Blog Archives
Noir Tales Are The Modern Day Fairytales
Dark Side of Mercy centers around a private detective pulled into a case that begins as a missing persons case and quickly broadens into one of corruption, blackmail, and murder. What draws you to the noir genre?
Noir tales are the modern day fairytales. The genre allows me to explore the dark psychological themes that humans struggle with while they look for hope and redemption. There is a saying that the men and women in noir stories aren’t fallen angels, but weak people who’ve tumbled into the gutter. I like the struggle of those people often clutching at anything in hope of dragging themselves out of the gutter, but often failing.
The Arizona setting has a heavy, atmospheric presence—dust, heat, corruption, and isolation. How did place shape the tone and direction of the novel?
In the first novel, No Solace in Death, I used the heat to illustrate a sort of hell that the protagonist, Benjamin Thomas, feels that he is in. I believe the atmosphere should, in Noir tales, add discomfort to the protagonist’s struggle. In Dark Side of Mercy, I used the wind and sandstorms in the desert to convey the corruption underneath the facade of civility surrounding Benjamin, and that the facade will eventually disintegrate as quickly and easily as a sand dune in the wind.
Some scenes are deliberately uncomfortable and morally ambiguous. How do you navigate the line between realism and reader endurance in a story like this?
Noir is like Odyssyus crossing paths with doomed, unsavory, and broken characters in the underworld, except in noir the protagonist is, in many cases, more broken than the people he/she runs across. Every character in Dark Side of Mercy is morally broken in one way or another. How the characters react to their situation and environment determines their level of strength or corruptibility. I believe every reader of this particular genre expects to be made uncomfortable. Like it or not, readers are going along with the protagonist into the downward spiral and landing in the belly of the beast with him to witness the vulnerability and brokenness of every character they meet in the story.
What is the next book you are working on, and when will it be available? Right now I only have one chapter of a novel that takes place in the 80s about a Korean man (child of a comfort woman) who owns and operates a small convenience store and witnesses a murder. I have a few ideas for other novels that are percolating in my mind right now. Some are darker than others, and require more thought before I can put them on paper. At this time, I have no date for my next novel.
Author Links: GoodReads | Website
While unravelling the mystery, Ben falls for Linda Lundlum, Horatio’s daughter—a striking and alluring woman whose motives seem to be to protect her father at all costs. In a world where truth hides in shadows and every clue leads deeper into the city’s corruption, Ben’s only hope to solve the case may rest in the hands of a recluse Holocaust survivor.
Dark Side of Mercy is the follow-up novel to No Solace in Death. Douglas Herle’s complex noir tale delves into the nature of corruption, while exploring tragic characters living in a world where making moral choices may not be the right ones.
Albanian Downfall
Shefqet Meko’s Albanian Downfall is a political and emotional novel about Maks Prifti, a young journalist in late-communist Albania who wants to believe in the system even as the system keeps proving how little room it has for honesty. The story begins in 1987, when Maks is rejected as a Party candidate because of his father’s political past. That rejection sets off a chain of losses, first his standing, then his engagement to Ema, and eventually his faith in the language and ideals he’s spent his life serving.
What makes the book interesting is how closely it ties private heartbreak to national collapse. Maks doesn’t experience politics as something abstract. It reaches into his job, his friendships, his love life, his sense of manhood, and even his sanity. He’s a journalist, so words are his work and his refuge, but he’s also trapped in a country where words have been drained by slogans. One of the sharpest lines in the novel comes when Maks thinks, “Power rests on two legs: fear and loyalty.” That idea runs through the whole book as fear begins to weaken, loyalty starts to crack, and people who once performed belief begin looking for exits.
The novel has a wide cast, but Maks remains its restless center. Ema gives the story its deepest wound, while figures like Landa, Roza, Miço, Adnan Lufta, and Ndoc Drini help show the many ways people live inside a decaying political order. Some comply, some scheme, some dream, some break, and some try to leave. Meko is especially drawn to people caught between belief and disillusionment, and that gives the book a lived-in texture. It doesn’t just tell the reader that a society is falling apart. It shows the collapse through gossip, offices, student protests, sealed envelopes, whispered rumors, and the strange theater of public loyalty.
The style is intense, reflective, and often feverish. Maks’s inner voice can be dramatic, sometimes spiraling from political thought into memory, fantasy, or despair within a few lines. That rhythm suits a character who’s trying to make sense of a world where every relationship feels political and every political decision feels personal. The book’s final movement, with Maks and Ema reunited and then shattered by flight across the sea, turns the national exodus into a tragic love story. By the epilogue, when Maks says, “Now that I’ve gone mad, I understand the emptiness of a life built on communist ideals,” the line lands as both personal ruin and historical judgment.
Albanian Downfall is a dense, passionate novel about the end of an era and the people who were psychologically shaped by it. It’s part political chronicle, part love story, and part portrait of a man discovering that survival can cost nearly everything. Meko writes with the urgency of someone trying to preserve the emotional truth of a vanished world, not just its events. The result is a book about Albania’s communist collapse that feels deeply human because it keeps returning to the same question Maks can’t escape: what happens to a person when the dream he served becomes the force that destroys him?
Pages: 414 | ASIN: B0D99GSXWQ
Over Brooklyn Hills
Over Brooklyn Hills, by David Guenette, is a literary climate fiction thriller set in 2035, where climate change is no longer a warning on the horizon but a daily pressure shaping politics, money, migration, housing, violence, and ordinary private life. The story follows Davin Caine, now seventy, as he moves through a Berkshire County strained by rising costs, climate migration, and civic unease, while larger threats involving fossil fuel interests, international tensions, and the climate terrorist group No One is Safe push the novel into darker territory.
Guenette isn’t just interested in disaster as spectacle. He’s interested in the way disaster becomes routine. A hot spell, a housing meeting, a town budget, a person trying to keep a home, a young worker needing air conditioning, a local government trying to respond without losing its soul. These details give the novel its weight. I felt less like I was being shown a future world and more like I was being asked to notice the one already forming around us. That’s unsettling. It’s also the book’s strength.
The writing has a restless, observant quality that I found both engaging and, at times, intentionally uncomfortable. Guenette moves between characters with a wide lens, and his choices make the book feel crowded in the way real life is crowded. Davin’s reflective passages slow the story down in useful ways, giving the thriller elements more moral texture. Then the violence and conspiracy threads cut back in, sharp and ugly, reminding me that this is still a thriller with real stakes. I appreciated that balance. The book doesn’t let anyone stay clean for long, not activists, not politicians, not industries, not regular people trying to get through the week.
I would recommend Over Brooklyn Hills to readers who like climate fiction with a political pulse, especially those who want a thriller that thinks as much as it moves. It will appeal to readers who enjoy near-future stories grounded in realistic social consequences rather than end-of-the-world spectacle. If you like fiction that blends suspense, civic anxiety, personal reflection, and big-picture questions about responsibility, this book has plenty to offer.
Pages: 355 | ASIN : B0GYV5L6SJ
An Idea That Demands Attention
Pismo Beach Sniper follows a private investigator as a surf-trial shooting that nearly kills his son pulls him into a dangerous web of arson, federal secrets, old enemies, and revenge along California’s Central Coast. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The inspiration for each of my books has been a little different. For ALL THAT GLISTERS, it was reading Coma, a medical thriller by Robin Cook, and thinking to myself: If a doctor can write a medical thriller, why can’t a CPA write a financial thriller? For OCEANO BEACH BEDLAM, it was a drive along the shore of Oceano Beach, CA, and watching a guy on a tractor dragging a sand rake across the beach to clean up debris. For PISMO BEACH SNIPER, it was a working title—CowaBANGa!—a mashup of two popular exclamations that seemed incapable of being together: (1) Cowabunga!—surf slang for “Dude, that was Awwwwsome!”, and (2) BANG, the sonic crack of a high-powered rifle.
What each inspiration has in common is the germ of a preposterous premise—an idea that demands attention.
Here are the preposterous premises for each book in the Thad Hanlon & Bri de la Guerra Series:
ALL THAT GLISTERS — What if a secret audit of the U.S. gold stockpile by two surfing buddies found the gold was fake?
OCEANO BEACH BEDLAM — What if a teen surf legend was in the wrong place at the wrong time and learned of an impending eco-terrorism plot to blow up Moy Mell—the California Central Coast spiritual haven nestled in the dunes—to liberate it from desecration by ATVs and dune buggies?
PISMO BEACH SNIPER — What if a deadly sniper starts using local surfers, waiting for their next wave, as target practice?
Thad’s fear for Zael gives the mystery a strong emotional charge. How did you approach writing him as both a father and an investigator?
For the father side of Thad, I simply tapped into my own experience raising two sons. While I had the good fortune of a supportive wife to share the journey, there were still plenty of nights spent worrying about our boys—especially during their tween years, when sports, adventure, and growing independence seemed to present a new reason to worry every week. No parent survives those years without a healthy concern for their children’s safety.
For the investigator side, I drew on my professional training as a CPA, software developer, and college professor. I’m analytical by nature. I like patterns, puzzles, and problem-solving. I can be methodical to a fault and have been known to spreadsheet just about everything.
The challenge—and the fun—was bringing those two sides together. When Thad is investigating a case, he wants to follow the facts wherever they lead. When his son is in danger, he’s a father first. The tension between those roles gave the story much of its emotional energy.
The ocean feels almost like a character in the novel. What role does the California Central Coast play in shaping the story’s mood?
The Pacific Ocean is a moody presence. At times, she provides solace from the daily grind. A chance to take a dip, cool off, and catch a few waves. And at other times, when big weather rolls in and the swells kick up, she can be a cruel monster, lashing out with rip tides and pounding surf. In Thad Hanlon’s world, the ocean is simultaneously a source of comfort, danger, and wisdom. When life becomes complicated, he paddles out beyond the break. The rhythm of the waves helps him untangle the Gordian knot of mysteries he’s facing and decide what to do next. In that sense, the Pacific isn’t just a setting—it’s a trusted companion in the story.
The novel blends PI procedural, action suspense, family drama, and coastal noir. How do you balance those elements while keeping the story moving?
By ensuring tension in every scene. That’s the secret to keeping the story moving when you’re juggling multiple elements.
For each scene, I work from a cinematic framework inspired by Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat!® approach to screenwriting. I start with a simple structure: where the scene takes place, what is happening, and—most importantly—the emotional arc of the point-of-view character.
From there, I focus on what really drives momentum: the conflict. Who wants what, what stands in their way, and what’s at stake if they fail. If I can clearly define Hero—Goal—Obstacles—Stakes, the tension takes care of itself and the story keeps moving.
Author Links: GoodReads | X | Facebook | Website
The shooter disappears, torching his hideout, leaving only questions in his wake. Random attack—or the first move in a deadly game? Why target young surfers? And is the marksman finished…or just getting started?
Urged by desperate parents, Hanlon and his sharp-witted partner, Bri de la Guerra, race to protect the kids as they train for the upcoming West Coast Championships. But as the detective duo close in on the sniper, they uncover a chilling truth: the surf team isn’t his ultimate target—and the nightmare is far from over.
This gripping thriller will keep you turning pages late into the night.
Humans Tend to Label People
Trouble at OverTrails Farm follows a group of friends as their day of therapeutic horse riding turns into a murder investigation. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
As a psychologist for decades, I worked with many disabled adults who had amazing strengths, sometimes hidden, despite having physical and/or intellectual difficulties. Therapeutic riding addresses physical, attentional, and emotional difficulties, and the program fits nicely into the horse country of central Virginia. The young friends are physically active and emotionally engaged, and I wanted to showcase Alex’s special strength of attunement with animals, especially the horses at OverTrails Farm.
What made this setting the right backdrop for a story about justice and friendship?
Humans tend to label people, problems, and things, including those who differ from the norm. Labels are broad, “convenient” categories that miss the fine details of individual differences and often portray the negative aspects of a group. Using common labels provides an opportunity to blame scapegoats for wrongdoing. While this tendency is common, there is incredible power in friendship and loyalty, along with the strength of a supportive community.
How did you construct the mystery without losing sight of the emotional stakes?
I began with the outline of showcasing Alex’s strength of loyalty to his friend and neighbor, Nina. (This was first described in my first novel of this “journey” series, in which they each protected one another from a local bully.) The initial outline included Alex’s development from a recipient of riding instruction to a volunteer support person for other students. My belief is that Alex is going to become a valued member of his community. With that idea as the premise, I inserted the stories of other troubled individuals who fall prey to their own mistakes, ultimately casting blame on Alex, a presumed easy target
What conversations did you hope Alex’s storyline would inspire among readers?
How do we miss attending to the whole person in our relationships?
How do we provide genuine loyalty and support to those around us?
What assumptions have we made about others in the past that were faulty and premature?
What do we assume about our own weaknesses, and what do we need to do to focus on and develop our strengths?
How do we become the hero of our own story?
Author Links: Website | Amazon
OverTrails Farm is meant to be a place of healing. The therapeutic riding stable in rural central Virginia offers confidence, connection, and calm—until the sudden death of a young employee shatters its sense of safety.
When suspicion falls on a disabled volunteer and former student of the program, a close-knit group of teens who ride and volunteer at the farm are unwilling to accept this theory.
Determined to uncover the truth, they begin their own quiet investigation. As they piece together overlooked details, they confront family tensions, unspoken fears, and the subtle ways bias shapes how others see—and misjudge—those who are different.
Their search tests their courage, their loyalty, and their willingness to examine their own assumptions. In challenging the easy story everyone is ready to believe, they help their community move toward a new understanding of responsibility, fairness, and the dignity of every person.
Set against the charm of small-town Virginia, the healing world of therapeutic riding, and the bond between humans and horses, Trouble at OverTrails Farm is a clean cozy mystery filled with heart, hope, and the enduring power of friendship. It is a story about seeing beyond labels, fighting for those who can’t fight alone, and discovering the strength of community when it matters most. This is a story for readers who believe kindness and truth still matter.
Writing A Literary Horror Novel
Blame the Devil follows a wounded outsider in 1967 Jersey City, as she discovers her terrifying identity as an Avenging Angel and confronts an ancient evil hiding behind the face of ordinary authority. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The inspiration for the story was real life. With one exception (which I won’t mention for it would be a spoiler) the evil Victor Varde is a spot-on duplicate of a child molester from my old neighborhood who has haunted me since eighth grade. From that starting point, I felt it was important that I be patient—giving the plotline room to breathe and make shifts, and allowing the physical characteristics, stories, and inner lives of each of the novel’s characters to achieve fullness.
Donna’s journey is both painful and increasingly powerful. How did you approach writing her as more than either a victim or a hero?
I had a couple of things in mind. One, I wanted to avoid a pair of opposing cliches: abused girl as unadulterated victim, and abused girl as super-hero. The second thing was that, obviously, she had to evolve. “A” and “Z” couldn’t be the same. Again, how this change would happen only became clear to me over time. Her nurse Livvy Gomez was key in this, and, potentially, an undervalued character.
The evolution of Donna is very much aligned with what Anne Lamott describes as watching a Polaroid develop—stick around with the story long enough and more and more details, windows, and trap doors emerge.
The novel gives its supernatural horror a very grounded, neighborhood-level presence. Why was it important for evil to feel ordinary before it became cosmic?
It was the way the novel evolved. When I first put fingers to key, I did not have an intention of writing a literary horror novel. A couple of things moved me in that direction. One, was a simple matter of what I’ve written before—that is an exploration of life through the compact landscape of the Jersey City Heights/Plateau of my youth. I had a “been there, done that” recognition. So the realistic was in the groundwork.
Additionally, I had, from the beginning, been describing Victor Varde in demonic terms. From that, the move to going all in on the supernatural came to me quickly. A couple of early readers of the manuscript were against this, arguing that I had a good naturalistic novel in front of me. But the supernatural level was appealing, even compelling. I couldn’t resist going there and engaging the metaphysical questions which have followed me for decades.
When and where will the book be available?
I’m hoping it will be available by early 2027.
Author Link: Instagram | Book Review
By Any Other Name
By Any Other Name, by Kate Laack, is a contemporary literary mystery about Jordan Marlowe, a stalled young writer who finds a published novel in an airport bookstore and realizes, with growing horror, that it is almost certainly based on her own unpublished manuscript. What begins as a personal search for the person who stole her story becomes a wider look at authorship, ambition, artistic insecurity, and the uneasy place where creativity meets technology.
I liked how grounded the book feels, even when the premise takes a strange turn. Jordan’s panic is not treated like melodrama. It feels physical and believable, the kind of disbelief that would make you reread the same page again and again just to prove you are not imagining it. Laack gives the story the shape of a mystery, with suspects, clues, awkward conversations, and red herrings, but the emotional pull comes from Jordan’s bruised confidence. She’s not only trying to prove that the book is hers. She’s trying to prove that her voice matters.
The author also makes some smart choices in how she handles the larger ideas. The book could have become a lecture about AI, publishing, and plagiarism, but it stays close to Jordan’s hurt, confusion, and anger. That makes the bigger questions easier to sit with. I found myself thinking less about abstract debates and more about the quiet terror of seeing something deeply personal removed from your name and handed to the world without you. The pace is strong, the conversations are sharp, and the book has a satisfying sense of momentum.
What I appreciated most is that By Any Other Name understands writing as more than output. It’s memory, doubt, effort, ego, longing, and revision. It’s also the strange courage of putting your name on something before anyone else agrees that it deserves to exist. I would recommend this novel to readers who enjoy contemporary fiction with a mystery engine, especially book lovers interested in creative ownership and the personal cost of chasing validation. It would also make a strong book club pick because the central question is simple but sticky: who gets to claim a story, and what happens when the answer is not as clean as we want it to be?
Pages: 280 | ASIN : B0G44DPVN4
Architect: The Goodpasture Chronicles (Book 3)
Architect by R.J. Halbert is a supernatural fantasy novel with strong threads of mystery, family drama, faith, and time travel. As the third book in The Goodpasture Chronicles, it follows the Keane family after Zach returns from an ancient world, while Akolo’s story continues across years, grief, love, and strange divine purpose. The book moves between the haunted pull of the Goodpasture house and a much older world of temples, artifacts, kings, and impossible choices. At its heart, though, this is a story about home. Not just the house you live in, but the people, memories, wounds, and hopes that make a place matter.
I enjoyed the way Halbert lets the supernatural sit right beside the ordinary. One moment, I was reading about portals, ancient power, storms, and voices in the wind. The next, I was with a family trying to eat breakfast, survive school, clean up a chicken coop, or figure out how to talk to a teenager who feels deeply hurt. That balance gives the book its warmth. The fantasy elements are big, but the emotions are close to the ground. I also liked how the writing gives different characters room to be confused. Nobody has all the answers, and that feels honest. Zach is trying to piece together memories. Ariel is angry and scared. Lyana and Ian are doing their best while clearly not knowing what “best” even means anymore. That uncertainty makes the story feel lived-in instead of staged.
I was also struck by the author’s choice to build the book around legacy. Akolo’s long journey could have been only a fantasy device, but it becomes something sadder and richer. Immortality is not treated like a prize. It’s heavy. It costs him. It stretches love and loss over time until both become almost unbearable. That gave the book more weight than I expected. The faith language is direct, but the sincerity worked for me more often than not. The book is not trying to be detached or ironic. It believes in healing, restoration, and purpose, and it says so plainly. There is something refreshing about that.
I would recommend Architect most to readers who enjoy faith-centered supernatural fantasy, especially stories where mystery and suspense are tied to family history and emotional healing. It will probably land best for those who have read the earlier books, since this feels like a closing movement in a larger piece of music. Readers who like time travel, ancient history, haunted houses, hidden identities, and redemptive endings will find a lot to enjoy here. I came away feeling that the book is less about solving every strange event than about learning to trust that broken stories can still be gathered into something whole.
Pages: 258 | ASIN: B0GXNW6X9V
