Westley Smith
Westley Smith is the author of two crime thrillers, Some Kind of Truth and In the Pale Light. In the Pale Light landed on IngramSpark’s #1 pre-order charts in the mystery, thriller, and hard-boiled detective category.
Writing since he was ten, his first short story, “Off to War,” was published nationally at sixteen. His short stories have recently appeared in On the Premise and Unveiling Nightmares. He was the runner-up contestant in the Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine’s Mysterious Photograph Contest, and his short story Winter Reflections was chosen as a finalist for Crystal Lake Publishing's Shallow Waters short story contest. He also had a short story, The Security Guard, in the horror anthology Hospital of Haunts, which hit #1 on Amaz
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Valerie Biel
Valerie Biel's love for travel and insatiable curiosity inspires her storytelling. Her award-winning Circle of Nine series is set partially in Ireland where she was inspired by the ancient stone circles which dot the countryside. Beltany, an actual stone circle in County Donegal, Ireland, plays an important part in this novel. "There's something eerie and beautiful about these circles which rise up out of the greenest grass you've ever seen. Who built them? Why did they build them? If that's not enough to start a story, nothing is." Her other books include HAVEN, a middle-grade novel that sensitively handles the tough topic of domestic abuse through the eyes of an 11-year-old, and BEYOND THE CEMETERY GATE, a mystery suspense novel.
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Tj O'Connor
Tj O’Connor is an award-winning author of mysteries and thrillers. He’s an international security consultant specializing in anti-terrorism, investigations, and threat analysis—life experiences that drive his novels. With his former life as a government agent and years as a consultant, he has lived and worked around the world in places like Greece, Turkey, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, and throughout the Americas—among others. In his spare time, he’s a Harley Davidson pilot, a man-about-dogs (and now cats), and a lover of adventure, cooking, and good spirits (both kinds). He was raised in New York’s Hudson Valley and now lives with his wife, Labs, and Maine Coon companions in Virginia where they raised five children who are supplying
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Justin M. Kiska
When not sitting in his library devising new and clever ways to kill people (for his mysteries), Justin can usually be found at The Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre, outside of Washington, DC, where he is one of the owners and producers. In addition to writing the Parker City Mysteries Series, he is also the mastermind behind Marquee Mysteries, a series of interactive mystery events he has been writing and producing for over fifteen years. Justin and his wife, Jessica, live along Lake Linganore outside of Frederick, Maryland.
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Learn more about Justin by visiting www.JustinKiska.com. -
R.K. Jackson
R.K. Jackson is an award-winning science writer and editor at NASA, and previously worked as a senior editor at CNN, where he helped launch the network's Internet presence. He has attended the Advanced Novel Writing Workshop at UCLA as well as the Squaw Valley Community of Writers Workshop.
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Jackson’s USA Today-bestselling thriller THE GIRL IN THE MAZE has been praised as “A twisty Southern gothic thriller with echoes of Tana French” (L.A. Times bestselling author Dianne Emley), “A terrific mystery” (The Book Lover’s Friend), and “A fast-paced psychological thriller that keeps you engaged from beginning to end” (Reading Femme).
Two of his plays have been staged professionally, and his short story, "All the Devils," was featured in the Alfred -
Jess Lourey
While I write across genres, there's one universal connecting all my books: secrets. I grew up in a house choking with them, and I remain fascinated by the thoughts and actions we hide from the world.
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My beginnings as an author were pretty grim, something I speak about in my TEDx Talk (https://youtu.be/a5vSLh3oPXI). I've come a long way since that first book, and I'm proud to call myself an Amazon Charts bestselling, twice Edgar-nominated, twice Goodreads Readers Choice Awards shortlisted, ITW Thriller and Minnesota Book Award and Anthony Award-winning author of nonfiction, children's books, young adult, book club fiction, and crime fiction. I've reached over a million readers since 2020. I also love to teach creative writing in internationa -
Michael Connelly
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads' database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Michael Connelly decided to become a writer after discovering the books of Raymond Chandler while attending the University of Florida. Once he decided on this direction he chose a major in journalism and a minor in creative writing — a curriculum in which one of his teachers was novelist Harry Crews.
After graduating in 1980, Connelly worked at newspapers in Daytona Beach and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, primarily specializing in the crime beat. In Fort Lauderdale he wrote about police and crime during the height of the murder and violence wave that rolled over South Florida during the so-called cocaine wars. In 1986, -
Lisa Unger
Lisa Unger is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of twenty-three novels, including her upcoming release SERVED HIM RIGHT (March, 2026). With books published in thirty-three languages and millions of copies sold worldwide, she is regarded as a master of suspense.
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Unger’s critically acclaimed novels have been featured on “Best Book” lists from the Today show, Good Morning America, Entertainment Weekly, People, Amazon, Goodreads, L.A. Times, The Boston Globe, Sun Sentinel, Tampa Bay Times, and many others. She has been nominated for, or won, numerous awards including the Strand Critics, Audie, Hammett, Macavity, ITW Thriller, and Goodreads Choice. In 2019, she received two Edgar Award nominations in the same year, an hon -
DiAnn Mills
DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who invites her readers to step into stories where suspense meets adventure and romance warms the heart. Known for crafting unforgettable characters tangled in unpredictable plots, DiAnn believes every breath we take unfolds a story waiting to be told—so why not make it thrilling?
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Her novels have consistently landed on bestseller lists including CBA, ECPA, and Publishers Weekly, and have won prestigious awards such as the Christy, Selah, Golden Scroll, Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol awards.
DiAnn is a founding board member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Conference Advisor for the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers. She actively participates in Advanced Writers and Speakers Associati -
Thomas B. Cavanagh
Thomas B. Cavanagh is an Amazon best-selling, award-winning author of Florida crime thrillers. His latest novel is “Diamond Cut,” the first in the Sandy Corrigan mystery series and winner of the Florida Book Award Bronze Medal for Popular Fiction. He is also the author of “Prodigal Son,” featuring Central Florida private detective Mike Garrity, as well as the first Mike Garrity novel, “Head Games,” which won the Florida Book Award Gold Medal for Popular Fiction and was a Best Novel finalist for a Shamus Award by the Private Eye Writers of America. He is also author of the stand-alone novel “Murderland,” winner of the Dark Oak Mystery Contest. In his career he has written award-winning children's television shows for Nickelodeon, the Walt Di
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Dana Mentink
USA TODAY bestseller Dana Mentink enjoys writing in many different capacities. She currently writes for Harlequin's Love Inspired Suspense and Poisoned Pen Press.
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Dana is the recipient of a Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award, two ACFW Carol Awards as well as a Holt Medallion.
Dana loves feedback from her readers. Contact her via her website at www.danamentink.com. and be sure to follow her on Bookbub!
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/dana-... -
Claire Booth
Claire Booth is a journalist and author who has written about crime for decades. She’s covered everything from the theft of the Aston Martin used in the James Bond film Goldfinger to the Laci Peterson murder and the San Francisco dog mauling case, where two lawyers were convicted of killing their neighbor with vicious dogs they kept for an imprisoned friend.
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She also covered the case of Taylor Helzer, a Northern California man who convinced two followers he was a prophet of God. In order to raise money for their end-of-days scheme, the group extorted money from a retired couple and then killed them and three others to cover their tracks. The tremendously complicated quintuple murder case is the basis for her first book, the non-fiction The F -
Baron R. Birtcher
Baron R. Birtcher spent a number of years as a professional musician, guitarist, singer and songwriter and founded an independent record label.
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His first two hardboiled mystery novels, Roadhouse Blues and Ruby Tuesday were Los Angeles Times and IMBA Best-Sellers.
Angels Fall, the third installment in the critically-acclaimed Mike Travis series, was nominated for the 2009 Left Coast Crime Award (the “Lefty”) for Best Law Enforcement/ Police Procedural novel of the year.
Rain Dogs is Mr. Birtcher’s first stand-alone novel, and a Claymore Award finalist.
He has also had the honor of serving as a judge for both the Edgar and the Shamus Awards.
Baron currently divides his time between Kona, Hawaii and Portland, Oregon. -
Sarah Pekkanen
I'm a #1 New York Times bestselling author of 15 solo and coauthored books, including HOUSE OF GLASS, which is a Goodreads Choice award nominee and Amazon best book of the year.
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My upcoming thriller, THE LOCKED WARD, is being hailed by Lee Child as "psychological suspense at its very best."
I'm also the coauthor of four bestselling thrillers: THE GOLDEN COUPLE, THE WIFE BETWEEN US, AN ANONYMOUS GIRL, and YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
I've also written eight novels that are contemporary fiction, not thrillers: THE EVER AFTER, THE PERFECT NEIGHBORS, THINGS YOU WON'T SAY, CATCHING AIR, THE BEST OF US, THE OPPOSITE OF ME, SKIPPING A BEAT, and THESE GIRLS. My linked free short estories, published by Simon&Schuster exclusively for ereaders, are titled "All i -
Mark Edwards
Mark Edwards writes psychological thrillers in which scary things happen to ordinary people.
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He loves hearing from readers and always responds. Mark can be contacted in the following ways:
Email: mark@markedwardsauthor.com
Twitter @mredwards
Facebook/Instagram: @markedwardsauthor
You can download a free box set of 'Short Sharp Shockers' by visiting www.markedwardsauthor.com/free
Mark has sold over 5 million books since his first solo novel, The Magpies, was published in 2013 and has topped the bestseller lists numerous times. His other novels include Follow You Home, Here To Stay and The Psychopath Next Door. He has also published six books co-authored with Louise Voss. His next novel, The Wasp Trap, will be published in the UK/Australia in July -
Jennifer Graeser Dornbush
Jennifer Dornbush is a screenwriter, author, international speaker and forensic specialist. As she says, “I grew up around death.”
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The television or movie screen is the closest most people will ever come to witnessing the forensic world. But Jennifer was raised in it. As the daughter of a small town medical examiner whose office was in their home. There were body parts in the fridge. She investigated her first fatality, an airplane crash, when she was 8 years old. Picking up pieces of skull with her father who simply saw it as an anatomy lesson. The first of many coroner lessons she experienced over two decades.
After exploring journalism and high school teaching, Jennifer turned seriously to screenwriting where she began to connect her coron -
Jaime Jo Wright
Daphne du Maurier and Christy Award-Winning author, Jaime Jo Wright resides in the hills of Wisconsin writing suspenseful, mysteries stained with history's secrets. Jaime lives in dreamland, exists in reality, and invites you to join her adventures at jaimewrightbooks.com!
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Charlie Donlea
Charlie Donlea is the USA TODAY, IndieBound, and #1 Internationally bestselling author of critically acclaimed, propulsive thrillers including THE GIRL WHO WAS TAKEN, DON'T BELIEVE IT, TWENTY YEARS LATER, and THOSE EMPTY EYES. His ninth thriller, GUESS AGAIN, is out now.
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Published in 40 countries and translated into twenty-five languages, his books have sold nearly 3 million copies in the U.S. alone.
He spends a part of each year fishing with his father in the far reaches of Canada, where the roads end and lakes are accessible only by floatplane. These majestic trips to “God’s Country” inspired the settings for his novels Summit Lake and GUESS AGAIN, coming in August 2025.
He resides in Chicago with his wife and two children. -
R.K. Jackson
R.K. Jackson is an award-winning science writer and editor at NASA, and previously worked as a senior editor at CNN, where he helped launch the network's Internet presence. He has attended the Advanced Novel Writing Workshop at UCLA as well as the Squaw Valley Community of Writers Workshop.
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Jackson’s USA Today-bestselling thriller THE GIRL IN THE MAZE has been praised as “A twisty Southern gothic thriller with echoes of Tana French” (L.A. Times bestselling author Dianne Emley), “A terrific mystery” (The Book Lover’s Friend), and “A fast-paced psychological thriller that keeps you engaged from beginning to end” (Reading Femme).
Two of his plays have been staged professionally, and his short story, "All the Devils," was featured in the Alfred -
Marlene M. Bell
Marlene M. Bell shares many traits with the bold, curious protagonists she writes, chief among them, the uncanny ability to stumble down unexpected paths. Her foray into writing began with popular articles on raising sheep, only to veer into far more thrilling territory with the acclaimed Annalisse series. Starring a New York antiquities appraiser who chases dangerous criminals in far-flung locales, the series has won eight international literary awards and an avid fan base around the world.
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When Marlene’s not busy plotting her next heart-pounding novel, she’s exploring her wooded Texas farm with camera in hand and thirty sheep faithfully in tow. As an accomplished painter and nature photographer, she’s always hunting for the next spark of i -
Elena Taylor
Mystery writer, avid reader, animal mom.
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Elena Taylor started out her storytelling career in the theater. She worked for several years as a playwright, director, designer, technician, and educator before becoming a novelist.
Elena has more than twenty years of teaching experience and now works one-on-one with writers as a manuscript consultant and writing coach.
She lives in North Bend, Washington, with her husband, two cats, and the greatest dog in the world. When she’s not writing, teaching writing, or talking about writing, she can be found at a nearby stables, playing with her horses.
For more information about Elena, please visit www.elenataylorauthor.com. -
John Fram
I'm John, author of the queer supernatural thriller THE BRIGHT LANDS, which was named a best a debut of 2020 by CrimeReads and BookPage, was called a great summer read by Rolling Stone and is that one thriller with the messed-up ending that got your mom's book club canceled.
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My new Gothic chiller, NO ROAD HOME, has been named a notable book by the Washington Post, a most anticipated book by Cosmopolitan and is pulling a way more positive Goodreads score. It's available now wherever books are sold.
Check out my website where you can sign up for my newsletter, WHY IS THIS SO SCARY, a biweekly deep dive into my favorite works of horror in all its forms. You can also keep up with all my upcoming events and check out previous appearances and podc -
Erik S. Meyers
Currently in Austria, I'm an American abroad for years & years who has lived or worked in six countries on three continents, the longest in Germany.
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I'm the author of the Sally Witherspoon murder mystery series Death in the Ozarks & Murder on the Mississippi (Amazon), an award-winning, bestselling Jewish LGBTQ historic fiction novel Caged Time (Amazon), a business book The Accidental Change Agent (Amazon) and several short stories.
Reading and writing are my passions, when I'm not hiking one of the amazing trails in Austria or elsewhere. -
Liz Alterman
Liz Alterman lives in New Jersey with her husband, three sons, and two cats.
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Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Parents, McSweeney's, and other publications.
She spends most days microwaving the same cup of coffee and looking up synonyms.
For information on events and new releases or to have Liz join your bookclub, visit lizalterman.com. -
Stacy Willingham
Stacy Willingham is the New York Times, USA Today and internationally bestselling author of psychological suspense. Her books include A Flicker in the Dark, All the Dangerous Things, Only If You're Lucky and Forget Me Not.
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Her debut, A Flicker in the Dark, has sold over one million copies in North America alone. It was the winner of Strand Magazine's Best Debut Award and a finalist for the Book of the Month's Book of the Year award, Goodreads Choice Best Debut award, Goodreads Choice Best Mystery & Thriller award, and ITW's Best First Novel award. Her work has been translated in more than thirty languages.
She earned her B.A. in magazine journalism from the University of Georgia and M.F.A. in writing from the Savannah College of Art and Desi -
Joshua Loyd Fox
Joshua Loyd Fox is the author of several novels including “I Won’t Be Shaken,” “Had I Not Chosen,” “Amongst You,” “To Build a Tower,” and "One Becomes a Thousand."
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He is also the author of the upcoming "I Don't Write Poetry: A Collection," his first book of poems, and Book V of the ArchAngel Missions, "Unto This Mountain." His short stories, "The Book of the Tower and the Traitor" a companion series to The ArchAngel Missions, can be found on Amazon Vella.
Joshua Loyd Fox is an old-fashioned boy from West Texas who now splits his time between northeastern Oklahoma, and the East Coast with his wife, author and editor Heather Daughrity, and their children, friends, and as many pets and books as they can surround themselves with. He is also the -
William F. Gray
William F. Gray is the bestselling author THE DEVIL WITHIN US ALL, a small town horror novel inspired by the evil average people are capable of on an everyday basis. Taking cues from his own experience and the world at large, Gray creates horror that attempts to worm itself into your heart as well as your mind. His self-published debut THE MAN BEHIND THE DOOR tackles themes such as grief, trauma, and addiction through the lens of a ghost story, the main character of which is inspired by his own late father, while his latest effort OUR FATHERS' BURDEN is Appalachian horror that focuses on the stigma that still surrounds mental health issues, especially amongst men.
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He currently lives in West Virginia with his wife, son, and daughter while wo -
Thomas B. Cavanagh
Thomas B. Cavanagh is an Amazon best-selling, award-winning author of Florida crime thrillers. His latest novel is “Diamond Cut,” the first in the Sandy Corrigan mystery series and winner of the Florida Book Award Bronze Medal for Popular Fiction. He is also the author of “Prodigal Son,” featuring Central Florida private detective Mike Garrity, as well as the first Mike Garrity novel, “Head Games,” which won the Florida Book Award Gold Medal for Popular Fiction and was a Best Novel finalist for a Shamus Award by the Private Eye Writers of America. He is also author of the stand-alone novel “Murderland,” winner of the Dark Oak Mystery Contest. In his career he has written award-winning children's television shows for Nickelodeon, the Walt Di
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Jafe Danbury
Jafe Danbury hails from the trenches of the Hollywood production scene, where he spent decades as a camera operator, director of photography, and director. He has also worked as a teacher and is a decorated U.S. Navy veteran.
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He enjoys noodling on the guitar, long road trips, likes his bacon crispy, and loves a good dive bar––especially if it happens to have a twenty-two-foot shuffleboard table. He prefers a leisurely walk to running, unless being chased by a clown with a chainsaw.
Jafe and his lovely bride currently reside in central California and are working on their exit plan. Their children consist of several rescue dogs and a couple of cockatoos.
He is the author of four riveting suspense thrillers.
His latest, SO MUCH FOREVER, is an ince -
Joshua Loyd Fox
Joshua Loyd Fox is the author of several novels including “I Won’t Be Shaken,” “Had I Not Chosen,” “Amongst You,” “To Build a Tower,” and "One Becomes a Thousand."
Buy books on Amazon
He is also the author of the upcoming "I Don't Write Poetry: A Collection," his first book of poems, and Book V of the ArchAngel Missions, "Unto This Mountain." His short stories, "The Book of the Tower and the Traitor" a companion series to The ArchAngel Missions, can be found on Amazon Vella.
Joshua Loyd Fox is an old-fashioned boy from West Texas who now splits his time between northeastern Oklahoma, and the East Coast with his wife, author and editor Heather Daughrity, and their children, friends, and as many pets and books as they can surround themselves with. He is also the -
Erik S. Meyers
Currently in Austria, I'm an American abroad for years & years who has lived or worked in six countries on three continents, the longest in Germany.
Buy books on Amazon
I'm the author of the Sally Witherspoon murder mystery series Death in the Ozarks & Murder on the Mississippi (Amazon), an award-winning, bestselling Jewish LGBTQ historic fiction novel Caged Time (Amazon), a business book The Accidental Change Agent (Amazon) and several short stories.
Reading and writing are my passions, when I'm not hiking one of the amazing trails in Austria or elsewhere.