Blog Archives
The Return
The Return drops the reader straight into South Park, Colorado, where Ike McAlister and his family wrestle with a brutal winter, old wounds, and the steady creep of danger from men tied to the coming railroad. The story follows Ike’s fight to protect his land, his people, and the fragile peace he has managed to build. The novel blends frontier grit with family devotion and a sense of unfinished business that never quite loosens its grip. I felt the stakes rise page by page as storms, enemies, and secrets closed in around Ike and those he loves.
I found myself pulled in by the writing right away. Torreano paints the land with steady hands, and the cold feels like it bites through the page. The early scenes in the blizzard hit me hard. The tension builds quietly, then all at once, and I caught myself almost holding my breath. The dialogue has a simple rhythm that feels true to the setting. I liked that it never tries too hard. Some passages felt a little drawn out, yet the heart of the story beats strong enough that I didn’t mind lingering. I cared about Ike more than I expected. He is stubborn, loyal, and rough around the edges, and I felt that mix settle in me as something real.
What surprised me most was how emotional the book became as it unfolded. I kept feeling this tug in my chest when the family struggled through the small, private moments that hit harder than the gunfire. Lorraine’s strength stayed with me and made me think about the cost of keeping a home running when the world feels cold and hungry. I got frustrated with Ike at times because he pushes himself past reason, but that is also why he stays on my mind. The themes of honor and self-responsibility land with a quiet weight, and I found myself nodding more than once, thinking about how little those values change across time. There were moments that felt gentle, then sharp, then gentle again, and I liked that uneven beat.
The book mixes history, hardship, and hope in a way that should sit well with readers who like westerns with real heart. I would recommend The Return to anyone who enjoys frontier stories with strong family bonds, vivid landscapes, and characters who feel lived in. It would also suit readers who want action tempered with emotion and a sense of place that settles around you like campfire smoke.
Pages: 327 | ASIN: B0FR1XC4QT
To Highlight The Corruption
Angel of Death follows a grieving Irish detective whose search for the truth, sparked by a skeleton in a Kerry bog, leads him from family tragedy into a brutal web of corruption, power, and reckoning. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Had you asked me this when I started writing, I would have had difficulty answering. Now, it’s clearly that I wanted to highlight the corruption in Thoroughbred racing and breeding, a world I lived in for many years.
Trey O’Driscoll’s inner life feels central to the novel. How much of the story began with his emotional arc versus the plot itself?
Realistically, O’Driscoll only developed for me as the story unfolded. I had no prior thoughts on him as a character, except that physically he was based on someone I knew who wasn’t anything like the character I created. I would have to say that perhaps he behaved as I would, had I been a policeman in this situation.
By the end, the book holds both tragedy and hope. What feeling did you most want readers to sit with after turning the final page?
I would like them to see the corruption so that, hopefully one day, something might be done about it.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?
I’ve written a memoir that’s currently being looked at. I also have a novel I had put aside and am re-writing.
Author Links: Amazon | GoodReads
Garda Detective-Inspector Trey O’Driscoll is tasked with the duty of investigating the find. From the outset, he suspects foul play and investigation of the bog produces pieces of evidence that lead to a UK jeweller, who comes up with two names. Through this, records of a horse kidnap emerge and Driscoll has thoughts of the disappearance of Shergar, the Derby winner. Not believing earlier investigators, he has his own beliefs.
An athlete dies of lethal drugs surreptitiously laced into innocent looking tablets. Driscoll establishes a source but his Chief Inspector won’t entertain an enquiry for an undisclosed reason. Evidence leads to a manufacturer on a Greek island who also happens to be a major racehorse owner in the UK.
Into this scenario a beautiful freelance journalist insinuates herself. From tit-bits of information, she anticipates where the heart of the investigation will lead, gets a job as a stable hand in a critical racing yard, working under cover.
Ultimately, it’s she who unearths the critical evidence leading to the unfurling of this spine-tingling murder mystery.
Summer Fallout
Summer Fallout is a contemporary crime drama and family-centered thriller that follows a beach-town family still reeling from a violent hurricane season when their adult son is shot on his own front porch. The novel moves between moments of coastal calm and sudden brutality, focusing on the emotional fallout rather than just the crime itself. The book is about survival. Physical survival, yes, but more deeply the kind that happens in hospital waiting rooms, quiet kitchens, and the long stretch of time after trauma when life is supposed to go back to normal and refuses to cooperate.
Author Denise Ann Stock spends time letting scenes breathe. Long walks on the beach, family dinners, small conversations that feel ordinary. Those moments matter because when violence breaks in, it lands harder. The contrast is sharp but not flashy. The author clearly wants the reader to feel what it is like to live in a place that looks like paradise while carrying fear just under the surface. The point of view stays close to the mother, and that choice works. Her thoughts circle and spiral the way real fear does.
The book’s ideas are simple but heavy. Safety is fragile. Communities can look peaceful while hiding cracks. Trauma does not arrive once and leave politely. I appreciated that Stock does not rush healing or tie things up neatly. As a work of crime fiction, the mystery matters, but as a family drama, the emotional stakes matter more. The pacing leans toward reflective rather than propulsive, which may surprise readers expecting a fast thriller. For me, that slower rhythm felt honest.
By the end, I felt like I had spent time inside this family’s life rather than just watched a plot unfold. Summer Fallout will appeal most to readers who enjoy contemporary crime novels with a strong emotional core, especially those who like stories about resilience, family bonds, and the long shadow violence can cast over everyday life. If you like reflective crime fiction that lingers on aftermath and human cost, this book is worth your time.
Pages: 228 | ASIN : B0G4G349X2
Literary Titan Book Award: Fiction
The Literary Titan Book Award honors books that exhibit exceptional storytelling and creativity. This award celebrates novelists who craft compelling narratives, create memorable characters, and weave stories that captivate readers. The recipients are writers who excel in their ability to blend imagination with literary skill, creating worlds that enchant and narratives that linger long after the final page is turned.
Award Recipients
Visit the Literary Titan Book Awards page to see award information.
Literary Titan Silver Book Awards
Celebrating the brilliance of outstanding authors who have captivated us with their skillful prose, engaging narratives, and compelling real and imagined characters. We recognize books that stand out for their innovative storytelling and insightful exploration of truth and fiction. Join us in honoring the dedication and skill of these remarkable authors as we celebrate the diverse and rich worlds they’ve brought to life, whether through the realm of imagination or the lens of reality.
Award Recipients
Losing Mom by Peggy Ottman
This Is For MY Glory: A Story of Fatherlessness, Failure, Grace, and Redemption
Toil and Trouble by Brian Starr
Visit the Literary Titan Book Awards page to see award information.
Slickrock
Slickrock blends a fast kidnapping thriller with a rugged, sun-bleached wilderness adventure. The story kicks off when Relic, a loner and moonshiner who haunts Utah canyon country, discovers a body in a fake granary. At the same time, college student Malia is yanked from a nightclub and dragged into a scheme run by a revenge-hungry crew. Sheriff Leavitt and Deputy Dawson try to track down a missing ranch hand, but their investigation collides with the kidnappers’ plans. The book jumps between these threads until everything crashes together in Slickrock Canyon, where desert storms, gunfights, and raw survival force each character to show who they really are.
The pacing moves fast, like the book can’t wait to shove you around the next corner. I really liked the way the author paints the canyon. It feels hot and harsh and alive in a way that made me thirsty just sitting on my couch. Relic ended up being my favorite part of the book. His quiet grit sneaks up on you, and the way he tries to help Malia even though the whole mess has nothing to do with him makes him feel grounded and real. I also liked how the author lets scenes breathe just long enough before snapping into chaos. It kept me on my toes, and I didn’t mind that one bit.
The villains are nasty, but a few of their scenes felt over-the-top. Malia’s storyline pulled me in, especially the terror and confusion she feels early on, but I sometimes wanted more space inside her head instead of being rushed along. Still, when the story drops her into the wilderness with Relic, everything tightens up again. Their scramble through canyon forks and flash floods has a wild, sweaty energy. The writing hits hardest when it sticks to people running for their lives under a huge sky.
The book is punchy and dramatic. If you like thrillers that sprint rather than stroll, or if you enjoy survival stories set in wide open desert country, this one will probably scratch the itch. It’s especially good for readers who love a mix of crime, action, and a little rough humor. And if you’re the type who likes rooting for the stubborn, dusty outsider who’d rather avoid everyone but still ends up saving the day, Relic alone makes the journey worth it.
Pages: 300 | ASIN : B0G1CD2S61
Angel of Death
Angel of Death spins together a murder mystery, an Irish family drama, and a dark plunge into corruption that stretches from quiet boglands to a billionaire’s island fortress. The story follows Detective Trey O’Driscoll as a skeleton turns up in a Kerry bog and the death of his brother-in-law shatters his home life. One discovery leads to another. Drugs hiding inside sports supplements. A charming but monstrous tycoon who toys with lives. A journalist pulled into danger. And a trail that runs all the way to a final confrontation where everything breaks apart. The book moves with steady tension as it threads family, grief, crime, and obsession into one long tightening knot.
I found myself pulled in by the rawness of its emotion. The writing has a rough edge that hits hard. Scenes jump from tender to brutal so fast that it left me blinking, which I actually liked. The everyday details of Ireland feel lived in. The bogs, the farms, the crowded roads, the pubs, the families that love each other and fight each other. It all rang true. I kept feeling a strange mix of calm and dread because the book sits with grief in such a natural way. Trey’s inner life, shaped by past mistakes and a sense of fate, hooked me more than the plot twists did. The man hurts, and that hurt pulses through the pages.
The story goes big with its villain. Charlie Teeman is wild. Cold and flashy and cruel. His scenes shocked me, partly because he is written with such quiet confidence in his own power. I felt a jolt each time he appeared. It is outrageous and almost unbelievable, yet the book commits to him so fully that I went along for the ride. The mix of intimate Irish realism and high-voltage crime thriller sometimes felt like two different worlds stitched together. It worked for me, though. I found myself flipping pages fast, curious to see which world would take over next.
Angel of Death is full of tragedy and violence, but it also carries a stubborn hope for justice and love. I would recommend Angel of Death to readers who enjoy crime fiction with heart, people who like Irish settings, and anyone who wants a story that swings between gritty truth and dramatic flair. If you like mysteries that carry emotional weight along with danger, this one will suit you well.
Pages: 253 | ASIN: B0B9T3CQPY
LITERARY TITAN 