Yet Another Published Novel…

Read my Suspense Novel!

Read Chapter One here FREE

Well, folks, this is my third novel published over the past year. That’s the beauty of self-publishing. You have control.

First it was my punk rock literary YA novel, THE CREW.

Then it was my “fictional memoir” TWO YEARS IN NEW YORK: BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER COVID

And now…

THE GRIM ROOM, a suspense action novel that will keep you turning the pages.

Plus…. I’m currently working on a collection of my most controversial Substack essays (politics, culture and literature); this will be my next book. Since these have already been heavily edited, all I’m doing now is going over them all one last time, ordering them and writing an intro. So expect that book soon.

If it seems like I might just be throwing books out left and right, let me explain. Since 2008 I have written I think 16 or 17 novels now, all in various states of completion as far as being publish-ready. Most of those 16 or 17 books are still rough drafts. But a few of them are books I’ve worked on for a long, long time.

The Crew I arguably worked on for 15 years. That was my first novel. (I wrote many other books during this long stretch.) Two Years in New York I started in 2020 and finished in 2023. The Grim Room I started in 2013 and worked on until 2019. When I say “worked on” I don’t just mean the writing; I mean editing, revising, rewriting, having editors and fellow authors read and give feedback, doing research, etc. The whole thing.

So, as you can see: I’m not just “throwing books out.” I’m carefully, selectively putting out the soldiers who are ready for combat. Why did I wait until now? Well, because for a long time I was still clinging to that notion of publishing traditionally; you know, getting an agent, finding a major publisher, etc. Both this book and The Crew were requested by many literary agents at one time, but no agent ever took them, or me, on.

Ergo: Here they are.

The Grim Room is a fast-paced, page-turning suspense novel. Most of the novel is actually already in paid posts chapter by chapter on my Substack. You can read it that way if you’d like. But the eBook is only $1.99, print is $14.99.

*If you read the book, PLEASE REVIEW ON AMAZON. It really, really helps.

Here’s the basic description. This is my least autobiographical novel, though there’s certainly some of “me” in it.

When Chris Doyle is released from Folsom State Prison, his only goal—other than staying sober and trying to beat his worsening PTSD—is to find the woman he still loves, Rebecca Akerman, regardless of the fact that her mother was the one behind his incarceration.

Chris is picked up by his brother after two long, anxious years inside. Suffering PTSD via abuse from a white supremacist inmate, Chris’s heart aches for Rebecca. He’s changed inside: He got sober, received his high school diploma, worked in the license plate factory, and even participated in the Youth Diversion Program, steering kids away from crime.

Rebecca is also thinking of Chris, but is hesitant. She’s engaged to be married to a man she met after Chris went away. Against Rebecca’s mother’s and best friend’s wishes, she seeks out Chris. She only wants to “see” him and “get closure.”

When they do finally find each other, their embrace is powerful. But discovering she’s engaged—the PTSD roiling—Chris starts to lose control.

Hope you consider buying the book. I worked hard on it over many years. Actually, I started the book when I was interning with a literary agent in 2013. It’s quite different from most of my writing, then or now. A rare gem.

Michael Mohr