Trey Stone's Blog, page 10
June 16, 2023
I’ve Got A Treat For You!
If you’re reading this, we both know that it’s because you love books, and that you probably have a particular affinity for thrillers and suspense.
Well, you’re in luck, because I’ve teamed up with 39(!) amazing authors to offer you an incredible selection of mystery and thriller books – all for FREE!
You’ve got to be quick though – the offer is available for a limited time only.
June 13, 2023
Book Review: The Snowman by Jo Nesbø
My first Nesbø book – and what a place to start!
As a Norwegian person who enjoys reading and writes books himself, I should probably be ashamed to admit that this is the first time I’ve read Nesbø. At the same time, I’ve been so aware of him and his works for so long – he’s been so ingrained at the back of my mind – that I feel like I’ve read him before. (I remember feeling the same about Stephen King, who I only started reading a few years ago as well).
As a consequence, Jo Nesbø’s writing is exactly as I imagined. Dark and mysterious. Detailed and meticulous. Full of grit. There’s crime, mystery, drama, violence – everything. Long romantic passages about a love life that’s on the brink, and short, terrifying descriptions that makes you want to hurl. It’s exactly what a Nordic Noir should be (claims the guy who only just started reading them), and it delivers on all fronts.
I regret reading it in English, even though I almost always prefer it. I read this on audiobook, which meant that all the Norwegian names, of people, places and things, became weirdly pronounced and sometimes difficult to grasp. A few phrases and things were also translated and presented in ways that didn’t quite work – especially when you know what it’s meant to say in Norwegian. But of course – the essence is the same – and I got have just chosen not to read it in another language. I know, my fault.
I felt like the pace dropped a little by the mid-point, which made the book feel overly long, though I almost always find books a little bit too long. Maybe it was me, maybe it was the writing, but I lost interest for a moment, I have to admit. Anyway, I was easily pulled back in as we began barrelling toward the end. Nesbø has a way of not only stringing you along, but also making you think you’ve pieced it all together until he finally flips it all around and reveals the real, true ending.
I’m sold – this is crime thrillers at their best – and I’ll definitely be picking up another Nesbø book soon (though, in Norwegian, next time).
So if you’re looking for an introduction into Nordic Noir, and since you know me, you want it to be a Norwegian author, I can highly recommend Jo Nesbø and his Harry Hole series. You won’t be disappointed.
If you on the other hand want to support another Norwegian author, as always, I’d love it if you checked out my books!
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Free Tickets for WriteHive’s Annual Conference & Live Reading of At The Gate
Want to take part in an exciting writing conference, with cool workshops, amazing guest speakers, and fun learning opportunities?
Well at WriteHive’s Annual Conference, you can do all that for free!
The conference runs from June 9 to June 11.
Ticket registration is open now
Oh, and as an extra little treat, I’ll be doing a live reading of At The Gate on June 11 @ 12 pm EDT.
As always, you can find all my books here, and please consider subscribing to my mailing list!
June 1, 2023
New Book – A Form Of Revenge Is Out Now!
A Form Of Revenge is here!
The third, and final book in my crime thriller series, The Columbus Archives is finally out! This has been a long, wild ride that started all the way back in 2017 with The Consequence of Loyalty, continued with A State of Despair in 2020 and now it all comes together in A Form Of Revenge.
You can buy it right here, right now
Jordan Greer gave it all for the Bureau and they fired him for it. Now Greer spends his time avoiding phone calls from old colleagues while searching for solace at the bottom of his favorite bottles.
Then, a stranger comes knocking on Greer’s door, claiming he’s an old friend who was wrongfully accused of murder years ago. He assaults Greer and pulls him down a dark and violent rabbit hole, forcing him to relive the events of the age-old murder case, insisting Greer is the only one who can help.
Now Greer must overcome his kidnapper’s antics and regain his memories before more innocent people die.
This should all have ended years ago.
Praise for A Form Of Revenge:
“Once I started reading this book I couldn’t put it down and almost read it in one sitting. The third book in the series […] and in my opinion the best. […] They just get better and better.”
“A solid yet emotional conclusion to the CRU department. Leave it to Trey Stone to deliver a complex plot oscillating between past and present events with a vantage point-esque overview of the same scene from multiple perspectives. […] The ending is well executed and profoundly resonates with the reader.”
“A great psychological thriller, and the book maintains its dark and eerie but not quite terrifying feel right to the very end. […] The pacing is what I have come to love from Trey Stone’s writing; he maintains perfect pace and then ramps up the final act of the novel with an intensity that makes it difficult to put down.”
As always, you can check out all my books and stories here
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May 25, 2023
Career, Goals & A New Book – An Interview with What We Reading
Recently I had the great pleasure to sit down with What We Reading and talk about my career, goals and my latest book – A Form Of Revenge. We talked inspirations, successes, and what it’s like trying to put a book out into the world.
I’d be honored if you checked out the interview. You can read it all here.
And as always, I’d appreciate it if you checked out my books. My latest mystery thriller is out June 1!
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Processing… Success! You're on the list. Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.May 22, 2023
Reviews Are In! – Pre-order A Form Of Revenge now
A Form Of Revenge is out in than 10 days, but brilliant reviews and praise have already started ticking in.
Michael Kelso, author of thriller such as One on One, Identity and the Dark Tales of Cryptids series called the book a “gripping story” that “will keep you guessing until the very end”, and author Jacqueline Mead said that A Form Of Revenge was the best book in the series and that she was barely able to put it down.
Author Belinda Sharland over at Soulmusings recently posted an excellent review of the book, where she wrote:
“I loved A Form of Revenge. The story’s plot is mysterious from beginning to end with a balance of violence and suspense. The pacing is what I have come to love from Trey Stone’s writing. He maintains perfect pace and then ramps up the final act of the novel with an intensity that makes it difficult to put down. It’s a technique that he executes masterfully.
You can read Belinda’s full review here
But don’t take my word for it! Pre-order the book right now and start reading it as soon as it’s out on June 1.
May 8, 2023
Get A Free Excerpt of At The Gate!
My psychological thriller At The Gate came out a little over nine months ago and to celebrate my publisher and I want to give you the opportunity to read the first two chapters, for free! If you like dark, terrifying mind-tricks and like reading things that makes you wonder what’s real and what’s not, then this is definitely the book for you.
Just follow this link, sign up for my newsletter and start reading it today!
Oh, and right now you can get 10% off the book at the Inked In Gray store by using the offer code LOVE-INDIE at checkout.
Joseph can’t live with the fact that he’s responsible for his daughter’s death. He checks into The Gate as his final destination, but after the disappearance of a guest everything begins to unravel. Days go missing, people are acting strange, and nothing is what it should be. At every turn, he’s reminded of this most painful mistake.
Joseph disappears down a rabbit hole of mysterious events, all the while keeping up the battle against his own inner demons. Now he is trapped inside a haunted hotel trying to find a guest that may not even exist.
“I highly recommend this book if you’re looking for a calm, mysterious thriller with painful emotion at its core, so long as you’re not one who struggles deeply with mental health issues, which I believe to be the basis of this story. A man fighting his personal demons, on the verge of collapse, and his only sense of salvation is through the only form of escape he knows how.”
“I don’t write reviews, but I literally read this in nearly one sitting. Not something I typically do, but so much
tension and suspense that I had to find out what happened next. Well done.”
May 5, 2023
Book Review: The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson
The second book in the world’s most successful kickstarter is here and it’s a lot of fun!
The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England is maybe exactly what it sounds like, if you think it sounds like a story about someone who finds themselves in Medieval England, possibly without completely comprehension of why or how, and then has to figure that out while they also try to survive said time period and place. It involves dimensional travel, science-fiction technology, magic, and many other fantastical things, and it’s a very fun book.
It’s interspersed with chapters that serve as the handbook part that’s mentioned in the title – written as a sort of owner’s manual with guidelines, do’s and don’t’s, and a general set of rules to follow when you find yourself in – in this case – Medieval England. I’m trying to write about this without spoiling certain aspects of the story, but I’m sure you get the gist.
The book is a wonderful edition to Sanderson’s 4-part mystery Kickstarter books, the first of which was Tress of the Emerald Sea, and I enjoyed the story throughout. I found it a bit slow to start perhaps, but there’s plenty of intrigue and mystery to pull you along, and the story really pays off towards the end. Also, the book is richly decorated, interspersed with sections that features several pages worth of decorations. I’ve only got the ebook version, and I imagine a hardcover or even paperback would be much more magnificent.
I liked the story, I really did, but not as much as Tress of the Emerald Sea, if I was going to compare it to the first of the 4 mystery books. The story is fun and very well-written, but the modern-person-stuck-in-past-setting isn’t one that I find myself wanting to throw myself into head first. It’s not that it didn’t work or wasn’t set up well, that’s just a personal preference for me.
I did find the whole handbook thing a bit jarring though. I felt like it was disconnected from the main plot, or at least happening on a sideline that only served to lengthen the book and didn’t provide much additional information. It was a fun little sidestep, sure, and I can see it filling a bigger role if there are future installments in this series, but in this particular instance it only pulled me out of the story instead of making me more invested.
Also, nearly all the illustrations – with the exception of a few single pieces – appeared to have nothing to do with the story. At first I was very confused. I love illustrations in a book, perhaps especially in a science-fiction/fantasy setting, but I’m used them pertaining to the story. I’m not a very visual guy, so I love seeing images of what the characters are supposed to look like, seeing the setting they’re in and trying to figure out what specific scene I’m looking at. Seeing a bunch of illustrations that seemingly didn’t have anything to do with the plot in the book seemed weird to me, and I have to admit, was a bit of a let down. I realized eventually that most of the illustrations were related instead to the handbook part of the book, and depicted a variety of hypothetical settings instead of the one that takes place in the book. Again, amazing illustrations, but to me, a bit strange.
Sanderson’s second mystery book is a fun science-fiction/fantasy adventure and if you’re into alternate realities, I’m sure you’ll love this one. Personally, I much preferred the first, and I’d love to read more about Tress and her adventures on the spore seas. Looking forward to seeing what the third book is about!
April 30, 2023
My New Book Is Here! – The Columbus Archives #3 – A Form of Revenge
It’s finally here!
I’m very excited to announce that the third installment in The Columbus Archives – A Form Of Revenge – is coming on June 1!
I’ve been working on this for a while now, and I can’t wait to share it with all of you in just a month’s time. Of course, if you can’t stand waiting for that long you can grab an Advanced Review Copy of the book TODAY! Just click the link below and fill in your details, and you’ll have the complete novel in your hands in no time. Happy reading!
Jordan Greer gave it all for the Bureau and they fired him for it. Now Greer spends his time avoiding phone calls from old colleagues while searching for solace at the bottom of his favorite bottles.
Then, a stranger comes knocking on Greer’s door, claiming he’s an old friend who was wrongfully accused of murder years ago. He assaults Greer and pulls him down a dark and violent rabbit hole, forcing him to relive the events of the age-old murder case, insisting Greer is the only one who can help.
Now Greer must overcome his kidnapper’s antics and regain his memories before more innocent people die.
– This should all have ended years ago –
April 21, 2023
Something’s Coming
They say a picture’s worth a thousand words. So I’ll just leave it at that… for now.
