And the Winner Is …

Wow. What a tournament! We started with 32 of the top Cozy Mystery Protagonists. They went head to head for your votes through the month of March to determine “who would solve the crime first.” Your votes determined who would move onto the next round.

Want to relive the magic? Check out our March Madness Pinterest Board for all of our tournament posts.

Two worthy contenders faced off in our final round. Over 400 of you voted. Emma Lee Raines, Tonya Kappes’ protagonist from the Ghostly Southern Mystery Series took on Violet Waverly, Amanda Flower’s sleuth in the Magical Bookshop Mystery Series.

Who came out victorious? Drumroll please …

Your winner, of the 2017 Cozy Experience Protagonist Showdown is:

Emma Lee Raines!

Congrats to Emma Lee for being your TOP sleuth and to Tonya Kappes for creating such a wonderful character. There are currently six books in the Ghostly Southern Mystery Series. The series follows Emma Lee Raines, a young funeral home director who has a gift for being able to communicate with murdered ghosts. She helps bring them justice, so they can cross over and find peace.

We reached out to author, Tonya Kappes, to get her thoughts on Emma Lee taking home the top prize. Here is what she had to say,

“As a writer, I strive really hard to make the reader feel as if my protagonist is their good friend. I want the reader to root for them to solve the crime. Emma Lee has truly become one of those protagonists that readers love. She’s a good southern gal with the heart of gold that leaves my readers laughing, crying, and sleuthing through her entire journey.” – Tonya Kappes

Thank you to everyone who voted and joined in the fun. It was wonderful to chat about these wonderful characters and books with you all throughout the entire month.