PRESS

Book Excellence Award Finalist

Previous Awards:
2019 Finalist Book Excellence Thriller, JEREMIAH’S REVENGE
2018-2019 TopShelf Indie Award Nominee IN THE BELLY OF JONAH
2017 Finalist for Book Excellence Award Mystery JACOB’S DESCENT
2016 Indie’s Finalist for Foreword Book Reviews Mystery JACOB’S DESCENT
2015 GoodReads Listopia #1 Best of Suspense Series, #12 Women Who Solve Crimes SOLOMON’S WHISPER
2014 USA Book News Mystery/Suspense Finalist and Book Cover Finalist SOLOMON’S WHISPER
2013 Finalist Best Mystery/Thriller by USA Book News NOAH’S RAINY DAY
2013 Finalist for IndieFab Award by Foreword Reviews at the American Library Association conference in Vegas in 2014 NOAH’S RAINY DAY
2013 Best of 2103 by Suspense Magazine NOAH’S RAINY DAY
2012 ABA’s NextList for WIDOW’S MIGHT
2012 Denver Post Bestseller List WIDOW’S MIGHT
2011 Top 50 Kindle Mysteries for LOT’S RETURN TO SODOM
2010 ABA’s NextList Notable for IN THE BELLY OF JONAH

Solomon’s Whisper

“Finalist for Best Mystery/Suspense of 2014″ by Foreword Reviews
“Finalist for Best Book Cover for Fiction” by Foreword Reviews

Noah’s Rainy Day

“Best of 2013 Book List – Suspense/Thriller” in Suspense Magazine December 2013 Issue

“Sandra Brannan continues to deliver suspense in her newest addition to the series that keeps the reader sitting on the edge of their seat while also giving them a glimpse into the challenges facing those with cerebral palsy.”
 —The Tennessean / Nashville, TN daily newspaper

“Start the weekend right with new contemporaries…” feature under LIFE section of USA TODAY
 —Joyce Lamb, Happily Ever After contributor for USA Today

“Truly amazing.”
 —Fiction Books

Widow’s Might

In “Widow’s Might,” Sandra Brannan does a wonderful job of weaving dramatic events from Custer’s Black Hills Expedition of 1874 into a thoroughly modern mystery involving environmentalists, serial murder and a surprising twist on an age-old motive.
” —Ernest Grafe and Paul Horsted, “Exploring with Custer”

“Good and Scary.”
 —Barbara Hoffert, Library Journal

“For hardcore crime-fiction fans.”
 —Shelley Mosely, Booklist

Lot’s Return to Sodom

“Lot’s Return to Sodom is a gripping murder mystery with a heroine you’ll cheer all the way to the powerhouse finish.” 
—Nora McFarland, author of the Lilly Hawkins Mysteries A Bad Day’s Work and Hot, Shot, and Bothered

“There is a difference between a storyteller and a magician. At least, there usually is. Brannan has again, in this second installment of the Liv Bergen mysteries, blurred those lines and created pure and utter magic with her words. Get ready to read Lot’s Return to Sodom in one sitting because it won’t let you go!”
 —J.S. Chancellor, author of Son of Ereubus, first in the highly praised Guardians of Legend Trilogy

“Sandra Brannan is able to take the subjects she knows and turn them into an exciting, non-stop action mystery. Liv is amazing!”
 —Suzanne Harrouff, Books Unlimited in North Carolina

“Sandra Brannan captured the flavor of the hills during the Bike Rally! I felt like I was wondering the streets of Sturgis as I read the book. Kept me guessing until the end!”
 —Tammy Barrows, general manager of Borders in Rapid City, South Dakota

“Lot’s Return to Sodom is a shocking thriller with a dash of spice, definitely the best mystery series I’ve read in a long time.” —Andrea Hoon, book department manager of Hastings in Gillette, Wyoming

“Sandra Brannan returns with her second winner in the Liv Bergen mystery series, “Lot’s Return to Sodom.” … Mystery lovers want their stories to move, entertain and mystify, among other factors. Brannan’s work does all that and more. She has created an appealing heroine who is bright and resourceful.”
 —Nancy Hansford, Fort Collins Coloradoan

In The Belly of Jonah

“In the Belly of Jonah starts off running. Suspenseful and vivid, you enter a world of spine tingling evil. The first in a new mystery series featuring protagonist, Liv Bergen, it is set in a mining town in Fort Collins, CO, which, so richly described, becomes an important character itself. The hunt for a madman becomes personal and terrifying for Liv when she discovers that one of her employees from the mine is murdered. What follow is slippery slope into the mind and world of a soulless killer. A must read for fans of gritty suspense. There is nothing cozy about this mystery and that is a good thing!!”
 —Red Headed Book Child

“A perilous journey into the dark arts of a serial killer that will not only blow a hole in your heart, it will have you breathlessly turning pages all the way to the killer ending. And then leave you with but one question: ‘What new depths of criminal depravity will Liv Bergen mine next?’ a stone-cold killer of a book.” 
—Tony Broadbent, Author of The Smoke, Spectres in the Smoke, and the forthcoming Shadows in the Smoke

“I was intrigued by such an interesting read, and found the author’s portrayal of characters to be three-dimensional, and down to earth. The writing is smooth, and the story never slows down for long. The author seems to know when to pick up the pace again. The murderer is easily figured out, which may be a let down for some readers, but the investigators must work to discover his identity before he kills again. Not your current trend of wise cracking, gun-slinging hot shot detectives on the make for blond Hollywood stars. This is a well-paced murder mystery, with a gritty setting in rough mining country with a human monster stalking innocent victims. It felt like a mix of Murder She Wrote and Blood Work, perhaps, but a well balance between the two.”
One of the most enjoyable novels I’ve read this year!”
 —Tom Johnson, Editor, Detective Mystery Stories

“Sandra Brannan debuts with a powerful, can’t-put-it-down thriller. Heroine Liv Bergen needs all her resourcefulness and resilience to battle one of the creepiest villains ever. Liv is up to the challenge. I can’t wait for the second in this series.” —James C. Mitchell, Author of Lovers Crossing and Choke Point, award nominee and a past Shamus