Showing results by author "J.E Nickerson" in All Categories

Susan Eastridge just wanted a normal night out. She met a man at a bar and went home with him believing she was safe. What happened in that house changed everything. When Samantha Leary receives a late-night call from her cousin saying she was assaulted, Samantha leaves the life she has built in Pleasant Falls and returns to Jewel Heights—a place she hasn’t been in over twenty years, since her father’s murder tore her family apart. Now she has to find out exactly what happened to Susan that night. The detective on the case is the same man who once investigated her father’s murder. ...

On her way to the school bus, eight-year-old Emily vanishes. One moment she’s there, the next, she’s gone—snatched from sight by a predator operating within a system that preys on the vulnerable. Samantha Leary, drawn into the investigation, comes face-to-face with the man suspected of Emily’s abduction. The encounter turns violent, leaving Samantha wounded and shaken—but determined to hold on to the fragile thread of hope that remains. 🔻 EDITORIAL REVIEWS / PRAISE Praise for the Samantha Leary Psychological Thrillers “Quietly unsettling. The tension doesn’t explode—it ...

In this exciting sequel to Eddie and Freddy and the Hidden Kingdom, Eddie returns for a new adventure—this time in a mysterious land ruled by the Prince. When the Prince invites Eddie to explore his special part of the kingdom, Eddie discovers a world full of wonder, new friends, and hidden truths. He meets a young boy and girl who help him uncover the secret of the Prince and his kingdom. But when the evil Dragon returns and takes Eddie hostage, everything changes. It’s up to Freddy, Eddie’s loyal best friend, to find the King and lead the rescue mission. Can courage, faith, and ...

Samantha Leary Volume — Three cases. Three fractures no one walks away from. Nothing here resolves cleanly. Nothing returns to what it was. These are not just investigations. They are the moments where something breaks—and stays broken. The truth doesn’t arrive all at once. It settles in, reshaping everything until there is no clear line between what happened and what was allowed to happen. Three cases. No distance. Only consequence. Maid of Horror Samantha Leary steps into something that doesn’t announce itself as violence. A wedding should have marked a beginning. Instead, it ...

Three cases. One truth—control always leaves a mark. A model is found murdered, her beauty turned into something the killer believed he had the right to destroy. A young woman’s death exposes a web of secrets between those who claimed to love her. And when attention turns into obsession, one woman finds herself trapped by someone who refuses to let her go. For Samantha Leary, these cases are more than investigations. They are reflections of something deeper—possession, manipulation, and the dangerous illusion of being seen. As the lines between trust and control begin to blur, ...

Some things don’t become clear because you understand them better. They become clear when you stop trying to force them into a single version. In Stepping Out of the Shadows, Samantha Leary continues her work inside a series of real-world case files drawn from interviews, intake reports, and field observations involving coercive and high-conflict relationships. What begins as routine documentation gradually reveals something harder to ignore: the way people adapt their stories, memories, and explanations in order to survive what they are still inside. Across overlapping cases, ...

A man wakes in a hospital with no memory of a brutal crime. He doesn’t remember the screams, the blood, or the choices that destroyed lives. Samantha Leary is tasked with interviewing him, navigating the fragile lines between memory, denial, and reality. As fragments of his past begin to surface, the truth fractures in ways neither of them can explain. What happens when the worst crime you’ve committed… is something you can’t even remember? And what if the person who did it isn’t fully aware of who they are—or what they’re capable of? Greg Dickson investigates the murder, ...

Samantha Leary thought she’d seen it all. But when a young girl’s life spirals under the weight of relentless bullying, the investigation hits closer to home than ever. Tracking digital trails, interviewing teens, and confronting harsh truths, Samantha must navigate a school’s hidden cruelty and uncover the full story before it’s too late. Every confession, every secret, and every message matters—and the consequences of ignoring them can be deadly. Dark, gripping, and unflinchingly real, Unheard is a gripping story of resilience, justice, and the quiet courage it takes to face the...

A woman opens her door and finds the truth waiting for her. Hilary never meant for anyone to get hurt. What started as a single reckless night—a robbery gone wrong—was supposed to disappear into memory. Instead, it arrives at her doorstep in the form of letters, photographs, says her name, and refuses to leave. Someone knows what she did. As the messages escalate, Hilary is forced to confront not just the crime she buried, but the life that ended because of it—and the family left behind. The harassment stays just inside the law. No threats. No fingerprints. Only precision. Control. ...

“People don’t realize when they stop being safe. They only feel it afterward.” ~ Samantha Leary After a night at a bar, Kierra Connor is brutally attacked, and the safety of her home is violently shattered. Traumatized and terrified, she must navigate the aftermath while trying to reclaim control over her life. When Samantha Leary and Greg Dickson take the case, they must piece together the evidence and track down the man who destroyed Kierra’s world. A gripping psychological thriller in the Samantha Leary series, this story is about survival, courage, and confronting the reality of...

In the shadowed streets of Pleasant Falls, trauma leaves a mark that no evidence can erase. When Kierra Connors is attacked in her own home, crime reporter Samantha Leary and Detective Greg Dickson follow the smallest threads of memory—a mole, a rare cologne, a fleeting gesture—to track the man responsible. Every lead brings them closer to him, yet the danger feels intangible, the threat always just out of reach. As Samantha pieces together the puzzle, she confronts not only the mechanics of the crime but the lingering effects of fear and violation—the echoes that never truly stop. ...

How to Write Psychological Thrillers: Structure, Tension, and the Architecture of the Mind Psychological thrillers are not built on jump scares or cheap twists. They are built on pressure. On containment. On secrets that breathe beneath the surface. On characters who believe they are in control—until the system they’ve stepped into closes around them. In How to Write Psychological Thrillers, you’ll learn how to construct stories that linger long after the final page. This is not a surface-level guide about adding darkness or shocking endings. Instead, this book teaches you how to: ...

Secrets can destroy more than trust—they can fracture lives. When Monica’s final moments trace a trail of hidden connections, Samantha Leary and Greg Dickson are drawn into a web of control, possession, and cold certainty. As the investigation closes in on the truth, the devastating consequences ripple far beyond the crime itself. Meanwhile, choices that seem safe can carry unforeseen weight. One young woman, seeking care and certainty, walks away from the life and family she’s known—alive, but gone. In the wake of these events, Samantha, Greg, and those left behind are forced to ...

Felicia Desmond thought she’d found someone who saw her—truly saw her. But the attention she craved soon becomes a dangerous obsession. Drawn into a web of manipulation by a charming and calculated predator, Felicia’s life begins to unravel in ways she never imagined. Samantha Leary, facing her own battles with trust and connection, is pulled into the case. As the line between protection and obsession blurs, Samantha must navigate her own instincts, confront past vulnerabilities, and race against time to save Felicia before it’s too late. In a world where the people you trust most ...

Eddie Gets A Bug is a heartwarming and educational story that helps young children understand what happens when they get sick. When Eddie starts feeling under the weather, he’s confused—until Mommy gently explains that a virus has entered his body. Together with his curious brother Freddy, Eddie embarks on a fun, kid-friendly journey to learn how germs work and how the body fights back to feel better again. Perfect for children ages 3–8, this beautifully illustrated book uses simple language and comforting explanations to ease fears about illness. Parents, teachers, and caregivers ...

From the world of Samantha Leary comes Break In, a taut, immersive short story that tests courage, judgment, and survival. When Sarah opens her home to a stranger in need, a routine evening spirals into a tense struggle for safety—for herself and the woman she can’t leave behind. Fear, trauma, and the need to protect collide as Sarah confronts danger and discovers the quiet strength that comes from reclaiming her life and standing for someone else. Blending suspense with emotional resonance, this story highlights women finding agency, connection, and resilience in moments that could ...

Master the Art of Editing: Refine Your Story Like a Pro Unlock the secrets to transforming your draft into a polished, compelling story. This guide takes you step by step through the editing process, showing you how to identify weak spots, strengthen your narrative, sharpen your characters, and elevate your prose—without losing the unique voice that makes your story yours. Whether you’re tackling plot holes, pacing issues, dialogue that falls flat, or structural inconsistencies, this book equips you with practical techniques, checklists, and insider tips used by professional writers. ...

In the quiet streets of Pleasant Falls, Kyle thought he could escape the shadows of his past. But some systems don’t let go. When Heather is kidnapped, he’s forced to confront a world he tried to leave behind—one ruled by Brian Grant and his shadow enforcers, where obedience is mandatory, and mistakes have consequences. With each drop, each route, Kyle’s freedom slips further from his grasp. Now, the stakes are higher than ever: Heather’s life, his own survival, and the hard truth that some choices can never be undone. Every decision carries weight, every silence holds danger, and...

A child vanishes without a trace, and every lead is a thread into a hidden, calculated world of cruelty. Samantha Leary and Detective Greg Dickson must piece together messages, locations, and subtle clues, tracing a path that is as methodical as it is harrowing. Every decision carries weight, every detail matters, and the search is a race against time—against forces that would see a child disappear without a trace. This tense, gripping thriller explores the human cost of abduction, the procedural precision of the investigation, and the weight of knowing a young life hangs in the balance. ...

When financial transfers lead to offshore accounts and a missing campaign aide, Detective Greg Dickson and investigative reporter Samantha Leary are called to trace the trail. As they navigate corporate ledgers, political influence, and a web of manipulations, the truth about who can be trusted — and who is being used — becomes painfully clear. Samantha observes the subtleties that others miss, uncovering the human cost of ambition, idealism, and the invisible hands that guide them. The stakes are high, the answers elusive, and one man’s disappearance will challenge everything they ...