Whodunit Winner Scroll

Winning Submissions:

🥇I Was There By GK Bird

🥈Dis-Appearance By Parwana Fayyaz

🥉Almost On By Adam Diehl

🥉Page Thirty-Seven By Noel T. Cumberland

🥉Incurious By Erin Shea

🥉The Fallen Angel Murder By Lacy Loar-Gruenler

🥉STILLWATERS By Rachel Pollock

🥉A Lesson in Latin By D.K. Shepard

🥉Something In the Water By Elle Marie

🥉Forever Innocent By Barb Dukeman

🥉The North Pole Files By Reiley

🥉Fabiola By Nicky Frankly

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Congratulations! You have joined the ranks of today's modern Whodunit authors, which include:

Louise Penny - Known for her Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series, Penny's novels are celebrated for their richly drawn characters, atmospheric settings, and complex, emotionally resonant mysteries.

Tana French - Renowned for her Dublin Murder Squad series, French's psychological thrillers and intricate storytelling have earned her a reputation as a master of contemporary crime fiction.

Jo Nesbø - With his compelling Harry Hole series, Nesbø has captivated readers with his dark, gritty crime novels set in Oslo, Norway, and his skillful blend of suspense and character development.

Gillian Flynn - Flynn's psychological thrillers, including "Gone Girl," have garnered widespread acclaim for their gripping plots, morally complex characters, and unexpected twists.

Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling) - Writing under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, J.K. Rowling's Cormoran Strike series has gained popularity for its compelling mysteries and well-crafted detective work.

Henning Mankell - Known for his Kurt Wallander series, Mankell's novels are celebrated for their social commentary, intricate plots, and the brooding atmosphere of the Swedish landscape.

Donna Leon - With her Commissario Guido Brunetti series set in Venice, Leon has garnered praise for her evocative storytelling, vivid descriptions of Venice, and compelling character dynamics.

Peter Robinson - Robinson's Inspector Alan Banks series is known for its intricate plots, richly developed characters, and the atmospheric portrayal of the Yorkshire landscape.

Ian Rankin - Renowned for his Inspector Rebus series set in Edinburgh, Rankin's novels are celebrated for their gritty realism, complex characters, and socially relevant themes.

Ann Cleeves - With her Vera Stanhope and Shetland Island series, Cleeves has captivated readers with her atmospheric settings, compelling mysteries, and well-drawn characters.

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Music:

Track: ROY KNOX - Earthquake [NCS Release]

Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds.

Watch: ROY KNOX - Earthquake | Drumstep | NCS

Free Download / Stream: http://ncs.io/Earthquake

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The Prompt:

Write a crime fiction story.

Unleash your inner detective to craft a crime fiction story that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. Explore the depths of mystery as you weave a tale of deception and intrigue. You can experiment with different sub-genres within crime fiction, from noir to cozy mysteries. Here are some elements to include to make your crime fiction come alive:

Engaging Plot: Create a compelling mystery that challenges both the characters and readers to uncover the truth.

Well-Developed Characters: Develop multi-dimensional characters with hidden motives and secrets.

Atmosphere and Suspense: Build a palpable sense of tension and anticipation that immerses the reader in your crime.

In order for your submission to qualify, it must be:

A crime fiction story.

Between 600-3,500 words.

Submitted to the Criminal community. Choosing a community is a final step in the submission process.

The Prizes

Grand Prize: $500

Second Place: $300

10 Runners-Up: $20

How to enter

For your story to be eligible, it should adhere to our Community Guidelines. Stories published on Vocal and entered into the contest up until 11:59 PM ET on January 5, 2024 will be entered for consideration. Official Rules for the Challenge can be found here.

The Whodunit Challenge is exclusive to Vocal+ members. To learn more and upgrade to Vocal+ visit https://vocal.media/vocal-plus.

To be eligible to win the grand prize, second place, or runners-up prizes, you must be over the age of 13 and residing in a country where Stripe is available at the time of entry. A complete list of countries where Stripe is available can be found here—winners will need to have a Stripe account created and connected in order to receive the prizes. For this reason, entrants located outside of any of these countries will not be eligible to win.

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