2019 Mystery-Thriller Semifinalist, Kindle Book Review Awards

Book #1 in the Matt Lanier Series

STRAIGHT RIVER, the prequel to the award-winning thriller CASTLE DANGER, is a mystery-thriller set during the emotional and financial aftermath of the Great Recession.

After his estranged father dies in a farming accident, professional musician Matt Lanier returns to his hometown of Straight River, Minnesota. While he’s settling his father’s estate, an old family friend and neighbor asks Matt for help. Her husband's recent death was ruled a suicide. She insists it wasn’t. If she can’t disprove that ruling, she’ll lose her farm.


The local authorities are uncooperative, so Matt turns to his ex-wife and a young computer prodigy for assistance. As he gets closer to the truth, Matt suspects both deaths are connected to a violent conspiracy with national implications. When the conspirators intensify their efforts to silence him, Matt must decide if it’s worth risking more lives—including his—to protect his friend and hundreds of other farmers from financial catastrophe.

2017 B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree
2017 Honorable Mention-Genre Fiction--Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Awards
2018 Finalist--Adult Fiction--MN Writes, MN Reads self-published author contest

Book #2 in the Matt Lanier series

Fugitive Matt Lanier, unjustly accused of a violent crime, has been hiding in the northeastern Minnesota wilderness for nine months. The law wants him in jail. His enemies want him dead. He simply wants to survive the most brutal winter in decades.

After rescuing an injured trapper, Matt is forced to leave his primitive encampment. He undertakes a Herculean trek through a blizzard to Castle Danger, a small town on the rugged North Shore of Lake Superior. There he's saved from near death by Allyson Clifford, a shrewd and beautiful restaurant owner with secrets of her own. Despite wanting to move on in order to evade his pursuers, Matt helps Allyson weather a business crisis as repayment for her benevolence.

Then Allyson's estranged husband, Donnie Vossler, shows up intent on reclaiming their 8-year-old son, Josh. Caught in the middle of the custody battle, Matt learns about Allyson and Vossler's criminal past life together and is torn between self-preservation and his growing feelings for Allyson and Josh.

Matt's recent past has left him with little hope for the future, so when Vossler resorts to sabotage, kidnapping, and attempted murder to capture his son, Matt's integrity, honor, and survival instincts are put to the ultimate test just as a hit man hired by his enemies closes in for the kill.

DANGEROUS STRAITS, the third Matt Lanier thriller, is a suspenseful page-turner that will keep you reading all night long.

Once a world-class musician, Matt Lanier now survives by playing guitar for spare change in the streets and skyways of Minneapolis. He's also homeless, broke, and a fugitive accused of murdering a cop. His downward spiral started after he uncovered a multi-billion-dollar conspiracy orchestrated by Leland Smythe, a corrupt, ruthless real-estate magnate.

To clear his name and reclaim his normal lifestyle, Matt must convince the authorities that the conspiracy is real. Because Matt threatens Smythe's success, Smythe wants him dead.

David had better odds against Goliath.

Physically and emotionally scarred after surviving multiple murder attempts, Matt decides to end his year-long losing battle against Smythe and start fresh with a fake identity. He'll do anything to obtain it, even commit a crime. But when an unlikely ally arrives at a pivotal moment, Matt is forced to make a fateful decision. Either live a lie for the rest of his life or go up against Smythe one final time.

2022 Chanticleer Book Review CLUE Award Short List--Suspense & Thriller Fiction

LITTLE MOUNTAIN, BIG TROUBLE is an inspirational story about a young boy with a big dream and the courage to chase that dream no matter the obstacles.

Twelve-year-old EJ is a short, unpopular, shy, self-described loser. He lives with his mother and younger brother on the wrong side of town and spends every other weekend with his hard-to-please, deadbeat father. Because surviving school and his home life are challenging enough, EJ’s the last kid you’d expect to dream of someday climbing Mount Everest …

… until he’s matched with a volunteer Big Brother. Russ is the opposite of EJ in almost every way. Despite their differences, they bond over helping EJ achieve his mountain-climbing dream. Their first goal is to hike to Minnesota’s highest point, Eagle Mountain.

But when a ferocious thunderstorm strikes in the middle of their trek, EJ and Russ are plunged into a life-or-death crisis. Fighting his loser self-image with every step toward safety, EJ learns that standing tall has nothing to do with height and everything to do with determination, heart, and courage.