One name springs to mind when we think of classic suspense films; Alfred Hitchcock. His silhouette is instantly recognisable as no one else has quite the same pouty lips and round, chubby face. The way he posed for photographs and his penchant for making cameo appearances in his films bear witness to his larger-than-life personality, but it was his ability to tell a spellbinding tale coupled with his technical brilliance that earned him the epithet of "Master of Suspense". His groundbreaking use of camera movement and the way he framed shots to maximise anxiety and fear place films like "Vertigo" among the very finest examples of creative achievement ever produced within the seventh art. In "Rear Window", he builds edge-of-your-seat tension by placing us in James Stewart's wheelchair and making us watch events unroll through his eyes, and the use of cutting-edge special effects in "The Birds" is almost as impressive as the fact that more than three thousand birds were trained for the film. What else do these three films mentioned have in common, along with "Psycho" and "Rebecca" and so many others? That's right...they were based on novels or short stories; the written word. In "A Hint of Hitchcock", we turn our attention back from the screen to the page, and bring you, the avid suspense reader, modern tales that chill and surprise, all inspired by the work of the master of suspense. Better Not Look Down - Josh Pachter, Golden Curls - Rebecca A. Demarest, More Than Suspicion - Joseph S. Walker, Paranoia - Paulene Turner, The Suitcase - Jason Fischer, Rebecca Redux - Elizabeth Elwood, Highwayman's Hitch - Cameron Trost, Relish - David Carroll, Karma is a Thief in the Night - Roger Johns, Scallion's Head - H.K. Stubbs, Closed Circuit - Mark Blackham, Vault - Andy Rausch

A Hint of Hitchcock: Stories Inspired by the Master of Suspense

Literature & Fiction

CARROLL, David

Elwood, Elizabeth

Pachter, Josh

Demarest, Rebecca A.

Walker, Joseph S.

Johns, Roger

Trost, Cameron

Turner, Paulene

Rausch, Andy

Fischer, Jason

Short Stories & Anthologies

Black Beacon Books

“A finely crafted ensemble and a balanced grace makes this debut novel as hard to resist as blue ribbon gumbo.” ―Craig Johnson, New York Times bestselling author of the Walt Longmire Mysteries, the basis for the Netflix hit drama Longmire Dark River Rising is a tense and expertly-plotted mystery set against the bayous of Louisiana, from debut author Roger Johns.
Baton Rouge Police Detective Wallace Hartman has had better days. With her long-time partner and mentor on medical leave and a personal life in shambles, she’s called to the scene of a particularly gruesome murder: the body of a known criminal has been found in a deserted warehouse, a snake sewn into his belly. Obvious signs of torture point to a cunning and cold-blooded killer who will stop at nothing to find what he’s looking for.
 When Federal Agent Mason Cunningham arrives on the scene, Wallace expects a hostile takeover of the case. But when a scientist with ties to the victim goes missing from a government lab, she needs Mason’s federal connections as much as he needs her local insight, and the two form an uneasy partnership to solve a case that grows more complicated―and dangerous―by the minute. 
 Meanwhile, the killer lurks in the shadows with an agenda no one saw coming, and when Wallace and Mason threaten to get in the way they risk losing everything they hold dear. Including their lives.

Dark River Rising: A Mystery (Wallace Hartman Mysteries, 1)

United States

Minotaur Books

When a controversial politician is murdered in cold blood, Baton Rouge Police Detective Wallace Hartman struggles to find the killer amid conspiracies and corruption in River of Secrets, a gripping new mystery from Roger Johns. 
Herbert Marioneaux, a Louisiana politician infamous for changing his mind on hot-button issues, has been murdered and his body posed to send a message. Baton Rouge homicide detective Wallace Hartman has to figure out who’s sending that message. DNA points to Eddie Pitkin, a social justice activist who also happens to be the half-brother of Wallace’s childhood best friend. But even with the combative history between Pitkin and Marioneaux, murder seems out of character for Pitkin, whose usual MO is to confront the wealthy and powerful with their inconvenient past. As Wallace digs deeper, she unearths a possible alibi witness, along with evidence of a deeply troubled relationship that points the finger of suspicion at Marioneaux’s son.
While Eddie’s supporters are convinced of his innocence, his enemies are equally certain of his guilt. Under pressure from all directions, Wallace pursues her investigation into the dark heart of the political establishment as Baton Rouge falls under the shadow of escalating violence. When it appears a police department insider may be sabotaging her efforts by leaking information about the case, and after menacing messages are left for her and her loved ones, Wallace is forced to untangle a trail of old and disturbing secrets unaided by those she most needs to trust.

River of Secrets: A Wallace Hartman Mystery (Wallace Hartman Mysteries, 2)

After Dinner Conversation (June, 2022): Philosophy | Ethics Short Story Literary Magazine (After Dinner Conversation Magazine)

Harris, Mark Jonathan

Mandel, Phillip Scott

Bodie, Joseph

Bohn, Seth

Hampton, Viggy Parr

Shirey, DL

Literary

Independently published

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Books by Johns, Roger