Blog Archives
Your Problems Solved: Cold Clues
Your Problems Solved: Cold Clues hooked me right from the first scene, where retired librarian Dory Frame steps onto her porch and finds a troubled young woman asking for help. That moment kicks off a mystery rooted in a small California town in 1955, full of heat, old secrets, sharp characters, and the quiet grit of a woman who never expected to become a sleuth. The story winds through murder, corruption, community ties, and one woman’s stubborn insistence on truth. It moves with a gentle rhythm that feels like a stroll through a neighborhood, then tightens when things turn dark. I found myself caring far more than I expected to.
As I read, I kept smiling at the voice of Dory. She is steady and thoughtful, yet she surprises you with a streak of bravery that sneaks up on you. The writing made me feel like I was sitting beside her at the kitchen table, sipping iced tea while she sorted through clues and her own memories. Author Lennette Horton paints small-town life with such affection that even the gossip feels warm. There were moments that hit harder, though, like the quiet grief wrapped around Dory’s widowhood or the unease of a veteran struggling with trauma. Those scenes caught in my chest. They added weight to a book that could have stayed light but chose something richer.
I also appreciated the layers tucked inside the plot. What starts as a simple request from a desperate daughter slowly becomes a tangle of civic corruption, hidden relationships, and buried ledgers. Horton balances this with soft humor and everyday detail. One moment I was caught in the tension of a new clue, and the next I was listening to neighbors talk tomatoes and grandbabies. Oddly enough, that blend worked. It grounded the danger in something very real. I felt like I knew these people. I wanted them safe. I wanted justice to land where it should.
By the final pages, I closed the book feeling satisfied. This story would be wonderful for readers who love cozy mysteries with heart, fans of historical settings, and anyone who enjoys a heroine who solves problems with brains, kindness, and a little stubbornness. If you like mysteries that feel authentic rather than flashy, this one is a great pick. I’m looking forward to reading more of Dory’s adventures.
Pages: 342 | ASIN : B0FNTBNHY3
Messenger of the Reaper: Part 2
Messenger of the Reaper: Book 2 jumps right into the chaos of Paul Greer’s strange and dangerous life. The story follows him as he takes on brutal jobs, uncovers dark secrets, and wrestles with the eerie presence of James Crum, the Reaper himself. The book blends revenge, the supernatural, and gritty crime drama. It moves fast, takes sharp turns, and never really lets up. There is a constant sense that something worse is coming, and Paul is the only one who can stand in its way, even if it costs him everything.
I felt pulled along by the sheer wildness of it. The writing is straightforward, sometimes blunt, and it gives the whole thing a raw, rough edge. I liked that feeling. It matched Paul’s world. Dangerous. Dirty. Lonely. The ideas about fate and the weight of violence hit harder than I expected. Every time Paul slipped into that cold other self, I found myself tensing up. The book made me uneasy in a way that felt intentional. It wanted me to sit in the dark with him. And I did.
Sometimes the story moved so fast that I had to catch my breath. But honestly, that frantic pacing also made it feel real. Life doesn’t wait, especially not in Paul’s line of work. The supernatural pieces were some of my favorites. Grim and strange, and presented in this matter-of-fact voice that made them weirdly believable. The mix of everyday grit and mystical danger gave the book a flavor that stuck with me after I put it down.
I walked away feeling like I had ridden shotgun through someone’s personal hell, watching him claw his way from one threat to another with nothing but stubborn will keeping him upright. If you like high-tension stories with revenge, supernatural twists, and a main character who is always one step from losing himself completely, this book is a solid pick. It’s gritty. It’s strange. And it’s definitely a book worth picking up.
Pages: 138
The Flight Enigma
The Flight Enigma dives straight into a storm of suspense, mixing high-tech intrigue with small-town drama. The story follows JJ and Jo, a couple seeking peace in Magnolia Bluff, only to be drawn into a national crisis when JJ’s friend Mike Hayes becomes entangled in the disappearance of secret stealth technology. What starts as a relaxing getaway spirals into a labyrinth of danger, deception, and loyalty. The narrative blends the technical precision of an espionage thriller with the warmth and humanity of a cozy mystery, creating a fast-paced tale that balances high stakes with emotional depth.
The writing is brisk, packed with sharp dialogue and layered scenes that pull you along. I loved how the authors make the technical parts feel real without bogging the story down. The tension builds naturally. It doesn’t rely on cheap tricks, just the slow burn of secrets unraveling. Sometimes, the shifts between domestic scenes and government-level suspense threw me off rhythm, but that unpredictability worked in its favor. It reminded me of life’s chaos, where personal drama and big events collide. The authors write with clear affection for their characters, and that sincerity gives the story its punch.
What really stuck with me was how human the book feels beneath all the mystery. There’s loyalty, fear, love, and betrayal, all tangled up like wires in a jet engine. Jo’s empathy and Mike’s vulnerability make the stakes feel real. I could feel their confusion and desperation, especially as they faced situations beyond their control. The writing style is smooth. It’s emotional, sometimes raw, and full of little moments that make you stop and feel. I caught myself rooting for them even when things looked hopeless. That’s a rare thing in thrillers nowadays.
The Flight Enigma is a thrilling read that surprised me with its heart. It’s perfect for readers who love mysteries with real emotional gravity, and for anyone who enjoys smart characters thrown into impossible situations. Tech lovers will appreciate the details, but it’s the relationships that make the story soar. The Flight Enigma feels like a modern twist on Tom Clancy’s The Hunt for Red October, but with more heart, sharper humor, and characters who feel like real people caught in extraordinary danger.
Pages: 266 | ASIN : B0FKKNQSB4
Gods and Guardians II Escape from Durgurrum
Gods and Guardians II continues the saga of Arthur, Samuel, and their companions as they’re pulled through portals, thrown aboard Elvish starships, and forced into battles that stretch across galaxies and gods’ domains. Author R.W. Dove blends science fiction with fantasy so smoothly that I sometimes forgot where one ended and the other began. The pacing swings from quiet, reflective moments to grand, cinematic scenes filled with tension, friendship, and wonder. There’s a sense of adventure in every chapter, like the book itself refuses to slow down, and you’re pulled along whether you’re ready or not.
What I liked most was Dove’s ability to make everything feel alive. The ships, the crystals, even the air in the alien halls hum with a kind of magic. The writing has a rhythm that’s old-fashioned in a good way, like classic fantasy storytelling where the author truly believes in the world they’ve built. At times, the descriptions stretch long, yet they never lose heart. I could tell Dove poured himself into this, weaving myth and technology together with such sincerity that it’s hard not to admire it. I felt that some parts could have used tighter dialogue, but even then, the sheer imagination keeps it moving. The story feels vast, full of purpose, and though it leans heavily into the moral struggle between light and dark, it never loses sight of its human center, courage, loyalty, and belief in something bigger.
Emotionally, the book surprised me. I found myself caring about Arthur’s confusion and fear, about the weight of destiny he didn’t ask for. I liked how friendship drives much of the plot; even when gods and kings are scheming, the heart of the book is still about people just trying to do what’s right. Dove’s writing feels hopeful, even when the world he’s describing teeters on the edge of ruin.
If you love sprawling worlds, moral stakes, and a touch of classic heroism, Gods and Guardians II: Escape from Durgurrum is worth your time. This is a story for dreamers, for those who miss the feel of true adventure and heartfelt imagination. It’s a long ride, but one filled with light, danger, and just enough wonder to make you believe in magic again.
Pages: 278 | ISBN : 1968973427
Romero Pools
Romero Pools, by Alyssa Hall, is an intense love story wrapped in the sharp, sunlit folds of the Arizona desert. The book follows Marin, a young woman still grappling with grief and guilt years after a traumatic accident claimed her fiancé, Tyler. While hiking alone, she stumbles upon Adam, an injured man who has just fallen down a ridge. Their shared journey down the mountain becomes more than a physical one, it’s emotional, raw, and revelatory. As their connection deepens, so too does the mystery surrounding Tyler’s death, ultimately pulling the reader into a web of memory, secrets, and healing.
I really enjoyed Hall’s ability to make the desert come alive with so much character. The way she writes about light, heat, and silence makes you feel the weight of every step on the trail and every breath between two people learning to trust. The dialogue flows naturally, sometimes playful, sometimes heavy, but always honest. Marin and Adam feel like real people, broken but trying, hurt but still relatable. I found myself rooting for both of them in a way that made the end surprisingly heartbreaking. It didn’t feel like a gimmick. It felt like life.
I did feel the writing leaned on telling more than showing at times. The exposition, especially when the backstory was shared through dialogue, could get a bit weighty. I wished for more scenes to unfold slowly instead of being relayed in a block of conversation. Still, there’s something comforting about the voice Hall uses. It’s gentle, it’s warm, and even when the story dips into darkness, it doesn’t feel hopeless. The twisty thread of maybe-Tyler-still-being-alive added a quiet tension that never quite resolved, and honestly, I didn’t mind. The book was never about plot fireworks; it was about emotional honesty.
Romero Pools left me thoughtful and a little wistful. It’s a book for anyone who’s lost something they didn’t think they could live without, and for those trying to start again, however messy that looks. I’d recommend this to readers who love slow-burn romance, quiet personal dramas, and stories that find beauty in the ordinary.
Pages: 232 | ASIN : B09NB63P58
Organic Plot Twists
Oceano Beach Bedlam follows a former forensic accountant turned private eye, and his fierce partner, as they investigate the mysterious disappearance of a teenage surfing prodigy. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I have an “idea catcher.” I bet you have one, too. Mine is a little notebook on the nightstand where I jot down all the little inspirations I get while I sleep, dream, or ponder. It’s chock-full of ideas for the next murder mystery. The howdunnits. The whodunnits. The whydunnits.
But getting from a brilliant idea to a fully developed manuscript sometimes takes more than a notebook. Sometimes it requires a mentor. A force majeure.
This is the story of the man who inspired me to write Oceano Beach Bedlam.
The year is 2019, Spring. I’m taking a class entitled “So You Want to Write a Novel” through the Institute for Continued Learning at Utah Tech University (then Dixie State). Dr. Warren Stucki, local novelist and author of the Dr. Cooper Mystery Series and six standalone books, is teaching the class. He challenges us to write a novel and gives us an assignment:
Write a one-page summary of your novel’s setting. Then write a one- or two-page setting scene. And, in just one sentence, write your theme.
At that point in my writing journey, I had just finished the complete rewrite of my first murder mystery, All That Glisters. In the final chapter, amateur sleuth Thad Hanlon is exploring options for rebuilding his life after suffering major personal loss. He tells his sleuthing partner, Bri de la Guerra, “This is going to sound totally wackadoodle, but I was considering getting a PI license. I thought, maybe, I’d hang out a shingle as a Private Investigator.” Given how the first book ends, I asked myself if a sequel made sense.
So for Dr. Stucki’s assignment, I outline Oceano Beach Bedlam and sketch out the scene where Thad Hanlon lands his first client. Months later, on the way to the final draft of the sequel, the original plot takes a few detours. But that first scene from Dr. Stucki’s writing assignment? The scene where Thad brings in his first case as a newly licensed PI? That survived almost completely intact as Chapter 3. Also intact? A brand new character—Mrs. Dudamel—the client in search of her missing son.
What was my takeaway from Warren Stucki’s class?
Take the dare. It might lead to a series—in this case, the Thad Hanlon & Bri de la Guerra Mysteries.
Thad Hanlon is an engaging and complex character. What scene was the most interesting to write for that character?
My favorite scene in Oceano Beach Bedlam, and the most interesting to write, was Chapter 7, where private investigator Thad Hanlon goes on his first date since losing his wife. The scene captures all the awkwardness of first dates after being out of the singles circuit for several years. And all the vulnerability. What makes it even more intriguing is that during the date, Thad tries to reveal to the woman he’s courting (the town’s detective), that he was not entirely forthcoming when, earlier in the week, down at the Sheriff’s Station, she took his statement about a recent incident that may have led to a murder. Secrets, grief, clumsiness, and even a little humor. A perfect blend.
At the time I wrote the chapter, I, too, was re-entering the dating scene, having just lost my wife of 47 years. Talk about awkwardness! I was living it.
How do you balance story development with shocking plot twists? Or can they be the same thing?
I’m a big fan of the late Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat!® approach to story development, so I tend to “beat out” the major plot points in my novels, complete with scene cards. Each card has a short scene description identifying the Hero/Heroine, Goal, Obstacles, and Stakes, along with notes on the emotional change from scene opening to scene close. And each scene is designed to either advance the plot or develop my characters. My most effective scenes often manage to do both.
As I write the scene, sometimes magic happens and the “players” don’t behave as I expect. So, I end up channeling the characters, leading to surprises (“shocking plot twists”) I never would have imagined during the outline phase of the project. In that respect, I’m neither a plotter nor a pantser, but more a plantser, allowing for organic plot twists. For me, you could make the case that story development and character-generated plot twists can be the same thing, taking the tale in a new but logical direction.
Can you tell us more about what’s in store for Hanlon & de la Guerra and the direction of the next book?
Book Three in the mystery series is nearing completion. The story takes place eight years later. Zael is eleven and quite the surfer himself. He’s a member of the Five Cities Surf Team, Grommet category—junior surfers ages eleven to twelve, or “groms” in surf jargon. Zael and two other members of his surf team are in the water north of Pismo Pier, competing in the California Central Coast Surf Trials, when a crazed marksman starts taking potshots at them. The sniper vanishes. Panic ripples through the Five Cities beach community.
Thad and Bri are hired by a group of terrified parents to protect these local youth as they train for the West Coast Surf Championships. The duo soon discovers that the surf team members aren’t the only ones in the perp’s crosshairs. In a mad scramble, Hanlon and de la Guerra must keep the Five Cities Surf Team safe while unmasking the sniper before he strikes again.
Author Links: GoodReads | X (Twitter) | Facebook | Website | Amazon
All they need is a client.
That’s when a former exotic dancer from Bakersfield CA shows up looking for her surf prodigy son who’s gone missing in the wake of cult violence terrorizing the California Central Coast.
86 The Chef
Adam K. Watson’s 86 The Chef is a razor-sharp and soul-searching novel that follows Trey Chapman, a celebrity chef whose once-brilliant culinary empire is now cracking under the weight of ambition, exhaustion, and emotional disconnection. The book paints a vivid picture of the entire Chapman family, all tangled up in the food world. From Trey’s aging critic brother Jackson to the elusive fixer Joey, each with their own dreams, demons, and disappointments. Through a swirling cast of chefs, critics, smugglers, and hustlers, the story unpacks the tension between art and commerce, legacy and identity, all wrapped in the steamy and cutthroat chaos of the restaurant scene.
I loved how real this story felt. The writing is cinematic, funny, and biting. There’s this effortless flow to Watson’s sentences, some clipped, others lush, that mimics the chaos of a kitchen and the pacing of an exhausted heart. The characters are layered and messy, especially Trey, who is both brilliant and broken. Watching him claw his way through ego, fatigue, and physical pain was gut-wrenching but deeply compelling. I could feel the weight of his fame pulling him apart. And yet, the story never becomes a pity parade. It’s sharp, darkly funny, and full of those little observations that make you pause, laugh, or wince.
What really hooked me wasn’t the food, the fame, or the drama, it was the grief. Not loud, tear-soaked grief, but the quiet, creeping kind that sneaks in when success costs you yourself. Trey is a man haunted by what he’s lost, time, purpose, connection, and that quiet sadness echoes through every chapter. Watson’s ability to explore that without spelling it out or dragging it into melodrama is fantastic. The supporting characters, like Jackson and Erica, aren’t just props, they have their own bruises, their own bitterness, and it makes the world feel lived-in and raw. The whole book is a balancing act between fire and finesse, and it sticks the landing.
I’d recommend 86 The Chef to anyone who loves stories about ambition and the emotional collateral it leaves behind. Foodies will be thrilled by the behind-the-scenes grit of the industry, but it’s not just for chefs or food lovers. It’s for anyone who’s chased a dream and realized too late they were running from something else. This is a book about burnout, brilliance, and the blurry line between building an empire and losing your soul.
Pages: 285 | ASIN : B0F549F1RN
Satire of the Human Condition
Pairs: This Dating Site Will Be the Death of You follows a detective in Tampa Fl who is investigating the bizarre death of a woman who invited seven peculiar men from a friendship-dating app called Pairs to the local aquarium, only to end up murdered. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Interestingly, my inspiration came from the nights my friend, who had put herself – and me – on Match so we could both find partners, texted me countless weird profile pictures of people on the site. She was infuriated, but I found it really funny. I was at a riverside Tiki bar one day trying to write an outline for my second novel when I decided to write something funny about all the pictures she sent me. That turned into Pairs (none based on actual people, but not so far off the mark either).
Each character in this story is unique and leaves readers with more questions than answers. What was your inspiration for the characters’ interactions and backstories?
Pairs is set up so that I can inspire reader involvement. The characters are purposefully vague in order to stimulate reader imagination. At the end of the book, people are encouraged to write their own ending (I have done 3), and send it to me. I may put theirs on my website (pending approval signature etc from the contributor). Pairs is also set up formulaically. Its theme is online dating. All future books have a different theme. Detective Ned is the recurring character, and he develops a backstory throughout the series, and has his own diary on CracktheCaseBooks.com.
How do you balance story development with shocking plot twists? Or can they be the same thing?
I hate to say this, but I just write and edit. The ideas are almost too easy since it’s farce, folly, satire of the human condition… But I would also say they are about the same thing.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?
- Mishaps is out already on Amazon. It is book #2.
- Books 3 (Wrecks) and 4 (Critters) should be out by the end of 2025, and 2 more are in the works for 2026.
- A longer, more serious mystery novel should also be out by the end of 2025. All info will be announced on social media and CracktheCaseBooks.com.
Author Links: GoodReads | X (Twitter) | Facebook | Website | Amazon
A woman searching for love. A string of online suitors. A deadly end. When a young woman’s body is discovered, Detective Ned is drawn into the murky world of online dating. The suspects? Every man in her dating history on the app Pairs. Each profile photo hides a secret: the suave charmer with a shady past, the awkward loner with an unhealthy obsession, or the too-perfect match with everything to lose..
In this sharp and satirical mystery, you hold the power to uncover the truth. Will the killer be caught in the web of lies? Choose from three gripping endings and then perhaps create your own. Submit your take to tremorinthehills@gmail.com for a chance to be featured on crackthecasebooks.com. Love might be a game, but in Pairs, the stakes are deadly.
LITERARY TITAN 