Tonight, at the MWA’s Agents & Editors Party, THE MARY HIGGINS CLARK AWARD was presented to Sara J. Henry for LEARNING TO SWIM.
The nominees are picked based on the following criteria:

• The protagonist is a very nice young woman, 27-38 or so, whose life is suddenly invaded. She is not looking for trouble – she is doing exactly what she should be doing and something cuts across her bow (as in ship).
• She solves her problem by her own courage and intelligence.
• She’s in an interesting job.
• She’s self-made – independent – has primarily good family relationships.
• No on-scene violence.
• No four-letter words or explicit sex scenes.

Other finalists:
Now You See Me by S.J. Bolton (Minotaur Books)
Come and Find Me by Hallie Ephron (HarperCollins Publishers – William Morrow)
Death on Tour by Janice Hamrick (Minotaur Books)
Murder Most Persuasive by Tracy Kiely (Minotaur Books – Thomas Dunne Books)
Congrats to Sara for a well-deserved award!