Blog Archives
Truth is Stranger Than Fiction
The Last Inning follows two private investigators looking into the cold case of two young women who went missing a year ago when they encountered an old adversary. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
My inspiration for the premise came from watching several detective shows on television concerning cold cases. I have an investigative mind that is intrigued by true stories and how detectives solve the cases. They say that truth is stranger than fiction. I find that to be true many times. I wanted to write a new series to go along with my Mike Parsons Series. This story with characters Jack Hayes and Felicia Braxton made for a perfect second series for me. Coming from two different backgrounds and situations, they are working together as partners, attempting to solve the case and its specific mysteries, as well as the mysteries of their own private lives. In many ways Jack and Felicia are so different, yet the same. It makes them both very believable and relatable.
What was your favorite character to write for and why? Was there a scene you felt captured the character’s essence?
I would say Felicia Braxton. I wanted her to be vulnerable and challenged by her own emotions, yet become stronger as the book went on. I feel that women are undervalued, even in the 21st century. I felt she needed to shine in this book and become valued by Jack Hayes, her partner. I wanted the reader to root for her to wipe out some of her past and use it for her own motivation. I felt the scene of Jack’s assault when they were partners on the force drove her to always have his back in the future was significant. She blamed herself and needed to overcome that. She also feels an attraction for Jack, and the scene in the hotel where she goes to Jack’s room tells so much about her. She wants what she wants, but she has the character to realize that quashing her own needs at times was the best thing for the both of them. She has good, solid character.
Where do you see your characters of Jack and Felicia after the book ends?
I see them both as having gone through some rough times in the book, and they have gotten to a point of understanding what justice is for the work they do. The book reveals how it plays out for them as individuals, too. It is not an easy road for either character in the book. There is plenty of tragedy for each of them to overcome not only in this book, but in the next. They are actually made for each other and have strong feelings for one another. But being partners in the detective agency they started as partners, makes it difficult for them to have the relationship they both may want and quite possibly what the reader wants. We will see where that goes in the future of this series!
What is the next book that you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out?
The next book is already out on Amazon. It is titled The Dark Journal. It is book 2 of the Hayes and Braxton Detective Series. I am very fond of the The Dark Journal, as it takes Jack and Felicia on another crazy ride. It was one of my favorites to write. Readers can find that book here. I am currently working on the fifth Mike Parsons novel. I have a temporary title but not sure yet that I will use it. I am hoping to have that one out by next fall.
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Their investigation of the missing girls thrusts them by chance into the seedy underbelly of professional baseball, drug dealing, and murder, as suspects include a young rookie star player and a devious veteran trying to keep the rookie from taking his job.
Time is running out for the detectives as unknown forces, including an old adversary, are at work to keep them from knowing the truth. Can they solve this case and bring home the missing girls?
Two troublesome missing women, a sleepwalking rookie baseball player, a devious veteran ballplayer, a drug cartel, and two flawed detectives all cross paths in thrilling fashion as the story twists and turns its way to the final conflict.
The Last Inning
In The Last Inning, private investigators Jack Hayes and Felicia Braxton find themselves enmeshed in peril as they delve into a chilling cold case involving two women who vanished from a nightclub. Their probe pits them against a formidable adversary, Marcus Tate, a man with a past marred by violence and crime, including a previous assault on Jack.
The plot thickens as Hayes and Braxton uncover a sinister nexus between the glamorous facade of professional baseball and the shadowy realms of drug trafficking and homicide. Their list of suspects spans from an up-and-coming baseball prodigy to a scheming game veteran whose corrupt practices and manipulative ways render him a substantial threat.
The Last Inning captivates with its relentless pace, delivering suspenseful narrative twists that keep the reader riveted. Each revelation is skillfully woven into the fabric of the story, culminating in a climax that’s as unexpected as it is satisfying.
The novel shines a spotlight on the intricacies of its characters, particularly through the resilient Felicia, whose complex background and unyielding spirit resonate deeply. Her character stands as a beacon of perseverance, adding a rich layer of human struggle to the narrative.
With its compelling blend of intrigue and character-driven storytelling, The Last Inning is an engrossing read that commands the reader’s attention from start to finish. It’s a compelling selection for fans of suspense and mystery who relish a narrative that’s as thrilling as it is emotionally engaging.
Pages: 269 | ASIN : B0CJT5JX24
Wrong Kill, Kill Crime 3
In Mike Slavin’s gripping third installment of the Jeff Case series, Wrong Kill: Kill Crime III, we once again delve into the captivating world of a decorated combat veteran. Jeff Case, with his troubled history continuously intruding on his present, leads a passionate team dedicated to setting things right in a world filled with wrongs. When their pursuit of justice aligns them with the DEA, they find themselves on a collision course with the notorious Zorro cartel in the harsh expanses of the Nevada desert.
The novel takes a tumultuous turn when an unexpected casualty ignites a chain reaction of high-stakes confrontations between Case and a cartel boss baying for blood. With the entanglement of two ruthless serial killers, the plot unravels in increasingly complex and lethal directions, the tempo escalating as the body count rises.
Jeff Case, as a character, seems to echo the personalities of well-known figures like Jack Ryan and Rayland Givens in his demeanor and manner of speaking. Yet, the resemblance doesn’t diminish the reader’s enjoyment of his character. Quite the contrary, it infuses Case with a familiarity that allows readers to comfortably immerse themselves in his compelling narrative.
Slavin has an undeniable talent for hooking his audience and keeping them riveted. His detailed and audacious set pieces serve as a perfect backdrop for the ensuing chaos, masterfully orchestrated to keep the reader enthralled.
Wrong Kill: Kill Crime III seems to echo a disturbing reality that tragedy can strike anytime, even upon the undeserving. Slavin’s narrative often infers that although good agents are tirelessly at work, they cannot always restore equilibrium to the scales of justice. Despite the grim underpinning, it’s heartening to know that relentless figures like Case and his team are fervently battling to rectify the dire injustices that malefactors commit.
The book is a perfect blend of thrill and entertainment that promises to leave even the most stoic readers astounded as they navigate the unfolding devastation. Wrong Kill: Kill Crime III is an action-packed journey that will captivate readers right up until the last page.
Pages: 410 | ASIN : B0C6FKQWQ4
Haunting Pasts
In Haunting Pasts, Trevor Wiltzen crafts an engaging tale of mystery, courage, and resilience. The protagonist, Mabel Davison, is a multifaceted character with roles as diverse as motherhood, entrepreneurship, and amateur detective work. Her acute intellect, indomitable resolve, and astute intuition characterize her. Unpopular among the townsfolk due to an inadvertent bust of a local drug ring, Mabel nonetheless perseveres in her pursuit of justice. Unfazed by the societal backlash, she relentlessly delves into a troubling situation of disappearances afflicting young women in her town.
The storyline propels forward on the strength of a primary lead, a gang member Mabel had previously helped incarcerate. As Mabel uncovers a trail littered with deception and tantalizing hints of the truth, she finds herself on a chilling collision course with a serial killer.
Haunting Pasts offers a riveting experience, masterfully challenging the reader’s perception of time, trust, and reality. Wiltzen’s prose exudes magnetism, effortlessly drawing readers into an immersive narrative environment. His adept manipulation of time, seamlessly entwining past and present, breathes life into the characters, making their tribulations tangible and their residual trauma palpable.
The plot’s architecture is meticulous and true to the essence of detective fiction. Wiltzen has the ability to create an intricate jigsaw puzzle, each piece slotting into place as the narrative unfolds. As a result, observing the broader picture materialize is a uniquely satisfying experience, despite some periods of slower pacing as the narrative meticulously lays down plot details. These lulls are swiftly eclipsed by the mounting suspense and intrigue that ratchet up as the plot advances.
The exploration of the central theme of ‘haunting pasts’ offers a compelling, if straightforward, examination of psychological trauma and its aftermath. Wiltzen’s approach is accessible, potentially inviting a broader audience to engage with these complex themes. For connoisseurs of the psychological thriller genre, the familiarity of certain plot elements may offer a comforting echo of classic narratives, providing a sense of nostalgia and grounding in well-trodden thematic terrain.
Haunting Pasts comes highly recommended for those looking to dip their toes into the genre or enthusiasts of 80s investigative dramas. Trevor Wiltzen’s novel is a thrilling and immersive journey into the heart of a small town riddled with dark secrets.
Pages: 318 | ASIN : B0BVJZ5S7S
Bundy: A Clinical Discussion of the Perfect Storm
Robert DePaolo’s work, Bundy: A Clinical Discussion of The Perfect Storm, presents an exhaustive exploration of Ted Bundy, one of the most enigmatic and infamous serial killers in American history. The dualistic nature of Bundy, an ostensibly charming and well-adjusted individual who managed to maintain strong relationships yet, behind closed doors, committed more than 30 murders over four years, continues to captivate audiences. This book grapples with the challenging question of how Bundy, who seemingly led a conventional life, descended into the monstrosity unnoticed by those around him. Delving deep into whether his predilection for evil was inborn, pathological, or born of other factors, the book offers a compelling analysis of Bundy’s psyche, motives, and actions.
DePaolo’s approach to understanding Bundy’s behavior is rooted in examining his early life, familial medical history, and distinct narcissistic tendencies while establishing correlations with his manipulative strategies and the psychological methods he employed to control his victims. This book distinguishes itself from other Bundy narratives through DePaolo’s clinical perspective, adept integration of psychological theories with empirical data, and firsthand anecdotes, creating a detailed image of Bundy’s mind.
The chapter, ‘In his own words,’ is a standout section, as it delves into the numerous tests employed to diagnose Bundy and his written correspondences with his doctor and her ensuing inferences. DePaolo makes a noteworthy observation about Bundy’s struggle with his identity:
‘A highly significant aspect of the dialogue is Bundy’s extreme ambivalence about his identity. He appears caught between an urge for others to comprehend his violent actions’ complexity and the risk of admitting guilt…Bundy seemed to regard the murders from an intellectual viewpoint as if he sought acknowledgment for his crimes’ strategic execution, charisma, and physical strength…This speaks to his extreme egocentricity and his emotionally numbing ability to be so fixated on personal achievement that he becomes psychologically oblivious to his actions’ repercussions.’
Bundy: A Clinical Discussion of The Perfect Storm is a profoundly enlightening read which can be completed in a single sitting. It encourages readers to question humanity’s darkest potentialities. It is a commendable choice for those intrigued by true crime, psychology and those studying psychiatry. In addition, it provides a valuable case study for exploring developmental psychology, identity, and self-perception.
Pages: 258 | ASIN : B08MZYWJF3
Exploring the Dark Side of Human Nature
Passport to Terror follows a woman that runs a time-traveling travel group that accidentally brings Jack the Ripper back to the year 2032. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
I gave a lot of thought to what a young person who held the worlds only time travel technology might be inspired to do with it. I would want to see historical moments. The proverbial fly on the wall concept. Then I wondered who would book a trip like that? Hollywood came to mind immediately, and the concept of method-actor immersion took form.
Did you create an outline for the characters in the story before you started writing or did the characters personalities grow organically as you were writing?
I never outline my characters. I allow them to grow as I write. I had an idea of their basic personalities, but nothing beyond that. I find it more believable when I write them in the moment. My first series continues to receive fan mail regarding the characters, so I hope I am able to recreate that magic in this series!
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Friendship and tolerance were one areas I knew the book would address. The protagonist finds herself stuck with someone she seemingly has nothing in common with. But they forge a friendship despite that. I also wanted to explore the dark side of human nature. Writing Jack the Ripper was way out of my comfort zone, but I decided to challenge myself and see if I could pull it off. I wanted to write a story with believable emotions and characters, but still maintain enough warmth and emotion in the other characters to balance the storyline.
What do you have in store for readers in the next book in the series going to be about and when will it be available?
I’ve just started writing book two of the series. I hinted at the next adventure at the end of Passport to Terror. Madison and her new friends plan to go to 1920s Paris on vacation. Unfortunately, things don’t go exactly as planned. They find themselves in Germany right before Hilter’s reign, helping a family of orphaned children across the border.
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They always say, “Be careful what you wish for.”
I wish I had been careful.
I could’ve easily sold my time travel machine for billions and walked away. Instead, I opened The Taylor Travel Group where I take the elite on vacations into history, to a time and place of their choice.
But when a big-time movie studio hired my company, I sold my soul.
What was supposed to be a few days of method-actor immersion in nineteenth-century London went horribly awry. Now America’s hottest starlet is dead, and Jack the Ripper is on the loose in modern-day Los Angeles. And it’s all my fault.
I was careless enough to let history’s most ruthless serial killer slip out of the past. Am I smart enough to match wits with him and send him packing before he vanishes forever?
Sometimes Truth and Justice Can Seem Irrelevant
The Dark Web Murders follows a detective who is chasing down a serial killer that thinks he is performing social justice on those above the law. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
Rather strangely, the man who cleans my car said one day, “Why don’t you write a book about a killer who writes about his murders?” I was immediately drawn to the idea and spent a time pondering the type of killer who would do this. I figured he’d have to be a narcissistic psychopath. It was an easy step from there to writing the book.
Did you create an outline for the characters in the story before you started writing or did the character’s personalities grow organically as you were writing?
This is the fourth book in a series, so the key characters have all been around for a while. I have been living a long time and have always been a keen observer of people and their idiosyncrasies. When I need a new character, he or she pops into my head, already fully developed with their own general personality. For some reason I immediately know them intimately. I don’t know why. It has always been like that for me since I started writing fiction.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
I have often been struck by the extent to which trial outcomes can depend on the skills of barristers. Sometimes truth and justice can seem irrelevant. Insane as my killer is, I allowed him to play around with that theme in his blogs.
I have also been constantly conscious of the arrogance of people with money and power, how they can be impervious to the needs of others, and indeed, how corrosive to the spirit power can be. The ‘Club’ allowed me to explore that theme as well.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
The next book in The Inspector Sheehan Mysteries series is called The Trafficking Murders. It has recently been published and is currently available from Amazon and other outlets.
This is a theme running through a number of blogs on the Dark Web, written by a serial killer. He is highly intelligent and employs philosophical argument to justify a series of gruesome murders. However, he describes the killings in lurid detail, and with such gloating relish, that he utterly negates his delusion of detachment and reveals himself to be a cold-blooded, narcissistic psychopath.
Sheehan and his team rush headlong down a series of blind alleys in the pursuit of the psychopath, who continues to murder his victims with impunity. He is fiendishly clever, utterly ruthless, and tests Sheehan’s famed intuition to the limit. Indeed, Sheehan only learns the truth during a horrific climax when some members of his team experience a most harrowing ‘laceration of the soul’ that they will never be able to forget. It is unlikely that the reader will either.
Passport to Terror
Passport to Terror by Christy Cooper-Burnett starts with Jim Taylor discovering how to travel through time. He builds a time machine in his basement. Madison Taylor, his daughter, becomes the owner of the patent when her parents die under suspicious circumstances. Madison deliberates for some time before setting up the Taylor Travel Group in 2032 Los Angeles for time-traveling holidays.
When movie director Derek Porter and his team sign on for a research trip to 1888 London, the famous actress Alysha Beck insists on joining the team. She has an air of entitlement that results in several misfortunes and, ultimately, her death in the year 1888. For the Taylor Travel Group, things go from bad to worse. On top of having a client die in the past, a dangerous villain has escaped from his own timeline. Jack the Ripper is now loose in Los Angeles in the year 2032.
Passport to Terror presents an engaging story without getting too wrapped up in high-level science. However, this doesn’t mean that it’s flippant about the potential risks associated with time travel. The author has given a lot of thought to the rules under which a time-traveling company would have to operate to preserve the timeline. It does mean that, although time travel allows the plot to unfold, the plot is not about the time travel itself; rather, time travel is secondary to the human story being told.
The dramatic story combines the science fiction and murder mystery genres, expertly utilizing some tropes from both. However, I feel it would have benefited from a more pronounced mystery. Still, the drama and adventure are exciting and engaging and keeps the reader captivated as they hunt down Jack the Ripper.
Passport to Terror is a suspenseful science fiction novel with a unique sense of adventure and an enthralling murder mystery at its core. This gripping story mixes historical and futuristic elements in a way that gives a refreshing feel to the ‘serial killer on the loose’ trope. Readers will not be disappointed in this action-filled drama.
Pages: 244 | ASIN : B09ZVQRMQL
LITERARY TITAN 