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Exploring Fear
Fear Struck follows a crime writer who, while writing his latest murder mystery, has his door broken down by police and is arrested for a murder that looks like one of the scenes in his book. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
As a writer, I often feel like a conduit for someone else’s ideas, with words flowing so quickly that I sometimes wonder where they are coming from. This experience sparked a question for me: what if a writer suddenly became the instrument for someone else’s story in a very real and dangerous way? This personal connection to the story became the seed for Fear-Struck and its psychological thriller setup.
The truth is, many of my novels begin with a simple “what if.” Whispering Lessons is a good example. I asked myself, what if someone had secretly followed Jesse James and his gang, watched them bury their stolen treasure, and then dug it up after they rode away? Could that be why so many of those legendary treasures have never been found? Those two words, “what if,” open the door to endless possibilities, and they are often the starting point for my strongest storylines.
What are some things that you find interesting about the human condition that you think make for great fiction?
There are so many layers to the human condition that writers need to pay attention to, because those layers are what make fiction feel real. In Fear-Struck, I delved deep into the debilitating impact fear can have on a person. It doesn’t just consume the main character. The suspect gets overwhelmed by it, too. Even the people in the prison around him react out of fear.
Fear is universal. It shapes decisions, drives behavior, and sometimes clouds judgment. Our minds are incredibly powerful, and our thoughts can either protect us or harm us. In this story, fear becomes almost a character in its own right, influencing everyone in its path. That kind of emotional truth, rooted in what people really experience, is what makes fiction resonate.
When you first sat down to write this story, did you know where you were going, or did the twists come as you were writing?
For Fear-Struck, I actually did know the storyline before I began writing. That is unusual for me, as I am not usually a plotter, but in this case, I could clearly see the characters and the journey ahead of them. I knew the ending, and I knew how I wanted to move from the moment of the arrest all the way to the final reveal.
What mattered most to me was exploring fear, not just telling a crime story. I wanted to look at how fear shapes people from the inside out. The reviews have been incredible, and many readers mention how closely they connect with the characters and their reactions. I think that connection exists because fear is something we all face in one way or another. It is a profound human experience, and that truth comes through in the story.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out?
I am currently writing Book Two in the series. It starts as Kutter is still dealing with the emotional aftermath of what happened in Book One, where he was arrested for a murder that resembled a scene in his own book. These lingering effects push him into a situation unlike anything he has ever faced before. This new challenge forces him to grow in unexpected ways.
In this next installment, Kutter, the main character from Fear-Struck, finds himself sitting across from an unapologetic and prideful serial killer. His personal revulsion toward this man directly clashes with his responsibility to uncover the names of the victims. That internal battle is something many of us understand, because we all face moments where our emotions collide with what we know we must do.
I am thrilled to share that I am aiming to have the next book ready for readers in early 2026. I cannot wait to continue Kutter’s journey and share the next chapter with you all.
Author Interview: GoodReads | BlueSky | Facebook | Pinterest | Website
Detective Tweed believes Kutter’s pages hold the truth. Kutter swears he’s innocent. Yet with each revelation, a darker reality emerges—one bound to him by blood.
Relentless and chilling, Fear Struck will keep you guessing until the final, shocking twist.
Fear Struck
Fear Struck was intense and emotionally powerful, and also kind of creepy. It starts with Orson Kutter, a crime writer whose imagination bleeds a little too close to real life. One minute he’s hammering away on his keyboard, writing about murder and mystery, and the next, the cops are breaking down his door and slapping cuffs on him for killings that look suspiciously like scenes from his books. It’s one of those stories where reality and fiction twist around each other until you’re not sure which one’s real anymore. The whole setup feels like watching someone slowly wake up inside their own nightmare. It’s dark, smart, and honestly a little creepy in that “am I next?” kind of way.
I’ll be honest, this book made me anxious in the best way. I love a good murder mystery, and Fear Struck doesn’t just give you one, it gives you layers of them. I kept trying to guess if Kutter was guilty, if he was being framed, or if he was losing his mind. The writing pulls you into his paranoia so deeply that you start feeling trapped with him. The scenes in the jail, the smell of sweat and fear, the endless echoes, I could almost hear it. The story moves fast, but not in a shallow way. Every chapter left me thinking, “Okay, just one more,” until it was 2 a.m. and I was questioning my life choices. What really hooked me, though, was how Oliver plays with the line between author and character, fiction and truth. It’s almost meta, but not in a pretentious way.
The writing is really sharp. I like how Oliver doesn’t waste time with fancy words or filler. It’s cinematic, full of tension, and just messy enough to feel real. There were moments where I felt sick for Kutter, moments where I didn’t trust him at all, and moments where I wanted to scream at everyone around him for being blind. That’s good storytelling. Some parts slowed a little, sure, and a few twists I saw coming, but the emotion stayed raw. There’s this heavy mix of guilt, fear, and desperation that makes the book feel alive.
If you like stories that make your heart race and your brain spin, this one’s for you. Fear Struck is perfect for murder mystery junkies who like their thrillers dark, psychological, and just a little too close to home. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys Gone Girl or Misery but wants something with its own strange heartbeat.
Pages: 392 | ASIN : B0FRRK8HGX
Dark, Cold Eyes
Kay A. Oliver’s Dark, Cold Eyes pulls you straight into a world of sharp tension, mystery, and the unnerving weight of human motives. The story follows Keri and Jade Shaw, private investigators drawn into a string of murders in the otherwise quiet, upper-crust neighborhood of Grosse Pointe. When a couple is found brutally murdered, what begins as a simple research assignment turns into a web of deceit, hidden identities, and moral gray zones. Each chapter builds on suspense while peeling back layers of both the crimes and the people entangled in them. It’s a dark, atmospheric dive into what happens when ordinary lives hide extraordinary secrets.
The writing is vivid and cinematic, almost like watching a detective drama late at night when the rest of the house is quiet. Oliver’s style has a rhythm, it’s crisp when it needs to be and haunting when it lingers. I loved how she gave space for silence, for tension to breathe, for you to feel the pulse of fear. The dialogue between Keri and Jade feels real and warm, the kind of married banter that makes you believe in their partnership even as danger closes in. But sometimes the pace moves so fast that I wished for more time to sit with the emotions of the moment. The action carries you forward, but the emotional aftermath sometimes fades quickly.
What really struck me was how the story blurs the line between justice and obsession. Keri’s drive to solve the case starts to feel personal, like she’s chasing ghosts as much as answers. The way Oliver uses setting, quiet kitchens, dark streets, cluttered evidence boards, to mirror the unraveling of her characters hit me hard. You can sense the exhaustion, the moral weight pressing on everyone. Yet despite all the darkness, there’s a heartbeat of hope running through the pages. It’s not loud, but it’s there, stubborn and relatable.
If you like thrillers that mix grit with empathy, this book’s for you. It’s perfect for readers who love crime stories with layered characters and clever plotting rather than simple chases or explosions. Dark, Cold Eyes is tense, intelligent, and full of heart. A story that keeps your mind racing long after you close the book.
Pages: 395 | ASIN : B0FGWH27M7
Breath Play
Breath Play is a mystery-thriller that follows Dan Burnett, a retired NYPD detective turned private investigator, as he uncovers the chilling pattern of murdered young nurses whose bodies wash ashore along Long Island Sound. While juggling a budding romance with his girlfriend Mia and supporting his daughter Hannah in her new career, Dan finds himself unable to resist the pull of a developing serial killer case. As each victim’s backstory is revealed, and the investigation tightens around eerie patterns and disturbing truths, the book builds a slow, suspenseful momentum filled with quiet tension and emotional depth.
I enjoyed the way the book mixes the peaceful rhythm of Dan’s post-retirement life with the unsettling presence of violent crime. The writing is smooth and conversational. Like listening to someone recount an incredible story. The dialogue is natural, the pacing is just right, and the scenes between Dan and Mia are some of the most intimate I’ve read, not just physically, but emotionally. The sensual moments don’t feel forced; they feel like part of a very real, very lived-in relationship. That kind of emotional realism adds a weight to the story that goes beyond solving murders.
What I appreciated was how the story took its time, weaving in layers of Dan’s life beyond the central investigation. The car theft subplot, in particular, added depth and a welcome change of pace, giving us a fuller picture of Dan’s world and the kind of cases he handles. It might not have been directly tied to the serial killer thread, but that contrast made the darker moments hit even harder. The life of a PI isn’t just one mystery at a time, and Terhaar captures that beautifully. The suspense crept in slowly, building until I realized I was completely hooked. And those Elsa Nordstrom reports are absolute gut-punches. They brought the victims to life in a way that was deeply moving.
This book isn’t just for crime fiction fans, it’s for readers who love characters with heart, quiet moments that carry weight, and thrillers that don’t rely on explosions to keep your attention. If you’re someone who enjoys character-driven mysteries with a slow burn and a touch of romance, Breath Play will stick with you. It’s warm, dark, tender, and smart. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a mystery that feels personal.
Pages: 229 | ASIN : B0FH7MLZGK
Serves You Right
Orion Gregory’s Serves You Right is a dark, twisty, and deeply satisfying crime thriller centered around Sydney Livingstone, a former tennis pro turned police detective, who finds herself pulled into the aftermath of a botched murder trial, a vigilante justice campaign, and a rapidly escalating series of brutal revenge killings. At the heart of the story is the acquitted-but-clearly-guilty Frank McBride, whose smug escape from justice sets off a chain of events that rattles an entire community and sends Syd on a collision course with both a killer and her own professional limits.
Right out of the gate, I have to say the writing is gripping. Gregory wastes no time dropping readers into the chaos with a gut-punch opening that doesn’t flinch from violence or moral ambiguity. He’s got a sharp instinct for pacing. Chapters fly by, and even when things quiet down, there’s always an undercurrent of tension pulling you forward. The prose isn’t flashy, but it’s effective. I liked that. There’s no pretension. Gregory writes like he’s trying to entertain, not impress. That said, the structure can get a bit dense at times, especially when the book shifts perspectives rapidly. Still, the characters, particularly Syd, are fully realized, flawed, and human. I rooted for her hard, even when she stumbled.
I was pleasantly surprised by the book’s moral weight. This isn’t your tidy detective story with good guys and bad guys in their corners. Gregory plays in the gray, and he plays dirty. The vigilante plotline, spearheaded by a mysterious online persona known only as “The Enforcer,” hit a nerve. There’s a kind of catharsis in seeing monsters get what’s coming to them, but Gregory doesn’t let us off that easily. He asks real questions about justice, about power, about how far is too far. And while he doesn’t hand us answers, he sure knows how to make us squirm while we look for them.
I’d recommend Serves You Right to fans of gritty police procedurals, psychological thrillers, and morally tangled crime fiction. If you like your stories messy, raw, and a little uncomfortable in the best possible way, then you’ll tear through this one like I did. Gregory doesn’t serve justice on a silver platter. He drops it on your doorstep, blood-spattered and blinking.
Pages: 327 | ASIN : B0FD1ZZCCQ
Going Postal
In Going Postal, Corky Giles crafts a quiet yet increasingly unsettling descent into the psyche of Fred Hart—a beloved small-town mailman whose patience, kindness, and dignity are slowly eroded by years of unspoken trauma and everyday indignities. Set in the idyllic but claustrophobic town of Cedar Creek, the story begins with Fred as a model citizen: generous, thoughtful, and tirelessly dependable. But as the narrative unfolds, and as one insult after another chips away at him, we watch Fred transform from a gentle soul into someone capable of violence and ultimately murder. The shift is slow, chilling, and heartbreakingly believable.
Reading this book made me uncomfortable, and that’s precisely what makes it so compelling. Giles’s writing has a quiet power, building tension with scenes that seem simple on the surface but simmer with suppressed emotion. The prose is honest and unflashy, letting the story’s emotional weight carry the reader. I felt an uneasy empathy for Fred, which left me questioning where the line between victim and villain really lies. The character work is so rich that when Fred finally snaps, it doesn’t feel sudden. It feels inevitable. That inevitability is what haunted me most.
Some chapters could have benefited from tightening, and occasionally, the dialogue meandered. But even when it wandered, it felt real. I also found myself frustrated, not with the book, but with the people in it—how they treated Fred, how they dismissed his quiet suffering. That frustration morphed into sadness, then dread. Giles doesn’t glorify Fred’s choices. He doesn’t excuse them. Instead, he shows us the raw, lonely road that led there. It’s not a whodunit or a thriller in the traditional sense. It’s more of a psychological slow burn, with a main character who gets under your skin and stays there.
Going Postal is a powerful, emotionally complex novel for readers who like character-driven stories with dark edges. It’s for those who wonder what happens when good people get pushed too far. If you’ve ever felt invisible, used up, or dismissed, this book might shake something loose in you.
Pages: 100 | ASIN : B0F3V4T8PG
Say Your Goodbyes to the Light
Elliott Marsh knows he’s far from virtuous, and he’s come to terms with that. He believes he’s covered his tracks flawlessly. Delyla, his victim, lies hidden in a place he’s certain no one will ever find. He got away with murder, or so he thinks. But violent deaths often leave restless echoes, and Elliott is about to discover that some crimes demand reckoning. It starts subtly: an uneasy feeling, fleeting shadows. Soon, though, it’s undeniable. Something relentless, something judgmental, has its sights set on him, and it won’t stop until he pays in full.
M.B. Whittington’s Say Your Goodbyes to the Light is a chilling blend of supernatural and psychological horror. Echoing the dread of Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart, the moral reckoning of Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment, and the cinematic tension of What Lies Beneath, the novel treads familiar ground but does so with an unnerving mastery of atmosphere.
The premise of vengeful spirits haunting their murderers is well-trodden, yet Whittington breathes fresh life into it. His prose exudes unease, crafting a creeping dread that tightens its grip with every page. Elliott’s psychological descent is both compelling and horrifying. Watching his mind unravel becomes a spectacle that’s equal parts disturbing and satisfying.
Elliott’s journey reveals a fascinating shift in perspective. Initially, he views himself as a victim of circumstances, justifying his actions. Gradually, however, he is stripped of his delusions. Whittington peels back every layer of his self-deception, exposing a man as detestable as the ghost that haunts him believes him to be. It’s a slow, deliberate transformation, but it’s inescapable an unstoppable march toward justice, no matter how much Elliott resists. Though the ending becomes predictable early on, the execution more than compensates. Whittington excels at cultivating mood, and the story’s sense of inevitability only heightens the tension. The result is a journey that feels less about where it leads and more about how it gets there.
Dark, twisted, and relentless, Say Your Goodbyes to the Light is a gripping addition to the psychological horror genre. With its unflinching exploration of guilt, judgment, and inevitability, it’s a haunting tale that lingers long after the final page.
Pages: 452 | ASIN : B0DPCY3N7P
TYE
TYE by J. Denison Reed and Elliott J. Emerson presents a grim and intense narrative that delves deep into the troubled lives of Marcus and Darius. From the start, it is clear that the brothers have endured a lifetime of hardship. Their home was a battleground of family dysfunction, and the foster care system offered no respite. Scarred by years of trauma, Marcus and Darius are left bitter and resentful, with emotional wounds that run deep.
This book is strikingly dark, evoking a sense of tragedy reminiscent of Shakespearean drama. Like the works of the famed playwright, TYE weaves together elements of deep emotional pain and high-stakes intensity. The drama is palpable, building with each chapter as the characters’ destructive paths become more apparent. The story is also intensely character-driven. Marcus and Darius, the two central figures, are disturbing to read about, violent, cold, and utterly devoid of empathy. Their transformation into ruthless killers is unsettling, yet the narrative succeeds in making their darkness comprehensible. The emotional weight of their childhood, marked by neglect and abuse at the hands of a mentally ill father, leaves the reader with a complicated sense of empathy for them despite their actions. I found TYE to be haunting, disturbing, and deeply tragic. Its darkness is relentless, yet the authors manage to stir feelings of sympathy for Marcus and Darius, who never received the care and love they needed as children. The trauma they endured permeates the story, highlighting the cyclical nature of abuse and the devastating toll it takes on the human spirit.
While this fast-paced, gripping read is not for the faint of heart, the scenes are often graphic and disturbing, painting a bleak portrait of the brothers’ painful and dysfunctional lives. Despite its brevity, TYE leaves a lasting impact. I recommend it to readers who enjoy intense thrillers that explore the darker side of the human condition, but be warned: This story lingers long after the final page is turned.
Pages: 244 | ASIN : B0D5WP4VCW
LITERARY TITAN 