If you'd like to vote for Matthew Scudder...

...now's your chance. A Drop of the Hard Stuff has been shortlisted for a Spinetingler award, and the polls are open right now. It's pretty simple, you just click here, scroll down through the categories, and vote as the spirit moves you. Scudder's in the "Legend" category, limited to authors of nine or more books. You can vote for him, or you can vote for one of his competitors. Wisconsin residents would probably welcome the opportunity to vote for Fighting Bob La Follette, but there doesn't seem to be a write-in option.

The Scudder novels have probably had more than their fair share of awards over the years, but one for A Drop of the Hard Stuff would certainly be welcome, as the book continues to sell well. It's newly available in trade paperback, the eBook edition has been reduced in price to a much more palatable $9.99, and the Mulholland Books hardcover is still a strong seller almost a year after its original publication. Amazon and Barnes & Noble have discounted the hardcover to $14.12, which is less than the list price of the paperback, so if you've somehow managed to resist owning a copy, well, maybe it's time to surrender to the inevitable...

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