Dreadful Young Ladies and Other Stories by Kelly Barnhill 
When Mrs. Sorensen’s husband dies, she rekindles a long-dormant love with an unsuitable mate. A young man wrestles with grief and his sexuality in an exchange of letters with his faraway beloved. A witch is haunted by the deadly repercussions of a spell. The stories in Dreadful Young Ladies demonstrate the strength and power – known and unknown – of the imagination. Barnhill is the author of four novels, most recently The Girl Who Drank the Moon, winner of the 2017 John Newbery Medal. She lives in Minneapolis.

Leave No Trace by Mindy Mejia 
A father and son disappear from a family camping trip, and search teams find their campsite ravaged. They are presumed dead until, a decade later, the son suddenly appears, largely uncommunicative and exhibiting violent tendencies. Therapist Maya Stark is tasked with making a connection with her patient and, as she’s drawn closer to this enigmatic young man, she’ll risk everything to reunite him with his father. Mejia received her MFA from Hamline University. She is the author of The Dragon Keeper and critically acclaimed Everything You Want Me to Be. She lives in Apple Valley.

The Shadows We Hide by Allen Eskens 
Reporter Joe Talbert Jr. stumbles across a story describing the murder of a man named Joseph Talbert. Curious whether this man might be his father, Joe is shocked to find that no one has much to say about the dead man – other than his death was long overdue. Joe must put together the missing pieces of his family history before his investigation puts him in a grave of his own. Eskens is a Minnesota Book Award-winner and the USA Today bestselling author of The Life we Bury, which is being developed for a feature film, The Guise of Another, The Heavens May Fall, and The Deep Dark Descending. He lives in Cleveland.

The Voice Inside by Brian Freeman 
Four years after serial killer Rudy Cutter was sent away for life, homicide inspector Frost Easton uncovers a terrible lie: his closest friend planted false evidence to put Cutter behind bars. When he’s forced to reveal the truth, his sister’s killer is back on the streets. Staying ahead of a killer who’s determined to strike again won’t be easy – not when the killer’s next move is unlike anything Frost expected. Freeman is a bestselling author of psychological thrillers, including the Jonathan Stride and Cab Bolton series. His works have been sold in 46 countries and translated into 22 languages. He lives in Woodbury.

The Friends of the Minnesota Public Library also sponsors annual awards for:
—a person who fosters literacy in major ways;
—a Minnesota nonfiction (scholarly) history author; and
—for the best Book Artist as well.
Use the link, HERE, https://thefriends.org/minnesota-book-awards/minnesota-book-awards-winners/  for this and previous years’ winners and more information.