2021 Daphne du Maurier- Honorable mention
There's a killer in the cute but crazy town of Daisy.
Freelance travel reporter Mikaela "Mike" Mitchell can see the headline now:
Trollop Turned to Tar on Texas Trail.
Dumped in the middle of the road, she's run out of lifelines until a beast on a matte-black bike rides to her rescue.
Ryder Ruiz loves his motorcycle, his adopted town, and his cat. Not long-legged brunettes abandoned in road snot. But before he can untangle his unexpected houseguest from his bedsheets, he's caught up in two murder investigations. And sexy Mike is curiously connected.
Without another suspect, Mike's stuck in Daisy until the mystery is solved. But connecting the clues is more difficult than walking in six-inch stilettos.
Ryder's committed to helping Daisy's clueless sheriff solve the crimes while protecting their town and keeping Mike in his sights-preferably in his bed. Because there's a murderer out there-and Mike could be the next target or even the killer.
And if it's
not
Mike, which of his beloved Daisy denizens has gone too far?