Showing results by author "Dan Padavona" in All Categories

In a sleepy Midwestern town, a sheriff’s deputy checks on a man the neighbors haven’t seen in days. He comes face-to-face with a grisly murder scene that will forever haunt his dreams. A serial killer is stalking the innocent.

Hannah never takes her eyes off her son around strangers. So when her child vanishes at an amusement park, Hannah fears the worst. Working beside Chelsey Byrd and her team of private investigators, Thomas Shepherd looks into the potential abduction. But when disturbing evidence surfaces, the team suspects Hannah isn't telling the truth. With suspicion growing that Hannah is involved in her son's disappearance, the distraught mother will stop at nothing to prove her innocence and get her child back. But can she face the shocking truth surrounding her son's kidnapping?

The night Sutter and Monica Steen leave for dinner, they never return home. Two weeks later, the police drag their bodies out of the river, sending the town into a panic. The Black River killer is back. Nobody is safe. When another person goes missing, Jefferson Gildon, a police detective with a checkered past, leads the investigation. But it takes a twisted profiler to enter the mind of a psychopath, and only fugitive serial killer Logan Wolf can solve the case. The trouble is, the FBI is hunting Wolf, even as he tracks the murderer.

Sheriff Thomas Shepherd knows what it takes to catch a murderer. But when he discovers a dead woman buried in the forest, he believes a new killer is stalking Nightshade County. Nightmares afflict Thomas's girlfriend, private investigator Chelsey Byrd, a woman who has battled depression since she was a teenager. Something about the recent murder awakens forgotten memories in Chelsey, and she needs to solve the case to gain closure. The problem is, Thomas doesn't want Chelsey near the investigation in her present condition.

A few weeks have passed since Sheriff Thomas Shepherd rescued Deputy Aguilar from a deranged serial killer. He's burned out and exhausted, struggling to hold the Nightshade County Sheriff's Department together. Then a series of bizarre deaths shock the community. They appear accidental, but closer inspection reveals that a common thread connects the victims. Eleven years ago, they were high school friends, popular bullies who ruled over their classmates. Is a tormented classmate hungry for vengeance?

When a criminal defense attorney is stabbed in her home, the police name her disturbed son, Shawn, their top suspect. But, no one can find Shawn. In a last-ditch effort to locate his son, Shawn’s father convinces PI Raven Hopkins to take the case and prove his son’s innocence. When Sheriff Thomas Shepherd takes over the investigation, the evidence against Shawn mounts. As hope of saving Shawn dwindles, another dead body surfaces. The victim’s shocking link to the criminal defense attorney wreaks havoc on the case.

The night holds dangerous secrets. And a girl who cried wolf is caught in a murderer’s crosshairs. Only 12 hours have passed since Violet saw her teenage boyfriend. Now his body lies in the morgue, riddled with stab wounds. And the evidence points to a mythical serial killer Violet invented to scare her friends...The Halloween Man.

Something evil lives inside Jen's crawlspace. And it's trying to get out. Haunted by childhood demons, Evan returns to Storberry to find darkness threatens the town. When a strange storm cripples the town's communication systems, a hideous monster begins stalking the night. Two teenagers align with Evan and a tiny group of survivors, but not everyone is who they seem. Can they survive until sunrise?

He hides in darkness. Stalks the lost and vulnerable. And now a monster hurricane is barreling toward the beach. FBI profiler Scarlett Bell faces her deadliest case. She must stop a bloodthirsty killer before the hurricane destroys the island. The evidence trail is cloaked in darkness, and Scarlett must track the killer through the worst storm to hit the coast in decades.

Thomas Shepherd returns to Wolf Lake as the county’s new sheriff. This is the life he dreamed of. Friends he can rely on. An idyllic home along the water. Then a hiker uncovers human bones, rekindling the mysterious disappearance of Skye Feron, a popular teenager who vanished six years ago. Are these her remains? Disturbed by the grisly discovery, Skye’s close friends return to Wolf Lake. But as the investigation unfolds, Thomas links the girls to a ghost from their past. Are they hiding a deadly secret?

When a peculiar figurine arrives at the sheriff's department, Thomas Shepherd's instincts scream danger. At first glance, it appears to be a harmless ivory sculpture. Until the medical examiner uncovers the horrifying truth. The gift was crafted from human bone. Haunted by his past, Thomas unravels the intricate web of The Carver, a malicious killer with a penchant for causing suffering. As the body count rises, Thomas must navigate a treacherous landscape of deception and violence.

Twenty-three years ago, someone murdered Scarlett Bell's childhood friend. And now, the killer is back. When the police discover a child's body along a small-town Georgia creek, Scarlett notices the similarities between the latest killing and the murder 23 years ago. But Scarlett's boss won't allow her to rejoin the FBI until her doctors clear her for duty. Now, another young girl goes missing. Alone and without her partner, Neil Gardy, Scarlett defies the FBI and stalks the killer on her own.

Someone is taking New York's children. The police assume they know who the predator is, but an overzealous detective and a lieutenant in over his head allow a serial killer to walk free. When the FBI sends profiler Scarlett Bell to catch the murderer, the deputy director demands she investigates the case alone. No partner to help solve the mystery. No one to watch her back.

The Thriller Author's Mindset is perfect for readers who love chills and writers searching for motivation, passion, direction, and an entrepreneurial mindset. In this podcast, bestselling thriller author Dan Padavona discusses thriller books and movies, and helps authors develop the skills to write gripping novels.

FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit profiler Scarlett Bell knows her job will require her to enter the minds of murderers. But when she joins forces with fugitive Logan Wolf to track a deranged serial killer in Georgia, she learns the true meaning of fear. In the dead of night, a couple out for a moonlight walk discovers a woman’s severed head on a well-traveled bridge. She isn’t the first victim, and she won’t be the last. While Scarlett follows the evidence trail, she suspects Wolf is hiding a deadly truth.

After the police discover a ritualistic murder in South Carolina, Agent Scarlett Bell notices the killing is eerily similar to a case from seven years ago. Is the new murder linked to the assassination of a popular congresswoman? When the serial killer abducts another woman, Scarlett battles government officials who wish to silence her investigation and aligns herself with fugitive Logan Wolf.

A murderer stalks a lake community in Virginia. Three women missing. Vanished from the face of the earth. And local law enforcement can't stop the serial killer. The police call upon Special Agent Scarlett Bell, the FBI's talented profiler, to hunt the murderer. When a pattern emerges with the victims, Scarlett and her partner, Neil Gardy, close in on the killer. But someone is hunting Scarlett Bell. A deadly sniper who wants her dead. The problem is...nobody believes the gunman exists except her.

When Special Agent Scarlett Bell investigates a gruesome murder in a small farming village, she discovers a murderer like none she's previously encountered. Brilliant and insane, he taunts the FBI, who are powerless to stop him. A schoolteacher disappears, and now Scarlett must discover the link between the two women before the killer claims another victim. But the FBI won't give Scarlett the support she needs, and her own partner turns against her, forcing Scarlett to go rogue if she hopes to rescue the teacher.

The serial killer who murdered Scarlett’s childhood friend terrifies the country. Referring to himself as “God’s Hand”, the killer threatens one of Washington’s most powerful congresswomen, a woman who can destroy Scarlett’s career if she doesn’t solve the case. Now God’s Hand kidnaps the congresswoman’s daughter. It’s up to Scarlett Bell to rescue the girl before the madman claims another victim. But not everyone is who they seem, and a dark figure tracks Scarlett. Friend or foe? Solving the mystery is key to apprehending a vicious serial killer.

Twenty-three years ago, someone murdered Scarlett Bell's childhood friend. And now, the killer is back. When the police discover another child's body along a small-town Georgia creek, Scarlett notices the similarities between the latest killing and the murder 23 years ago. But Scarlett's boss won't allow her to rejoin the FBI until her doctors clear her for duty. Now another young girl goes missing. Alone and without her partner, Neil Gardy, Scarlett defies the FBI and stalks the killer on her own. Is Scarlett the killer's next victim?