Blog Archives
Mind The Blinds
Mind the Blinds follows Elyas, a seventeen-year-old boy living in Nigeria, who struggles with alexithymia and antisocial personality disorder while navigating a life marked by family violence, peer pressure, and dangerous encounters. What begins as a portrait of a boy hardened by neglect and abuse quickly turns into a tense psychological thriller. Elyas gets pulled deeper into violence, secrecy, and survival, while detectives and other students circle closer to the truth. The story balances the harsh realities of growing up in a fractured home with the moral and emotional weight of choices that can never be undone.
I found the writing bold and unflinching. It didn’t shy away from difficult moments, whether it was domestic abuse, corruption, or the chilling matter-of-factness with which Elyas recounts his killings. At times, I felt unsettled, almost claustrophobic, because the story is told in a way that makes you live inside his head. The raw honesty of his voice made me both want to recoil and lean in closer. It’s rare to see a book explore a young narrator with such a cold lens and still leave space for flashes of vulnerability, especially in his care for his younger brother.
Long descriptions of school life, conversations, and side characters slowed down the story as the tension was building. Still, those slower parts gave the book a certain rhythm, like a calm before the storm, and when the violence returned, it felt even more jarring. The contrast worked.
By the time I closed the book, I felt both rattled and impressed. It’s not a story that leaves you with peace of mind, but that’s the point. Mind the Blinds is best for readers who like dark psychological fiction, stories that question morality, and books that sit with you long after you’re done. If you’re willing to be disturbed, challenged, and even a little haunted, it’s well worth the read.
Pages: 264 | ASIN : B0DK6MVGG7
Pandemic Hacker 2
Pandemic Hacker 2 picks up with Martha recovering in a secretive clinic in Mexico City, her body rebuilt after brutal surgeries that make her unrecognizable. What begins as a personal transformation quickly escalates into a battle with an extortion group exploiting patients who change their identities. At her side is Zoe, the AI she created, who takes on human personas like Aunt Tilly, Angela, and Andy to shield its true nature while navigating the human world. Together, they weave through deception, hacking, and survival. The book blends the gritty details of Martha’s physical recovery with the tension of digital warfare and the looming threat of being hunted, creating a fast-paced thriller that never lets up.
The descriptions of Martha’s surgeries and recovery were raw and vivid. I could feel her pain, her frustration, and her determination bleeding through the page. The way the author wrote her interactions with Zoe was fascinating. The AI was curious, literal, and sometimes naïve, and that contrast made their conversations both touching and eerie. The hacking sequences and background-building explanations were interesting, but occasionally slowed the momentum with heavy detail.
What worked for me the most was Martha herself. She is flawed, stubborn, and relatable, yet her resilience made me root for her even when she pushed people away. I liked the dynamic with Merisel, the nurse who reluctantly became part of Martha’s world. Their relationship brought in much-needed warmth and humor. It often felt like I was catching my breath only to be thrown headfirst into the next storm. That rhythm created suspense, but it also left me wanting a deeper pause to connect with Martha beyond her mission.
Pandemic Hacker 2 is a gripping and tense continuation of the series. It’s not light reading, but it’s engaging and thought-provoking. I’d recommend it to readers who enjoy cyber-thrillers, stories of reinvention, or tales that merge high-tech intrigue with raw human grit. If you like protagonists who refuse to give up no matter how much the odds stack against them, this book will hit the mark.
Pages: 284 | ASIN : B0FNRWGBRZ
Vision Storm
Vision Storm is a globe-spanning thriller that blends personal tragedy, supernatural overtones, and international intrigue into one fast-paced narrative. The story follows young Dannilee, a girl haunted by dreams that seem to bleed into reality, her troubled mother Janelle whose clairvoyant abilities blur the line between madness and foresight, and Marshall Dennison, a diving coach reluctantly pulled into a conspiracy that reaches far beyond what any of them imagined. From the icy cliffs of New York to shadowy power struggles involving the mysterious “Dark Agent,” the book layers suspense, betrayal, and an almost mystical sense of inevitability.
I found myself caught off guard by how quickly the story establishes tension. The opening chapter with Maggie is devastating and sets a tone of dread that lingers. The writing has a cinematic quality, sharp and quick, with scenes snapping together like film cuts. At times, the story is very descriptive, and I found the pace slowed a little as a result. Still, when the action hit, it hit hard, and I could feel my pulse jump with the characters’ fear and desperation. I cared about Aubrey and Dannilee, and I found myself rooting for Marshall in spite of his flaws.
What really struck me was the mix of realism and the uncanny. The idea of inherited clairvoyance could have slipped into cliché, but here it felt eerie and believable, almost natural in its strangeness. While a few bits of dialogue came across a little formal, the heart of the story, this battle between ordinary people and a larger, darker force, rang true. I could sense the author wanted me to feel the unease of not knowing who to trust, and it worked. I also appreciated that the villain, Pierre Dubois, was not just a cardboard cutout but a figure both terrifying and charismatic. That complexity made the threat land harder.
The book took risks with its plot, and while not every gamble paid off, I never felt bored. I’d recommend Vision Storm to readers who enjoy thrillers that flirt with the supernatural but keep a foot planted in real human struggles. If you like stories where family bonds and hidden powers collide with forces far bigger than any one person, this one will keep you turning pages late into the night.
Pages: 411 | ASIN : B0F8P5W9BB
The Nickel Choir
The Nickel Choir, by Poli Flores Jr., is a dark, deeply human courtroom drama that pulls no punches. The story follows Linda Sanchez, a seasoned Los Angeles prosecutor whose work in death penalty cases earns her a place in the exclusive “Nickel Choir,” a grim club of attorneys with five death penalty convictions. The book takes readers into the heart of legal battles, the raw aftermath of violent crimes, and the private toll borne by those who prosecute them. It blends gritty trial scenes, personal tragedy, and moral questions in a way that feels both brutally honest and heartbreakingly intimate.
The writing grabbed me from the start. Flores’s background as a judge and lawyer bleeds through every page, giving the legal scenes an authenticity that feels impossible to fake. The courtroom dialogue crackles with tension, and the way jurors, lawyers, and victims’ families are portrayed feels painfully real. But what struck me most was Linda’s voice. It’s confessional, self-deprecating, tough as nails, but also fragile. She compares herself to a donkey, plain on the outside but stubborn, resilient, and more capable than people expect. That metaphor resonated with me. I found myself rooting for her, not just in court but in life, through the unbearable loss of her family, her battles with addiction, and her complicated sense of justice.
The death penalty is a subject that’s hard to read about, let alone process, and Flores doesn’t soften it. He brings readers face-to-face with the cruelty of crimes and the cold mechanics of punishment. Some passages made me angry, others left me hollow, and a few had me questioning my own beliefs. That kind of discomfort isn’t easy, but it’s also the mark of writing that dares to go somewhere raw. I think that’s where the book shines most: it doesn’t tell you what to think, it makes you sit with the mess of choices and flaws.
The Nickel Choir isn’t just a courtroom thriller; it’s a meditation on justice, morality, and survival in a world where answers are never clean. I’d recommend it to readers who like legal dramas with emotional grit, who don’t mind being challenged, and who are drawn to stories that mix professional triumph with personal pain.
Pages: 250 | ISBN : 978-1804680964
The Scars We Carry
The Sins We Inherit follows a conflicted man trying to be a good father who thought he’d escaped his family’s criminal legacy, only to be pulled back in when his grandfather dies suddenly. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The inspiration began in a very personal place. I started writing during a difficult season of heartbreak and anxiety, and the story grew out of those emotions. What began as journaling slowly evolved into a narrative about identity, family, and the legacies we carry.
The first two chapters — the wake and funeral — are essentially real. They were some of the hardest scenes to write because they came directly from my own experience of losing my grandfather Carlo, who was such an important figure in my life. That rawness gave the story its foundation of authenticity.
Milwaukee became the natural backdrop. I grew up there, and its history and underworld culture gave the story a setting that felt authentic and rarely explored in fiction. From there, the character of Cost took shape as someone wrestling with the same questions I was asking myself: What does it mean to be a man, a father, and a son while carrying the weight of the past? That intimacy, set against the backdrop of crime and family power struggles, gave the book a cinematic quality from the start — I’ve always envisioned it as something that could live not only on the page, but on screen as prestige television or film.
What aspects of the human condition do you find particularly interesting that could make for great fiction?
I’ve always been fascinated by flawed characters who are still trying to do right, even when they fall short. The moments that stay with me — whether in books or film — aren’t usually the loud or violent ones, but the quiet scenes of love, regret, or vulnerability. Those moments reveal our contradictions: strength and fragility, pride and longing, loyalty and betrayal.
That tension is at the heart of The Sins We Inherit. It’s why I believe the story lends itself to screen adaptation — the crime and ambition create stakes, but the real drama comes from the universal struggles of family, identity, and the need to belong. That balance is what defines the best prestige dramas, and it’s what I wanted to capture here.
What themes were particularly important for you to explore in this book?
Redemption was central. The novel asks whether we can rise above the cycles we inherit, or if they define us no matter how far we run. Alongside that, I wanted to explore legacy, manhood, and the bonds of family — especially the father–daughter relationship, which became the emotional core of the story.
Ultimately, the book is about transformation. It’s about shifting the idea of strength from suppressing pain to confronting it, and finding meaning in the scars we carry. That emotional throughline is also why I believe the story is destined to resonate beyond the page — it’s rooted in the same timeless, human themes that make the great crime dramas work on film and television.
When will Book Two be available? Can you give us an idea of where that book will take readers?
Yes — I do see The Sins We Inherit as the beginning of a larger story. From the outset, I had a general arc for a trilogy in mind, and I’ve already outlined both Book 2 and Book 3. Each installment builds on the themes of legacy, family, and redemption, while raising new questions about power, identity, and the price of the choices we inherit.
My ambition is for this saga to stand within the mafia canon, but in a way that feels contemporary and fresh. Milwaukee remains a unique, underexplored setting, and the father–daughter relationship continues to ground the story in something universal. At its heart, the next book will push deeper into what it means to face the past, confront pride, and still fight for transformation. It’s a layered arc that I believe has all the hallmarks of prestige television: intimate, character-driven drama unfolding against a backdrop of power and consequence.
Author Links: GoodReads | X (Twitter) | Facebook | Website | TikTok | Instagram | YouTube | LinkedIn | Amazon
Costantino “Cost” Caduto Jr. thought he’d escaped his family’s criminal legacy. But when his grandfather Tiger, the man who held it all together, suddenly dies, Cost is dragged back into a city simmering with tension, betrayal, and unfinished business.
Now, standing at the crossroads of who he was and who he might become, Cost must confront everything he left behind:
– A family fractured by power, grief, and long-held secrets
– A dangerous power vacuum that threatens to pull everyone under
– The one person he’s always tried to keep safe, his daughter, now watching his every move
Set against the backdrop of Milwaukee’s underworld, The Sins We Inherit is a gripping tale of legacy, loyalty, and the price of silence. As old allegiances unravel and new threats emerge, Cost must decide whether walking away was ever truly an option, or if some bloodlines run too deep to outrun.
Perfect for fans of atmospheric crime fiction, morally complex protagonists, and slow-burning suspense with heart.
When Nobody’s Watching
Class Action: What You Don’t Know CAN Hurt You follows a third-year law student who is unexpectedly drawn into a cheating scheme, where it threatens to derail her entire academic career while trying to balance her personal life. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I’ve always been intrigued by the idea that true character is exhibited when you take the high road even when there’s nobody watching. Behaving in an ethical manner and doing the right thing isn’t always convenient or expedient, but Lennon’s moral compass is unwavering. I love that about her.
What do you think were some of the defining moments in Lennon’s development?
When I first introduced 18-year-old Lennon Gallagher to readers in the 3rd book in the Miranda Quinn Legal Twist series: Miranda Fights, she was a lonely young woman with trust issues. She had been in and out of foster homes and it wasn’t until she met Attorney Miranda Quinn that she developed the confidence to pursue an education and live a life of purpose. Other defining moments were turning down an opportunity for an ‘easy A’, discovering the truth about her father and meeting restaurant mogul Nick Russo.
How do you balance story development with shocking plot twists? Or can they be the same thing?
I like to present obstacles and challenges to my characters, i.e. plot twists, to show how they respond, grow and develop over the course of the story. For Lennon, character wins out over convenience every time.
Where do you see your characters after the book ends?
Great question! The sequel to CLASS ACTION: What You Don’t Know CAN Hurt You is CLASS REUNION: Keep Your Friends CLOSER. Watch for it 10/1/26. Here’s a hint; Lennon’s up for partner at a top law firm and is planning her wedding. Everything is going great… until it’s not!
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website
Third year law student Lennon Gallagher’s life turns from complicated to overwhelming when she receives a message meant for someone else. The text offers an advance copy of a final exam—a guaranteed “A”—but accepting it will violate the honors code she refuses to break. When Lennon declines, the collaborators behind the cheating scheme demand her silence or they will ensure she takes the fall if necessary.
Fighting for her future while balancing an internship, exams, studying for the bar, a boyfriend who no longer seems to understand her, and a mother who needs help rebuilding her life after prison, Lennon tries to handle everything alone. But when she discovers the lead plaintiff in her firm’s class action lawsuit might be the father she’s never known, it’s the final straw. She needs help.
Class Action: What You Don’t Know CAN Hurt You
In Class Action by Gail Ward, we meet Lennon Gallagher, a third-year law student and non-legacy, who is unexpectedly drawn into a cheating scheme that threatens to derail her entire academic career. Readers of Olmsted’s Miranda Quin Legal Twist series may recognize Lennon from an earlier story. For newcomers, both Lennon and Miranda will feel fresh, making this book an ideal entry point for new readers while still providing familiar faces for longtime fans.
Unlike legacy students who benefit from family connections and inherited expectations, Lennon’s path through law school is defined by her outsider status and determination to succeed on her own terms. When she becomes entangled in a cheating scheme, she is forced to grapple with difficult moral and ethical dilemmas, as well as the relentless pressures of academic competition and the challenges faced by those without institutional privilege or support. Through Lennon’s story, Olmsted examines the complexities of integrity, ambition, and the demanding realities of legal education. With the added strain of personal relationships, Lennon must decide not only what she truly wants for herself but also who she can trust.
Olmsted’s narrative deftly balances the tension between personal ambition and collective responsibility, illustrating how Lennon’s decisions reverberate not only through her own life but also impact her peers and the broader academic community. The depiction of law school culture, marked by late nights, fierce competition, and the ever-present temptation to cut corners, feels authentic and immediate. Readers will find themselves empathizing with Lennon’s struggle to maintain her principles while navigating a system that often rewards those willing to bend the rules.
Those who are interested in legal thrillers with some added romance and tension, look no further than Class Action by Gail Olmsted. The strong characters, the incredible intricacies, and the excellent storytelling are all ripe for the reading.
Pages: 255 | ASIN : B0FHZVT6JX
I Love Everything About Noir
Three Faces Of Noir Curse Crime Cringe is a deep dive into the shadowy world of film noir, tracing its roots from German Expressionism through Hollywood’s golden age and into overlooked B-movie gems. This is your fourth book on Noir Films; what drives your passion for this genre?
I love everything about noir – imagination overcoming low budgets, crisp dialogue, sharp black and white photography, willingness to engage with vexed social issues, great acting, direction, sets, and music.
What sets this time period of noir film apart from previous periods, and do you have a favorite period?
French critic Nino Frank described film noir as a new kind of 1940s crime movie that was at its heart a psychological tale. As I say in my book, gangster movies, and horror movies shared some of this psychological edge because many of the cast and crew ( often European expats) went from gangster and horror to noir. But noir was of its time and critically examining that time as few movies before had done. With war, censorship, and social inequality in our present time, it would not surprise me to see new converts to the magic of film noir.
What are some things that you find interesting about the human condition that you think make noir films come alive?
In a bleak period of history when war, corruption, and economic, depression prevail, people are lonely, frightened, and desperate for human contact and peace. Others are consumed by greed, lust, and revenge. Noirs reflect these social reactions.
Do you have any plans to write a new series on Neo-noir and how it has shaped the film industry?
I might. As a percentage of good neo-noirs, (movies made in or after 1960) to overall product, the genre is inferior to noir. With the relaxation of censorship and color favoring the big image, story and character sometimes suffered. That being said, some first or second time directors produced some good neo-noirs. I think they studied low budget noirs and made films with that sort of ambience. A good example is the second feature of Tom Ford, Nocturnal Animals 2016.
Some very good neo-noirs for those who want to know more: Chinatown, A Simple Plan, Blood Simple, The Departed, Unsane, Emily the Criminal
Author Links: X | Facebook | Website
In six lively pictorial essays, Dowling continues his series on film noir in the public domain.
In the Curse section, Dowling reviews 1940s horror noirs, while Crime examines the 1938 proto-noir Algiers and a 1950s noir directed by Stanley Kubrick. Cringe looks at the noir theme of humiliation in the 1940s and 50s.
Dowling’s sly humor offers comic relief along the path to the joyous darkness that is film noir.
Historical photos abound of classic Hollywood, its movies, and their creators.
This is the final volume of this series on film noir in the public domain, and Dowling reveals his 10 favorite film noirs, with a surprise or two on the list.
LITERARY TITAN 