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72 Hours in Cedar
In 72 Hours in Cedar, J.L. Calder delivers a suspenseful thriller that combines a missing-person investigation, a family’s complicated history, and the lingering consequences of lives built around secrets. Set against the unforgiving landscape of southern Utah in August 2013, the novel centers on Aidan Saunders, a former police officer who has spent a decade cultivating a quiet existence with his family. That stability unravels when his seventeen-year-old daughter, Ruth, disappears during a wilderness survival exercise, leaving behind disturbing evidence that suggests something far more sinister than an inexperienced hiker losing her way. As the search intensifies, Aidan’s carefully concealed past begins to resurface, bringing former colleagues, federal agents, and unresolved personal relationships into an increasingly dangerous situation. Calder establishes the stakes quickly, grounding the escalating investigation in a father’s desperation to find his daughter. The resulting story moves between crime fiction, espionage, and survival suspense, with the family’s emotional connections providing continuity as the investigation grows more complex.
Aidan is a compelling protagonist whose professional instincts remain sharp even as his parental fears threaten to overwhelm his judgment. His son, Eric, brings a different kind of intelligence to the investigation, combining technical resourcefulness with the frustration of a young man determined to be taken seriously. Ruth, meanwhile, emerges as considerably more than the missing girl at the center of the mystery. Fiercely independent, stubborn, and unusually capable, she’s a teenager struggling to establish an identity beyond her father’s protective influence. Her insistence that “It isn’t camping. It’s surviving” captures both her attitude toward the wilderness exercise and the determination that defines her character. Calder also gives considerable attention to the supporting cast, particularly detective Annie Reilly and intelligence operative Tony McCollister, whose history with Aidan adds tension and emotional complexity. Their interactions reveal relationships shaped by loyalty, professional obligation, and difficult choices that continue to influence their lives.
Calder structures 72 Hours in Cedar around a tightly compressed timeline, using timestamped chapters and shifting perspectives to sustain urgency. The narrative moves between investigators, family members, and Ruth’s own experiences, allowing readers to understand the developing crisis from several angles. Flashbacks introduce earlier events that illuminate the characters’ motivations and gradually establish connections between past and present. This approach gives the mystery an expansive quality despite its concentrated timeframe. The southern Utah setting contributes substantially to the atmosphere, with relentless summer heat, isolated mountain terrain, and abandoned industrial sites creating a vivid sense of physical danger. Calder’s background in action-oriented storytelling is evident in the procedural details, tactical discussions, and sequences involving surveillance, investigative technology, and wilderness survival. The dialogue frequently incorporates dry humor, providing moments of relief amid the escalating tension. The novel’s substantial history of espionage and personal entanglements also gives it the feel of an interconnected thriller series, inviting readers to become invested in a larger fictional world.
Beneath its fast-moving investigation, 72 Hours in Cedar explores the complicated responsibilities of parenthood and the personal cost of keeping secrets in the name of protection. Aidan’s admission that “I was there as a dad, not a cop” captures one of the novel’s central conflicts: the difficulty of reconciling professional experience with the emotional vulnerability of loving someone whose safety is suddenly beyond one’s control. The story also examines how trauma shapes families across generations, particularly when adults attempt to shield younger people from painful truths. Calder handles these themes through a combination of tense confrontations, affectionate exchanges, and moments of genuine emotional exposure. The characters’ relationships give the novel much of its substance, ensuring that the investigation carries personal significance beyond the immediate mystery. Readers who enjoy character-driven suspense, intricate backstories, and thrillers that blend investigative procedure with intelligence operations will find plenty to engage with here. 72 Hours in Cedar is an ambitious, energetic novel whose greatest strength lies in the family at the center of its danger, and in the difficult questions about trust, identity, and responsibility that the crisis brings into focus.
Pages: 377 | ASIN : B0H1S29HK3
The Place Was A Little Spooky
The Rightful Future follows a retired librarian who investigates a brutal murder and uncovers a century-old secret that threatens her family and an entire town. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Three things inspired me to write this story. The first is that I was a career records and information manager who managed the records of a large corporation. The paper records were stored in a building on the campus that had originally been built to test jet engines during WWII. We stored the records in the old test cells and observation platforms, which had been modified to accommodate our needs.
The place was a little spooky, especially if you happened to be there alone, which I frequently was after my staff left for the day. The strange creaks, whooshes, clangs, and occasional bats could set me on edge. Even security officers were reluctant to do their walk-throughs at night. I would regularly joke that one day I was going to write a murder mystery set inside that very building. While Marian discovers the body in the library in The Rightful Future, the seed had already been planted long ago.
My second inspiration came by way of the state of New York. I was born there and lived my first fifty years there before moving South. I’ve always been fascinated by the rich history and multiculturalism and diversity of the state. I learned of the influence of Iroquois culture, specifically Onondaga language and culture, when I lived in Syracuse for thirty-five years. The whole state was originally inhabited by the Six Nations of the Iroquois: Onondaga, Seneca, Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga, and Tuscarora. Colonialism displaced the tribes and took land, some of it sacred land, to use as they wanted and without regard to the people it originally belonged to.
The forefathers of this country based their governance model on the governance principles of the Onondaga. New York was also an epicenter of abolitionism, suffragism, and the Underground Railroad. Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, John Brown, Susan B. Anthony, and Elizabeth Cady-Stanton lived in New York state.
My third inspiration is my fifty-year interracial relationship with the love of my life, Ronald. I’d already written two memoirs about our experiences, but fiction seemed like a perfect place to explore some of the larger issues of race in America, and a mystery series was an excellent vehicle to unveil the history and show its connection to the present.
How do Marian and Lester’s different backgrounds and perspectives influence their understanding of the events unfolding in Cadence?
Marian and Lester have been together for so long, they share a similar perspective born of shared experiences. However, they are both strong-willed individuals, who approach crises from different angles: Marian’s understanding is driven by curiosity, while Lester’s understanding is driven by caution and protection. Uncovering secrets in Cadence tests them both—forcing Marian to confront uncomfortable historical truths while Lester seeks to shield the family from looming danger.
What inspired you to explore racial violence, white supremacy, and Indigenous history within the framework of a historical murder mystery?
It truly comes down to that collision of history and lived experience. By choosing to place Cadence inside the borders of the complex legacy of New York and then creating a framework of mystery and secrecy in which to tell the story, I am able to directly explore the realities of racism and systemic bias that I have witnessed firsthand on a deeply personal level for decades. Mystery (and horror) fiction allows me to expose these hard truths in a slow-burn dissection, showing how tightly the past is connected to our present.
Is this the first book in the series? If so, when is the next book coming out and what can your fans expect in the next story?
The Rightful Future is the first book of A Cadence Mystery, a multi-award-winning series. I’m happy to report that six more books have been published since this came out in 2021. They are, in order: The Eagle Speaks; Stony Place; Stone Coat Man; Improbable Future; Fallen Deer; and Creature of Secret Sorrows.
Children of Broken Promises, book 8, is expected to be released in late Spring 2027, and I’ve already begun book 9. As the series progresses, the mysteries grow more complex and the past becomes a character of its own, choosing to be represented in the Indigenous folklore found not only in New York, but across the world, that comes calling with demands to be heard. In this upcoming installment, readers can expect Marian, Lester, Enoch, and others you will meet in the later books to confront the lingering broken promises of the past.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website
Poverty, Crime, and Glamor Ran Unchecked
Behaving Badly follows a fearless reporter who, while investigating the disappearance of a missing girl, discovers that the case may lead her straight to her husband’s killers. What drew you to Depression-era Hollywood as the setting for this particular mystery?
My love of Los Angeles history coupled with hiking through the urbs and burbs of Los Angeles on weekends immersed me in my setting from street level and literally kept me in the story as I wrote. So much of L.A.’s groundbreaking architecture, like the Examiner building near downtown L.A. to the old concrete streets, bridges, and staircases on nearby hills still exists, open for exploration as Tess would experience them. 1932 L.A. sat at the center of a liminal period—the depression ending to the wild 20s, the bother of prohibition, uncontrolled crime, and the dark cloud of war in Europe on the horizon. Los Angeles highlighted the contrasts—oil baron mansions, Hollywood Boulevard lights, the glamor of the silent era overtaken by talkies, modern architecture like the Oviatt building, movie theaters lining Broadway in DTLA, and the depression driven poverty of Hoovervilles, the lawlessness of Prohibition tunnels beneath downtown, running at the same time as prep for the summer Olympics, and unchecked crime, coexisting in a city that exploded in population since the turn of the century. In 1932 Los Angeles, poverty, crime, and glamor ran unchecked, side by side. As a mystery writer, I liked the fact that Tess lacked the luxury of a cell phone or computer to solve mysteries and crimes. She needed smarts and guts.
How did you approach developing Tess as a capable, determined journalist who is also navigating the emotional consequences of losing her husband, and what made a newspaper reporter the right protagonist for this story?
Credentials, a paycheck, and deadlines defined crime beat reporter as the career for Tess. Her press credentials gave her access to people and places an amateur sleuth could not easily attain. Deadlines and assigned stories kept Tess in action without manufacturing mysteries for her to solve, and the paycheck legitimized her efforts then became a necessity to pay the rent as a widow in a depression society. The hyper activity of a newsroom provided an atmosphere for her to bury her grief and provided distraction. Tess modeled other real life female journalists of the era in Los Angeles like Aggie Underwood, Charlotta Bass, Louella Parsons, and Florabel Muir, who typified the strong, educated, modern women of the progressive movement at the turn of the century.
What interested you about exploring the relationships between organized crime, corrupt law enforcement, and powerful social institutions?
Digging deep, I saw how everything intertwined. Money and power in a depression society allowed special treatment for the missing children of the wealthy while the missing children of poor families were often abandoned or sent away to fend for themselves. Low paid cops bent their ethics to feed their families. The ungodly large amount of money wagered on gambling ships by people who couldn’t afford their rent. Corrupt politicians, seduced by power, exchanged favors for dollars or more power. During the depression, people made daily choices between pride and ethics or food and shelter. Even widowed Tess, now lacking the second paycheck that paid half the bills when her husband was alive, faced choices between looking away for her own survival, literal or financial, or standing on her principles.
Can you tell us more about what’s in store for Tess Hammond and the direction of the second book?
A cliffhanger at the end of BEHAVING BADLY sets the tone of the second Tess Hammond novel. Tess finds herself going deeper into the social politics of 1932 Los Angeles—racism, prostitution, and the conservative movement create social roadblocks to Tess’s determination to report on and solve a crime. The 1932 Olympic games’ start date is near, tensions over safety are high, and the upcoming 1932 national elections are looming.
Author Links: GoodReads | X | Facebook | Website
The Area Could Use A Good Murder
A Child’s Guillotine follows a Tennessee detective in 1982 who is investigating a young girl’s murder that is connected to a Croatian immigrant and horrors from WWII. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I’ve long felt that WWII was a worldwide trauma that has left its mark well into the 21st century. People don’t talk about it, but those who experienced its horror will never forget. Unfortunately, there are very few of those people left and the rest of us need to be reminded that this is what can happen if we let our guard down. Croatia and the Balkan states were a theater of the war that has still not been fully analyzed or understood. The hatred goes back centuries, and no one knows why. I lived in Tennessee for a year and it’s a very beautiful and peaceful place. I thought the area could use a good murder.
What interested you about exploring the ways historical atrocities can influence individuals and communities decades after the original events?
What are we but for our history? We all scurry like rats hiding our secrets and our pasts, but when we admit to the worst of our past, we become more strongly committed to change, where cruelty and violence might just become a thing of the past.
How does Morris’s struggle with alcohol and personal regret contribute to his character development throughout the investigation?
Morris is your typical tough guy with a heart. His character evolved as I wrote. I realized that if I had seen what he saw in Detroit, I’d be drinking up a storm. I tried to make his character less stereotypical and more human. His city lifestyle smashing up against good country folk was my attempt at humor, and I do believe it helped round out his character. I didn’t want to minimize his struggle. Too many stories or movies have a heavy drinker who quits, wins a big victory, and then has a drink to celebrate. That’s not how it works.
What were the greatest challenges of balancing the novel’s murder mystery with its extensive historical and psychological themes?
I didn’t really think of this as a murder mystery until about halfway through writing it. When I realized I had created a whodunit, I knew I needed a twist, so I came up with the commandant of the concentration camp, which was exactly what I wanted to write about in the first place. “Who are these people?” “How could they do such a thing?” These are the questions I wanted readers to ask. The challenge is in making ethical self-examination entertaining. If I succeeded in doing that, then I have done a good thing.
Literary Titan Gold 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
60 Seconds To Earth’s Wrath by Joy B. Wren
Visit the Literary Titan Book Awards page to see award information.
Literary Titan Silver Book Award
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
F F F by Al X. Griz
Pixie by Nightdancer Slater
Ada, Old and New: A Brother-Sister Tale by Madeleine Van Hecke
A Child’s Guillotine by Daniel Klein
The Restoration of Man-A Journey to Healing, Identity and God-Anchored Masculinity by Eli Brackenbury
The STEWARD Blueprint: A Compass for a Purposeful Life by Andy Tseng
Visit the Literary Titan Book Awards page to see award information.
Colorado Conundrum
A road trip. A milestone birthday. A grueling Ironman. A mountain retreat where nothing is as it seems.
Private Investigator Liz Adams and her husband, Brad, set out with friends on a meticulously planned adventure to Colorado. Along for the ride are their truth-sniffing Labrador, Duke, and Jenny’s adorable mutt, Snooper.
The adventure kicks off with a nostalgic visit to Dollywood where the first unsettling mystery unfolds.
And then . . . a phone call that changes everything.
The cheerful mood evaporates. Unanswered questions loom, and grief rolls in like a dense mountain fog.
When they reach the sprawling rental meant for birthday cake and victory toasts, the search for answers begins. Amid the stark red rock formations of the Garden of the Gods, Duke follows scents no one else can detect.
In the thin mountain air, evil lurks. And this time, danger may be closer than Liz thinks.
Barracuda Bay: A Detective Emilia Cruz Novel
Carmen Amato’s Barracuda Bay plunges readers into a world where murder, political ambition, and organized crime collide, and where doing the right thing can carry a devastating personal price. Detective Emilia Cruz is back on the streets of Acapulco, investigating the murder of Monica Montoya, sister of the city’s powerful mayor, Carlota Montoya Perez. Monica’s body has been discovered inside a vacant luxury apartment building, surrounded by questions that grow more troubling with every new lead. Why was she there? Who had access to the building? And what was the real purpose of the gathering that preceded her death? With the mayor’s reelection campaign in full swing, Emilia faces tremendous pressure to deliver answers. What begins as a high-profile homicide investigation soon opens the door to something far more dangerous, drawing Emilia into a tangled network of secrets whose reach extends well beyond Mexico.
Emilia is the beating heart of this novel, and she’s exactly the kind of character who makes a long-running mystery series worth following. She’s stubborn, perceptive, sometimes impulsive, and fiercely committed to people who might otherwise be forgotten. Her determination to find justice for murdered and missing women gives her work an emotional weight that goes far beyond solving a single case. Amato also gives Emilia a deeply complicated personal life. Her engagement to hotel manager Kurt Rucker should be a source of uncomplicated happiness, but a police department ruling threatens to force her to choose between marriage and her career. Her relationship with fellow detective Franco Silvio faces its own strains, while unresolved wounds involving her estranged half-brother, Rafa Gamboa, add another layer of emotional tension. These relationships feel lived-in, full of affection, resentment, loyalty, and the kind of arguments that only happen when people genuinely matter to one another.
One of the book’s greatest pleasures is Amato’s ability to make Acapulco feel like a living, breathing character. The glittering hotels, exclusive hillside neighborhoods, noisy taquerias, and sun-drenched coastline share space with police corruption, cartel influence, and a political establishment adept at protecting itself. Amato captures the city’s contradictions through telling details, from the food and street life to the uneasy coexistence of wealth and hardship. When the investigation carries Emilia into the United States, the shift in climate and culture brings fresh energy to the story. Emilia’s resourcefulness becomes especially compelling as familiar rules and protections fall away. The procedural elements are equally satisfying. Phone records, witness interviews, financial connections, and small inconsistencies gradually build a complicated picture. Amato understands that good detective work requires patience, instinct, and the willingness to ask one more question when everyone else is ready to move on.
Barracuda Bay delivers an absorbing combination of police procedural, political thriller, and character-driven suspense. Its action sequences have real urgency, its quieter conversations reveal just as much as its confrontations, and its moral dilemmas linger because the consequences feel personal. Amato has a particularly sharp eye for the ways power can influence justice, and she explores those tensions through characters who must decide what they’re willing to sacrifice for their principles. Emilia’s courage is compelling because it exists alongside fear, anger, uncertainty, and an intensely human desire for love and belonging. Readers who enjoy smart, internationally flavored crime fiction with a strong emotional center will find plenty to appreciate here. In Barracuda Bay, Carmen Amato gives us a detective with the courage to confront powerful enemies and the heart to remind us why justice is worth fighting for.
Pages: 395 | ASIN: B0DVQ75QBT
