Independent Press Award
2024 winner
The Cornbread Letters
T.E. Lane
Sam Abernethy plays by the rules, but his sister Alex does not. When Sam, an uptight insurance investigator, begins channeling letters from dead people after his daredevil sister's untimely death, Sam's eerie new ability may be the only thing that saves his loved ones from a deadly serial arsonist.
Sam and Alex are as close as siblings can get, and unknown to Sam, their connection transcends the grave. As Sam and his deaf niece Hannah struggle to recover from Alex's sudden death, Sam begins transcribing letters from the dead, while Hannah paints a single image over and over.
As these strange events unfold, Sam gets drawn more deeply into a dangerous arson case, which turns personal. With lives at stake, Sam's connection to his sister may be his only hope.