Eli Cranor (born 1988) is an American author and former professional footballer. His debut novel, ''Don't Know Tough'', won the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel.

Biography

Cranor was born in

Forrest City, Arkansas Forrest City is a city in and the county seat of St. Francis County, Arkansas, United States. It was named for General Nathan Bedford Forrest, a notable Confederate war hero who later became the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. Shortly ...

on January 15, 1988, to Finley and Christy Cranor. He grew up in

Russellville, Arkansas Russellville is the county seat of and the largest city in Pope County, Arkansas, United States, with a 2022 estimated population of 29,133. It is home to Arkansas Tech University. Arkansas Nuclear One, Arkansas' only nuclear power plant is nea ...

and graduated from Russellville High School. Cranor attended

Florida Atlantic University Florida Atlantic University (Florida Atlantic or FAU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Boca Raton, Florida, United States. The university is a member of the State University System of Florida and has s ...

and played on the school's football team for a season in 2006, after which he transferred to

Ouachita Baptist University Ouachita Baptist University (OBU) is a Private university, private Arkansas Baptist State Convention, Baptist university in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. The university's name is taken from the Ouachita River, Ouachita (pronounced WAH-shi-tah) River, ...

. While there, he majored in English literature. Cranor was recruited as a player-coach for the Swedish-American football team the

Carlstad Crusaders Carlstad Crusaders is a Swedish American football team, based in Karlstad, Sweden. The team plays at Tingvalla IP in Karlstad. History The club was founded in 1991. It played its first game in 1992 against the Uddevalla Ravens. Championships ...

and played with the team for nine months. After meeting his wife, he moved back to Arkansas. In Arkansas, Cranor began teaching at a high school in the Russellville School District, where he also coached the football team. In 2022, Cranor published his debut novel, ''Don't Know Tough'', which received multiple awards nominations and was lauded by critics. The novel was followed by ''Ozark Dogs'' in 2023 and ''Broiler'' in 2024. Cranor lives in Arkansas with his wife and children.

Awards and honors

In 2022, ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

'' included ''Don't Know Tough'' on their list of the year's best books. '' CrimeReads'' included it on their list of the year's best crime novels, and ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' included it on their list of the year's best mystery novels. ''

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is ...

'' included it on their "Top 10 Debut Mysteries & Thrillers" list. The following year, ''CrimeReads'',''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', ''The New York Times'' included ''Ozark Dogs'' on their list of the year's best crime novels. The ''

Sun Sentinel The ''Sun Sentinel'' (also known as the ''South Florida Sun Sentinel'', known until 2008 as the ''Sun-Sentinel'', and stylized on its Nameplate (publishing), masthead as ''SunSentinel'') is the main daily newspaper of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, ...

'' included it on their list of the year's best mystery fiction.

Publications

* * *

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cranor, Eli 1988 births Living people 21st-century American male writers Edgar Award winners People from Russellville, Arkansas Ouachita Baptist University alumni