My new mystery thriller novel Death Nest is out on the 1st of October and available for pre-order at Amazon and Smashwords. Here’s a final teaser image as we count down to the release with just one day to go!
A cryptic comment on today’s image: What is the White Nest?
My new mystery thriller novel Death Nest is out on the 1st of October and available for pre-order at Amazon and Smashwords. Here’s another teaser image as we count down to the release.
A comment on today’s image: Some of my earlier mystery horror-thrillers featured either (apparently) haunted forests, sinister mansions, secret tunnels, and labyrinths. This novel features all four. I’m not shy about leaning into gothic location tropes when they serve the story well.
My new mystery thriller novel Death Nest is out on the 1st of October and available for pre-order at Amazon and Smashwords. Here’s another teaser image as we count down to the release.
A comment on today’s image: This is more a metaphorical picture, as no one literally plays with marionette puppets in the novel. But the unsettling thematic implications ought to be clear.
My new mystery thriller novel Death Nest is out on the 1st of October and available for pre-order at Amazon and Smashwords. Here’s another teaser image as we count down to the release.
A spoiler-free tease on today’s image: What terrible secret lies at the heart of the Darkfire Forest?
My new mystery thriller novel Death Nest is out on the 1st of October and available for pre-order at Amazon and Smashwords. Here’s another teaser image as we count down to the release.
A brief spoiler-free comment on today’s image: There is a romantic subplot.
My new mystery thriller novel Death Nest is out on the 1st of October and available for pre-order at Amazon and Smashwords. Here’s another teaser image as we count down to the release.
I won’t comment on today’s image for fear of spoilers, except to say, probably needlessly, that the novel features sinister, nail-biting, suspenseful events.
My new mystery thriller novel Death Nest is out on the 1st of October and available for pre-order at Amazon and Smashwords. Here’s the first of a few teaser images counting down to the release.
A spoiler-free comment on this image: The story features a cave on the north Cornwall coast, in the fictional village of Corthpothan (loosely inspired by the real Cornwall coastal village Porthcothan).
My new mystery thriller novel, released on the 1st of October. Watch this space for more details.
One of my major goals this year was to write the first draft of my new gothic mystery novel. I can tell you that I have now completed this. It’s a twisty-turny murder mystery thriller with hints of the supernatural, and I’m rather pleased with how it turned out.
Drumroll… The title is A Thorn in Winter. This title not only sounds suitably sinister but has a hidden meaning that only becomes apparent as the plot unfolds.
It concerns a young woman who is being blackmailed. Upon learning her blackmailer is linked to a decades-old unsolved murder, she discovers an alarming personal connection to the victim, and consequently finds herself in deadly peril.
I don’t really want to get more specific than that at this point, as this is one of the most twist-laden novels I’ve ever written. At the same time, it delves into themes of infidelity, revenge, and even reincarnation. It ticks many of my gothic mystery trope boxes: Imperilled heroine, sinister locations, buried secrets (literally and figuratively), and supporting characters who aren’t quite what they seem. It’s a rollercoaster of suspicion and suspense, and I think it has some emotional heft too (there’s a melancholy romantic subplot of sorts).
The bulk of the novel is set in the fictional town of Modbridge, with occasional visits to Plymouth. Modbridge is a small town based on the real town of Modbury. The name combines the two local towns of Modbury and Kingsbridge. The steep main road running through Modbury, with shops either side, is also a key location that inspired a similar location in the novel.
Not for a while, as I’ll probably sit on this manuscript for at least a year, per my standard procedure, before looking at it again with fresh eyes. On the other hand, I’m about to polish up the novel I completed this time a year ago, The Hobbford Giant, with a view to submitting it to agents and publishers. So you are one step closer to seeing that one. Watch this space.
I sometimes mention reviews for my novels received in places like Amazon or Goodreads. However, I’m thrilled to see a pair of great reviews for Spectre of Springwell Forest and The Irresistible Summons on Medium, by the excellent Arpad Nagy. Word is spreading, and soon my nail-biting horror-thrillers will take the world by storm. Or at least, that’s always the aim.
In the meantime, here are a few of snippets from these greatly encouraging reviews. First up, concerning Spectre of Springwell Forest, Arpad says this:
“A fright-inducing, panic-charged paranormal mystery… Putting the book down is nearly as impossible as stopping the horror the story reveals.”
“With each turn of the page, unease swims in your stomach, and your throat goes dry. The reader wants to know what’s beneath the veil and needs to see the truth revealed, all the while wishing the main character would relent in pursuing the mysterious secrets of Springwell and the abnormal behaviours of its citizens.”
“Creepy, dark, shocking, and spooky from beginning to end… Don’t forget to take a long look at the book’s cover when you’ve finished reading.”
Ah, yes. The cover. Anyway, for the full article, click here. On to Arpad’s other piece, this time concerning The Irresistible Summons. Here are a few of his thoughts.
“An unstoppable descent into a paranormal nightmare.”
“From romantic nuance and religious references, Dillon drives the story into dark places. Horror arrives in various forms, and all of them are unnerving and most frightening is the possibility of some of them being real issues we could be facing soon.”
“The story makes you think, unwind and rewind the implications of what is happening, and you quickly lose faith in which characters you can trust. Dillon delivers the right amount of twists and turns, none of which I could accurately predict, and one of them is a real “didn’t see that coming” doozy.”
Arpad’s full review of The Irresistible Summons is here.
To pick up an ebook or paperback of either of these novels, click here (for the UK) and here (for the US). Alternatively, click here to obtain copies via Smashwords and their associated distribution channels.
Simon Dillon Books 
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