Blog Archives
Changing Norms
Murder Amour follows two private investigators in Los Angeles on their first case as an official investigative team as they try to find a serial killer targeting women from an elite LA escort agency. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
All my stories deal with one or more social issues. The Art of Murder was suicide and addiction. In Murder Amour, I wanted to explore the ramifications of prostitution and changing norms on things like escorting. In the third of this series, homelessness is the topic.
How have John and Kayla evolved since readers first met them in The Art of Murder, and why was it important to explore the challenges of maintaining a romantic relationship while working together professionally?
They began as antagonists, became friends, and then lovers. Kayla represented John’s letting go of his grief in The Art of Murder. In Murder Amour, their relationship solidifies. They use their partnership as a reason or excuse to remain in an open relationship, but the truth is neither has fully committed to the other.
How does the novel explore the difference between physical attraction, emotional intimacy, and genuine commitment?
Escorting is physical attraction and sex without emotional intimacy. Getting thrown into that world affected the emotional intimacy between John and Kayla in a negative way, pushing their willingness to fully commit to one another further away. This is more strongly felt by Kayla than John. We get the feeling that she’s drifting away from him. And she is.
What directions would you like to explore as John and Kayla continue developing their professional and romantic partnership?
The next story in the series also takes place in LA. John and Kayla are drifting apart. To nail the killer, John becomes a homeless victim. In a way, it symbolizes how he feels about Kayla—bereft and impoverished. They remain partners but not romantically after that point.
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To solve their first case as Mathews & Saint Private Investigators, John and Kayla must immerse themselves in the decadent extravagance and deadly deceit of one of the world’s most prestigious escort agencies. The Stellar Agency promises its escorts safety, reward, and empowerment—a huge improvement over the brutal realities of the streets. But beneath the veneer of stunning beauty and seeming innocence lies a dark secret.
A serial killer has been hunting the agency’s elite escorts for years, using its exclusive website to select and stalk his victims. To catch the monster, John and Kayla join the agency’s inner circle, only to discover that its motto, “Beauty You Can Trust,” couldn’t be further from the truth.
Tempted at every turn by the lure of obscene money and ready sex, the trust John and Kayla share begins to fracture, and as the killer closes in on his next victim, they’re faced with a choice—either succumb to the tempting seduction at the cost of their friendship, or channel the strength and respect they share to survive this madness and put an end to the killing once and for all.
This gripping second installment of the Mathews & Saint detective series tackles, with a sharp noir edge, the hidden dangers of a modern escort agency. Perfect for fans of complex, socially relevant crime thrillers.
Murder Amour
Michael Alan Stimmel’s Murder Amour follows private investigators John Mathews and Kayla Van Saint from Portland to Los Angeles, where a job involving a fire at a movie studio leads them into a much larger tangle of money, sex, and personal loyalties. John’s background in fire investigation and Kayla’s experience as a homicide detective give their partnership a useful mix of skills, though their work is only part of what keeps them occupied. They’re also lovers trying to agree on what that means. The novel moves through hotel suites, studio grounds, fashion events, and the world of a powerful escort agency, giving its crime story a distinctly social character. Access matters here: who’ll take your call, who’ll open a gate, and who has something worth protecting.
John’s first-person narration gives the book much of its personality. He’s observant, hungry, easily distracted by beautiful women, and prone to acting before he’s thought things through. His jokes and running commentary make him easy company, while his jealousy, drinking, and desire to rescue people give that company some uncomfortable edges. His compassion can be sincere even when his judgment is poor, and that tension becomes one of the story’s more interesting concerns. Kayla brings confidence, practical experience, and an appetite for adventure to their exchanges. Their conversations have the familiarity of two people who know how to tease each other and exactly where to press. The friction between professional trust and romantic uncertainty gives their scenes a reason to matter beyond the next clue.
Stimmel writes in a direct, conversational style, with short chapters and plenty of dialogue. He’s particularly attentive to the physical pleasures and daily inconveniences of the setting: a good sandwich, an extravagant purchase, a convertible ride, or another stretch of Los Angeles traffic. Those details make the characters’ time in the city feel authentoc, and the recurring Cadillac becomes an enjoyable part of the book’s personality. The same habits can wear thin, especially the repeated descriptions of women’s bodies and the extended discussions explaining the escort business. Some exchanges sound like arguments prepared for the reader, and several investigative leaps depend on convenient timing or quick assumptions. The broad sexual humor also sits alongside graphic violence, creating abrupt changes in tone that can be jarring.
I think what gives Murder Amour its strongest emotional pull is its interest in the obligations people take on when they claim to care about someone. Protection, generosity, desire, and self-interest are closely tangled throughout the story. The escort agency provides a particularly charged setting for questions about women’s independence, vulnerability, and the cost of defending a business’s reputation. John’s perspective on those questions is uneven, and his judgments can feel reductive, but his involvement gives them personal consequences. I’d recommend the book most to adult readers who enjoy private-eye fiction with a talkative narrator, a complicated detective couple, and morally messy situations. Readers drawn to Hollywood settings and the everyday push and pull between two recurring leads will have plenty to enjoy, especially if they’re comfortable with blunt humor and disturbing crime scenes.
Pages: 242 | ASIN : B0HH7WBP36
The Art of Murder
The Art of Murder opens with a Portland art gallery in flames and a body in the wreckage. For private investigator John Mathews, who specializes in commercial fires, the job begins with ash samples, insurance paperwork, and questions about how a building burned so quickly. That’s a strong invitation into a mystery: something has happened, the physical evidence is disappearing, and people have reasons to tell carefully edited versions of the truth. Author Michael Alan Stimmel gives the case a practical foundation while surrounding it with the messy business of making, selling, and assigning value to art.
Mathews is good company in the complicated way that a smart, troubled friend can be. He’s observant, persistent, quick with a comeback, and capable of making a situation worse through sheer determination. He also drinks heavily and carries grief into nearly every room he enters. His first-person narration lets us experience those contradictions up close. A joke can lead straight into an aching memory; a promising interview can become an exercise in poor judgment. The tension between his professional competence and his personal recklessness gives the book much of its energy. You want him to find answers, and you worry about the cost of getting them.
Detective Kayla Van Saint brings another kind of energy. Her exchanges with Mathews have the familiarity of people who know exactly which buttons to push, along with the awkwardness of feelings they haven’t fully sorted out. Their work together involves bargaining, irritation, concern, and an appealing amount of verbal sparring. Around them, Portland feels inhabited: food carts, bars, condominium elevators, trolley rides, and walks through different neighborhoods become part of the investigation’s daily rhythm. The movement between comfortable homes and precarious lives gives the city texture and makes money feel like a pressure acting on people, even during an ordinary conversation.
The investigative detail is especially satisfying. Stimmel takes an interest in how evidence is gathered, how insurance claims work, and how a small inconsistency can change the meaning of an interview. The art setting adds questions of its own about reputation, craftsmanship, and the relationship between a painting’s quality and its price. The pace leaves room for meals, memories, and long conversations, so you spend plenty of time inside Mathews’s habits. Some drinking scenes and reflections on his loss cover familiar ground, and his commentary on women can be grating. Those rough edges are part of a forceful narrative voice that asks readers to stay close to a man whose instincts deserve scrutiny.
What gives The Art of Murder its staying power is the way the case keeps brushing against Mathews’s private wounds. Questions about responsibility and loyalty matter professionally and personally, and the people he encounters complicate his judgments. Stimmel has a feel for the uncomfortable overlap between caring about someone and causing them harm. That makes the book an engaging choice for readers who enjoy investigative legwork, a distinctly opinionated narrator, and relationships with real friction. Its pleasures come from following both the evidence and the people trying to live with it. The Art of Murder is a sharp and bruising mystery about the things people will do for money and the people they can’t afford to lose.
Pages: 232 | ASIN : B0HH8KDN89
Knight In Gale: Vengeance
Knight In Gale: Vengeance, by Michael H. Balfour, is a mystery thriller and the third book in the Dante Villehart series. The story follows Dante as he is pulled into a new murder case in Edenvale that carries the signature of the old “Knight In Gale” killings: dead nightingales, literary clues, staged crime scenes, and the uneasy feeling that the past has not stayed buried. What begins as a homicide investigation becomes something more personal, with Dante forced to face old mistakes, fresh danger, and the thin line between justice and vengeance.
I liked how the book leans into the mood of crime fiction without losing sight of Dante as a person. He is not just solving a puzzle. He is tired, haunted, sharp, and sometimes painfully aware of his own limits. That made the investigation feel more grounded to me. The book has the usual pleasures of the genre, including clues, suspects, grim discoveries, and tense confrontations, but its strongest moments often come in quieter scenes: Dante sitting with his guilt, noticing the shape of a room, or finding brief comfort in food, tea, and familiar faces. Those pauses matter. They give the darkness some texture.
Balfour’s writing is vivid and often atmospheric. The prose really wants you to feel the room: the chemical smell of a crime scene, the stale quiet of a diner, the strange theatricality of the killer’s clues. I appreciated that choice because the case itself is built around art, poetry, performance, and obsession, so the heightened style fits the material. This is a story about people turning pain into symbols, and symbols into weapons. The book is candid about how stories can be twisted, especially when murder becomes a spectacle.
I recommend Knight In Gale: Vengeance to readers who enjoy dark mystery thrillers with a literary edge, especially those who like damaged investigators, serial-killer puzzles, and crime stories that care as much about emotional aftermath as they do about the reveal. Fans of character-driven detective fiction will probably get the most from it, particularly if they already know Dante from the earlier books. It’s tense, moody, and reflective, with enough bite to satisfy genre readers and enough introspection to make the case feel personal.
Pages: 353 | ASIN : B0GD94F5Z3
Mirror Image (Bennett Auction Series)
Mirror Image, by Kay Brooks, opens the Bennett Auction Series with Abby Adams and TJ Bennett entering the secluded White house to prepare an estate auction, only to find a portrait that looks exactly like Abby, a restless ghost named Isabella, hidden family secrets, and a present-day killer circling Edmondsville. The book braids a haunted-house mystery, a slow-burn romance, and a serial-killer thread into a story where antiques, diaries, portraits, and old rooms become evidence rather than scenery.
I appreciated the way the house is presented as more than a setting. Brooks has a strong instinct for objects: Lladró figures, old furniture, sketchbooks, diaries, a missing vase, and the kind of heirlooms that seem to remember more than the living do. That auction-world texture gives the paranormal mystery a pleasing specificity. I also enjoyed Abby’s curiosity; she is not merely frightened by Isabella’s presence, but pulled toward her with compassion, which gives the ghost story an emotional hinge.
The romance between Abby and TJ has a familiar push-pull rhythm, sometimes heated, sometimes prickly, but it works best when their banter is interrupted by real danger or tenderness. The book is busy with ghosts, genealogy, murder, family business, romance, and a killer’s stalking presence, all of which compete for space, but that abundance gives it a pulpy, page-turning energy. I was especially drawn to the idea that history is not dead here; it is ambulatory, wounded, and occasionally mischievous.
This book is for readers who enjoy paranormal romantic suspense, small-town mystery, serial killer thrillers, and family secrets fiction. Fans of Heather Graham’s Krewe of Hunters novels may feel at home with the blend of romance, ghosts, investigation, and danger, though Brooks adds her own auction-house flavor. Mirror Image is a ghost story that feels old, mysterious, and alive.
Pages: 299 | ASIN : B0DYZPL83J
BLOATER
BLOATER delivers a dark crime thriller built around a string of shocking murders that leave victims grotesquely inflated and displayed like macabre parade balloons. The investigation falls to FBI agents Camby and Lanquist, who slowly uncover a connection between the killings and the victims’ histories of cruelty and bigotry. Alongside this, the novel follows the psychological collapse of Dr. Jeremiah Nowak, a neurosurgeon devastated by his wife’s sudden death. These narrative threads pull together into a grim exploration of vengeance, morality, and the terrifying lengths a disturbed mind might go to when fixated on the idea of consequences for unkindness.
I found the story vivid and unsettling in a way that held my attention even when the scenes made me squirm. The writing moved quickly and often felt cinematic, especially during the forensic sequences. The author had a knack for describing grotesque details with a strange mix of matter-of-fact precision and emotional punch, which made the book feel alive and twitching under my hands. Sometimes the tone veers into almost playful banter between the agents, which gave me a moment to breathe, then the next chapter plunged me back into grisly territory. I liked that rhythm. It kept me alert. It kept me guessing whether I should laugh, grimace, or look away for a second.
The victims were not random. They were people who had spent their lives spreading cruelty, and the killer seemed obsessed with correcting what he saw as a moral imbalance. That idea rattled me. The story poked at the question of whether words can wound deeply enough to trigger monstrous retaliation, and I appreciated that the author let the ugliness of that question sit there without softening it. A few moments felt a bit on the nose, but the emotional force carried the story and made those moments feel raw rather than preachy.
BLOATER left me with a mix of shock, curiosity, and an odd sympathy for characters who were messy, flawed, and sometimes unbearable. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy crime fiction that leans boldly into horror, to anyone who likes investigative banter paired with stomach-turning forensic scenes, and to those who are comfortable questioning the line between justice and obsession.
Pages: 322 | ASIN : B0G1BJNDM3
Reservations: A Samantha Wright Crime Series
Reservations follows FBI profiler Samantha Wright as she’s pushed back into the hunt for a serial killer after the sudden death of her mentor and closest friend, Dr. Edmond Sampson. The story opens with grief, then moves fast into danger as Sam takes over the RESERVATIONS case, a string of murders involving young boys on reservations across the American West. Her past traumas, messy romantic entanglement with Special Agent Charlie Falken, and deep loyalty to Dr. Sampson color every choice she makes. The book blends crime, trauma, culture, and romance in a way that feels raw and intimate, almost like sitting beside Sam as she thinks her way through every dark corner of the investigation.
I liked how emotional the writing feels. The author doesn’t rush through Sam’s pain. She lets it sit there, real and jagged. Sam grieves her mentor with this quiet, private sorrow that feels heavy and familiar. At the same time, the pacing snaps between slow internal moments and sudden shocks. The memories of the BAKER’S DOZEN case are especially rough. The writing keeps things personal. It doesn’t pretend Sam is made of steel. She’s brilliant, but she’s tired, haunted, and sometimes unsure, and I liked her more because of that.
The mix of genres also surprised me in a good way. The romantic scenes with Charlie are blunt, sweaty, flawed, and full of emotional landmines. They’re not polished or dreamy. They feel like two people clinging to each other because they don’t know what else to do with their hurt. Then the story swings into investigative mode with sharp detail and a steady buildup of dread. The casework feels grounded and tense, especially when Sam revisits crime scenes or pieces together old trauma with new evidence. The writing is vivid.
I’d recommend Reservations to readers who enjoy crime fiction with strong emotional depth and a protagonist who feels human in all the best and hardest ways. It’s especially fitting for people who like stories that dive into trauma, culture, identity, and the complicated ties we form with the people who shape us. If you want a thriller with heart and heat, something that grips you and makes you feel a little raw by the end, this book will get you there.
Pages: 332 | ASIN : B0FHYLFVBZ
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.
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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.
