For mystery readers who thought they’d seen every twist the genre has to offer, a new champion has emerged from the fairway. Juliet Dillon Clark’s “Bad Lie” has been named a First Place winner at The BookFest Awards Fall 2026, and the honor is already being called a career-defining moment for the Salt Lake City author.
The book took top honors in the Fiction – Thriller – Crime & Legal category, standing out among a competitive field of entries in the biannual competition.
The BookFest recognizes and promotes excellence in literature and elevates authors and creatives who contribute outstanding work to the literary world.
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The award comes with a personal stake for Clark, who drew on her own complicated relationship with the sport to craft the story. “I wanted to write the golf mystery I could never find on the shelf: a green jacket, a gambling debt, and a killer who knows exactly what that jacket is worth”— Juliet Dillon Clark
SALT LAKE, UT, UNITED STATES, November 4, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Clark’s winning entry, “Bad Lie,” was honored at The BookFest Awards Fall 2026, an event designed to spotlight authors who produce exceptional work across both fiction and nonfiction. The organization’s stated mission centers on the conviction that literature carries transformative power and on the desire to support and celebrate those who create it.
Desireé Duffy, Founder of The BookFest, emphasized the broader significance of the recognition. “Today, more than ever, it is important to recognize authors and creatives for the vital part they play in crafting the stories that shape our world and define our humanity. Books bring us to new worlds, take us on adventures, give us a means to evaluate our lives and instill a sense of empathy within us. I believe that by acknowledging authors and their literary achievements, we lift literature in our world, and lift each other in the process.”
For Clark, the victory is deeply personal, rooted in a passion that predates her writing career. “He won the Masters. The lie cost him everything else. That’s where Bad Lie begins. I love golf — even though I’m terrible at it — and I wanted to write the golf mystery I could never find on the shelf: a green jacket, a gambling debt, and a killer who knows exactly what that jacket is worth. Taking First Place at The BookFest Awards is the best finish I could have asked for.”
Duffy also offered a personal note of congratulations. “I’m thrilled to announce Juliet Dillon Clark as the winner of a First Place at The BookFest Awards. This year’s competition was fierce, and Juliet Dillon Clark should be very proud of this stellar accomplishment.”
For those interested in seeing the full list of honorees, more information about The BookFest Awards is available on the Awards Page on The BookFest website.
About the Author:
Juliet Dillon Clark is the author of the Lindsay Carter thrillers, a series she describes as “literary puzzles with people.” The character of Lindsay Carter was inspired in part by one of Juliet’s closest friends, an L.A. County sheriff who worked the Malibu patrol and shared the kind of stories that never make the local paper. A lifelong reader who devours several books a week, Juliet is also the founder of Superbrand Publishing. She lives in Salt Lake City, writes at sunrise, holds a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and is great at hiking and terrible at golf. Learn more at julietdillonclark.com
About The BookFest Adventure®:
The BookFest has established itself as a leader in virtual literary events, producing vital conversations on the world’s stage for those who love to read and those who love to write. It launched in May 2020, at a time when many live events were canceled. Free to attend, the biannual event takes place in the spring and fall, streaming panel discussions, conversations, and live interactive sessions. As an award-winning event, The BookFest has received recognition from the Webby Awards with a nomination in 2021, a gold award from the Muse Creative Awards in 2020, and a silver award from the w3 Awards in 2020. The BookFest features an array of literary speakers, experts, and authors, including: Mitch Albom; Kevin J. Anderson; Angela Bole; Mark Coker; James Dashner; Robert G. Diforio; Dr. Michael Greger; Cheryl Willis Hudson; Wade Hudson; Sarah Kendzior; Jonathan Maberry; Josh Malerman; Lisa Morton; Karla Olson; Deborah M. Pratt; James Rollins; Connie Schultz; Michael Shermer; Mark K. Shriver; Danny Trejo; Helene Wecker; Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, and many others. The BookFest is presented by Books That Make You and produced by Black Château Enterprises. The BookFest is a registered trademark of Desireé Duffy, founder of all three. For more information, visit The BookFest.com.
Desiree Duffy
Black Chateau
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Why it matters: The recognition of “Bad Lie” signals a growing appetite for niche, character-driven mysteries that blend personal passion with genre conventions. As virtual literary events like The BookFest continue to gain prestige, authors outside traditional publishing hubs are finding new platforms to reach readers—and awards like this one are becoming a meaningful benchmark for quality in the genre.
