GORDON MACKINNEY
TELL ANYONE YOU WANT THAT I WAS HERE (2022)
“A superb 5-star thriller — one of the best I've read all year."
— READER VIEWS
"A study in psychological suspense and intrigue, and a constant barrage of satisfyingly unexpected twists.”
— MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW
"The suspense had me on the edge of my seat.”
— READERS' FAVORITE (5/5 stars)
Up-and-coming journalist Nikki Hightower has almost landed her dream job at the Chicago Tribune when family tragedy calls her back to the last place she wants to be: Willigsville, her hometown in rural Missouri.
Ten years earlier, on high-school graduation night, Nikki drove one of two cars involved in a bizarre crash that killed the town's "princess" and left Nikki's best friend with permanent brain damage. The townspeople blamed Nikki. Only two people took her side: her father, owner of the local newspaper, and Sheriff Joe Ransom who always viewed law enforcement as a form of creative expression.
Nikki returns to Willigsville, trapped between conflicting goals: escape the town's condemnation or stay to uncover the truth of the crash. She partners with the unpredictable sheriff amidst the town's greatest crisis, a tsunami of opioid addiction and overdoses fed by a brutal drug cartel and its local operatives. Meanwhile, rumors swirl of the sheriff's corruption.
The past and present collide as Nikki realizes that her survival depends upon whom she chooses to trust.
Praise for TELL ANYONE YOU WANT THAT I WAS HERE
"This study of psychological suspense and intrigue delivers a constant barrage of satisfying unexpected twists. . . .
A powerfully-written thriller and solid read.”
— MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW
“Young reporter Nikki Hightower is drawn into an investigation into her hometown’s drug trade, guided by advice from her late father, which the author handles deftly. She and other characters are interesting and authentic, and the story offers a satisfying climax.”
— KIRKUS REVIEWS
“The writing is perfection — a study in how to write. . . . The characters are fully fleshed out. The plot is engaging and full of twists. The grit, the conflict, and the sophistication will keep you reading well into the night."
— READER VIEWS
FOLLOW ME DOWN (2017)
"Part treasure hunt, part mystery, Follow Me Down is a full-throttle, urbex thriller."
— RABBIT HOLE REVIEWS (5/5 stars)
"Follow Me Down will keep you up at night and stay with you long after the final page.”
— KENNETH W. HARMON, author of Upon the Stage of Time and The Paranormalist
Winner of 2017 Literary Gold Titan Award
Urban explorer Lucas Tremaine should buckle down and complete his Masters in Architecture, but the past torments him. Six years earlier, Drax Enterprises’ negligence killed his father and left his mother strung out on Valium. Lucas longs to punish the corrupt behemoth of Cincinnati real estate development, but what can one man do?
"Plenty," says old Mr. Blumenfeld, Lucas's boss and a former photojournalist with too many secrets. Evidence to bury Drax exists, he claims, but to find it, Lucas must breach the city's welded-shut subway system. Lucas takes the plunge, aided by his best friend and moral compass, Reuben Klein.
The deeper the duo infiltrates the dangerous underground, the further back they turn the clock. They learn that Drax's corruption intertwined with fascism's rise in Germany. That campfire tales of a subway crypt were true. That no one can be trusted, not even Lucas's boss.
Praise for FOLLOW ME DOWN
“In this well-researched thriller, urban explorers descend into deep trouble when they uncover the buried crimes of a corrupt company. MacKinney keeps us turning the pages.”
— PATRICIA STOTLEY,
author of The Prairie Grass Murders and Dead Wrong
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
“Part treasure hunt, part mystery, Follow Me Down is a full-throttle, urbex thriller that deftly manages plot, setting, and complex characterization." [5/5 stars]
— RABBIT HOLE REVIEWS
“A thriller indeed, but also a love story, between father and son, and between Lucas and a young woman willing to risk everything. Follow Me Down will keep you up at night and stay with you long after the final page.”
— KENNETH W. HARMON,
author of Upon the Stage of Time and The Paranormalist