Louisiana author wins international competition

MATHEWS, Louisiana - The Electronic Publishing Industry Coalition (EPIC) has named Louisiana mystery author BJ Bourg as the winner of its 2016 “Best Mystery” Award for his debut novel, JAMES 516. The annual EPIC eBook Awards are an international competition and have been recognizing excellence in e-book publishing since 2000. They are the longest-running and most inclusive e-book awards in existence.
Bourg has combined realistic police procedural elements with exciting sniper action to create a fast-paced mystery that will leave readers guessing to the very end. The story is set in Louisiana and it opens to find the Magnolia Parish Sheriff’s Office on high alert after a high-ranking officer is targeted by a killer sniper. London Carter, the department’s sniper leader, and Bethany Riggs, an internal affairs lieutenant, are tasked with tracking down the assassin. A message, “James 516,” is left at the scene of each attack, and it is up to London and Bethany to decipher the message and catch the killer before the department’s entire command staff is wiped out.
A veteran law enforcement officer who believes in doing things “by the book,” Bourg likes to create strong police characters who share his values. As one reviewer put it, “…there is a message here for honesty, integrity, and ethical police work.”
Kevin R. Tipple, a reviewer from Plano, TX, called JAMES 516 “compelling and intense from start to finish and one heck of a read..
“The pacing, plot twists, and realistic character portrayal in this book captivated my attention from the first scene and kept me engrossed all the way to the thrilling conclusion,” wrote Susan Furlong, author of The Georgia Peach Mysteries and the continuation of the New York Times bestselling Novel Idea Mysteries.
Bourg is a former police sniper leader and has earned a number of awards throughout his law enforcement career, including being named “Top Shooter” at an FBI Sniper School. However, this is his first writing award and he said he is surprised it came so early in his writing career. “I entered the contest and forgot about it until they emailed to say I was a finalist,” said Bourg. “That was exciting enough, but nothing compared to how I felt when I won. It’s an immense honor and a great surprise, especially since this is my first published novel.”
Readers can find out more about BJ Bourg and his other novels by visiting his website at www.bjbourg.com and they can purchase JAMES 516 in eBook, trade paperback, and large print through Amazon.com.