The manuscript for Rick Treon’s second novel has been named a finalist for the Writers’ League of Texas 2019 Manuscript Contest.

The manuscript, which was submitted with the working title HELPERS but has since been renamed LET THE GUILTY PAY, is one of four finalists in the contest’s Thriller/Action Adventure category. Among the other finalists is bestselling author Rodney Walther (BROKEN LACES, Redstone Ranch Press, 2010). James Peyton won the category with the manuscript titled NOT FOR SALE. (For a complete list of WLT Manuscript Contest winners and finalists, click here.)

The contest was open to unpublished works by authors across the country.

“I am truly honored that an organization like the Writers’ League and their judges have recognized my work,” Treon said.

Treon is one of the more than 1,300 members of the WLT, which was founded in 1981 in Austin. It is the largest writing club in the state and one of the most highly regarded writers organizations in the country.

Treon’s manuscript is an 80,000-word contemporary thriller that follows Bartholomew Beck — a washed-up true crime writer who has taken an oil pipeline job to make ends meet — as he tries to avoid going to prison after being accused of brutally killing a female co-worker with whom he had a public fight two days earlier.

Treon is actively seeking representation and a publisher for the manuscript. Interested parties can reach him via his website, ricktreon.com, or contact him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The novel is Treon’s second work of fiction and will follow his debut thriller, DEEP BACKGROUND (available in paperback, Kindle and Audible formats on Amazon and other major book retailers), a political/journalism thriller has earned critical praise from authors and reviewers since its publication in December 2018.