2000 winners:

A New Song by Jan Karon.
The Bishop assigns Father Tim, now retired, to fill in as interim priest on North Carolina's coastal island Whitecap. He is reluctant to leave his old friends in Mitford, but does keep in touch. However, he quickly finds his place at St. John's in the Grove. The Mitford Years series, book 5. Selected as the Best Contemporary Novel. RC 48430, BR 12273.

The Meeting Place by Janette Oke and T. Davis Bunn.
In 1753, English Catherine Price and French Louise Belleveau from neighboring colonies in Acadia meet one day in a meadow while gathering flowers for each young woman's upcoming wedding. Their friendship grows despite language differences and the prospect of war looming over the colonies. Song of Acadia series, book 1. Selected as the Best North American Historical Novel. RC 49353.

2001 winners:

Home to Harmony by Phillip Gulley.
Quaker minister Sam Gardner and his family move back to Sam's small midwestern hometown. There Sam relives his childhood in a series of vignettes and introduces town residents including a narrow-minded church elder and Dr. Neely, who was Harmony's only doctor for fifty years. Harmony Quaker series, book 1. Selected as the Best Contemporary Novel. RC 59650.

Edge of Honor by Gilbert Morris.
New York, 1865. Quent Larribee, studying to be a doctor, is conscripted into the army. Unable to find peace after accidentally killing a Confederate soldier, Quent moves to Arkansas where he plans to help the widow and her children. Yet in solving one problem he creates another. Selected as the Best North American Historical Novel. RC 60296.

The Great Divide by T. Davis Bunn.
Attorney Marcus Glenwood retreats to North Carolina following a devastating tragedy. He agrees to prosecute New Horizons, a local multinational conglomerate. Gloria Hall has disappeared while investigating the company's Factory 101 in China. Glenwood uncovers an international web of deceit that circles back to North Carolina. Marcus Glenwood series, book 1. Selected as the Best Suspense Novel. BR 15912.

2002 winners:

The Guardian by Dee Henderson.
A nominee for the United States Supreme Court is murdered while marshal Marcus O'Malley is guarding him. Marcus gradually falls in love with the only witness, speechwriter Shari Hanford, and copes with his sister's sickness. The O'Malleys pray that their faith will sustain them. The O'Malley series, book 2. Selected as the Best Romance Novel. BR 14101.

Drummer in the Dark by T. Davis Bunn.
Former businessman Wynn Bryant is picked by his brother-in-law, the governor of Florida, to replace Congressman Hutchings, incapacitated by a stroke. Pressured by the governor to kill a Hutchings-supported legislative amendment that would relieve third-world-country debts, Bryant partners with investigator Jackie Havilland to uncover a political conspiracy. Some violence. Selected as the Best Suspense Novel. RC 58917.

2003 winners:

Arena by Karen Hancock.
Allegorical Christian tale in which artist Callie Hayes is surreptitiously transported to an alien world. Armed with only a guidebook, she must trust the enigmatic Pierce, who helps her find a path through the treacherous Arena, her only hope of escape. Violence and some descriptions of sex. Selected as the Best Allegory. BR 15662.

A Place Called Wiregrass by Michael Morris.
Alabama. Erma Lee Jacobs flees her abusive husband, uncaring mother, and dead-end factory job and makes a fresh start in Wiregrass with granddaughter Cher. Friendship with elderly socialite Miss Claudia and the arrival of Cher's father force all three women to confront buried secrets. Selected as the Best First Novel. BR 15889.

Candle in the Darkness by Lynn Austin.
1856. After Caroline Fletcher's mother dies, the fifteen-year-old leaves her family's Virginia plantation to live with relatives in Philadelphia. There she joins the antislavery movement and becomes a determined abolitionist. Caroline returns home just as her father, cousin, and fiance go off to war. Refiner's Fire series, book 1. Best North American Historical Novel. RC 58048.

True Honor by Dee Henderson.
Darcy St. James has been retired from the CIA for two years. Following September 11, she is recalled to help track down a man who knew about events planned for that day. With a bounty on her head, Darcy relies on God and Navy SEAL Sam Houston to protect her.  Uncommon Heroes series, book 3. Selected as the Best Romance Novel. RC 57785.

2004 winners:

Fire by Night by Lynn Austin.
1861. Disguised as a man, nineteen-year-old Phoebe Bigelow enlists with the Union army. Meanwhile, Philadelphia socialite Julia Hoffman joins the Christian Commission, volunteering as a nurse to help wounded soldiers. The heroic young women meet on the front lines. Refiner’s Fire series, book 2. Some violence. RC 58075.

Selected as the Best Historical Novel.
Hideaway by Hannah Alexander.
On forced leave and facing a lawsuit after her sister's death, Dr. Cheyenne Allison retreats to the Ozark village of Hideaway, where Dane Gideon runs a ranch for troubled teens. Cheyenne is drawn into a feud between Dane and the mayor, who thinks the kids are vandals. Selected as the Best Romance Novel. RC 60288.

2006 winners:

Levi's Will by W. Dale Cramer.
Excommunicated by his Amish community in 1943, teen Will Mullet left home, changed his name to McGruder, and joined the army. After decades of being a discontented family man, sixty-year-old Will experiences an awkward reunion with his dying father, Levi, and regains his faith in God. Selected as Best Contemporary Novel. RC 62846.

A Bride Most Begrudging by Deeanne Gist.
1643. Lady Constance Morrow is kidnapped, taken aboard a vessel sailing to the Virginia colony, and forced into a marriage of convenience with tobacco farmer Drew O'Connor. Educated and religious, Constance slowly learns the skills of a colonial housewife and falls in love with her husband and his family. Selected as the Best Romance Novel. RC 62837.