Griffin named finalist in two national book contests

No mystery about it: Key residents already knew that Longboat author H. Terrell Griffin’s mystery novels are winners. Now, it seems, the rest of the country is taking note.

On May 18, Griffin’s third and most recent novel, “Blood Island,” was named an award-winning finalist in the mystery-suspense category of the 2009 Indie Excellence Awards, a competition judged by a panel of publishing experts highlighting top independently published works.

Then, at the Independent Book Publisher Association’s Benjamin Franklin Awards May 29, “Blood Island” was one of three finalists in the mystery/suspense category.

Griffin was surprised when he learned about the awards.

“You could have knocked me over with a feather,” he said.

But now, the pressure is on: His latest novel, “Wyatt’s Revenge,” will be released Nov. 16 by Oceanview Publishing.