Tag Archives: Thriller

Vance “Paladin” Palladian: Warrior, Bodyguard, Legend!

To his Taekwondo students, Vance Palladian is more than just a teacher; he is the Paladin, a man of warrior virtue. Now a widower, and with his finances in disarray, Vance feels disillusioned with his once noble life.

After thwarting a seemingly random robbery, and the kidnapping attempt of a wealthy future heiress, Vance finds himself employed as her bodyguard by the young woman’s father, a mysterious businessman who holds the lineage of the last remaining esoteric school of ancient ninja fighting arts.

Vance is taught the deadly techniques of Japan’s invisible assassins, and finds the mythology behind these dark teachings is just as real, pulling him into a world of crime, deception, seduction, and vice, where nothing is quite as it seems.

Now, he must battle tengu and oni, along with the forces of organized crime and police corruption, to survive the…

YEAR OF THE DEMON

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PRAISE FOR YEAR OF THE DEMON

Five Stars – David North-Martino’s Year of the Demon is a gripping martial arts thriller that masterfully blends ancient traditions, mythological intrigue, and contemporary challenges into a captivating tale of redemption and survival. With its richly drawn protagonist and relentless pacing, this novel is a must-read for fans of action-packed, character-driven stories.” – Alan R. Warren, NBC News Talk Radio, award-winning, bestselling true crime author.

Five Stars – Year of the Demon by David North-Martino is a gripping and fast-paced supernatural thriller that kept me hooked from start to finish. I loved how it blended martial arts action, dark mythology, and a touch of noir atmosphere—it felt cinematic and intense in the best way. The characters are layered and flawed, and the story strikes a great balance between grounded realism and eerie, otherworldly tension. It’s the kind of book that’s pure fun to sink into, with just enough darkness to keep you on edge. -Kirstyn, Librarian, NetGalley.

Five Stars – This was a thrill to read! It was fast-paced and it was able to hold my interest up for the entire book. I really enjoyed this one! -Kajsa, NetGalley

Four Stars -Tammy P, Reviewer, NetGalley

Three Stars – “Year of the Demon” by David North-Martino is a gripping horror thriller that combines suspense, supernatural elements, and dark intrigue. North-Martino’s writing is tense and immersive, keeping readers on edge with well-paced scares and unexpected twists. It’s a thrilling, fast-moving read for fans of paranormal suspense. – Nichole C, Reviewer, NetGalley

Review – Discord:The Ripper of Buchenwald by Robert W. Walker

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https://a.co/d/7nGf0rg

Get a Free Audiobook Code from Michael Cottam

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Now available on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes – DM Michael Cottam on Linkedin for an Audible code redeemable for a complimentary copy! Please review us!

I love how Michael breathed life into my characters. If you listen until the end, you’ll be treated to a hilarious bit with Sho! If you don’t, you’re missing out!

Year of the Demon: A Martial Arts Thriller Unleashed

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The day is finally here! My new novel, YEAR OF THE DEMON, is available from Crossroad Press in print and ebook editions!

Books2Read Ebook Links:

https://books2read.com/u/bzkKg9?fbclid=IwY2xjawI9LoVleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHXYl5m2Snngmrf-niNs6VdOm0V74jMYiRNAhhx13vbFV__atrZ50MsDbDg_aem_v1OKex3zFJjA_9mLcgnkEA

Description:

To his martial arts students, Vance Palladian is more than just a teacher; he is the Paladin, a man of warrior virtue. Now a widower, and with his finances in disarray, Vance feels disillusioned with his once noble life.

Now, he must battle tengu and oni, along with the forces of organized crime and police corruption, to survive the…

YEAR OF THE DEMON

*******

PRAISE FOR YEAR OF THE DEMON

“David North-Martino’s Year of the Demon is a gripping martial arts thriller that masterfully blends ancient traditions, mythological intrigue, and contemporary challenges into a captivating tale of redemption and survival. With its richly drawn protagonist and relentless pacing, this novel is a must-read for fans of action-packed, character-driven stories.” – Alan R. Warren, NBC News Talk Radio, award winning, bestselling true crime author.

PRAISE FOR WOLVES OF VENGEANCE

“A paranormal wolf novel with real teeth…North-Martino’s a writer to watch for.” – Reb MacRath, award-winning author of The Suiting and Caesar’s Ghost.

“A satisfying novel of occult horror.” – David T. Wilbanks, co-author of The Dead Earth Series

PRAISE FOR “THE MIDNIGHT CLUB”

“A [story] which stood out for me: ‘The Midnight Club’ by David North-Martino – a serial killer who lives for the thrill of the hunt gets what’s coming to him when his prey turns to predator. – Heather Daughrity, author of Tales My Grandmother Told Me: Sixteen Unsettling Stories

PRAISE FOR “SAT DOWN INSIDER HER”

David North Martino’s “Sat Down Inside Her”; finds a female alien abductee learning she has become a breeder for future humans. This scifi/horror hybrid really gets the creeps going. – Nick Cato, author of Death Witch

My New Novel, Year of the Demon, up for Preorder!

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I’m excited to announce my new novel, YEAR OF THE DEMON, will be published by the mighty Crossroad Press/Macabre Ink, and is now available for preorder in ebook and paperback. Audio coming soon! A mixture of horror, martial arts action, and dark fantasy, it’s sure to thrill and delight! ARCs are available for reviewers.

https://a.co/d/8njjnkz

Year in Review: 2023

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Each year I create a list of goals for every area of my life. Throughout the year I work my goals, track my progress, and commit to posting my top accomplishments. I hope to inspire others to do the same.

Writing

Novels

Signed publishing contract! I signed a contract with a publishing house and I’ll have a new novel out sometime next year. Top goal!!! More info once I’m allowed to publicly announce.
Wolves of Vengeance became a #9 Best Seller in free Occult Horror Top 100 Free Kindle Books. https://www.amazon.com/Wolves-Vengeance-David-North-Martino-ebook/dp/B00F3GU182/ Top 10, baby!
Participated in the 1^st annual Terrify your Tablet/Spook your Kindle promotion.
Another one of my novels made it through 1st cuts and the full manuscript was requested.

Short Stories

Writers of the Future Honorable Mention 2nd Quarter 2023

Writers of the Future honorable Mention 3rd quarter 2023

Earned two Honorable Mentions in the Writers of the Future Contest (see above). The top 10% of entrants get Honorable Mentions. https://www.writersofthefuture.com
I edited “Tracer” from a rejection with comments to an Honorable Mention.

Sharpen the Saw

Attended: The Novel: From First Draft to Bookshelf Workshop with Jonathan Maberry.
Attended: Writing and Selling Short Stories Workshop with Jonathan Maberry.

Martial Arts

Rank Promotions

Pacific Archipelago Concepts Level 3 Basic Instructor 2023

Promoted to PAC-FMA Level 3 Instructor under Guro W. Hock Hochheim 2023 (See Above).
Listed as a Level 3 Instructor on Website. ForceNecessary.com
Began official ranking in Bruce Lee’s Jun Fan/Jeet Kune Do Concepts in the Sifu/Guro Inosanto Lineage.
Promoted to Jun Fan/Jeet Kune Do (JKD) Level 1 under Sifu Raffi Derderian.

Seminars

14-Hour Combination Seminar in Inosanto Kali and Presas Family Arnis 2023

Drowning in JKD Seminar at Derderian Academy of Martial Arts

Two-Day Double Impact Jeet Kune Do and Filipino Kali Seminar with Guro Raffi and Sifu Kevin Seaman

Chris LaCava’s Beat ‘Em & Treat ‘Em Tour (2023) at Coach Jeff Burger’s K.I.C.K Karate in Salem, MA. Stockton Multi-Style Escrima Sword & Knife Seminar.

Martial Arts Classes

Began formal Jeet Kune Do classes at Derderian Academy. https://derderian-academy.com/jeet-kune-do/
Began formal Filipino Kali classes at Derderian Academy. https://derderian-academy.com/kali/

Martial Arts Home Training

Began training Patty in JKD at home.
Continued solo home training utilizing Mook Jong, wife as training partner, Bas Thai Boxing workout, and free-weights.

Co-Host: The House of Mystery Radio Show on NBC

As heard on NBC News Radio in Los Angeles/Riverside/San Bernardino/Palm. Springs/Seattle/Tacoma/Salt Lake City/Phoenix and online podcasts. https://www.alanrwarren.com/house-of-mystery-radioshow
Interviewed James Patterson. 309,672 podcast plays/downloads, 30k Youtube views.
Interviewed Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child – 5th most popular interview in 2023! 173,000 plays/downloads/airing with a 2.1 ratings marketshare in L.A. (252,000 estimated listeners)!
Co-hosted over 100 new episodes.

Martino Movie Reviews on NBC

Continued to write and publish movie reviews for the House of Mystery Website. https://www.alanrwarren.com/martino-movie-reviews.
Began recording audio movie reviews that appeared on the House of Mystery Radio Show on NBC.

Youtube & Social Media

Interviews

Interviewed by Dominick Izzo on Them’s fightin’ Words! podcast. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSDjS5a3Csw&t=1920s

My Martial Arts Channel & HDaveMI

Continued to make long form and short form martial arts instruction videos on Youtube channel and also on Reelz, Instagram, and Tiktok. https://www.youtube.com/@davidnorth-martino/videos
Began HDaveMI movie review and physical media channel.
Earned top 5% in Facebook rising creators.

Podcasts

Published 3 episodes of the Live Martial Podcast.
Had martial arts teachers reach out who want to be on the show. I hope to expand the show next year.

Family & Friends

Mother’s Day at North End Diner.
Helped family member move into new apartment.
Celebrated 28^th Wedding Anniversary with dinner at Ted’s Montana Grill.
Visited In-Laws for get-together.
Father’s Day at North End Diner.
Celebrated 31^st Anniversary of our first date.
Cat-sat for our neighbor’s cats.
Cracker Barrel Thanksgiving takeout.
Continued friendship with Alan R. Warren.
Continued friendship through email and social media with my former English professor.
Kept up friendships with writer friends, martial arts friends, high school & college. friends on social media.
Made new writing and martial arts friends.

Health

Annual Physical – besides an increase in weight (it’s all muscle) everything looks good!
Eye doctor appointments -everything stable.
Cleanings with hygienist and X-rays A+.
Two appointments for crown installation.

Cars

Patty’s car – inspection, oil change, tire rotation.
My car towed Breaks, rotters, oil change, fluids, new battery.
Installed Cover Craft Dashboard cover on my car.
Drove 100 miles to reset computer in my car after battery died.

House

Get new bedroom air cleaner replaced through warranty service.
New chair for Diesel.
Replaced aging recliners.
Installed nest Protect Smokes and CO2 Alarms.
Installed throw rug with mat in living room.
Replaced patio door handle in living room.
Troubleshoot dishwasher wasn’t draining. Hose clogged. Cleared out and draining again.

Movies at Theater

IMAX: Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning: Part 1.
IMAX: Oppenheimer 15/70 70mm film.
50^th Anniversary of Enter the Dragon at the Bellingham Regal Cinema.

AV/Tech

Apple Store Providence Place Mall. Replaced Patty’s Airpods Pro under limited warranty.
Upgraded to iPhone 14 pro.
Upgrade to Panasonic 4k blu-ray player.
Increased our collection of 4k and blu-ray discs.

That’s all I can remember for now. It’s been a fantastic year of personal and professional accomplishment! See you in 2024!

The Scribe’s Arcanum: Anatomy of an Indie Novel—Wolves of Vengeance Part 2

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As an organic writer, I firmly believe in letting the characters dictate the narrative within the plot structure. To that end, I created the first three main characters.

Jack Amon

Jack, much like his real-life counterpart, was a former bully in high school, a drug user, and a problem drinker. Turning his life around, he moves out of the fictional Wellington, Massachusetts, and gets a job in construction in the equally fictional Farmington, MA. When he hears about his old friends dying from wild animal attacks, he remembers the curse Michael Matheson put on all of them. A curse they had laughed off. He returns to Wellington to attend a funeral and to investigate the real reasons his old classmates are dying. Writers often use the name Jack for the quintessential hero, but I also had another reason. As I mentioned in part 1, I received partial inspiration from Flatliners (1988), and Kiefer Sunderland’s character in the film. The TV show 24 made me think of Sunderland as Jack Bauer. I decided Jack would be a good first name. In high school, I loved King Diamond’s horror concept albums and took Jack’s surname from the house (Amon) in the albums, Them and Conspiracy.

Michael Matheson

Michael was bullied which eventually led to him attending Gold’s Tae Kwon Do to protect himself. But Michael had a dark side, dabbling in black magic and the occult. Finding a spell in an old grimoire, he performed a ritual to awaken the Wolves of Vengeance, a corporal curse to attack his bullies. After performing the ritual, nothing happened. Michael chalked it up as a failure. Twenty-something years later the Wolves finally arrive and begin killing their marks. Michael never left Wellington and took over the school when Gold retired. Michael comes from my middle name and Matheson as an homage to Richard Matheson, the author of such works as I am Legend. Like Jack, he’s a composite character, drawn from more than one person, but he’s somewhat based on me.

Katty LaRocque

Katty was an aspiring musician in high school (a guitarist to be exact) and a self-described rocker chick. She, like Jack, has a problem with alcohol. Unlike Jack, she’s a full-blown alcoholic. Her pet name derives from her high school persona (catty) and Andy LaRoche’s (King Diamond guitarist) last name. She’s based on various musicians I knew in high school and a real-life rocker chick from my high school.

Welcome to Hell: A working Guide for the Beginning Writer

I had read Tom Piccirilli’s Welcome to Hell: A Working Guide for the Beginning Writer. Pic suggested newer novelists lightly outline the first half of their novels. I took his advice. Once the outline was complete, I realized the manuscript would only reach novella length. Needing to beef up the manuscript, I asked myself this question:

What characters do I need to tell this story?

Police involvement was a given. Adding a detective made sense.

The only thing I worried about was voluminous research. What experience did I have that I could transfer to the character to make him believable? Turns out, I had more than I thought.

I had worked a decade in private security, part of the criminal justice field. First, as a patrol officer, then as a security manager, and finally as a human resources recruiter. Security work put me in regular contact with police, fire, and EMS. As a security manager, I had performed investigations and later worked for a security and investigations firm, picking up interesting information directly from private investigators.

My dad had also worked in private investigations, safety & security, special police, and fire, along with being one of the first EMTs in Massachusetts. He had been in charge of makeup and effects for emergency response training. When I was a kid he’d sometime practice the makeup effects on me. I grew up with this stuff!

I had also recently visited my local PD to renew a license and got the nickel tour. I used my hometown police station as a model for the one in the book.

The Writer’s Digest Howdunit series filled in many of the gaps.

Police Procedural: a Writers Guide to the Police and how they work

With the research and experience in mind, I set about creating Detective Adrian Callahan. Originally, he was nothing more than a generic Irish cop. My wife would later express an idea that would help flesh out his character. More on that later.

All in all, I consider my detective a success. I had a former law enforcement officer say as much. He felt my detective was accurate and believable. You can’t get much better than that.

With the decision to include a detective, I then decided that the military in some form might also be involved. I thought about adding a grizzled military captain but not wanting to include another generic character, I cast a woman as my military captain. At that moment, Captain Amanda Rann was born.

Next time, I’ll discuss how Callahan’s changes made him a controversial character, and how Rann becomes a driving force in the novel.

Get Wolves of Vengeance here!

Seattle Red by Reb MacRath – Review

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Seattle Red

A modern two-fisted pulp, loaded with action, mystery, style, intelligence, and humor.
In this fourth book in the series, Boss heads to Seattle to take on Organized Retail Crime (ORC). Heavily researched, and highly detailed, we’re treated to firsthand descriptions of the seedier side of the Emerald City, and delve deeply into the world of ORC. Also heavily researched are the “Armless Arms” —weapons disguised as ordinary everyday objects. “Toyless is Joyless.”

Grounded firmly in the heavily researched word MacRath has created, we can gleefully enjoy a pulp romp with Boss and his colorful team as they go from one wild situation to the next. Boss tends to play the jester, but he never plays the fool. Rounding out the MacRathian trinity of tricksters is a an old geisha—or is she?—and the spirit of Mae West appearing in the most unexpected of locations.

As an aside, I have to comment on the Glenfiddich 21 Boss quaffs. I thought the author had inverted the numbers—but no! Boss drinks some really high-end stuff. And why shouldn’t he? Not only because he’s rich, but because we get to live vicariously through his good taste, and in so doing, we’re not even set back the price of a bottle!

MacRath never writes down to his audience, bringing in both pop culture and literary allusions. Authentic Seattle-speak also included! It is rare to find an action thriller/mystery this smart and also this fun.

If you like the snappy dialog of Elmore Leonard, and enjoy Quentin Tarantino’s brand of film making, you are going to go gaga over Boss MacTavin. Highly recommended.

Review: Caesar’s Ghost by Reb MacRath

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Caesar’s Ghost is a well-written mystery or mhistory (mystery + history—-do you see what MacRath did there?) with a splash of the speculative. What would happen if Julius Cesar returned—-could live again in our current time? A man with that type of ambition and cunning would surely set his sights on some amazing conquest, wouldn’t he?

Along the way, Caesar is reunited with Cleopatra (Cleo), and teams up with some colorful characters, including a college professor, a private investigator, and even a mob boss. Yes, as you will see, they all become very close as Caesar works out a grand scheme to the benefit of all… Well, maybe not all. But—-at least—-to some!

I’m being a little cryptic here. I don’t want to spoil it for you. This is such a unique book, and it has something for the mystery lover, the lover of noir, and for those who have an interest in history.

No one else would have dared to write this book. No one else could have written this book. I recommend it wholeheartedly. Go on… Grab it! I know you want to. Quickly now. Adventure awaits.

A Short Review of Birdman

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Absolutely fantastic! Hayder is an amazing writer. Her attention to detail, both in characterization and setting, is awe inspiring. Birdman is a very dark book, and many will find it too disturbing. She elegantly handled all the gory details, cutting away most of the time, leaving a great deal to the imagination. Highly recommended. Get it here.