D. M. Pulley lives just outside Cleveland, Ohio, with her husband, her two sons, and her dog. Before becoming a full-time writer, she worked as a Professional Engineer, rehabbing historic structures and conducting forensic investigations of building failures. Pulley’s structural survey of a vacant building in Cleveland inspired her debut novel, The Dead Key, the winner of the 2014 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award.
Cleveland Noir (2023) (Akashic Noir) edited by Miesha Wilson Headen and Michael Ruhlman
D M Pulley recommends
Night Calls (2026) Joe Hart "Part family drama, part psychological thriller, and part mystery, Night Calls is not your average serial killer story. Hart drags you deep into the heart of a mother's journey through hell after her son is convicted of multiple murders and won't let you go. Immersive and haunting, I loved every page!"
After Alice Fell (2021) Kim Taylor Blakemore "Blakemore pulls you deep into the mind of a woman haunted by a harrowing past and the fallen ghost of her sister. Family secrets, terrible regrets, and hints of murder lurk around every dark corner of this well-drawn, Civil War-torn world. As the mystery of Alice’s death slowly unravels, you simply cannot look away!"
Wonderland (2020) Zoje Stage "Zoje Stage plucks the strings of a mother's worst fears like none other through this wondrous adventure as it unravels into claustrophobic terror. Hauntingly beautiful and scary as hell, Wonderland takes you deep into the woods of one woman's mind and her harrowing struggle to save her children."
The Heebie-Jeebie Girl (2020) Susan Petrone "A series of unfortunate events weave together the complex and beautifully-rendered lives of an old man, a young girl, and a reluctant villain in this heartfelt page-turner set in 1977 Ohio. Petrone deftly blends suspense, fantasy, and family turmoil to paint an unflinching portrait of America's Rust Belt at its tipping point. If a city like Youngstown could talk, this is the story it might tell. I couldn't put it down!"
The River Widow (2018) Ann Howard Creel "The River Widow paints a vivid picture of life on a 1937 tobacco farm under the shadow of one family’s corruption and exploitation of others. A page-turner from the start, the story draws you in with a simple but compelling question: After murdering her husband in self-defense, can a young woman save her child from the cruelty of her in-laws?"
Rapid Falls (2018) Amber Cowie "Years after a tragic car accident, a young woman’s ‘perfect’ life unravels one stunning revelation at a time as the events of that fateful night come back to haunt her. Amber Cowie’s gut-wrenching thriller sends you reeling through drunken bonfires, small-town intrigues, and family secrets as a single betrayal alters the course for everyone involved. A page-turner from start to finish; you can’t look away until the jaw-dropping conclusion."
Birthday Girl (2018) Matthew Iden "Every parent’s nightmare comes true in this taut psychological thriller. With her daughter missing and presumed dead, a mother must seek out the help of a homeless stranger to find the girl before it’s too late. Iden weaves a heart-wrenching tale of loss and redemption with pulse-pounding suspense as the story unfolds through the eyes of a bereaved mother, a homeless psychologist, abducted children, and a deranged kidnapper. With torn-from-the-headlines realism, Birthday Girl and the many casualties of childhood it lays bare will haunt you into the night."
Saving Grace (2018) (Fleetwood and Sheils, book 2) Simon Wood "Simon Wood grabs you by the throat on page one and takes you on a wild thrill ride. A nail-biter from start to finish!"
Until I Met Her (2016) (Emma Fern, book 1) Natalie Barelli "With an unnerving glimpse into the cutthroat world of publishing and one author’s terrifying journey to the top of the New York Times bestseller list, Ms. Barelli’s taut thriller gives new meaning to the phrase ‘ghostwriter.’ This page-turner will keep you up at night."
