Brannigan observed Agent Nehnja approach him inside Inova Fairfax Hospital and glanced at his chronograph Citizen. “You get lost in Arizona or take the Pony Express home?” A travel-weary Paulan rolled his eyes. “My flight was delayed. Twice. I got back as fast as I could.” “We caught a break from the Jenkins’ wiretap. A recent conversation with Marvin Tibbs...

Brannigan drove his rented Camry under moonlit skies above the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C. while Paulan rode shotgun with a large cherry Slurpee in one hand and his phone with the navigation on in the other. Paulan sucked on his straw hard enough to collapse it. “Take a right at the light, then go left at the next intersection.”...

Dr. Jenkins observed his comatose wife, Cynthia, in the guestroom of the eight thousand square foot estate his wife inherited from her late grandfather. Fitted with a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, a functional MRI machine, and life support equipment for her long-term care, the private location kept her off the radar from other research doctors or FDA investigators unfamiliar with her...

Brannigan drove cautiously on county roads, lost in thought about the investigation. Hours spent at Orange County hospital had left him with memories of being met with blank stares from EMTs who dismissed the cell phone image of Manny Lopez but made a positive ID on Ronald Neyman, whom they’d treated for minor injuries and released from hospital care. Both...

Lisa moved her barefoot leg closer to her body, her back and shoulders aching from the stationary pose on the basement floor while she poked and prodded at the padlock securing the chain around her ankle. She inserted the whittled ends of her makeshift lock picks inside the narrow keyhole, her fingers sore from the constant repetition. She could feel...

Detective Rossi stared at the computer screen inside her home office, her hair still damp from a morning shower as she scoured the pages of information from the state police library on the science of DNA testing. She’d referenced CODIS numerous times on previous investigations involving DNA samples taken from convicted offenders. In the case of Simon Hollis, his attorney...

Lisa Harvey rocked back and forth empty-handed in her nursery glider beside a cadre of miniature zoo animals hanging from the musical mobile above the finished crib. A hand-painted nightlight cast a soft glow near one end of the darkened room bathed in lavender scent from a plug-in air freshener. “The room looks nice,” she told Stu, who entered the...

“I went into Fractured expecting a standard suspense novel and found instead a richly layered psychological exploration wrapped in a haunting mystery. Jason Melby has crafted a story that thrives on nuance and emotional authenticity, elevating it far above the genre’s typical offerings. What sets this novel apart is its atmosphere, a suffocating, mesmerizing sense of dread that slowly wraps...

“Jason Melby’s Fractured is an exquisitely crafted thriller that rewards patient readers with one of the most unsettling and emotionally resonant narratives I’ve encountered this year. The novel lingers on the fragile edges of grief, identity, and moral ambiguity, all while wrapping its readers in an atmosphere thick enough to taste. The setup is irresistible: Stu Harvey, a man already...

Jason Melby Unveils His Forthcoming Thriller, “Fractured” Suspense fiction is about to get another jolt with FRACTURED, the latest thriller from author Jason Melby, scheduled for release in October 2025. FRACTURED is Melby’s follow-up novel to his previous work, PSYCHOPATHIC. Less cerebral and more visceral in some respect, FRACTURED exemplifies Melby’s ability to craft compelling narratives with unique characters that...