"The Forget-Me-Knot," a manuscript by Richard F. McGonegal, of Jefferson City, is a finalist for Killer Nashville's Claymore Award.
McGonegal was a reporter and editor at the News Tribune for 41 years before his retirement in 2017.
The Claymore Award, for unpublished manuscripts, will be announced Aug. 21 at the writers' conference in Franklin, Tennessee. Judging is based on the first 50 pages of the book.
McGonegal's first mystery novel, "Sense of Grace," also was a Claymore finalist. The book - published in 2020 by Cave Hollow Press - introduced Francis Hood, sheriff of fictional Huhman County, Missouri. Hood is also featured in "The Forget-Me-Knot."
"Ghoul Duty," a second mystery novel in the Sheriff Hood series, has been acquired by Cave Hollow Press, but no publication date has been set.
In addition to the novels, 24 of McGonegal's short stories have been published in magazines, including Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine.
McGonegal and his wife, Kristie, are the parents of two adult daughters, Heather and Jane, who also live in Jefferson City.