Seldom-seen relatives one only catches up with at Christmas can be difficult to buy presents for. However, most people love a nail-biting, page-turning mystery thriller. To that end, I humbly suggest my recently released novel Death Nest.

I’ve written about this novel a little on Medium, principally in this Orson Welles-ish faux-interview prank designed to intrigue readers (I interview one of the supporting characters). I’ve also written a lot about it here, for example in this piece, which is probably as close as I’m ever going to get to a baring-my-soul, personal essay-type article. In it, I discuss the real-life fears and traumas that metaphorically and emotionally informed the novel.

But if that makes it all sound heavy and depressing, don’t be put off! Death Nest is first and foremost a gripping thriller with a touch of romance, a smidgen of coming-of-age drama, and the odd moment of supernaturally tinged horror. There are also a few funny bits, and that’s important in any novel if you ask me, purely to provide contrast.

Here’s the blurb from the back of the book to give you an idea of the plot:

From the author of Spectre of Springwell Forest and The Irresistible Summons…

A nail-biting new mystery.

After his young son Ben writes a disturbing story about murdering a boy in a forest, widower Nick Unwin is alarmed by eerie parallels between his son’s behaviour and that of his younger brother Jason, prior to his inexplicable disappearance twenty years previously. This tragic past returns to haunt Nick when he sees an image of his long-lost brother in a newly released film.

Fearing history will repeat itself, Nick decides to investigate, along with Tanith, an old flame from his early teenage years, with dark secrets of her own connected to Jason’s disappearance. But as they delve deeper into the labyrinthine mysteries of their past, long-buried memories resurface. Nick is forced to face the terrible fear that has plagued him for decades: Was he responsible for the death of his brother?

A riveting coming-of-age thriller exploring traumatic sibling relationships, parental fears, and the misleading nature of memory, Death Nest is Simon Dillon’s most gripping novel yet.

If you want to try before you buy, the first three chapters of Death Nest are available to read on Medium in Fictions. Here’s chapter one.

Of course, Death Nest isn’t the only novel I have available for potential Christmas presents. I’ve also written other mystery horror thrillers, children’s adventure stories, dystopian sci-fi tales, and one or two other things. For a full list of my published novels, click here.

Death Nest is available in paperback or on Kindle from Amazon here (in the US) and here (in the UK). It is also available via Smashwords and its various outlets (click here).