Blog Archives
Mortal Revenge
At its core, this is a crime thriller that blends family betrayal, corruption, and moral reckoning into a story driven by personal stakes. The book follows Alex Deltoro, a successful pharmaceutical executive in Mexico City, whose professional triumphs collide with a dark family crisis involving his mother, his brother, and a web of neglect, greed, and possible murder. Set against the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the novel moves between domestic abuse, corporate intrigue, and the broader rot of institutional corruption, all building toward a question that lingers throughout. How far can a decent person be pushed before justice turns into revenge?
What stayed with me most was how grounded the writing feels, even when the plot leans into high-stakes territory. The authors do not rush Alex’s inner life. We sit with his guilt, his exhaustion, and his instinct to care for others even when it costs him. The pacing reflects that choice. Some scenes stretch out, especially in hospitals or family spaces, and that patience pays off. It gives the story weight. The prose is clear and unflashy, which works well for a thriller rooted in realism rather than spectacle. Those details never feel decorative. They serve the story.
I also appreciated how the book handles power and corruption. No one twirls a mustache here. Harm happens through neglect, selfishness, and systems that reward the wrong behavior. The pandemic backdrop is especially effective. It adds urgency without feeling opportunistic, and it mirrors the novel’s larger concerns about who gets protected and who gets sacrificed. There were moments where I wished certain confrontations had been sharper or arrived sooner, but in hindsight, the slower burn fits the emotional logic of the story. Revenge, in this novel, is not impulsive. It is something that grows quietly, fed by love and frustration in equal measure.
Mortal Revenge felt less like a simple thriller and more like a meditation on responsibility. It sits comfortably in the crime thriller genre, but it also borrows from social realism and psychological drama. I would recommend this book to readers who like suspense grounded in character, especially those interested in morally complex stories set in real-world crises. If you enjoy thrillers that make you think about systems, family, and the cost of doing the right thing, this one is worth your time.
ISBN: 978-1-64456-875-0
Hell to Pay
Hell to Pay is a fast-moving crime mystery that follows Iris Raines, a private investigator whose long night of chasing down a missing witness explodes into something far bigger. The book opens with Iris watching her family’s law firm go up in flames just hours after she drags a frightened, drug-addicted witness out of a dangerous alley. From there, the story spirals into criminal entanglements, old secrets, gang threats, and a devastating building explosion that leaves Iris shaken and determined to figure out who is behind it all. The plot blends gritty street crime with legal drama and emotional fallout, and the mystery keeps widening as Iris realizes the disaster may have deeper roots than anyone wants to admit.
What struck me first was how quickly I settled into Iris’s voice. She feels sharp, funny, and deeply human all at once. One minute she’s dodging gunfire in a trash-strewn alley, the next she’s cracking a joke to keep herself steady, and somehow both moments feel true. The writing has that crisp, no-nonsense energy you expect from a crime mystery, but it also lingers in the moments that count. Iris isn’t just tough. She’s tired. She’s scared. She’s grieving places and people she hasn’t even lost yet. When she watches a woman burn in a car outside the exploding office building, it hits her hard, and the book lets her sit in that shock instead of brushing past it. Those emotional beats helped me feel anchored even when the plot moved fast.
I also appreciated the author’s choices around relationships. Iris and her “fathers,” the Raines brothers, give the book a surprising warmth, especially as we learn how she came into their lives. Her friendship with Dean adds another layer, mixing loyalty, dark humor, and the kind of comfort that only comes from years of shared history. Even Maybelline, a character who could have easily been written off as a stereotype, is treated with compassion. Her story is messy and sad, and Iris meets that messiness with more empathy than she gives herself credit for. That mix of grit and heart is what kept me reading. Sure, the book has gang shootouts, legal maneuvering, and explosions that shake entire blocks, but it also has tiny, quiet moments where people choose to take care of one another.
By the time the story shifted fully into unraveling what caused the explosion and who might be responsible, I was hooked. The mystery feels grounded, like something that could happen in a city where money, politics, and corner-cutting collide. And it never forgets the personal cost. Iris isn’t solving a puzzle for the thrill of it. She’s fighting to keep the people she loves alive and to protect the witnesses who fall into her orbit, whether they want to or not.
I’d say Hell to Pay is perfect for readers who enjoy character-driven crime mysteries with a mix of danger, sarcasm, heart, and legal intrigue. If you like stories where the investigator has as much going on inside as she does outside, this one will land well. It’s gritty without being bleak, emotional without dragging, and smart without feeling showy. Fans of mysteries with messy heroes will feel right at home.
Pages: 337 | ASIN : B0DSY8M2QJ
Lords of Sixty Third Street
Lords of Sixty-Third Street is a gritty crime thriller set on Chicago’s South Side, opening with the shocking murder of Tribune reporter Michael Anderson. From there, the story widens into an underworld web: a mob crew scrambling to protect its interests, a ruthless street gang fighting for power, and a fellow reporter determined to uncover the truth. The book has the bones of a classic crime novel but wraps it in local detail, political corruption, and the messy humanity of people who live and die on those blocks.
I was pulled in right away. The opening chapter is brutal. It sets a tone that never really lets up, and I caught myself tensing as the scene unfolded. Author Edward Izzi writes in a straightforward, almost journalistic style that fits the subject matter, especially when he switches into Larry McKay’s first-person point of view. Larry’s voice feels worn down in the way longtime reporters often are. His sarcasm, his grief, and even his guilt feel believable. And the pacing surprised me. The chapters bounce between the investigation, the mob’s internal politics, and the O-Block gang’s chaos, but it never feels scattered. Instead, it feels like standing in the middle of a neighborhood where everything is happening at once.
What I liked most, though, was how the author handles violence and power. He doesn’t shy away from either. Some scenes made me uncomfortable, not because they were poorly written but because they felt too close to stories that make the news in real life. The book keeps circling back to what desperation and loyalty can make people do. There’s also this tension between the old guard, the Outfit, with its rules and rituals, and the young gang members who don’t care about structure and burn everything they touch.
By the time I reached the end, I felt like I had watched a full neighborhood ecosystem twist around one terrible act of violence. It’s the kind of story where nobody gets out clean, and honestly, that feels right for this genre. If you enjoy crime fiction that leans into atmosphere and moral gray areas, especially stories rooted in Chicago’s history of corruption and street politics, this one will hit the spot. Fans of gritty crime thrillers will appreciate how fully it commits to its world and its characters.
Pages: 378 | ASIN : B0FXVVHLD5
Beneath The Rings
The Doha 2040 Summer Olympics promise spectacle and grandeur. That illusion shatters fast. Twelve Lebanese and Israeli athletes vanish, seized by a shadowy organization known as the Obsidian Hand. Their demand lands like a thunderclap: a ransom of $500 billion. Veteran journalist Nova Mendelsohn steps into the chaos, and the stakes spike with every passing hour. The Olympic Village becomes her launching point, yet the real peril lurks beyond its perimeter. The desert holds secrets. Vengeance brews. Lives hang by a thread. Unless Nova unearths the truth, the kidnapped athletes will not survive.
Beneath the Rings, by Joe Battaglia, evokes echoes of Argo while carving out its own identity. Set in a near-future landscape that feels disturbingly plausible, the novel imagines a world only a few steps removed from our present timeline.
At its center stands Nova Mendelsohn. Once the narrative machinery locks into place, the spotlight rarely shifts from her. Intelligent, relentless, and remarkably resourceful, she becomes the ideal guide through this pressure cooker of danger. Readers may catch glimmers of Dan Brown’s puzzle-laced adventures or the high-velocity grit of the Jason Bourne films, yet Battaglia builds a narrative ecosystem all his own, one defined by crisp storytelling and an inventive delivery of essential clues.
Momentum never lags. Once the plot kicks into gear, it drives forward with remarkable speed. The mystery elements hook the reader early, while the dialogue sharpens the tension. Mini cliffhangers pepper the chapters, each one engineered to tug the reader deeper into the story. Putting the book down becomes a challenge.
The Obsidian Hand also stands apart from typical thriller antagonists. As their identity and purpose come into focus, their motives, while extreme, gain a faint, unsettling logic. This complexity grants the novel an unexpected emotional undercurrent, prompting readers to consider where justice ends and fanaticism begins.
The result is a high-stakes thriller with international scope and literary ambition, a potboiler elevated by thoughtful execution. Battaglia delivers a gripping ride, and further stories featuring Nova Mendelsohn would be more than welcome.
Summer Fallout
Summer Fallout is a contemporary crime drama and family-centered thriller that follows a beach-town family still reeling from a violent hurricane season when their adult son is shot on his own front porch. The novel moves between moments of coastal calm and sudden brutality, focusing on the emotional fallout rather than just the crime itself. The book is about survival. Physical survival, yes, but more deeply the kind that happens in hospital waiting rooms, quiet kitchens, and the long stretch of time after trauma when life is supposed to go back to normal and refuses to cooperate.
Author Denise Ann Stock spends time letting scenes breathe. Long walks on the beach, family dinners, small conversations that feel ordinary. Those moments matter because when violence breaks in, it lands harder. The contrast is sharp but not flashy. The author clearly wants the reader to feel what it is like to live in a place that looks like paradise while carrying fear just under the surface. The point of view stays close to the mother, and that choice works. Her thoughts circle and spiral the way real fear does.
The book’s ideas are simple but heavy. Safety is fragile. Communities can look peaceful while hiding cracks. Trauma does not arrive once and leave politely. I appreciated that Stock does not rush healing or tie things up neatly. As a work of crime fiction, the mystery matters, but as a family drama, the emotional stakes matter more. The pacing leans toward reflective rather than propulsive, which may surprise readers expecting a fast thriller. For me, that slower rhythm felt honest.
By the end, I felt like I had spent time inside this family’s life rather than just watched a plot unfold. Summer Fallout will appeal most to readers who enjoy contemporary crime novels with a strong emotional core, especially those who like stories about resilience, family bonds, and the long shadow violence can cast over everyday life. If you like reflective crime fiction that lingers on aftermath and human cost, this book is worth your time.
Pages: 228 | ASIN : B0G4G349X2
Defusing Theories
In Serial Obsession, a journalist-turned-cold case investigator discovers new information in the case of a serial killer and sets out to uncover the truth behind a wrongful accusation. How were you able to strike a balance between suspense and romance?
I always want my novels to be plot-heavy and use the sex and intimacy as just a part of what’s really going on. I want there to be purpose for the relationship, and that purpose will usually be that the main characters find it more advantageous and a lot more fun to work as a duo. Naturally, this arrangement creates depth in the relationship and helps it develop into something almost surreal. The danger and the unknown seem to pull the lovers in even closer, making their connection not only fiery but also a testament to mutual respect and loyalty. Serial Obsession is a great example of how a story creates the relationship, and the lovers’ romance enhances the story.
What do you find to be the most challenging aspect of writing a series? The most rewarding?
The Map Dot Series is different than most book series because the books are actually stand-alones. We call it a series because every book has a common thread—the action takes place in a little Midwestern map dot town. The town is real, and even the locations such as Whittle’s Pub and Grub from Serial Obsession are real, but the story and the characters are entirely from my overactive imagination. These books have no reading order and are only numbered to show the order of release. So, in this case, my challenges were minimal.
Honestly, I spend a lot of time defusing theories about who’s who because everyone thinks there’s a little truth woven into the plot and characters. But that’s just not the case. I just like to build my stories around the places I know best because it helps me visualize and keeps me from taking too many liberties with the flexibility of fiction. Most definitely, the most rewarding aspect of creating this series is going to the little towns, talking with the people there, and getting feedback on the books.
Can you give us a glimpse inside Book 3 of the Map Dot series? Where will it take readers?
Desperate Measures, Book 3 in the Map Dot Series, comes out this spring. This time, the unassuming little map dot town is Argenta, Illinois, and the location is partially the town pub, Bargenta. This book was inspired by my upcoming participation as an attending author on the Love Lit Cruise in February 2026. The main character is a romance novelist who suffers tremendously with the details of her own love life. And, yes, she is embarking on an adventure on the high seas aboard the Love Lit Cruise early in the book. But let me remind you, my characters are not based on anyone real, despite the fact that everyone will assume I am Poppy Wallcroft (sigh). This superficial description of the book might seem like I’m venturing into a more traditional romance subgenre; however, Desperate Measures contains my signature female power character, plot twists that will have your head spinning, and thrilling danger that makes you gasp. Words Matter Publishing and I are shooting for an April release.
Author Links: GoodReads | Amazon
“I’m so sorry, I just came out here half-dressed like I owned the place.”
“…please don’t apologize for making my day,” he said, flashing her a look from those sexy blue eyes. “I never knew that old t-shirt could look so good.”
Camille Hargrove is a serious cold case investigator. When a tip leads her to Lake of the Ozarks to reopen the Kelcee Meyer rape and murder case, Camille vows to find justice for Kelcee and her family. In the process, she encounters Ross Paine, the innocent man framed for the crime. The investigation heats up when Camille and Ross give in to their fiery attraction and become partners in more ways than one. When they expose Shane Simpson, the real killer, Camille becomes his target, and they discover that Shane’s connection to Ross is more complicated than they ever suspected. Unravel the mystery and catch a killer with this sexy duo in Serial Obsession, Marcy Bialeschki’s second stand-alone novel in the Map Dot Series.
Literary Titan Book Award: Fiction
The Literary Titan Book Award honors books that exhibit exceptional storytelling and creativity. This award celebrates novelists who craft compelling narratives, create memorable characters, and weave stories that captivate readers. The recipients are writers who excel in their ability to blend imagination with literary skill, creating worlds that enchant and narratives that linger long after the final page is turned.
Award Recipients
Visit the Literary Titan Book Awards page to see award information.
Literary Titan Silver Book Awards
Celebrating the brilliance of outstanding authors who have captivated us with their skillful prose, engaging narratives, and compelling real and imagined characters. We recognize books that stand out for their innovative storytelling and insightful exploration of truth and fiction. Join us in honoring the dedication and skill of these remarkable authors as we celebrate the diverse and rich worlds they’ve brought to life, whether through the realm of imagination or the lens of reality.
Award Recipients
Losing Mom by Peggy Ottman
This Is For MY Glory: A Story of Fatherlessness, Failure, Grace, and Redemption
Toil and Trouble by Brian Starr
Visit the Literary Titan Book Awards page to see award information.
LITERARY TITAN 