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The Nameless Dead
The Nameless Dead, by Leta Serafim, follows Greek police chief Yiannis Patronas as he investigates the murder of a child and uncovers a tangle of prejudice, corruption, and personal vendettas in a small village. The plot moves between the procedural grind of the investigation and the tense undercurrents of rural life, where long-held grudges and deep suspicion run through every interaction. As Patronas digs deeper, the case grows darker, revealing the complicated human motivations behind violence and the cost of seeking truth in a place where silence often feels safer.
Serafim writes with a sharpness, letting tension seep in without shouting it at you. I liked how she allowed the setting to act almost like another character, with its own moods and shadows. The pacing wasn’t always even, but that slow burn worked for me. It gave time for the moral weight of the case to settle in. What I liked most was the way the story dealt with bias, not in a grand, preachy way, but in the small, sideways glances and unspoken assumptions that shape the investigation.
Still, there were moments when the dialogue felt a bit stiff, almost like it was holding back. I sometimes wanted the characters to spill over more, to show the rawness behind their guarded expressions. The plot itself is clever, though, and Serafim manages to weave in enough misdirection to keep me second-guessing my hunches. There’s a certain melancholy in the writing, a recognition that not every mystery can be tied up neatly, and that honesty often comes at a price.
I’d recommend The Nameless Dead to readers who like their crime fiction steady and thoughtful, with more emphasis on atmosphere and moral complexity than flashy twists. If you enjoy stories where the setting feels alive and the characters live in shades of gray, then you’ll enjoy this book.
Pages: 224 | ASIN : B0DF51DJ22
More Hype Than Anything
The Gestalt in the Machine follows a tech journalist as he’s dragged from covering an AI hype-fest into a deadly conspiracy that forces him to question who’s lying and what it means to be real. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I used to be a tech journalist and I’ve sat through a lot of hype. The bombast and over-the-top promises of PanoptiCon are actually pretty realistic, at least as far as what tech companies claim, and AI is more hyped than anything.
What’s different with AI is that there’s even less skepticism about it than other new technologies, I think because pessimists who might otherwise call out a bubble are instead drawn towards something else: The fear that it will destroy the world. With fans of the technology hoping that it will give them eternal life, the stakes are pretty high.
Adam Arrowman is an intriguing and well-developed character. What were some driving ideals behind his character development?
I wanted the protagonist to have realistic human flaws, which naturally are expressed more as he’s under the stress of investigating a murder. He isn’t some crime-solving mastermind: He quickly gets out of his depth, a feeling I think we all have when dealing with tech giants, and doesn’t necessarily react to that well. Then when he does make progress, he’s often reliant on others.
I tried to do the same with the other characters. Kelvin Clipper is the main antagonist and the book is in some ways a warning about the risks of his worldview, but I hope that readers will be agreeing with what he says at least some of the time. Who wouldn’t want to live forever?
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
The two big ones are the effects of AI on our society and what happens when the push for an ever-accelerating economy runs up against physical constraints. I think that Singularity vs. Limits to Growth is going to be one of the biggest issues we face in the future, if the machines don’t destroy us first.
The book isn’t just about that, though. It’s a story of young people trying to make it in a world many see as doomed, of a devastated media that’s left a smoldering crater in place of consensus reality, and of where we invest our hopes for salvation following the death of God. And, I hope, an exciting thriller.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?
When I was writing the book, I thought it would be one and done. Not because I’d run out of things to say, but because AI was progressing so fast that I assumed it would replace human authors before I had a chance to write another.
Now I’m not so sure: Though the Internet is drowning in AI slop, a language model still can’t match a good human writer. I think the reason I was wrong isn’t so much because AI has slowed as that it’s moved on to things that are potentially more profitable than stringing words together. In fact, that seems a good topic to write about….
Author Links: GoodReads
His detective work takes him into the world of Kelvin Clipper, an imperious CEO who promises that ever-accelerating artificial intelligence will let him outrun death. Thousands of protesters disagree. Their warning: Infinite growth is an illusion and Big Tech is actually racing toward the extinction of humanity.
Caught in the middle, a band of hackers searches desperately for a way to align algorithms with human needs. More violence hints at a connection to a president threatening World War III, lobbyists trying to free corporations from their stockholders, and an app that claims to resurrect the dead.
Can Adam find the killer before the killer finds him? What secrets did the victim die to protect? And will Clipper’s Singularity deliver immortality in our time, or damnation for us all?
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
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
The Adventures of Mrs. Hats: The Mayan Headdress by Christopher Corbett
Visit the Literary Titan Book Awards page to see award information.
Exploded Into Existence
Deception’s Edge follows a knife-throwing performer on a mission to find her mother’s killer, when she discovers her friend has been captured in North Korea, and now must choose to continue her vendetta or join in the rescue mission. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Years ago, while commuting to work, Peter Gabriel’s “Red Rain” started playing on the radio. And out of the blue, a scene from Deception’s Edge exploded into existence. From that moment on, I knew I had to write a book using that climatic scene.
Blade Broussard is a woman with strength. What do you think makes her a valuable and worthy heroine?
Blade Broussard is a woman of strength, despite her shortcomings. In Deception’s Edge, she is still grieving her mother’s death, her hunt for Alec Quinn is going nowhere, and her career as a professional knife-thrower is on hold. I root for her not because she’s perfect or invincible, but because she’s messy, broken, brave—and determined to do what’s right, no matter the cost.
How did you balance the action scenes with the story elements and still keep a fast pace in the story?
As a writer, I would say my strength is writing action scenes. But I also love my characters. They aren’t two-dimensional cardboard cutouts, but people with hopes and dreams, failures and triumphs. Every action scene isn’t just about adrenaline or danger, but about showing who these characters really are under pressure. For example, Blade’s fights highlight her skill but also her vulnerabilities and emotional state.
Where does the story go in the next book, and where do you see it going in the future?
The third book in the series will focus on Blade’s hunt for the assassins who marked her for death in Deception’s Edge. But her quest will uncover a far deadlier threat rooted in her own bloodline. I’m not sure how the story will evolve, but this is what I most enjoy—the discovery.
LITERARY TITAN 