We often meet our destiny on the road we take to avoid it. Eve Gardner was seventeen when she ran away from home. She bought a bus ticket to California, a place as far away from her parents as a road could take her. In less than a month, she had a new name, a husband, and a new country. Álvaro Castillo, the accountant for a dangerous drug cartel, had his own reasons for being on that bus. He was on the run, having just killed the man who … [Read more...]
In Memory of Elizabeth Short, Otherwise Known as “Black Dhalia”
July 29, 2024 marked the centenary of Elizabeth Short's birth. Born in Boston, Beth, as she often preferred to be called, was the middle child of Cleo and Phoebe Short. She had four sisters: Virginia, Dorothea, Elnora, and Muriel. In 1930, Cleo's miniature golf course business tanked. He positioned his car close to a bridge to create the appearance of suicide. A houseful of women has its comforts, but Cleo's abandonment appears to have profoundly … [Read more...]
THE DEAD SOUL: A Thriller from New York Times Bestselling Author M. William Phelps
[THE DEAD SOUL] grabs you by the lapels and doesn't let go." -JOHN LUTZ, New York Times bestselling author From the desk of one of the most acclaimed and prolific true crime authors comes a mystery thriller certain to captivate his fans. M. William Phelps's THE DEAD SOUL takes you on a suspenseful journey through Boston's illicit past, where Detective Jake "Sundance" Cooper fights to redeem his crumbling career. At the same time, a sadistic … [Read more...]
M. William Phelps Explains: A Serial Killer’s Fictional Counterpart
'And all of it is about him [Happy Face Killer]. His insecurities. His fantasies. His anger. His narcissism. His inadequacy. His incompetence. His failures as a man.' Over the course of 12 years, I received over nine thousand pages of letters from a violent psychopath. Keith Hunter Jesperson became known as the "Happy Face Killer" after doodling (with no intention of it becoming his nickname) a smiley face on a letter he wrote to a newspaper. … [Read more...]
GASPING FOR AIR: Book Two In The ‘Big Dogs Series’ by S.L. Ditmars
SL Ditmars writes another fast-paced, page-turning police procedural... I love the characters and the dogs, Ares and Addy, who make the story even richer... I very much and highly recommend this book. -K.L. Peacock, author of THE CROSSINGS series and Public Safety Writers Association Member About The Book JW North and his "big dog" Ares are back. This time North is a U.S. Marshall and member of the Serial Criminal Task Force. North, Ares, and … [Read more...]
Lawrence Davis has Updated and Revised DESTRUCTION OF JUSTICE: Book Two In The Monsters And Men Trilogy
Originally released in 2018, Lawrence Davis has revised and updated the second book in THE MONSTERS AND MEN TRILOGY set in Cleveland's magical underworld. Janzen Robinson is no longer a man torn between two worlds, having decided to come off the bench and dive head first into Cleveland's magical underworld. With his new partner and perpetually exhausted friend Grove, he's just starting to get a handle on all the supernatural happenings when … [Read more...]
In Full Review, The Jerusalem Post Urges Readers To Set Aside A Few Hours For Levison’s A NEST OF SNAKES
Put aside a few hours to read this novel - like a snake that traps its prey, it will seize your imagination until you turn the final page. -LAUREN ADILEV, The Jerusalem Post In her review, Adilev reacts to Deborarh Levison's recent thriller A NEST OF SNAKES, calling it a reflection on "what happens in a society where kids are merely accessories" and "exquisitely written." Read or listen to the full review. The book is about a man, suffering … [Read more...]
BIG DOGS: Book One In The ‘Big Dogs Series’ by S.L. Ditmars
An Award-winning Crime Saga Begins Rule One When Hunting Serial Killers: Don't Become the Next Victim There is a serial killer up there! Lieutenant JW North, of the Long Beach Police Department, stood quietly in front of an elevator to the North Tower of the Ultimo Hotel in Las Vegas. He watched the numbers go down as the elevator descended to him and wondered about the daunting task ahead. Sixty-five floors-this would be a marathon. Was his … [Read more...]
“So, you want to write a book?” Debut author S.L. Ditmars on embracing the process
I had an idea in my head... After I retired, I had an idea in my head for a book. It was loosely based on my work with the Long Beach Police Department using K9 scent detection and trailing. The story is fiction, but many of the small details of the story are based on things that happened during my career. I had no idea how to write a book. All I had were a series of short stories. I call them scenes that were in my head. When I went to bed at … [Read more...]
Deborah Levison’s Acclaimed Courtroom Thriller A NEST OF SNAKES Wins Connecticut Press Club Award!
In her fiction debut, Deborah Levison, author of the acclaimed, multi-award-winning true crime book THE CRATE, weaves a tale snatched from the headlines. A NEST OF SNAKES is loosely based on a spate of lawsuits in which adult men accused their elite private schools of abuses that shocked the nation. Brendan Cortland is a broken man. Middle-aged, pasty, pudgy, and fearful, he suffers from chronic depression, nightmares, and agoraphobia. His … [Read more...]
