This historical thriller by Marci Lin Melvin earns one of the top prizes in the Annual Reader Views Literary Awards program.
AUSTIN, TX, UNITED STATES, March 2, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Reader Views announces Wednesday Night Whites by Marci Lin Melvin as one of the overall grand prize winners in fiction. Melvin’s novel takes home the gold award, an award honored with a cash prize and special marketing promotions.
Wednesday Night Whites is a historical thriller set in the seemingly idyllic town of Chester, Nova Scotia, where Azalea “Zale” Augustine, a driven local attorney, is pulled into a widening investigation after a string of women disappear and the official response feels disturbingly muted. What first looks like a series of isolated tragedies begins to reveal a protected, decades-long pattern tied to an elite social circle of powerful men who use wealth, reputation, and intimidation to keep the community compliant and the truth buried.
As Zale digs deeper, the danger sharpens, and the case expands beyond a single criminal act into a larger system of corruption, political maneuvering, and institutional silence. The story draws a direct line between present-day violence and the long shadow of extremist ideology and inherited influence, showing how the past doesn’t stay buried when it has money, charm, and connections. With tension that escalates fast and revelations that ripple across a cast of deeply drawn characters, the novel builds toward a reckoning that asks what justice costs when power has spent years rewriting the narrative.
Sheri Hoyte with Reader Views said of the story, “Wednesday Night Whites by Marci Lin Melvin is one of the most powerful historical thrillers I’ve read in years. Entitlement flourishes, and evil hides in plain sight. Melvin takes the art of writing and raises the bar. It’s haunting. It’s powerful. It’s beautiful.”
Melvin shared the following in response to the award:
“Thank you, Reader Views, for this honour.
I was gob-smacked when I saw the email.
Honoured—of course.
Over-the-moon happy.
But most of all, I was and am humbled for this great tribute.
Congratulations to all of the other winners for their amazing contributions to our collective genres. For those who didn’t place, keep writing, polishing your words, honing your craft. You will get there. It’s a journey that leads to wonderful things. Like these awards. Sending love, light and inspiration to you all.
So many thanks.”
Wednesday Night Whites (ISBN: 978-0995012554, Her Island Press (2025) is available on Amazon and at online bookstores everywhere.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marci Lin Melvin is a retired Family Court Judge from Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia, who spent twenty-five years practicing family and criminal law before her appointment to the bench.
A lifelong writer, she published poetry at age ten, penned her first play at eleven, and completed her first novel by thirteen. Alongside her legal career, she pursued theatre, journalism, and acting, eventually authoring three published novels—two historical romances and one criminal suspense—as well as nine illustrated children’s books. She has written and produced multiple plays for stage and screen, with proceeds from her books donated to charities.
Learn more and connect with Marci Lin Melvin at https://marcilinmelvin.com/
ABOUT THE AWARDS PROGRAM
Founded in 2005, the Reader Views Literary Awards honor excellence in independent publishing. The program recognizes authors who self-publish or publish through small presses, hybrids, or university presses. Today, the awards operate in two seasonal tracks for Fiction and Non-Fiction, spotlighting impactful indie books across all genres and topics, and celebrating both new and established voices within the literary community. Top honors include cash prizes totaling $3,000. Learn more at http://www.readerviews.com/.
Sheri Hoyte
Reader Views
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