Why Small-Town Suspense is so much fun to write
In big cities, people can disappear into the crowd. In a small town, that’s almost impossible. When something goes wrong, everyone notices.
The sheriff might be investigating someone he’s known his whole life. A lawyer might find herself defending someone the entire town has already judged. The stakes feel more personal, and the consequences ripple through the whole community.
For me, that makes the suspense even stronger — because the characters aren’t just solving a crime. They’re protecting their home and the people they care about.
The Vanishing Series
That idea is what inspired The Vanishing Series, which is set in the fictional mountain town of Sylva, North Carolina.
The series follows law enforcement officers, investigators, and attorneys as they uncover dangerous secrets hidden beneath the quiet surface of a small mountain town.
So far, the series includes:
Walking Away – Book One
When a woman escapes the man who once promised to love her forever, the Blue Ridge Mountains become her last chance at freedom.
In the quiet town of Sylva, Sheriff Burke Scott begins to notice the fear she tries to hide — the way she checks over her shoulder, the way she flinches at headlights on the road.
But when the past she ran from suddenly finds her again, the mountains may not be as safe as she hoped.
Slipping Away – Book Two
Deputy Sara Parker disappears during a late-night patrol outside Sylva after reopening a cold case.
Sheriff Burke Scott calls in Special Agent Tessa Quinn from the North Carolina SBI to help with the investigation. Along with Deputy Scout Wilson — a man who knows every back road and mountain ridge in the area — they begin to uncover a disturbing pattern of disappearances connected to a nearby university.
But the deeper they dig, the more unsettling the truth becomes. The man behind the crimes doesn’t crave blood — he craves control.
And he believes he is the author of other people’s lives.
Fading Away – Book Three (Coming Soon)
In the next book, a young wife disappears and the case quickly becomes the center of a media storm. True-crime podcasters, internet sleuths, and reporters descend on the quiet mountain town, each convinced they know what really happened.
But as the investigation unfolds, it becomes clear that the truth behind the disappearance may be far more complicated than anyone expects.
Why I Love Writing These Stories
For me, romantic suspense is the perfect mix of danger and heart.
There’s the mystery and the tension, of course — but there’s also the connection between people who find each other in the middle of difficult circumstances.
Add the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains to that mix, and it creates a world I love returning to again and again.
And if you’ve ever driven through a quiet mountain town and wondered what stories might be hidden behind those peaceful front porches, you might understand exactly why I enjoy writing these books so much.
