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Bad Actor
Bad Actor is a gritty and sharply observed noir that follows Ellis Dunaway, a washed-up TV writer turned private investigator, as he’s pulled back toward the fringes of Hollywood. The book blends a murder mystery involving the death of a high-profile agent, the troubles of fallen actor Urs Schreiber, and Ellis’s own struggles with sobriety, fading relevance, and financial strain. Vaughn sets the action against a vividly sketched Los Angeles, equal parts glitz, decay, and absurdity, while drawing the reader deep into Ellis’s sardonic inner world.
The writing had me hooked from page one. Vaughn’s voice is lean, smart, and sly, with a knack for tossing in lines that sting as much as they amuse. The dialogue crackles, bouncing between bone-dry humor and tense undercurrents. I loved how Ellis is flawed without being a cliché. He’s self-aware enough to see his own failings, but still likely to trip over them anyway. The mix of PI procedural detail, showbiz satire, and personal confessions makes the book feel like it’s living in multiple genres at once. And somehow, Vaughn keeps the balance.
Beneath the twists and snappy banter, there’s a steady hum of commentary on reinvention, ego, and the way Los Angeles eats its own. Vaughn doesn’t preach; he just lets his characters prove the point. I found myself laughing in one paragraph and then unexpectedly feeling the weight of Ellis’s loneliness in the next. The city in this book isn’t just a backdrop, it’s a character with its own moods, grudges, and jokes. It reminded me of walking through Hollywood after midnight: the beauty, the weirdness, the sense that anything could happen, good or bad.
Bad Actor delivers as both a mystery and a character study. It’s for readers who like their noir with bite, their comedy tinged with sadness, and their protagonists both frustrating and impossible to abandon. If you’re into Michael Connelly but wish Harry Bosch swore more, smoked more weed, and wandered into surreal Hollywood detours, this is your book. I’d hand it to anyone who loves a crime story that doesn’t just solve a case but also lays bare the person doing the solving.
Pages: 245 | ISBN: 979-8-9865319-3-9
To Know Good and Evil
Daniel V. Meier, Jr.’s To Know Good and Evil is a gripping blend of investigative thriller, Southern noir, and philosophical reflection. The novel follows Frank Adams, a former NTSB investigator, who is pulled back to his hometown in North Carolina to look into the suspicious plane crash of his old college professor, Dr. Lanmore. What begins as a routine probe quickly unravels into a tangled web of scientific secrets, buried trauma, and small-town corruption. As Frank digs deeper, he faces threats, red tape, and a haunting past, all while uncovering the unsettling truth about the nature of good and evil.
I found Meier’s writing absorbing. The prose isn’t flashy, but it’s steady and textured, with just the right amount of grit and polish. His sense of place is one of the strongest elements in the book. Characters like Ted Grant, the eccentric philosopher, add layers of charm and introspection that counterbalance the tension. There are moments of dry humor and gentle melancholy that feel earned. I liked how the narrative takes its time; it trusts the reader to follow without rushing, which made the plot developments all the more satisfying when they landed.
That said, the story has a certain old-school feel that might not click with every reader. Some dialogue leaned theatrical, and the pacing in the first third felt a bit slow. But once the investigation gains steam, the book becomes hard to put down. The ideas it wrestles with, scientific responsibility, moral relativism, and institutional failure, are baked into the story, which makes it feel smarter than your average mystery. I appreciated how it didn’t shy away from asking big questions, even if it didn’t tie them up with a neat bow.
I’d say To Know Good and Evil is best for readers who like a thoughtful mystery, especially those who enjoy slow-burn thrillers with a strong sense of place and character. If you’re into literary suspense or stories that blend intellectual grit with good old-fashioned intrigue, this one’s worth a read.
Pages: 220 | ASIN : B0DV97DBKY
Until I Come Back for You
P.A. White’s Until I Come Back for You is a gritty and heartfelt coming-of-age novel wrapped in the warmth of humor, nostalgia, and quiet devastation. Set in 1970s rural Michigan, the story follows Trisha, the youngest of five siblings, as her family escapes the dangers of Detroit and tries to build a new life in the countryside. At first, their farm life seems charming, if a little chaotic, but the idyllic picture quickly unravels when their new neighbor, Ronnie Clark, emerges as a menacing, violent figure. The story balances childhood mischief and tender family dynamics with the dark undercurrents of trauma, violence, and survival.
What struck me most was the writing. White’s voice is funny, raw, and full of personality. The tone swings wildly. One minute you’re laughing at a family spat or a calf in the backseat, and the next you’re reeling from a jarring act of cruelty. I loved that unpredictability. Her sentences are tight, punchy, sometimes jarring, and always vivid. She captures the voice of a precocious kid better than most authors I’ve read. There’s no gloss, no pretension, just a sharp memory and a fearless pen. Her storytelling is laced with trauma, but it never begs for pity. It invites you to look, to sit with it, and to feel every uncomfortable inch of what she lived through.
But it’s the ideas underneath that left the biggest mark on me. This book isn’t just about growing up. It’s about what’s stolen from you when adults fail to protect you. The tension between innocence and danger is relentless. I found myself deeply moved by how the story exposes cycles of abuse, the silences of good people, and the resilience of children who learn to carry too much. The Clark family, and Ronnie in particular, are portrayed with brutal honesty, and I often had to put the book down just to breathe.
I’d recommend it to anyone who appreciates sharp memoirs, especially those by women who aren’t afraid to tell the ugly parts of their story. If you loved Educated by Tara Westover or The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, this belongs on your shelf. It’s also a must-read for anyone who grew up in the Midwest, anyone who knows what it means to live in a town where “nothing bad happens,” until it does.
Pages: 382 | ASIN : B0F224D1BJ
Hessman’s Necklace
Nicholas Litchfield’s Hessman’s Necklace is a gritty and fast-paced noir thriller set in 1950s America. The novel follows Ray Stokes, a rakish fixer with a thirst for danger, who is sent on a mission by his powerful boss to retrieve a legendary, long-lost necklace. His target? A sultry secretary in Boston and her corrupt lover, a reverend with a taste for contraband and secrets. The story winds through back alleys, smoky bars, and seedy motel rooms, all drenched in bourbon, betrayal, and lust. At its heart, this is a story of greed and moral decay disguised as a treasure hunt, and it plays out like a vintage film noir flick brought to life in brutal, unflinching detail.
What struck me most was the prose. It’s bold, lush, and rich with attitude. Litchfield doesn’t hold back. His writing practically swaggers across the page. There’s an almost hypnotic rhythm to it. Some of it is gloriously over the top: the metaphors, the bravado, the sexual tension. At times, I laughted, not because it was funny, but because it was so brazenly confident. And it works. The characters are larger than life, especially Ray Stokes, who’s every bit the cocky anti-hero, full of flaws and swagger, but weirdly easy to root for even when he’s being a jerk. I didn’t always like him, but I always wanted to see what he’d do next.
This isn’t a quiet, introspective read. It’s brash. It leans hard into noir tropes: femmes fatales, crooked men of the cloth, cynical quips, and backroom deals. But somehow it doesn’t feel tired. There’s a knowing wink in the storytelling, as if the author is in on the joke, and that self-awareness kept things sharp and fresh. The mystery is tight and satisfying, but it’s the mood that really sells it. Litchfield paints the era vividly, full of cigarette smoke and greasy diners and nights that never quite end.
Hessman’s Necklace is a love letter to pulp fiction fans, noir junkies, and readers who like their stories hot-blooded and full of bite. If you want to step into a world of shadows and sin with a smirking guide at your side, this book delivers. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys Raymond Chandler, James M. Cain, or even Tarantino at his most playful. It’s a wild, messy, full-throttle ride, and I had a good time reading it.
Pages: 160 | ASIN: B0DXDFQR4W
LITERARY TITAN 