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Southern Illinois Murder Mystery Moves ForeWord, Wins Bronze meDal in Book of the Year Awards  The Whisper of Leaves, a mystery novel set on a fictional version of the Carbondale campus and written by SIUC alumnus Craig Smith, nabbed the Bronze Medal Award in the 2002 ForeWord magazine’s Mystery Book of the Year competition. The Whisper of Leaves was published in September by Southern Illinois University Press.   The award winners in all categories of the 2002 ForeWord Book of the Year Awards were announced Friday, May 30th at BookExpo America in Los Angeles. ForeWord is the only review trade journal devoted exclusively to covering independent publishers. Established in 1998, ForeWord’s Book of the Year Awards program has become one of the most prestigious honors for independent presses and their authors. From over a thousand entries, each category is pared to a pool of 8–10 finalists. From that pool, a jury of librarians and booksellers selects the top three entries based on editorial excellence and professional production as well as the originality of the narrative and the value the book adds to its genre.   The Whisper of Leaves marks the American debut from Smith. His crafty thriller centers on Josie Darling, a young English professor who returns to Lues State University to assume a teaching position and to come to terms with the murder of her mother and namesake, Josie Fortune. Although Professor Darling takes every precaution to shroud her violent family history from her colleagues, someone close remembers. Threats come, promising violence in a desperately psychotic scrawl and invading every aspect of her life. Confronted by personal and professional jeopardy at every turn, Josie must face her terror and expose the identity of her mother’s killer—a killer who is now stalking her.   Publishers Weekly praises the mystery as “a dark cat-and-mouse thriller” and Kirkus Reviews says that Smith “writes with verve and style about campus life.” Giving the novel a coveted three out of four daggers, The Mystery Review assures “Smith proves he can hold the reader in tight suspense. . . . The Whisper of Leaves is an expertly crafted tale. The characters, Josie especially, come to life—and briefly become parts of our lives. And Smith’s plot is shatterproof, with all the elements lining up sensibly and logically.”   Born in Terre Haute, Indiana, mystery novelist Craig Smith presently lives in Lucerne, Switzerland. He received a Ph.D. in English from Southern Illinois University Carbondale in 1988 and taught at Arkansas State University and the University of Northern Colorado. Smith has published two books in Europe.   The Whisper of Leaves is available through bookstores or directly from Southern Illinois University Press. More marketing news