel, “Don’t Know Tough,” 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’s fourth novel, “Mississippi Blue 42,” will be published by Soho Crime in August 2025.
