Blog Archives
The Little Girl’s Mother
The Little Girl’s Mother drops us straight into a police station that turns into a battleground and then never really lets the tension slip. It follows a family whose daughter witnesses a murder and suddenly becomes the target of a powerful criminal syndicate. The parents, both former military with heavy pasts, step back into a world they hoped to leave behind. The story twists from procedural chaos into a dark rescue mission, something between a thriller and a raw look at what parents might do when no one else can keep their child alive. It moves fast. Sometimes brutally fast. And it carries a steady drumbeat of fear and determination.
Reading it, I felt myself leaning in, almost holding my breath. The writing hits with a kind of straight shot energy. There is no drifting around. The scenes move with hard edges and sharp turns. I liked that. It pulled me right into the panic, the cold choices, and the way the parents shift from frightened to focused. I cared more than I expected to and sometimes caught myself rooting for them in ways that surprised me. The emotional weight lands strongest when the parents talk to each other or when they steady their daughter. Those moments feel real. They cool the fire just enough to let the story breathe before it kicks off again.
Some scenes in the workshop are rough. Not because they are gory but because of the calm way they unfold. The tone made me uneasy in a way that felt intentional. I could sense the author pushing me to sit with the question of what desperation does to good people. I liked that the book did not try to pretend those choices are clean or noble. The pacing can feel intense. Yet the emotional through-line keeps things grounded and stops the story from tipping into pure action for its own sake.
I would recommend this book to readers who like high-tension thrillers and stories about families under extreme pressure. It fits readers who enjoy military backgrounds, tactical problem solving, and moral knots that do not come undone easily. If you want a story that grabs you by the collar and refuses to let go, then this will absolutely hit the mark.
Pages: 217 | ASIN : B0FHSHXY18
Ramparts of Winter Iron: When Frost Hammers the Gate
Ramparts of Winter Iron is a gritty and tightly woven historical fantasy set on the snowy fringes of a fading Roman frontier. The story follows Flavius Marcellinus, a seasoned Roman officer tasked with holding the fortress city of Caesarea against a rising tide of nomadic Alan invaders. With only raw recruits, improvised weapons, and the bitter cold at his back, Marcellinus must forge discipline out of desperation. The novel tracks his struggle through military drills, political tension, and a climactic night raid meant to cripple the enemy’s supply line. It’s both a tale of war and a meditation on duty, leadership, and the endurance of civilization under siege.
What I loved most was the sheer sense of place. The cold felt like a character all on its own. It was biting, unforgiving, and always present. Peters’ writing style is direct and powerful. There’s no fluff here, no purple prose. Every sentence pulls its weight. I appreciated how the author balanced action with introspection. Marcellinus isn’t a superhero. He’s tired. He doubts himself. But he pushes on. That kind of worn determination struck a chord with me. The battles are gripping, the tactics believable, and the stakes always feel real.
The book asks a lot from the reader. You’re dropped right into a cold and crumbling world with little time to catch your breath. At times, I found the sheer amount of logistical detail overwhelming, especially regarding the tactics. It’s clear the author did his homework, and I admire that. This book is a great pick for readers who love diving into the gritty, boots-on-the-ground details of Roman combat, from shield formations to siege engines and everything in between. But the details slow the story in moments when I wanted the story to move. Still, those slow patches are outweighed by the raw emotional honesty of the characters. Antonus, the reluctant farmer-turned-soldier, especially stood out. He gave the story a human core beyond all the spears and orders.
Ramparts of Winter Iron surprised me with its depth. It’s about building something worth protecting when the world seems bent on tearing it down. I’d recommend it to readers who enjoy Roman-era fiction, military history buffs, and anyone who’s drawn to stories of quiet bravery and stubborn hope.
Pages: 259 | ASIN : B0F71QK934
Moral Compromise
Rhino follows a research scientist who discovers her father has terminal cancer and is entangled with poachers and smugglers, leaving her in a race against time to find a way out for him and a cure. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The inspiration for the setup came from wanting to explore the collision of two very different worlds: the clinical, evidence-based world of modern medicine and the desperate, high-stakes world of the international wildlife trade. I was fascinated by the question of what could push a fundamentally good, logical person to cross a line they never thought they would.
I made Linh a research scientist for a specific reason. Her entire life is governed by data, ethics, and reason. By putting her in a situation where science and medicine seem to be failing the person she loves most—her father, an oncologist, which adds a layer of tragic irony—her foundation is shattered. This is what opens the door for a desperate, irrational choice.
The rhino horn itself is a powerful symbol. It represents this clash between ancient belief and modern conservation, between a daughter’s desperate hope and a global ecological crisis. It’s not just a simple illegal act; it’s a moral labyrinth. For Linh to even consider it, she has to betray her own scientific principles and become entangled with the very darkness that characters like Inspector Le and Nguyen Vu are fighting.
So, the setup—the scientist, the dying oncologist father, and the criminal underworld—was designed to create the ultimate moral pressure cooker. It’s a story born from the question: How far does love compel us to go, and can we find our way back once we’ve
crossed into the dark?
Linh is a woman with strength and determination. What do you think makes her a valuable and worthy heroine?
Thank you, I’m glad her strength and determination come through. For me, what makes Linh a valuable and worthy heroine isn’t that she’s perfect or always makes the right choice, but precisely because she doesn’t.
Her heroism is rooted in something incredibly human and relatable: the fierce, unconditional love for a parent. She isn’t a trained operative or a hardened detective; she’s a scientist thrown into a world she doesn’t understand, armed only with her intelligence and a desperate need to save her father. Her initial strength isn’t about physical power, but about her refusal to accept defeat, even when all logical paths are closed to her. But what truly makes her worthy, in my eyes, is her fallibility. She makes terrible, morally compromising decisions. She lies, she steals, and she gets involved with a ruthless criminal. This is where her real journey begins. A perfect heroine doesn’t have to grow. Linh is forced to confront the darkest parts of herself and the devastating consequences of her choices.
Her true strength isn’t just the determination to save her father at any cost, but the courage to face what she has done and actively work toward redemption. By the end of the novel, when she joins Nguyen Vu’s conservation efforts, she isn’t just running from her past; she’s trying to build a better future, both for herself and for the cause she once harmed.
So, Linh is a heroine for our complex times. She’s not an idealized figure on a pedestal. She’s a real person who gets lost in the dark and has to fight her way back to the light. Her worthiness comes from that struggle—from her capacity for both terrible mistakes
and profound redemption.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
That’s a great question, as the themes were really the foundation of the story. There were a few that were very important for me to explore.
First and foremost is the theme of moral compromise born from desperation. I wanted to put a good person, Linh, in an impossible situation. She’s a scientist, someone who believes in logic and ethics, but she’s faced with the absolute, emotional terror of losing her father. The central question I wanted to explore was: How far will love push you past your own moral boundaries? It’s about that slippery slope—how one desperate decision can lead you into a world of darkness you never imagined.
Building on that, another crucial theme is systemic corruption. The antagonist isn’t just the ruthless gangster, Khanh Pham. He’s a symptom of a much larger disease. The corruption infects the hospital through Dr. Duc, it threatens law enforcement, and as we eventually learn with Wong Min, it reaches the highest levels of international power. It was important for me to show that this kind of evil isn’t just the work of a few bad men; it’s a network that thrives in the shadows of our institutions, making it incredibly difficult for individuals like Inspector Le and Nguyen Vu to fight.
Finally, despite all the darkness, a key theme is the possibility of redemption. Linh’s journey doesn’t end when the main conflict is resolved. She has to live with her choices. Her decision to join the conservation efforts is her way of atoning, of trying to heal some of the damage she contributed to. It suggests that even when we make terrible mistakes, the path forward isn’t about erasing the past, but about using our experiences to build a better future. It’s a difficult and painful hope, but it’s hope nonetheless.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out?
I’m so glad you asked! It’s an incredibly exciting time, and I have a lot of new stories I can’t wait to share with readers across different age groups.
For my younger readers, I’m thrilled to announce that my publisher, Fabled and Bound, is releasing my new Zoo Collection. The first book, Bat Rocket Boogie, which is for ages 6-8, will be out in the very near future. And that’s just the beginning! We’re expanding that universe with two spin-off series starring more anthropomorphic animals. The first is Forest Friends Mysteries for ages 6-9, which we hope to release around September or October of this year. Following that will be Myths & Legends, a historical fiction
series for kids 8 and up.
And for my adult readers, I’m so excited to be working on a historical fiction novel, tentatively titled The Women of Ravensbrück. It’s set to be published in the UK by Legend Press in the spring of 2026, so there is definitely a lot coming down the pipe!
People sometimes ask how I’m able to work on so many different projects. As many of my readers know, I’m a retired ICU RN, and I live with PTSD from my time on the front lines. For me, writing every day isn’t just a job; it’s a form of therapy. It’s been profoundly healing and has become a vital part of my life. It allows me to build new worlds and channel my experiences into stories, and I’m so grateful to be able to share them.
So, all these stories are brought to you by a very busy, very proud, and very left-handed Canadian!”
Author Links: GoodReads | X (Twitter) | Facebook | Website | Amazon
Her search ensnares her in a bloody web of poachers, smugglers, and killers who traffic in extinction. As bodies pile up and evidence vanishes, a relentless inspector and a passionate conservationist close in from opposite sides.
Stalked by shadowy figures and haunted by impossible choices, Linh discovers a terrifying truth: saving her father may cost her soul—or both their lives.
In this high-stakes game where everyone is both hunter and hunted, survival demands crossing lines that can never be uncrossed.
Operation Nightfall: The Web of Spies
After reading Operation Nightfall: The Web of Spies by Karl Wegener, I’m left both shaken and impressed. The novel is a slow-burning but deeply immersive espionage thriller set against the backdrop of post-World War II Poland. It follows a deadly cat-and-mouse game between Soviet-backed Polish authorities and remnants of the Polish Home Army. The story unfolds with brutal precision, opening with a horrific ambush and evolving into a tightly woven narrative of deceit, identity, and revenge. At the center of it all is Ada Bialik, a woman shaped by war and driven by a quiet, burning fury. Through calculated acts of rebellion and sharp instincts, she becomes the most compelling figure in a world where trust is rare and survival depends on cunning.
I found Wegener’s writing to be razor-sharp in its detail and emotional depth. The characters aren’t just chess pieces in a war story—they’re raw, bruised humans, often trying to make sense of a world shattered by ideology. The language is spare but impactful, often letting silence and implication carry emotional weight. I appreciated that. The dialogue never felt forced. It carried a natural, believable rhythm, which grounded the story in a gritty realism. There’s also a strong visual element—the way forest paths, bloodied uniforms, and stark interrogation rooms are described pulls you in like scenes from a black-and-white film. I found myself holding my breath during key sequences.
But what really got to me was the moral fog that hangs over everything. There are no clean hands in this book. Wegener doesn’t preach, doesn’t glorify violence, but he doesn’t flinch from it either. Some parts made me uncomfortable, like the cold way Lieutenant Colonel Sokolov manipulates others, or how easily people vanish into the system. And yet, it all felt real. That murkiness is part of the book’s strength. It reminds you that history isn’t neat. The idealists don’t always win. People betray each other. Sometimes for survival. Sometimes for belief. Sometimes for nothing at all. The emotional undercurrent is subtle but devastating.
I’d recommend Operation Nightfall to anyone who loves historical fiction with a hard edge, especially fans of John le Carré or Alan Furst. If you’re looking for a tidy, good-guys-win sort of spy story, this isn’t it. But if you want a gripping tale of loyalty, survival, and the deep scars left by war, this book delivers in spades. It stays with you. I’m still thinking about Ada. Still wondering what justice looks like in a world built on lies.
Pages: 336 | ASIN : B0DBN6CD4X
A Tribute to my Mother
The Secretary follows a British woman working for M16 who goes undercover in the British embassy in Moscow, where she starts an affair with a journalist also undercover while searching for a possible traitor. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Lois Vale is a fictionalised version of my late mother, Joy, and I wrote the novel as a tribute to her. My parents met in Moscow at the height of the Cold War, and my sister and I grew up with tales of their romance tailed by the KGB and how they would dig listening devices out of apartment walls. Her 1958 diary was a wonderful find; it was clear she had deliberately left it for us. In her 80s, she had finally admitted to me that she had worked for MI6, though I had long had my suspicions. The diary made sense of the stories she had shared and put them in context. She actually did have a German journalist boyfriend for a while in Moscow, and always spoke fondly of him. I based the structure of the novel broadly on events in the diary, from her initial train journey from Helsinki to Moscow on the night express, to her trips to Vienna and the Black Sea. Though the spy story in the novel is complete fiction, it is rooted in contemporaneous historical fact.
The characters in The Secretary are very complex. What is your process for creating such in-depth characters?
I tried to be as truthful as possible. I always had a lovely relationship with my mother and as I grew up we became close friends and confidantes. I knew, admired – wished I had – her qualities. Writing her character was a question of doing her justice. She was interesting to be with, always elegantly self-effacing and calm, with flashes of sharp humour, and conversations with her were memorable. I drew on years of remembered conversations to build the characters around her; though almost all of them are entirely imaginary, some spring from her observations of people she mixed with in Moscow and subsequently in embassies across the world, and others come from my own reading, fiction and non-fiction, about that era.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
The unsung and underestimated role of women in intelligence in the 1950s is a crucial aspect of the novel. Also the question of loyalty and betrayal: how loyalty may not be reciprocated, and how there might even be a moral component of betrayal.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out?
I’m working on the third novel in the fun French cozy mystery series I write with my husband Rob under the name Serena Kent. Death in Provence and Death in Avignon came out in 2018 and 2019, so this next episode has been a long time coming, interrupted by my determination to bring The Secretary to fruition. After all the delays, I don’t dare promise imminent publication!
Author Links: GoodReads | X | Facebook | Website
A tense Cold War spy story told from the perspective of a bright, young, working-class woman recruited to MI6 at a time when men were in charge of making history and women were expendable.
The Secretary
Deborah Lawrenson’s The Secretary is a richly layered spy novel set against the bleak yet fascinating backdrop of Cold War Moscow in the late 1950s. The story centers around Lois Vale, a British woman sent under deep cover to the British embassy in Moscow. By all outward appearances, she is a secretary, but beneath the surface lies a complex and dangerous mission to uncover a possible traitor within the embassy. Through diary entries, vivid scenes, and psychological depth, Lawrenson paints a tense world where truth is elusive, betrayal is always near, and even the most personal thoughts can become weapons.
From the very first page, I was pulled in. The writing has a graceful rhythm. It’s elegant without being flowery, sharp without being cruel. Lawrenson manages to say so much with so little. I found myself re-reading lines not because they were hard to follow, but because they hit a nerve. Her descriptions of Moscow are like watching a black-and-white film—gritty, cold, and oddly beautiful. What really stuck with me, though, was the emotional weight. Lois isn’t a James Bond figure. She’s real. She’s scared. She second-guesses herself. And I believed her every step of the way.
The book builds slowly, piece by piece. The tension comes from little things like a locked drawer, a look held too long, a diary that might be read. At times, I wanted more plot, more fireworks, but I came to appreciate the quiet dread more than the expected explosions. The sense of being watched, of being alone in a room full of people—it’s handled so well it gave me chills. There’s also a feminist undertone I didn’t expect. Lois is underestimated, even dismissed, but she holds more power than most of the men around her. That felt deeply satisfying.
I’d recommend The Secretary to anyone who loves Cold War fiction, but especially to readers who enjoy slower, more introspective spy stories. This isn’t an action-packed thriller. It’s a character study wrapped in espionage. If you liked Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy but wished it had more emotional depth, or if you ever wondered what it would be like to spy without backup, this is your book. I closed it feeling both chilled and strangely moved.
Pages: 305 | ASIN : B0DSWG8J3C
The Last Defense: The Fight for Epsilon
The Last Defense drops us straight into a brutal, crumbling world where Earth’s last hope rests in the hands of worn-out soldiers trying to fend off an overwhelming alien invasion. Major Jonas Cross, our gritty and deeply human lead, fights not just for survival but for family, memory, and something that feels a lot like hope. The story unfolds across the wreckage of Epsilon City, blending desperate last stands, gut-wrenching rescues, and shaky alliances into a tense, high-stakes battle for humanity’s future.
Right from the first chapter, A. Peters pulled me in with raw, vivid imagery. The opening scene where Jonas is crouched behind a slab of concrete, breathing smoke and fear, while Nightfangs hunt the ruins, slammed the urgency into my chest like a hammer. I loved how Peters didn’t waste time with long setups; you’re thrown straight into the fire. When Jonas reflects on his late wife Anna while hiding from monsters, it doesn’t feel forced or preachy. It feels real, like the kind of memory that guts you when you least need it. Peters has a knack for giving action scenes an emotional spine, and that’s a rare trick.
There were moments, though, where the pacing buckled a little under all the world-building. For instance, the section in the starport had so much tactical briefing that it almost felt like I was reading mission notes instead of a novel. I wanted to get back to Jonas, Ethan, and Selina fighting their way through the city ruins. That said, when the story veers into darker territory, like the prisoner experiments Jonas stumbles upon in the factories, it hits like a punch to the throat. That part genuinely made my skin crawl, and that’s a good thing.
What really stuck with me was the relationship between Jonas and Ethan. Their bond isn’t syrupy or melodramatic; it’s stubborn and bruised and heartbreakingly real. When Jonas risks everything to find his captured brother, dragging himself and a whole squad through hell, it made every firefight and every narrow escape count for more. And the moment Jonas finally finds Ethan, broken but alive, was pure gold. Peters writes brotherhood the way it feels: messy, guilt-ridden, and absolutely necessary.
The Last Defense is a grim, relentless ride, but it’s also filled with tiny flickers of hope that feel all the more precious because they’re so hard-won. I’d recommend it to anyone who loves gritty sci-fi war stories that don’t skimp on heart. Readers who appreciate the intense, character-driven science fiction of The Expanse or Halo: Fall of Reach will find much to admire here. Prepare for a gripping experience that demands both attention and emotional investment until the very last page.
Pages: 169 | ASIN : B0DY386H36
The Last Rival: A time of our Choosing
Kyle Palmer’s The Last Rival: A Time of Our Choosing is a gripping and intellectually compelling novel set in the turbulent aftermath of World War II. At its heart are Jim Bolden and Lew Weinman, covert operatives navigating the shadowy world of intelligence. Their mission is perilous, their existence unacknowledged by any government, and their enemy a hidden remnant of the Nazi regime seeks to seize power and reshape history in its own sinister image.
Palmer’s prose is sharp and evocative, balancing high-stakes action with moments of profound introspection. Suspense builds with relentless intensity, yet the novel’s true strength lies in its exploration of moral ambiguity. Themes of sacrifice, redemption, and the battle between duty and conscience weave seamlessly into the narrative, elevating it beyond a conventional spy thriller. The action grips, but it is the philosophical depth that lingers, prompting readers to ponder the complexities of right and wrong when allegiances shift and ideals collide.
Far from mere instruments of espionage, the characters emerge as deeply human figures wrestling with personal demons and ethical dilemmas. Their struggles, whether to seek vengeance or embrace forgiveness, add a rich emotional undercurrent that resonates beyond the confines of their mission. As they confront impossible choices, their internal battles become as compelling as the external threats they face.
For those who appreciate historical fiction infused with intellectual depth, The Last Rival delivers an immersive and thought-provoking experience. Palmer masterfully blends real-world history with speculative intrigue, crafting a novel that feels both immediate and timeless. Though the pacing slows at times to allow for introspective moments, the payoff is well worth it. This is more than a thriller; it is a journey into the heart of human conflict, both on the battlefield and within the soul.
Pages: 500 | ASIN : B0DM6H5TD8
LITERARY TITAN 