A Good Thriller discussion

Dave Wickenden has spent time in the Canadian Armed Forces before the Fire Service, so is as comfortable with a rocket launcher as a fire hose. He has brought six people back from the dead utilizing CPR and a defibrillator and has assisted in rescuing people in crisis. He has learnt to lead men and women in extreme environments. He loves to cook, read and draw and write. Dave ran his own home based custom art business creating highly detailed wood and paper burnings called pyrography. One of his pictures of former Prime Minister Jean Chretien graces the walls of Rideau Hall in Ottawa.

After 31 years in the Fire Service and attaining the rank of Deputy Fire Chief, Dave retired to write thriller novels full time. He is a member of the Writer’s Union of Canada, the International Thriller Association, and the International Screenwriters Association. His works comprises of IN DEFENSE OF INNOCENCE, 2018, HOMEGROWN 2018, and DEADLY HARVEST 2019, MAD DOG July 2020 through Black Rose Writing and FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE November 2020. He has adapted the first four stories into screenplays.
https://davewickenden.wixsite.com/dav...

Hi, I'm a newly published author of paranormal thrillers (The Veritas Codex Series), but I've been writing since I was six-years-old.
I worked for 30 years as an occupational safety specialist and compliance inspector for the state. I retired a few years ago and now run a non-profit organization.

Hello and thanks for the invitation. My name is Bill Todd and I'm a journalist and travel writer with a taste for real ale and interesting cheeses. I've written a series of seven crime thrillers featuring Danny Lancaster - wounded ex-soldier, investigator for hire, optimist in a hard world. I've also written three military histories. You can meet Danny on my website here: http://www.billtodd.co.uk/danny-lanca.... 

Hi
I'm Dr M K Sumnagala, a doctor of medicine. I love thrillers. I read and write mystery and suspense thrillers. I took voluntary retirement at 45 to pursue my passion for writing thrillers and reading more thrillers. In the past year, I published 2 thriller novels. Almost completed writing my third.
www.goodreads.com/drsumakadi

Sophy Smythe is my pen name. I am a Dutch medical doctor, currently living in Antwerp and a member of Sisters in Crime and their international Guppies chapter.

During my medical career I have written several non-fiction articles about my work for Dutch magazines that had gotten national attention, co-authored the books Breng spirit in je werk and Anti-aging: de steen der wijzen (all in Dutch) and am a speaker for 200+ people.

After closing my practice I now pursue my dream to write a series of fact-based thrillers about what I knows: the pharma industry and medical world. This is my debut in this genre.

Why I wrote THE MEDICAL CODE?

I was triggered by a judicial settlement of a pharmaceutical company for hundreds of millions of dollars for the illegal promotion of Celexa for the use in treating children and adolescents suffering from depression. There were a lot of suicides among the children. And, mind you, Celexa is still on the market. At the same time I read a non-fiction book called ‘Deadly Medicines and Organized Crime’ by Peter Gøtzsche. This combination gave birth to my debut book, The Medical Code.

I was sucked into a world of conspiracy, fraud, hacking, and drugs I knew nothing about. The journey was exhilarating. During long hikes with my dog Pepper,

Like in real life, nothing is as it seems, and everyone has a story and… a secret which glues to him / her like an elongated shadow.

https://sophysmythe.com

Good for you, Sophy. The book sounds fascinating. And your website is pretty cool, too.

Cheers and Happy Writing!
Adam James
http://adamjames.blackdogebooks.com/

Hi folks! I'm Anthony DeCapite, and I write breathless thrillers brimming with grit, honesty, and intensity. The real-life humanitarian crises I experienced during my service as a Marine Corps Combat Videographer continue to influence my work. My 2020 debut, Fireline, explores the cost of vengeance and the depths of brotherhood through the story of an inmate firefighter. I live in Los Angeles with my faithful dog Sammy. You can check me out here or at anthonydecapite.com.

I'm the creator of the Ridley Fox/Nita Parris spy series and the Eddie Barrow series. I recently finished my fifth suspense thriller, which will be released in summer 2022. Actual events inspire my thrillers, and they take place in several countries.

I have a degree in biology and a minor in psychology from Indiana University. I also represented Canada in track and field at the World University Games in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, in 1999. My specialities were the 100m, 200m, and the 4x100m relay.

If you enjoy suspense thrillers with conspiracies, martial arts, sex, betrayal, and revenge, then you don't need to look any further.

Hi, after over thirty years of policing the Northern Ireland Troubles I've self-published my first novel 'The Bitter End of Dreams' which is a character driven thriller into which I've poured aspects of my experience and knowledge. I've slightly tinkered with historical fact in a way that allows me to explore how toxic ideologies and sectarian hatred can destroy lives, while keeping the narrative logical and grounded. The novel is set in Belfast 1977. Currently writing book two which is set in 1983.

Many thanks

Hi there- My name is Sam Houston, and while I'm not new to Goodreads, this is my first time really exploring the site and using it properly. I am transitioning from a 30-year career in law enforcement, and finally letting myself really write with the goal of publishing. I am almost finished with the 1st draft of my debut novel (tentatively titled, "Reaper"). My genre is thriller/military and law enforcement action/adventure. At least that's my intention! I've begun the process of contracting with an editor and hope to self-publish in the next 60 days or so. Would love to enter into some reciprocal reviewing with y'all and help us all reach our goals. Thanks!

Hi, I'm Jayson I'm a Wattpad author of action novels and series. I love to read any good action spy thriller, and travel

Hello everyone, I am Just-Thony, I just joined this group and I would like to introduce myself to all of you. Well, I am an Author. Poet. Lyricist. Inventor. Craniosacral practitioner. Hypnotist / Hypnotherapist. Aura reading. Reiki. Healer. Distance Healer. Past life therapist. I also do Regressions and what is known as Psychometry, many of you would wonder what Psychometry is. Well, for those of you that do not know, it means: We tune into an object or into its energy, and with our hands, we extract information from that object.
As an Author, I have a total of eight books (of different topics) seven waiting to be published, and one that now is avalable on line, on print and E-book,
As an Inventor, right now I have five approved inventions, and I'm waiting to pay all or at least one patent to start the process of giving license to the manufacturers of my inventions.
Relating to Aura reading: This not only means to read the auras of persons or animals, but, at least in my case, what we could call clairvoyance. I know that lots of persons still see those habilities as a remote possibility, but in my case I have shown not only to myself but also to many persons its value and feasibility. Of course, I'm not seraching to proof its posibilities.
Greetings to everyone.

Sean wrote: "Welcome new member authors"

Thanks to Laurie for the invite. I write Suspense but some readers call them thrillers and some just call them horror. Terror is what I prefer, but hey, I'm just the author. I also write ghost stories and a touch of romantic suspense (always with a touch of terror).

In real life I'm a Texas desert rat and enjoy life now that I survived several months in the hospital with Covid.

Feel free to check out my latest books at my website https://authorAnnSwann.com and find me on FB or Instagram just to say hi.

Happy reading to all ~
Ann Swann

Hello all, I am John and just joined this group, so a brief intro.

I have thought about writing for a long time, and had a stab at it a few times, but never managed to build up any momentum and finish something until recently. I have a backlog of research - things I found interesting that might make good plot points, interesting additions, or colour to a story. Hopefully finishing something will encourage me to make better progress on future projects – I have a few in progress including a novella about an assassin, thriller set in London, and an alternate history (first draft done).

In terms of writing, it is styles (at least in fiction) that inspire me more than particular authors. Things I aspire to emulate include; engaging descriptions of locations, places, events and people, everyday life and hopefully the occasional bit of informative content (I think Crichton did this better than anyone). Notwithstanding the point about styles, favourite authors include John Grisham, Michael Crichton, Mark Dawson, John Le Carre and Ian Fleming, although I have eclectic tastes. I read thrillers and sci-fi when I want to escape, but I also read a fair amount of military history.

Look forward to interacting with the group, and perhaps finding some new authors to read.

Hi, I’m back on Goodreads after working too much!
I was a front line worker for 20 years, and my experiences with my work and the people I met in that time form the backbone of my writing.
My latest book, The Key, revolves around police detectives who find too much red tape in their work stops them from truly helping people. When one detective is kidnapped because of her work, her world changes and she has to deal with it.
I read anything that sounds interesting or exciting. Ben Elton, Brother John of Taizé, Angie Thomas, Olivier Roland, Douglas Murray or Jed Reubenfeld.

The Girl in Duluth
Hi, everyone! I’m Sigrid Brown, and I’m a writer as well as a reader. My debut novel The Girl in Duluth, a literary mystery in the vein of Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones and Paula Hawkins’s The Girl on the Train, is set in northern Minnesota. It was published in February 2022. I am so pleased that Publishers Weekly just selected it to review, calling it an “affecting debut …. Brown easily creates engagement with [her main character] June, and poetic prose is a plus …. Fans of thoughtful crime fiction will hope for more from Brown.”

You can read more about the book, as well as get a book-club discussion guide, on my website at https://sigridbrown005.wixsite.com/we.... I also blog there about books and the Minnesota arts and music scene.

Acton Manning is a certified sommelier and international wine educator. Originally trained in emergency medicine, he's swapped his stethoscope for a virtual pen. When he's not visiting the world's great vineyards or teaching fellow hedonists about superb food paired with wine, he can be found at his laptop, tapping out the keys to his next Daniel Winters mystery while sipping a glass of his latest favorite muse. Learn more about Acton and his books at https://actonmanning.org.

Neil wrote: "Neil Russell is the founder and president of Site 85 Productions, an entertainment-focused intellectual property rights company based in Beverly Hills. A former executive with Paramount, Columbia, MGM/..."
Neil, when you get a chance, please check out my spy thriller novel, The Ericksen Connection. The first six chapters can be viewed on my website www.barrylbeckerauthor.com. As one Hollywood literary agent once told a conference, "I attended, "every writer thinks their novel should be made into a movie."
You might think my novel could be made with A-listed actors and produced and directed by commercially successful members of the academy. Best wishes, Barry L. Becker

Barry L. Becker writes: I am the author of two books "The Ericksen Connection" and "The Ryzhkov Vendetta." They are part of a book series 1 & 2 - A Mark Ericksen Thriller Books. I retired ten years ago after being both an independent manufacturers' rep and consultant to the biometrics security industry. I have a Giveaway e-book on The Ericksen Connection, which will be over tomorrow night, October 22nd. To check out the first six chapters of the book, please go to my website www.barrylbeckerauthor.com.

Hi all,

I'm Martin Webb, a long-time member of Goodreads who long ago penned a fantasy trilogy for his children. I'm an avid reader of historical fiction, fantasy, thrillers and military books, though I will read pretty much anything that catches my eye.
I live in the heart of England and unfortunately have to work for a living. This hampered my writing efforts to such a degree that a ten year or so hiatus followed before I published my fourth novel. It came out in September and I'll post in the correct folder.
I'm a typical Englishman in may regards in that I love my home, my family, my dog and my football club. I will not state in which order but 'Up the Villa!'
Thanks

M J Webb
mjwebbbooks.com

Russell Brooks is an Amazon bestselling author of five thrillers—Pandora’s Succession, Unsavory Delicacies, Chill Run, and The Demeter Code. Jam Run, his latest thriller, will be available in the first half of 2023.

It’s been said that his writing is able to draw the reader in with powerful and poetic attention to detail, heart-pounding scenes of devastating hand-to-hand encounters which project fear and fury right in front of the readers’ eyes.

If you enjoy heart-pounding thrillers with conspiracies, martial arts, sex, betrayal, and revenge, you don’t need to look any further. Visit russellparkway.com right now.

Well I guess that's not an introduction !

Russell, that's an advert !

Harald Johnson is an author of both fiction and nonfiction, a publisher, and a lifelong swimmer. His debut novel “NEW YORK 1609” (Omnibus Edition, 2018)—for which he has a TV/movie option—tells a unique story about the birth of New York City (and Manhattan) from its earliest beginnings. He followed that with the three books of the “NEANDER” time-travel adventure trilogy (2019, 2020, 2021). The new thriller “EL NORTE” is his fifth novel (and eleventh book). He lives with his wife deep in the woods of central Virginia (U.S.).

Welcome Harald

Sean wrote: "Welcome Harald"

Thanks, Sean. I see you're from Jersey, not London. But I did swim in The Serpentine (Hyde Park) with the ducks once! ;-)

Yes Jersey, Channel Islands, UK

Dr. Bernard Mulholland is a historian, archaeologist and Byzantinist (Eastern Roman Empire) with a Doctorate in History and a Masters in Management from Queen’s University Belfast.
Bernard wanted to take his research to a new audience, and the result is his novel Nazareth Quest, which is a tense thriller set in Israel. The November issue of Mensa Magazine has a really great review of the new novel. Nazareth Quest arguably combines the best of the CSI (Crime Scene Investigation) franchise together with archaeology.
Available here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B92V9VYF

Also authored by Dr. Mulholland is The Man From Mensa (two volumes) which is a history of the high-IQ society MENSA, which was founded in Oxford during 1946. During May 2023 Irish Mensa will be celebrating its 50th anniversary in Belfast. Perhaps his most influential work, and one of his bestsellers for 2022, is Ratio Analysis of Financial KPI in the Higher Education Sector, which analyses financial data from nine leading Russell Group universities in the UK. Author's note: the data for much of this research came from 2006-2016 Annual Reports, and so, arguably, provides a pre-Brexit benchmark against which post-Brexit data can be measured.

Eric Suddoth is a Christian thriller and inspirational writer in Western Kentucky. He has released 3 books in his series, Solomon’s Dreams, with the 4th coming out in 2023.

Besides his prominent series he has multiple stand alone mystery/thrillers in the spiritual realm.

Thank you for this thread and a big hello to other authors on here and to readers too!

I was born in England but lived in New Zealand for some years. Wonderful country, wonderful people. From there I spent four years in central Africa on a bush mission comprising a hospital, school, farm and leprosarium. This was a very interesting and useful experience where I learnt a lot about myself and enjoyed the company of people from all over the world, as well as the delightful Africans.
When I returned to England I worked in finance and psychiatry for many years. Part time, I arranged social events for single people – just like Laura does in my first novel, Hide in Time.
I have also written and read for the BBC.

Hello,

My name is Lavelle Miller Sr. I am a United States Army Veteran and first time author.

Welcome to new members and authors

I'm an adventurer at heart. Authors I loved when I was younger (giving away my age here) include Hammond Innes, Desmond Bagley, Alistair Maclean, Colin Forbes, Clive Cussler, Wilbur Smith. More up too date I read Dan Brown, Lee Child and Scott Mariani.
I write mystery, crime thrillers with a generous dose of action and adventure.

My previous careers gallivanting around the world on ships and submarines with the Royal Navy (including a brief jolly on a destroyer in the Falklands in 1982), risking life and limb teaching teenagers science (the most risky venture), and finally experiencing life as you never want to know it as a paramedic in the UK, colour my writing.
Since 2014, I've been semi-retired and sailing the Mediterranean on an 36-foot yacht with my wife of 43 years. We have two grown-up children and a mischievous grandson.
Since leaving the EU, I now spends more time back in the UK.
I started writing in 1997 and have completed a novella (Hunter’s Law) and a novel.
Inca Poison was placed “just shy” of the top ten in the Adventure Writer’s Competition 2022, and won a silver medal in the Reader's Favorite Annual competition (Fiction, Thriller, Conspiracy category).
My third novel in the Tom Hunter Mystery Thriller series is in the final editing stage.
That's me!

Website: https://kevinchilvers.com

Kevin

Hi everyone,

So glad to have found this group as I love to read thrillers, and I've now got a murder mystery coming out in December.

Currently in Austria, I'm an American abroad for years and years who has lived or worked in six countries on three continents, the longest in Germany. I'm an award-winning author and communications professional with 25 years of expertise in a variety of corporate roles, Reading and writing are my passions, when I'm not hiking one of the amazing trails in Austria or elsewhere.

For more on me and my writing, check out https://www.erikmey.com

Be well!

Hello, I'm a mystery/thriller writer at Rough Edges Press, an imprint of Wolfpack Publishing. My Luke Ryder mystery/thriller series includes "Death in the Holler," "Murder at NASA," and "Mayhem at Sea."
Death in the Holler: A Mystery Detective Thriller Series
Here's my short biography:
John G. Bluck was an Army journalist at Ft. Lewis, Washington, during the Vietnam War. Following his military service, he worked as a cameraman covering crime, sports, and politics—including Watergate for WMAL-TV (now WJLA-TV) in Washington, D.C. Later, he was a radio broadcast engineer at WMAL-AM/FM.

After that, John worked at NASA Lewis (now Glenn) Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, where he produced numerous television documentaries. He transferred to NASA Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, California, where he became the Chief of Imaging Technology. He then became a NASA Ames public affairs officer.

John retired from NASA in 2008. Now residing in Livermore, California, he is a novelist and short story author.

Hi, Evelyn D'Apice,

I self-published my book Claustrum Thoughts through Amazon. I was going to do the traditional route, but I than realized I didn't have the money. Now I'm stuck marketing and it is Hard I'll tell you.

I love anything scary related and I am so happy to bring my book to this community.

Hello,
I have authored two books, one of them was published recently; a novel. I am a university professor of physics/engineering. I would love to see an honest opinion about my latest novel. Thanks.

Vitor studied for more than a decade in Canada, before returning to his home country, Portugal.
He later graduated with a degree in economics and pursued a successful career in management with various multinational companies.
In 2024, he published an enhanced digital edition of his poetry book "Vi, Ouvi, Senti", launched his author blog "Vitor M. C. Rodrigues", and began writing his debut novel "The Deep Lake", a dizzying psychological thriller full of surprising twists and an unexpected ending.
He is a member of the International Thriller Writers Organization.
Vitor lives near the beach in Portugal, but also on the internet.
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/vitor.m.c.rodrigues

John is a versatile author known for his gripping fiction narratives in the thriller, action, and suspense genres. With a background as a Journalist, and expertise in cloud technologies as an engineer; John brings a unique blend of storytelling prowess and technical acumen to his work.

His professional journey began in the Irish Defence Forces, honing his skills in security before transitioning to financial operations and management for over 12 years. Following his passion for writing and engineering, John now crafts compelling stories while staying connected with his military roots via membership of the Irish Veterans Charity, Óglaigh Náisiúnta na hÉireann, also known as O.N.E.

When not writing or working on a server’s command line, he enjoys staying active and catching up with old comrades, all while indulging in his love for literature, cinema, and TV.

More about John on his author site at: https://authormulhall.com/inspired-fi...

Patrick Weill grew up in Northern California reading and playing sports, then spent ten years in Southern California for undergraduate studies in psychology and a graduate degree in jazz performance. He no longer plays saxophone or any other instrument, but that passion hasn’t died; quite to the contrary. After moving to Mexico in 2005 and finding work as an English teacher and then as a translator, he started writing thriller novels in 2019, into which occupation he pours himself with even more heart than he did with music.

https://patrickweill.com/
https://www.facebook.com/PatrickWeill...
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BXMM68LX (The Action Thriller Trilogy)

Here is the introduction I use in my books. I will try to become more active on Goodreads, but ... I'm often working on my own books, and then there's Facebook, and X, and e-mails. I also have a full-time job and dabble in amateur music production via Soundtrap and YouTube, so you might not hear from me too often.

BANNON ROSS is the author of the Inspector Jo Dire detective novels “十,” “The Nude and the Rude,” and “The House Cleaner.” He also wrote the Ryan Lord and Summer Luo novels “Number 10,” a political thriller about the events surrounding the campaign of a West Indian pop star running for Downing Street, and “Pattaya,” an action-packed thriller about a conspiracy to disrupt a Taiwan-China peace summit.
Standalone novels are “American Caliphate,” a dystopian thriller about what happens after half the United States falls under the control of an Islamist president, and “Holy Blood,” a conspiracy thriller about a key relic from the life and death of Jesus Christ.
After years of language studies and extensive travel across Europe, Bannon Ross worked as a writer, reporter and broadcaster in Asia for over 30 years, reporting on elections, earthquakes, and movies for The Associated Press, Asiaweek, and The Hollywood Reporter, while writing screenplays, novels and dabbling in music production during his limited free hours.
The author and his wife mostly divide their time between Taiwan and Thailand.

Welcome Bannon

Hello all!

My name is Bart Stark, a U.S. Army paratrooper and a combat veteran, who later entered a life of crime as a prosecutor and defense attorney. Now, I am beginning the third act of my life as a novelist.

After leading a vagabond life which took us across America and Europe, my wife and I settled in the highlands of Panama. My favorite pastime is hiking the dogs in the jungle and daydreaming dystopian futures for my characters.

My website is https://www.bartstarkbooks.com/

Hi everyone,

I'm Munehito Moro and I've published two of my books this year. I'm a Japanese author living in Japan, but write in English. I used to teach English in Tokyo.

One is titled Empire of Blood: An Alt-History Espionage Tale of Power, Intrigue, and War. It's my first full-length, English-language novel.

It is set in an alternate universe where the Axis won the war, with Japan retaining its colonies. The plot revolves around the assassination of a (fictional) Japanese princess and Imperial Japan's brutalities in Asia (which really happened). I wrote it as an entertaining window into the dark past of my country.


The other one is more lighthearted (though harder to write): Talking Cure: A Psychological Thriller of Depression and Rebirth in Japan. It's a story of a young American woman who suffers depression and dreams of coming to Japan for her love of anime. She then gets recruited by the CIA for a mysterious mission.

Like the book's protagonist, I have experienced clinical depression, and I incorporated what I went through to craft a spy story.

Please take a look at my profile if what I've written above intrigues you.

Hi, I'm Gail Hulnick and I've written six mystery thrillers and four other novels that lean more toward crime fiction than mystery or thriller, strictly speaking. I'm an indie author/publisher and my biggest challenge is time management, and balancing between reading others and writing my own.
I love the lighter touch in a mystery or thriller (Richard Osman, Benjamin Stevenson) and my latest 'find' (as for so many readers) is Liz Moore, and God in the Woods.
Besides writing, I enjoy photography, stills and video, and I am learning how to do YouTube.
I'm looking forward to being in this group -- being able to rave about my latest 'such a good read' and hearing the recommendations of everybody else here.

Hello thriller lovers!

I'm T.D. Severin, medical doctor and author of my debut novel, Deadly Vision, a high-tech, twisty medical thriller with haunting psychological suspense. I bring 30 years of experience in the ER, ICU, Trauma Ward, and locked psychiatric wards to my writing, which I'm honored to say, has just been awarded the 2025 American Fiction Award and is a Finalist for the 2025 Clive Cussler Adventure Writers Award.

Love to connect with you and discuss all things medical thrillers, and thrillers in general. Makes up about 90% of my current reading.

Hi, I'm Tim Karney and I'm about to publish my first novel, SEX WHISKEY this fall. It's a humorous amateur sleuth mystery set in the Hunt Country of Virginia.
I'm hoping to connect with readers that love amateur sleuth books that have memorable characters, witty dialogue, suspense, and romance in a glamorous setting.
I'm also in the process of setting up a website to co-promote amateur sleuth mysteries with other authors to give us all more visibility and drive sales. It's currently on my author website at www.timkarney.com/amateur-sleuth-central

Nina Trays writes from the shadows. No real name. No identity. Some say he’s a disgraced analyst with a faulty moral compass; others insist she’s a night-shift nurse between codes. One reader swears she’s an AI experiment gone rogue. What’s certain—the stories exist, and they bleed.

Hi all, I’m Nina. I’ve loved writing since high school (a few awards back then). Then life got loud… but the stories kept showing up—coffee in Copenhagen, mint tea in Morocco—until the notebooks became worlds. I read to escape; when that fails, I write.
Primary influence: John le Carré and the cold, slow-burn spy tradition that leaves you unsure who actually won.

Writes in Shadows. Lives in Fiction.
writesinshadows.com • Instagram: @writesinshadows

I am an author. I am a reader. I am reminded daily of the unique gift I cherish the most—the ability to imagine vivid stories and bring them to life on the page. While others might be deciding what’s for dinner or when to do laundry, my mind is constantly weaving together the threads of my next tale.

I am passionate about both storytelling and animals, and I have found a meaningful way to merge the two. As the volunteer director of Georgia SPOT Society, a nonprofit dedicated to helping pet owners spay and neuter their pets, I donate all proceeds from my books to support the mission.

For me, the joy of entertaining readers while actively contributing to the fight against pet overpopulation is a deeply fulfilling achievement—and one I consider a true purpose.

Check me out at gwenkellyauthor.com or all of my written books and journals are on Amazon.

I write psychological thrillers with storytelling that polarizes self-absorbed but complex and fascinating characters--if you're a reader with a darker psychological bent--and forces them to confront external threats and internal struggles. Tropes include the unreliable narrator, isolated locales, and real and raw characters who, the same as in real life, must fix themselves, or die trying. www.marymcfarlandbooks.com.