Mystery Reads

When NYPD detectives Jack Whelan and Burton Carver are assigned to investigate a grisly Greenwich Village homicide, the first-on-scene offers dispatch an ominous warning: “Tell ‘em it’s a nightmare. A total freaking nightmare.” After sizing up the scene, the pair agree on one thing: the responding officer got it right. With the discovery of a second dismembered victim, the pair are caught up in an internal department power struggle, and blindsided by a newspaper reporter intent on sabotaging their investigation.

Kept out of the loop by the lieutenant running the task force and having run afoul of the brass, Whelan and Carver find a pair of allies in the crime scene unit and make it personal—enlisting outsiders and working the case from the shadows. When a key player disappears, Whelan and Carver have to decide which rules they can follow and which ones they’re willing to break in order to locate the missing woman, and bring down a killer who is, quite literally, butchering his victims alive.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING:
“Joe Monks long ago proved his prowess at creating tension in the short fiction format. In fact, some of his short story work borders on legendary. The question concerning Torn to Pieces is, can he maintain that quality at novel length? The answer is a resounding: Yes. The book hits the ground running and continues at a relentless pace until its shattering climax. When the truth is revealed, it will leave you breathless. Be forewarned-once you read the first page, Joe Monks will own your every free moment.”

–Franklin E. Wales, The Hacker’s Source

“A gripping, page-turning murder mystery. Monks’ dialogue drives this novel and gives the characters life beyond the printed page. The conversations between characters are sharp, real and essential for moving the plot forward. Torn to Pieces will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading. Job well done.”

–Robert Errera, Editor, CHERI Magazine

Joseph M. Monks was born in Queens, New York on February 21st, 1968, and while he no longer lives in the state, he will always consider himself a New Yorker.
His family upped and left for the ‘burbs in 1977, and Joe rooted himself in Valley Stream, NY, where he began a pursuit of two rabid passions: hockey and writing. Joe began writing when he was nine and has not looked back, particularly in recent years. Undaunted by the loss of his eyesight in 2002 (the result of Monks’ long-time battle with diabetes), the then-33 year old author completed his first anthology of original fiction, Stuff Out’a My Head, released in December of the same year.
Joe continues to write original short fiction, in addition to branching out into the world of screenplays and filmmaking.
Despite blindness and surprising many, Joe returned to the comic book field, where he got his start as co-creator of the cult phenomena horror title Cry For Dawn. Shrugging off the inertia of his ex-partner and continuing to be a driving force in independent horror, Joe released a spate of successful comic book titles including The Night Terrors, NightCry, Tales of the Dead and several one-shots.
Joe’s more recent comic endeavors have included Gory Lori, a modern day zombie apocalypse series illustrated by Jeff Salisbury and Mike Koneful, and the horror anthology Zacherley’s Midnite Terrors, featuring the television horror host of the same name. In addition to getting the opportunity to work with The Cool Ghoul, Joe has enjoyed his experiences working with such legendary talents as Basil Gogos, William Stout, fantasy artist Ken Kelly, and others.
In 2003, one of Joe’s short stories, “Chance Meeting,” was optioned for adaptation to the screen by Japanese publishing powerhouse Bunkasha in tandem with DK Publishing. Joe was offered the opportunity to take a stab at the script for the short, , which was to have been used as a television pilot in Japan. The script was green-lit and produced, though the producers decided to take the property, starring supermodel Matsuo Otani, and release it as a stand-alone DVD instead. Accompanied in the hungry Asian horror market by a hardcover photo book, it was a runaway success. The adaptation of the story (which appears in Stuff Out’a My Head), received critical acclaim in the Far East and has done so in the United States as well, notably after it screened at the New York Horror Film Festival. The experience of working in film (Joe not only wrote the script but has a slightly larger-than-cameo role in the pilot) pushed Joe on a path towards fulfilling another long-time goal, that of directing his own feature film. With The Bunker, Monks sought to break new ground once again.
Joe lives in Southwest Florida with his wife, Pamela, their dog, Luna, two black cats, Midnite and Shadow.

Website(s)
Author Home Page Link
Link To Book On Amazon