Blog Archives
Unorganised Crime
Unorganised Crime is a gritty and fast-moving crime-comedy novel set on the Gold Coast, following two down-on-their-luck publicans, Jack Perkins and Hung Van Thanh, who stumble deeper and deeper into the orbit of loan sharks, bent cops, and assorted misfits. The book opens with Jack and Hung preparing to torch their own pub, The Hackston, a desperate attempt to free themselves from the grip of Magdalena Black, a razor-tongued loan shark whose presence dominates much of the story. From there, the novel jumps back and forth, slowly revealing how a pair of ordinary blokes managed to get themselves neck-deep in a mess involving arson, debt, and a colourful parade of criminals. It’s a crime caper at heart, but one wrapped in a very Australian blend of chaos, humour, and menace.
The writing swings between sharp, funny dialogue and gritty tension, and I found myself leaning in any time Jack and Hung tried to reason their way through a terrible decision. Author Jamie Richter captures the Gold Coast’s strange cocktail of sun, seediness, and swagger in a way that feels honest without being bleak. Some scenes hit with a punch, others with a wink, and the tone shifts feel intentional rather than jolting. I appreciated how the humour sits right beside the danger, sometimes bleeding into it, which feels true to the crime-comedy genre this book lives in.
What stood out to me most was how the characters are drawn. Jack’s cynicism, Hung’s anxious logic, Magdalena’s operatic rage, Mark Campbell’s blunt force loyalty, everyone feels heightened yet recognisable, like people you could overhear at a pub and immediately think, Of course that guy exists. The book doesn’t shy away from absurdity, but it also doesn’t let its characters become cartoons. Choices have weight. Violence has consequences. Even at its funniest, there’s a hum under the surface reminding you that these people are in real trouble. I liked that balance. It gave the story more texture than I expected going in.
I felt like I’d been pulled through a whirlwind of bad luck, worse decisions, and strangely heartfelt moments. I’d recommend Unorganised Crime to anyone who enjoys crime fiction with personality, especially readers who like their crime stories messy, funny, and grounded in character rather than procedure. If Australian crime-comedy is your genre, or if you just want a story that doesn’t take itself too seriously yet never phones it in, this one will hit the spot.
Pages: 376 | ASIN : B0G45N2762
The Nalanda Manuscript
The Nalanda Manuscript is a globe-trotting thriller that opens with fire, ash, and heartbreak in ancient Nalanda before dropping readers straight into modern-day mountain roads, secret missions, and a hunt for a manuscript that shouldn’t exist. In simple terms, the story follows Izak Kaurben, a former special forces officer who gets pulled into a high-stakes quest to recover a long-lost Nalanda manuscript that mysteriously surfaced in Mali. What starts as a historical curiosity becomes a dangerous cross-continental chase, blending real history with tense action and emotional undercurrents. It’s fast, cinematic, and surprisingly reflective underneath all the movement.
The writing moves with a restless energy. Chapters slide quickly from quiet conversations over tea to gunfire in the desert. I liked how grounded some moments felt, especially the scenes in Himachal Pradesh where Izak reconnects with people who know him beyond the soldier he used to be. The book makes space for these pauses, and they kept me invested because they showed why Izak says yes to things he could easily walk away from. Not every choice the author makes is subtle, but that’s part of the charm. The story wants to entertain first, teach you something second, and only then make you sit with the weight of its ideas.
I also found myself thinking about how much the book respects history while still letting itself play. The sections about Nalanda’s library and Timbuktu’s manuscripts felt lovingly researched, and they made me care about the artifact at the center of all this. There’s a clear admiration for the people who protect cultural heritage, the kind of admiration that gives the plot extra heat. The explanations sometimes leaned toward compact info-bursts, but they were interesting enough that I didn’t mind. The mix of action and scholarship shouldn’t work as well as it does, yet somehow it clicks.
I’d say this book is perfect for readers who love adventure thrillers with a historical core, the kind who appreciate both chase scenes and quiet human moments. If you enjoy stories that move quickly but still want to feel something real beneath the momentum, this one will land well. And if you’ve got a soft spot for lost knowledge, ancient libraries, or the idea that one manuscript can hold a world together, you’ll enjoy it even more.
Pages: 309 | ASIN : B0G3C2BK79
Better Off Dead
Better Off Dead drops us straight into the foggy, moneyed world of Marin County and follows Trisha Carson, an amateur sleuth with sharp instincts and a stubborn streak, as she tries to untangle the suspicious death of Andrew Barlow. What looks like a tragic open water swimming accident begins to feel like something darker, especially once Andrew’s son Harrison insists his uncle murdered his father. From there the book expands into a layered mystery involving family secrets, financial ruin, and a Shakespeare-inspired sense of emotional chaos. It’s a contemporary mystery, but it leans into the psychological side of the genre, especially as parallels to Hamlet surface in clever ways.
What struck me first was the tone of the book. Trisha’s voice feels grounded and natural. She’s observant in a way that made me feel like I was riding shotgun with her, listening to her mutter under her breath about everything from funeral etiquette to suspicious boat owners. The writing is clean and steady. When it settles into a moment, it stays just long enough to let me feel the tension before moving on. Carroll lets the humor breathe, too. Trisha gets itchy rashes at funerals, complains about open water temperatures, and has a talent for stumbling into awkward situations. Those small quirks soften the edges of a story built around death and betrayal, and they made the darker turns hit harder.
I liked how the mystery is shaped by relationships instead of just clues. Harrison’s shifting behavior, the uneasy dynamic between the Barlow brothers, and Justine’s brittle elegance give the story texture. I found myself leaning in whenever Trisha pushed past her own nerves to ask the uncomfortable questions. Some scenes felt almost cinematic to me, like peeking through the Barlow family’s glass walls at night and catching the flicker of something you’re not meant to see. The Shakespeare thread could have felt gimmicky, but instead it adds a quiet echo beneath the plot. Not overwhelming. Just a subtle reminder that families have been falling apart in dramatic fashion for centuries.
If you enjoy contemporary mysteries with an approachable narrator, tangled family dynamics, and a backdrop of Northern California that feels lived in rather than postcard pretty, this one will hit the mark. Fans of character-driven mysteries or anyone who likes their crime fiction with emotional undercurrents will especially appreciate Better Off Dead.
Pages: 317 | ASIN : B0DVZQW36T
Mortal Revenge
At its core, this is a crime thriller that blends family betrayal, corruption, and moral reckoning into a story driven by personal stakes. The book follows Alex Deltoro, a successful pharmaceutical executive in Mexico City, whose professional triumphs collide with a dark family crisis involving his mother, his brother, and a web of neglect, greed, and possible murder. Set against the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the novel moves between domestic abuse, corporate intrigue, and the broader rot of institutional corruption, all building toward a question that lingers throughout. How far can a decent person be pushed before justice turns into revenge?
What stayed with me most was how grounded the writing feels, even when the plot leans into high-stakes territory. The authors do not rush Alex’s inner life. We sit with his guilt, his exhaustion, and his instinct to care for others even when it costs him. The pacing reflects that choice. Some scenes stretch out, especially in hospitals or family spaces, and that patience pays off. It gives the story weight. The prose is clear and unflashy, which works well for a thriller rooted in realism rather than spectacle. Those details never feel decorative. They serve the story.
I also appreciated how the book handles power and corruption. No one twirls a mustache here. Harm happens through neglect, selfishness, and systems that reward the wrong behavior. The pandemic backdrop is especially effective. It adds urgency without feeling opportunistic, and it mirrors the novel’s larger concerns about who gets protected and who gets sacrificed. There were moments where I wished certain confrontations had been sharper or arrived sooner, but in hindsight, the slower burn fits the emotional logic of the story. Revenge, in this novel, is not impulsive. It is something that grows quietly, fed by love and frustration in equal measure.
Mortal Revenge felt less like a simple thriller and more like a meditation on responsibility. It sits comfortably in the crime thriller genre, but it also borrows from social realism and psychological drama. I would recommend this book to readers who like suspense grounded in character, especially those interested in morally complex stories set in real-world crises. If you enjoy thrillers that make you think about systems, family, and the cost of doing the right thing, this one is worth your time.
ISBN: 978-1-64456-875-0
Lords of Sixty Third Street
Lords of Sixty-Third Street is a gritty crime thriller set on Chicago’s South Side, opening with the shocking murder of Tribune reporter Michael Anderson. From there, the story widens into an underworld web: a mob crew scrambling to protect its interests, a ruthless street gang fighting for power, and a fellow reporter determined to uncover the truth. The book has the bones of a classic crime novel but wraps it in local detail, political corruption, and the messy humanity of people who live and die on those blocks.
I was pulled in right away. The opening chapter is brutal. It sets a tone that never really lets up, and I caught myself tensing as the scene unfolded. Author Edward Izzi writes in a straightforward, almost journalistic style that fits the subject matter, especially when he switches into Larry McKay’s first-person point of view. Larry’s voice feels worn down in the way longtime reporters often are. His sarcasm, his grief, and even his guilt feel believable. And the pacing surprised me. The chapters bounce between the investigation, the mob’s internal politics, and the O-Block gang’s chaos, but it never feels scattered. Instead, it feels like standing in the middle of a neighborhood where everything is happening at once.
What I liked most, though, was how the author handles violence and power. He doesn’t shy away from either. Some scenes made me uncomfortable, not because they were poorly written but because they felt too close to stories that make the news in real life. The book keeps circling back to what desperation and loyalty can make people do. There’s also this tension between the old guard, the Outfit, with its rules and rituals, and the young gang members who don’t care about structure and burn everything they touch.
By the time I reached the end, I felt like I had watched a full neighborhood ecosystem twist around one terrible act of violence. It’s the kind of story where nobody gets out clean, and honestly, that feels right for this genre. If you enjoy crime fiction that leans into atmosphere and moral gray areas, especially stories rooted in Chicago’s history of corruption and street politics, this one will hit the spot. Fans of gritty crime thrillers will appreciate how fully it commits to its world and its characters.
Pages: 378 | ASIN : B0FXVVHLD5
Beneath The Rings
The Doha 2040 Summer Olympics promise spectacle and grandeur. That illusion shatters fast. Twelve Lebanese and Israeli athletes vanish, seized by a shadowy organization known as the Obsidian Hand. Their demand lands like a thunderclap: a ransom of $500 billion. Veteran journalist Nova Mendelsohn steps into the chaos, and the stakes spike with every passing hour. The Olympic Village becomes her launching point, yet the real peril lurks beyond its perimeter. The desert holds secrets. Vengeance brews. Lives hang by a thread. Unless Nova unearths the truth, the kidnapped athletes will not survive.
Beneath the Rings, by Joe Battaglia, evokes echoes of Argo while carving out its own identity. Set in a near-future landscape that feels disturbingly plausible, the novel imagines a world only a few steps removed from our present timeline.
At its center stands Nova Mendelsohn. Once the narrative machinery locks into place, the spotlight rarely shifts from her. Intelligent, relentless, and remarkably resourceful, she becomes the ideal guide through this pressure cooker of danger. Readers may catch glimmers of Dan Brown’s puzzle-laced adventures or the high-velocity grit of the Jason Bourne films, yet Battaglia builds a narrative ecosystem all his own, one defined by crisp storytelling and an inventive delivery of essential clues.
Momentum never lags. Once the plot kicks into gear, it drives forward with remarkable speed. The mystery elements hook the reader early, while the dialogue sharpens the tension. Mini cliffhangers pepper the chapters, each one engineered to tug the reader deeper into the story. Putting the book down becomes a challenge.
The Obsidian Hand also stands apart from typical thriller antagonists. As their identity and purpose come into focus, their motives, while extreme, gain a faint, unsettling logic. This complexity grants the novel an unexpected emotional undercurrent, prompting readers to consider where justice ends and fanaticism begins.
The result is a high-stakes thriller with international scope and literary ambition, a potboiler elevated by thoughtful execution. Battaglia delivers a gripping ride, and further stories featuring Nova Mendelsohn would be more than welcome.
Tales of Adventure
Slickrock weaves together the paths of a loner who discovers a body in a granary and a college student who is roped into a scheme by a crew bent on revenge. Where did the idea for this story come from?
The remote wild country in Canyonlands National Park seemed like a great place to store a kidnap victim while waiting for the ransom, and it was also perfect for the intervention by “Relic,” the moonshining hermit of Canyonlands.
How do you balance story development with shocking plot twists? Or can they be the same thing?
One builds naturally into the other, especially when a character is cornered by circumstance and their own choices.
Do you have a favorite moment in Slickrock? One that was especially fun to craft?
That’s a tough question. Maybe the scene where Relic fools the shooter into thinking the deputy is already dead.
Can we look forward to more work from you soon? What are you currently working on?
Yes, I really enjoy writing about the moonshining hermit and tales of adventure and intrigue in the desert outback!
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website | Amazon
Malia is kidnapped and held in an old trailer in a remote canyon. When a gin-brewing recluse named Relic rescues her, an investigating deputy teams up with a hunter who is not who he claims to be… Malia and Relic must survive a deadly shoot-out, evade their pursuers, and warn the deputy before it’s too late. But someone in town is helping the bad guys. And a trip-up in their plan only makes them more determined and lethal…
Engineering the Puzzle
The Asset Within follows a CIA case officer who receives life-altering intelligence from an Iranian defector during a routine debrief, resulting in her alignment with a team that includes the man who once broke her heart. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I’m a Black woman and a former CIA officer, and I wanted to write a thriller that felt emotionally true to that world. The seed of the story came from what it felt like to be the only Black graduate in my training class. I carried both pride and pressure at the same time, and constantly navigated the unspoken dynamics that come with being “the only.”
From there, I wanted to explore a kind of love story I don’t see often enough: the complicated patriotism many Black Americans live with—serving a country you believe in, even when you’ve also been asked to endure its blind spots. The Iranian defector and the intelligence drop are the spark, but the heart of the setup is what happens when duty collides with history…and Andy is forced back into close orbit with the man who once broke her heart.
What do you find to be the most challenging aspect of writing a thriller? The most rewarding?
The hardest part is engineering the puzzle aspect of a thriller. I’m not a natural outliner, so I draft by instinct first, and then I have to go back and make sure every twist is earned, the clues are seeded, and the pacing stays tight without cheating the reader. Continuity is the invisible work in thrillers.
The most rewarding part is immersing myself in the story. When it’s clicking, I feel like I’m inside the scene with the characters. My heart races, I feel what it’s like to make impossible decisions, and when readers tell me they couldn’t put it down or were shocked about twists and turns they didn’t see coming – that is the best feeling.
What was the inspiration for the love story and the connection the characters have?
The love story came from watching what this kind of work does to people. Espionage isn’t just dangerous—it’s isolating. It demands secrecy, long absences, and a level of emotional compartmentalization that can strain even the strongest relationships. And yet I’ve seen couples make it, but the bond has to be more than chemistry. It has to be trust under pressure.
Andy and Cameron’s connection is rooted in history and in shared understanding: they both know what it costs to serve, and they both carry scars from how that service shaped them. Their story is also personal for me. It’s inspired by a relationship from my own life—one that didn’t last—but I used that emotional truth to write the version of the love story that could survive in this world.
I find a problem in well-written stories, in that I always want there to be another book to keep the story going. Is there a second book planned?
Absolutely. Book Two in the Global Security Series is planned for Spring 2026, and it takes Andy and Cameron into an even bigger operation—higher stakes, deeper consequences, and a relationship that has to hold under real pressure. They’ll get one more book to complete their arc, and then Theo gets his moment. His story kicks off with a teaser at the end of Book Two, and I can’t wait for readers to meet him in a bigger way.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website | Amazon
CIA Officer Andy Lynam returns home after an intelligence operation goes horribly wrong. When she becomes the target of the insidious international terrorist network Solaris, one with the power to manipulate fractures within her own agency, she realizes her badge alone can’t protect her.
To survive, Andy aligns herself with a covert team of global security officers to expose corruption at the highest levels and bring the terrorist organization down.
But when that team includes her ex-boyfriend, GSO Cameron Landry, old flames reignite. This romantic spy thriller is packed with second chances, forced proximity, workplace tension, and soul-deep romance.
LITERARY TITAN 