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.

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.

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.

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?

As she looks out the window, a shadow moves across the glass at midnight. She's not alone. Someone wants to kill her.... In rural South Carolina, a madman stalks a sleepy town. The FBI sends serial killer profiler Scarlett Bell to catch the murderer, but the sheriff doesn't want the FBI in his county. Bell doesn't trust the deputy director of the Behavioral Analysis Unit, and she hasn't seen fugitive Logan Wolf in weeks. Can she depend on her old partner Neil Gardy, who is helping her without the deputy director's approval?

Small town sheriff Thomas Shepherd is recovering from a traumatic encounter with a vicious killer. His psychiatrist urges him to avoid kidnapping and murder cases, until his mind processes the nightmarish battle. But when another girl disappears, Thomas has no choice but to lead the investigation. Challenged by Asperger's syndrome, the sheriff must balance his duty and mental wellbeing.

An escaped murderer hunts the wilderness, and a killer storm is thundering toward Wolf Lake. When a dangerous criminal escapes police custody, the sheriff's department rushes to catch him. The unhinged convict is leaving a trail of bodies in his wake. At the same time, Thomas Shepherd and Chelsey plan a long overdue vacation on Laurel Mountain. But the worst storm in decades is dead set on striking the mountain, and the snow threatens to strand them.

A decorated police officer is found dead in a farmer's field, covered in what appear to be wasp stings. Except it's almost Thanksgiving in New York, and three inches of snow cover the ground. Days later, a prominent businessman with a fear of heights leaps from Harmon's tallest skyscraper. Are the deaths related?

FBI agent Scarlett Bell feels abandoned. Her supervisor doesn’t trust her to work with a partner, and the agency watches every move she makes.

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.

A nine-year-old girl vanishes from Wolf Lake without a trace, and Agent Neil Gardy with the FBI believes the disappearance is related to a potential kidnapping case in Michigan.

Nightshade County Sheriff Thomas Shepherd is a successful model for every law enforcement officer with autism. He leads an idyllic life in his uncle’s old home along Wolf Lake, and is planning to marry private investigator Chelsey Byrd.

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.

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?

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.

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.

When a distraught husband hires PI Chelsey Byrd to help him find his missing wife, Harmony, Chelsey realizes there's more to this case than meets the eye. Working with Sheriff Thomas Shepherd, Chelsey seeks the truth of what happened to Harmony four years ago. After a series of mysterious disappearances, Thomas and Chelsey fear the worst: A killer is stalking the shadows of Nightshade County and preying on the innocent. After the FBI arrives, the case garners national attention. But this only infuriates the killer. And now the madman sets his sights on Thomas and his friends.

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.

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.