They tried to erase this book. That’s why you should read it.
Stamped BANNED — DECREE 2039, wrapped in warnings that say DO NOT
READ. DO NOT BELIEVE, Dan Tesson: A Thriller refuses to stay buried.
Written two decades ago and now resurfacing, this dystopian
psychological thriller feels less like fiction—and more like a message
that arrived early.
In a world shaped by control, perception, and quiet manipulation, Dan
Tesson is forced to confront something far more dangerous than power: truth.
As reality fractures and the rules governing society begin to reveal their
cracks, he’s pulled into a system designed not just to influence
behavior—but to redefine belief itself.
What happens when authority decides what is real?
What happens when questioning becomes a crime?
What happens when truth is labeled dangerous?
Blending dystopian fiction, science fiction, supernatural elements, and
psychological tension, this novel explores uncomfortable territory—where
control isn’t always visible, and freedom may be an illusion people
willingly accept.
This is not a safe story.
It is not designed to reassure.
It asks questions many would rather avoid.
And that may be exactly why it was banned in their time.
If you’re drawn to provocative, thought-driven thrillers that challenge
perception and push beyond the expected, Dan Tesson will not let you look
away.
You were told not to read it.
Read to believe.
About the Author
Sean O'Leary is a local Utah author whose work moves between dystopian
thrillers, science fiction and fantasy, children's stories, photo essays,
literary collaborations, and reader-focused projects built around libraries,
curiosity, and story.
S.T. Ashman is here to tell us about Her Silence, a thriller.
There's also a great giveaway.
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This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. S.T. Ashman will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
Nicole gets the call at 4 a.m. Her daughter Lacey was found in the woods beside her friend's dead husband. He was stabbed forty-four times. Lacey is barely alive. Covered in his blood. And completely mute.
She hasn't said a word since. Not to the police. Not to her husband. Not even to Nicole.
Nicole had Lacey at seventeen and swore her daughter would have a good life. Now Lacey is sitting in a cell, and Nicole's three grandchildren are left behind with a father who is losing it.
But Nicole knows her daughter. She isn't a cold-blooded murderer. Guilt didn't silence her. Fear did. Whatever happened in those woods scared Lacey more than prison.
So Nicole starts digging. But some secrets don't save people. They destroy them.
Read an Excerpt
I strode past carts and nurses, straight down the hall, and yanked open the door to room 12.
But I wasn't ready for what was waiting inside. My body jerked back as my hand shot up to my neck. "Dear God."
Lacey sat upright on the bed, wearing a hospital gown. A doctor stood over her, shining a light into her eyes. Two nurses flanked him.
I almost didn't recognize her.
Her hair was soaked in dried blood. Matted. Tangled with dirt and leaves. Thick blood streaks ran down her neck and across her temple like Viking war paint. Her face and arms looked like someone had tried to wipe her clean with a wet napkin and given up halfway. Just smears of pink and red everywhere.
The bandage on her forehead was already smudged with red too.
Her eyes met mine. Brown, blank, dull. Nothing behind them.
"Sweetheart!" My voice fell apart. Tears burst out of me as I crossed the room in two desperate strides and grabbed her. Held her. Pressed her to my chest so tight nothing could tear her away again.
Not even the nurse who latched onto my arm.
"Ma'am, you can't be in here right now." Her voice was sharp and demanding.
I didn't move.
The other nurse came at me from the side. Hands on my other arm.
"You need to wait outside," she said, yanking at me.
"Get off me," I growled.
About the Author: S. T. Ashman is an American-German author who calls the beautiful U.S. Seacoast home. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, she spent years working as a psychotherapist in the criminal justice system. The work gave her a rare window into the human mind, both the beautiful and the deeply shadowed. It's no wonder readers often say her characters feel real enough to step off the page.
When she's not crafting her next twisty tale, you'll find her chasing after her kids, nose-deep in a book, or curled up late at night with a horror movie and a husband who always falls asleep on the couch before the scary parts.
Mark Bearss is here to tell us about Cain's Chameleon, historical fiction, mystery-thriller.
There's also a great giveaway.
_________________________
Historical Fiction Mystery Thriller
Date Published: 01-26-2026
Publisher: Bearss Lair Books
If the newspaper reported your death and no one questioned it, would you
correct the mistake… or take the lifeline?
Dan Driscoll is consumed by gambling debt, cornered by bookies and loan
sharks, forced to bet on one last scheme. When things turn violent and two
people are shot, his best friend, Stan Neumann, swallows what he suspects. He
can’t risk divulging a closely-held family secret.
Then a body washes up on the Lake Michigan shoreline, and the lake gives Dan
what the bookies never would: a way out. Authorities call it an accident and
list him as the drowning victim. For Dan, it’s an escape route delivered
in black ink.
He becomes a ghost, an imposter, a chameleon. But lies don’t stay
buried.
As America is pulled into World War II, Stan enlists, choosing duty on his
terms before the draft can rewrite his life. In Pearl Harbor, one chance
encounter dredges up a name he thought was long buried.
War changes everything, but it doesn’t erase unfinished business. And
when the truth demands to be heard, how long can a stolen life stay buried
before the past comes to collect?
While author Mark Bearss was setting the stage for his retirement, concerned
co-workers would ask, “What are you going to do when you’re not
working?” He found this question rather curious. It should have been
posed, “What are you going to do first?” Mark knew that if travel
was involved, he had had enough of commercial flights after 28 years of
teaching for the medical device industry. Mark yearned for road trips –
to visit those places he only saw from 38,000 feet. Little did he know that
wish journeyed down an unexpected fork in the road. He would become an author.
While conducting genealogy research, Mark discovered archived de-classified
military documents that revealed the name of a U.S. Navy destroyer his father
served aboard during WWII. The reason this was a poignant discovery was
because, while growing up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, his father made no
mention of this. Apart from being a U.S. Naval Reserve flight instructor, he
knew his father served aboard the carrier USS ESSEX. But in what capacity?
That, too, was not revealed. More discoveries materialized the further he dug.
In fact, there was a lot more his father didn’t mention. This
wasn’t unusual. Many WWII veterans didn’t talk about what happened
back then.
Because of the pandemic, the National Archives in St. Louis was closed and
rendered Lt. Bearss’ military records unavailable. Thus began a project
that challenged Mark’s research endeavors for over two years and about
5,000 miles on the road. The biographical sketch was sorted from creative
Internet search strings, history books, navy publications, and networking with
journalists, librarians, archivists, bloggers, aviation enthusiasts, museum
and historical society curators, navy veterans, relatives, and more. One
online resource that was instrumental in tracking his father’s journey
was the weekly newspaper published in the county where his parents grew up:
The Oceana Herald. It included a Local News section where family members and
organizations could submit a short blurb about a relative’s visit, a
social gathering, or – where a son or husband was currently stationed.
This project culminated in 2022 with Mark’s first publication titled,
Undisclosed Stories Discovered: Honoring the World War II Military Journey of
Lt. Joseph Ward Bearss, USNR. When asked what was one of the highlights
surrounding this story, he described the road trips to seek out and discover
places where his father lived, trained and was stationed during the war. What
prompted him to write this as a biography took place during a meeting with the
curator of the World War II Home Front Museum on St. Simons Island, Georgia.
St. Simons Naval Air Station was the site for the U.S. Naval Radar Training
Station, where Lt. Bearss was trained in shipboard radar operations, enemy
interception, and Fighter Direction. While the museum had ample archived
materials about the facility, it had very little documented about the
servicemembers who trained there.
Only 250 copies were printed. Mark went back on the road in his Class-B
motorhome and personally donated those copies to family members, friends and
relatives, the librarians, archivists, researchers, museums, curators,
historical societies, newspapers, The American Heritage Center, VFW Posts,
airport FBOs, and other assorted WWII enthusiasts in 12 states who helped in
his endeavors. It was a two-fold reward. Not only did his father’s story
finally become told, Mark experienced the pleasure of meeting all these
wonderful people who were his resources, advisors, collaborators, and
consultants. Up until that point, they were only names in an email contact
list.
You’re probably asking, “How is all this relevant to Mark’s
new novel, Cain’s Chameleon?” It was the research from The Oceana
Herald that planted the seed for this story. While perusing its issues, Mark
stumbled on two articles that piqued his curiosity. The first reported an
attempted murder in a home close to his family’s summer cottage on Lake
Michigan. The second reported a drowning victim that washed up on the beach
right where Mark and his friends used to play. Just two more stories never
divulged while growing up. He wondered, Were these two events related? Then
Mark decided — he would make them related.
JJ Harrigan is here to tell us about Goodbye Demons, historical fiction - thriller.
There's also a great giveaway.
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Historical Fiction
Date Published: 04-24-2026
Publisher: Salty Books Publishing
When injuries put an end to the figure skating career of Angela
Fernandez Parnell, she joins the Peace Corps.
She is assigned to Tunis where she falls in love with U.S. diplomat James
Whitcomb. At the conclusion of their tours of duty, they marry. Within weeks
of the wedding, he is taken captive in the Iranian Hostage Crisis of 1979-81.
James, held hostage in the U.S. Embassy in Teheran, endures the same demons
that afflicted the real life hostages during the actual crisis 45 years ago.
Angie, biting her nails at home, endures her own demons. How can she support
him? Should she join efforts to force the president into negotiating a
release? Or even a rescue?
When the ordeal finally ends fourteen months later, the couple faces a new set
of demons. Rebuilding their life together as they each recuperate from their
own PTSDs.
About the Author
Historical thriller author JJ Harrigan is a former US Service Officer
and political science professor. He scribbles his tales of intrigue on the
banks of the St. Croix River in Minnesota, where he lives with his wife,
Sandy.
T.E. Lane is here to tell us about JuJu Justice, a supernatural thriller.
There's also a great giveaway.
________________________
In the mystical world of voodoo culture, justice is not
always black and white
JuJu Justice
by T.E. Lane
Genres: Supernatural Thriller
JuJu Justice is a gritty suspsense drama set in the
belly of the New Orleans voodoo culture, pitting a juju priestess against her
dangerous childhood nemesis in a war between good and evil. This much
anticipated new drama is T.E. Lane's second novel, based on their award-winning
screenplay. Fans of mystery, crime, paranormal, and action/thrillers will love
this book!
Deep in the Louisiana river bottoms, the legendary
"swamp witch" Mama Moo must decide who to share her juju with—the
white light voodoo priestess or the black magic criminal mastermind. Her
seemingly obvious choice is complicated by long-buried secrets that will
determine who lives or dies.
June Mae, a white-light practitioner, faces off against her childhood nemesis,
Mister—a well-connected criminal who practices the dark side of voodoo. When
June’s straight-laced sister April drops into town for an unplanned visit, she
quickly understands the dangerous world that June inhabits. As the sisters
reconcile past traumas and reconnect, June must overcome her fears to face
Mister in a voodoo battle to save their lives. Their mentor, the “swamp
witch” Mama Moo, faces a perilous choice which will determine who lives or
dies.
The screenplay has won five script awards:
*Semifinalist Your Script Produced 4th Edition 2025
*Semifinalist Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards
*Official Finalist NYISA Best Feature Screenplay Award
*Second Rounder Austin Film Festival Screenplay Competition
*Quarterfinalist Manchester Film Festival
What readers
are saying:
“JuJu Justice spins a tale that is both intriguing
and culturally rich . . . JuJu Justice enthralls viewers with a combination of
magical intrigue and Southern Gothic drama." - NYISA
"JuJu Justice creates a supernatural stage filled with spirits,
ghosts,murder, and deception . . . with a skillful blend of supernatural
elements with deeper themes of family and responsibility." -Austin
Film Festival
Every T.E. Lane story begins with family at its core and
spirals into mystery, action, and a touch of the supernatural. It’s a place
where magic always feels possible, the coincidences may not be so coincidental,
and the line between reality and something more is always worth crossing.
T.E. Lane writes screenplays and fiction. A fan of action, thriller, mystery,
and literary fiction, the author enjoys blending aspects of many genres into a
single work, creating a unique reading experience that will keep you turning
the pages. Connect with the author on social media @telane_author.
Kevin G. Chapman is here to tell us about his mystery-thriller police procedural Treacherous Jack, a Mike Stoneman mystery #7.
There's also a great giveaway.
______________________
One hacked file.
Three bodies.
Zero time.
Treacherous Hack
A Mike Stoneman Mystery #7
by Kevin G. Chapman
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Police Procedural
From the
award-winning Mike Stoneman Thriller series comes Book #7 — a
gripping crime thriller set in the heart of a frozen New York City.
When electronics store owner Lou Palazzo is gunned down at a snowy Manhattan
intersection, NYPD homicide detectives Mike Stoneman and Jason Dickson catch a
case that’s anything but ordinary. Back at Lou’s shop, two Chinese nationals
linked to a powerful Shanghai cybercrime ring are dead. The only clue? A
missing laptop computer, possibly containing something Lou was willing to die
to protect.
Meanwhile, NYU student Ryan Gelb is panicking. His hacked laptop held the
stolen university data — data he quietly gave to his Uncle Lou. Now Lou is
dead, and whoever killed him is coming for the file. . . and for Ryan.
Caught between international cybercriminals, New York mobsters, and the police,
Ryan is desperate to recover the file and avoid being expelled — or worse,
executed.
As Mike and Jason untangle a web of secrets, lies, and digital deception,
they're met with stonewalling from all sides: NYU won’t talk, witnesses are
hiding the truth, and even their closest allies are keeping dangerous secrets.
With the body count rising and a deadly showdown looming, the race is on to
solve the mystery, recover the missing file, and avoid turning Lower Manhattan
into a bloodbath.
Perfect for fans of Michael Connelly,
John Sandford, and David Baldacci, this high-stakes police procedural mixes
hard-boiled action, cybercrime intrigue, and unforgettable characters in a
page-turning thriller you won’t be able to put down.
What readers are
saying:
“A page-turner of a police
procedural, with multiple cryptological clues and misdirections. The convoluted
plot is enough to keep readers on the edge of their seats throughout. While the
action is nearly nonstop, it is inevitable that readers along the way will get
invested in relationships such as that between Ryan and Star. All the main
characters and many of the minor ones keep dangerous secrets, demonstrating
once again the fallibility of human nature.”
~ S. W. Lawrence, MD, author of climate fiction including Climate
Dragon and Cloud Dragon.
“Chapman delivers another pulse-pounding thriller that seamlessly
weaves cybercrime, organized crime, and family loyalties into one explosive
narrative of how far people will go to protect their secrets. This high-stakes
thriller has non-stop action and suspense that culminates in a riveting
page-turner until the end.”
~ LoLo Paige, award-winning author of Alaska Firestorm and Alaska
Inferno.
“Treacherous Hack grabs you
from the first chapter and doesn’t let go! An exciting police procedural that
makes you feel like you’re on a ride-a-long with the detectives, conspiring
with the bad guys, and hanging out in a dorm room with the young guys caught in
the middle of it all.”
~ Laurel Heidtman, author of The Eden Mysteries.
“A pulse-pounding thriller that seamlessly weaves cybercrime, organized
crime, and family loyalties into one explosive narrative of how far people will
go to protect their secrets.”
~ LoLo Paige, award-winning author of Alaska Firestorm and Alaska
Inferno.
DETECTIVE MIKE STONEMAN CALLED OUT to
his partner as soon as Jason ducked under the crime scene tape stretched across
the sidewalk.
“Jason! Over here.” Mike waved his arm, beckoning Jason
toward the center of the intersection. Since Mike lived in Manhattan, he had
arrived fifteen minutes before his partner. A clot of officers and emergency
services personnel milled about without much urgency.
“Nice night,” Jason said sarcastically.
Mike, dressed in a down parka and a blue-and-orange knit hat
pulled down over his ears, grunted his agreement. Mike was a full five inches
shorter than Jason and twenty years older. Even in their winter clothes,
Jason’s style showed through, with his tailored wool overcoat, gloves, scarf,
and LL Bean duck boots. Mike had long since stopped worrying about the fact
that his partner was taller, better looking, in better shape, and a better
dresser. Mike possessed wisdom that came from experience, which was the one
thing Jason could not have. At least not until he had twenty-five years on the
force like Mike. They had been partners for five years.
A uniformed officer with a plastic cover over his hat
approached Mike as Jason arrived. “Detective Stoneman, the medical examiner is
finished. Can we remove the body now?”
“Not yet,” Mike responded. “I want Detective Dickson to get
a look at the scene first.”
The officer left to give his fellow officers the bad news –
they all had to stay outside their warm squad cars.
As they walked around the intersection, Mike gave Jason the
rundown. “The stiff’s name is Lou Palazzo. His wallet was in his pants pocket
with a driver’s license, so the ID was pretty easy. He’s got a record from
years back. Did three years in Sing Sing in the twenty-teens for conspiracy to
commit murder. He was connected to the Gallata family. Since he got out, he’s
had no arrests. He ran an electronics store and pawn shop over on the corner of
Avenue B, a block away.” Mike pointed to the far end of the block. “He had a
little cash and some credit cards in his wallet.”
Jason looked down at the remainder of the dead man’s head.
“So, not a robbery, then?”
Mike didn’t laugh. “The snow and slush on the street mangled
any physical evidence here, but there is blood in the snow outside his shop. It
looks like he was shot inside the shop in the shoulder, tried to escape in this
direction, then got caught here in the intersection and plugged once in the
head. No cell phone on him. He wasn’t wearing a coat, so he left in a hurry.
When we finish here, there are two more stiffs in the shop.”
“So, there’s more to see?” Jason asked.
“Oh, yeah. Plenty. We’ll get over there in a minute. The
officer in the first squad car saw two figures in the middle of the street from
a few blocks away and hit his lights. By the time he got here, Lou was dead on
the ground and the other person had fled the scene on foot.”
Jason squatted to get a look at the body without dipping his
knees into the slush. The kill shot entered the man’s head above his left ear
and exited through his neck – a clean kill, likely fired by a person standing
over the victim.
“Seen enough?” Mike asked.
“Sure. Thanks for doing the reconnaissance.”
“Let’s go see the shop. That’s where the action was.” Mike
turned to the west. “Oh, and by the way, was that Rachel I saw over there with
a cameraman?”
“Yeah,” Jason said without stopping. “She got a call from
her network to come work this scene. She’s been bugging them for weeks about
getting a chance to cover breaking news instead of the fluffy studio stuff. You
know, the healthcare pieces and emergency services and such. She’s been on the
on-call list every weekend since Halloween, hoping to get a call.
Unfortunately, tonight was the night.”
“You need to be careful, Jason. You can’t spill any
information to her. I know we talked about this possibly happening someday.
Well, shit just got real. Sully will have your hide if he thinks you’re feeding
her inside dirt on the investigation.”
“I know. I’m not telling her anything. But I can’t stop her
from working. This is a big deal for her.”
“Sure. I get it,” Mike said. “But be careful.”
“You don’t need to tell me.”
Don’t miss the
rest of the Mike Stoneman Mysteries!
Kevin G. Chapman is an attorney
specializing in labor and employment law. Kevin has now completed seven books
in the Mike Stoneman Thriller series: Righteous
Assassin (Kindle Book Award semi-finalist), Deadly Enterprise
(Kindle Book Award semi-finalist), Lethal Voyage, (Winner of the 2021 Kindle Book Award, CLUE finalist, RONE
finalist), Fatal Infraction (Best
Police Procedural of the year – CLUE Award),Perilous Gambit, Double
Takedown, and now, Treacherous Hack. In late 2022, Kevin published a
stand-alone mystery/thriller titled Dead Winner (CLUE Award - Best Suspense/Thriller of the year). Then, in 2024
came The Other Murder, winner of the CLUE Award Grand Prize (best suspense/thriller of the year) and
finalist for the National Indie Excellence Award. Kevin is a resident of
Central New Jersey and is a graduate of Columbia College and Boston University
School of Law. Readers can contact Kevin via his website at www.KevinGChapman.com.
In Reign of Secrets, diplomacy meets danger, and the past may be the deadliest
weapon of all.
Praise for Reign of Secrets
"A gripping, timely story... that masterfully blends that warrior ethos with
today's geopolitical reality, as Whit Ransom confronts Vladimir Putin's
ruthless ambition to resurrect an empire."
- Lt. Col. James Reese (Ret.), US Army Delta Force Operator
"Through this historical thriller, Reign of Secrets offers a captivating
glimpse into the essence of what it means to follow in the footsteps of
legends..."
- Morten Andersen, "The Great Dane", Member, NFL Hall of Fame
"A masterfully crafted tale that explores how the West's adversaries subtly
challenge the narratives of history - reshaping symbols, exploiting
weaknesses, reframing legacies, and testing the resilience of democratic
values and the international order."
-Lt. General Ed Cardon (Ret.), former Commander, US Army Cyber Command
About the Author
James P. Cain’s remarkable career has spanned the fields of law,
business, politics, sports and international diplomacy. From volunteering on
Ronald Reagan's first Presidential campaign, being featured on CBS's 60
Minutes at the age of 27, to becoming a partner in an international law firm,
serving as President of the NHL Carolina Hurricanes, and later as U.S.
Ambassador to Denmark, Ambassador Cain has operated at the highest levels of
leadership and public service for over five decades.
A personal encounter with Islamic terrorism in 2016 became the catalyst for
writing Reign of Secrets.
Reign of Secrets is the first in a series of Whit Ransom novels.
His first book, The American, written during the last few months of his
diplomatic service, was a Bestseller in Denmark.
Ambassador Cain and his family live in North Carolina.
