Bracken MacLeod has worked as a martial arts teacher, a university philosophy instructor, for a children's non-profit, and as a trial attorney. His short fiction has appeared in various magazines and anthologies including Shotgun Honey, Sex and Murder Magazine, Femme Fatale: Erotic Tales of Dangerous Women, Ominous Realities, Eulogies III, Wicked Tales, Beat to a Pulp, Protectors 2: Heroes, ThugLit, LampLight, Splatterpunk, and Shock Totem Magazine.
Jenny Will Eat You Now (2026) Gillian Daniels "If I didn't already know, you'd have a hard time convincing me Jenny Will Eat You Now is Gillian Daniels' debut novel; it's that good! Easy, confident prose gives life to characters, both fantastical and real, who fully live (and sometimes kill) on the page. I dare you not to love Jenny Greenteeth as she stumbles through modern Boston, modern love, and ravenous hunger."
The Wind In My Heart (2021) Douglas Wynne "The Wind in my Heart hits all the notes I want in a thriller while remaining fresh and full of ingenuity."
The Chrysalis (2018) Brendan Deneen "Deneen wonderfully concentrates the anxiety and emotional strain of trying to live up to the responsibility that comes with a growing family. The problem here is, part of that family is growing behind the spare fridge in the cellar. Deneen hatches all the darkest fears of having 'one on the way."
Little Comfort (2018) (Hester Thursby Mystery, book 1) Edwin Hill "Little Comfort isn’t just the arrival of a fantastic new book, but also marks the emergence of a spectacular writer to watch. This story had me hooked from the first chapter, and my nails bitten to the nub before I was halfway through. Watch out! Little Comfort delivers just what the title promises."
Heaven's Crooked Finger (2017) (Earl Marcus Mystery, book 1) Hank Early "With Heaven’s Crooked Finger, Hank Early has not only written one of the very best novels I’ve read this year, but also introduced me to my favorite new mystery detective, Earl Marcus. This book is an expert mixture of action, suspense, and compelling characterization that easily establishes Early as a literary force of nature. From the first page, the tension of the Marcus family’s impact on their small town, and the threat that poses to Earl, builds like a charge in the atmosphere, present and deadly threatening, leading to an ending that is electric. Heaven’s Crooked Finger is going to be on a lot of Best of 2017 lists."
Haven (2016) Tom Deady "HAVEN hits a note perfect tone of retro-cool horror evoking an early 80s sensibility without reading at all like an imitation. Like Stranger Things--though written before it aired--HAVEN conjures the aesthetic of the time both in content and style in a way that is spot on while being a modern story with an original voice. And while comparisons to Stephen King's early work are apt, where others often try to copy King and fall flat, Deady knows when to play classic notes and when to take the song in his own direction. If you're a fan of Stranger Things, like me, this book hits at exactly the right moment."
Kill-Off (2014) John F D Taff "John F.D. Taff took this reluctant hitman story in a direction I was not at all expecting. This is a believable everyman who happens to be pretty okay at killing people and has a sufficient motivation to do it. Taff blazes a fresh and innovative trail along familiar thriller territory to craft this nail-biter."
