Dawn of Grace: A Shalan Adventure by Joe Stephens

Tuesday Tales!

I've a friend visiting today to tell us all about his latest venture. I read and reviewed one of Joe's Shalan detective novels in January 2016. It was a gripping novel with an unexpected ending and he's here to give us an update on the next book his series. 

Welcome to my blog, Joe. I'm looking forward to hearing about the next exploits of Harry Shalan. Please feel free to tell us about the next book in your detective series...

Hi! My name is Joe Stephens and Nancy has graciously allowed me to borrow her audience for a bit. She and I are fellow contributors to a writers blog called Writing Wranglers and Warriors and she has allowed me to share with you so I can let you know about my newest book, Dawn of Grace: A Shalan Adventure.

Joe Stephens

It just came out earlier this month and I would like you to consider giving it a read. Here’s the blurb from the back of the book. After that I’ll tell you a bit more about the series of which it’s a part and end by sharing something about myself.

Why is private eye Harry Shalan standing on the Fifth Street Bridge contemplating how much he would mind if he fell in the river and didn't come back up? You see, Harry lives by a strict code of honor and is struggling not to hate himself because he broke his code--badly. He lost control and brutally attacked his foster daughter Jenn's biological father, Antonio Bezaleel. Bezaleel is more monster than human and everyone agrees that he deserves a punishment much worse than the one Harry dealt out to him. Nonetheless, Harry's act has sent him into a spiral of despair that has cut him off from the very people he needs the most. His wife and detective partner Dee, his foster daughter Jenn, and his best friend Otis are fighting to bring their hero back from the brink.

In the midst of this dark episode, Harry and Dee answer a cry for help from an old friend who is accused of savagely murdering and mutilating her ex-husband. She swears that she didn't kill him, but things don't look good. She was, after all, found by the police kneeling over the man covered in his blood and gripping the knife that had been used to kill and dismember him.

Dawn of Grace: A Shalan Adventure

Their investigation brings them in contact with a precocious six-year-old who swears the murder was committed by a ninja, and he just may be the key to the case. They also encounter an old classmate of Harry's who is a little more appreciative of Dee's anatomy than anyone's comfortable with, a guy who likes to snort coke and cut women's hair, and even a hooker with a heart of gold. They also meet a quiet young woman named Anita Rathbone who seems quite sweet on Otis, a man married to his job since the only woman he's ever wanted is married to his best friend. Does Otis finally find a woman to love? Does Harry learn to forgive himself and accept the forgiveness of those who care for him? Do the Shalans solve the crime and save their friend from a life behind bars? The answers are revealed in...Dawn of Grace: A Shalan Adventure

This is the fourth book in the Shalan Adventure series. I’d love it if you’d pick them all up, but each book stands on its own. The stories are narrated by Harry Shalan and feature his wife Dee, his best friend Otis, and, eventually, his foster daughter Jenn. They are detective fiction with some romance and whole lot of humor, so even if detective fiction isn’t your go-to genre, I think you may still enjoy it. One reader said she wasn’t sure if it was a detective book with romance or a romance book with detective stuff in it. I’m not sure if she meant that as a compliment or not, but I took it that way because that’s exactly what I’m going for.

And now a bit about me. When I’m not writing books, I’m a high school English teacher in Parkersburg, West Virginia. Specifically, I teach Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition. I’m also a contributing writer for a little local online and print magazine called ClutchMOV. It’s for and about people of my home, the Mid-Ohio Valley. If you want to learn more about me or my books, feel free to go to my website, joestephenswrites.com or my own blog, My Train of Thought. You can also find me on Amazon, on Facebook, and on Twitter at @trainguy917.

Finally, if you have any questions, feel free to email me at trainguy917@gmail.com. If you’re interested, you can join my mailing list and get several freebies, including a PDF of my first book, Harsh Prey and a discount code for $1 off the $10 list price for Dawn of Grace. You can join up from my website or my blog. It’s right at the top. I promise, I don’t sell or give away your information.


Great update, Joe. Thank you for popping in today! That'll be more books on my TBR list since I've still to catch up with books 1 & 2 in your Shalan series.  Best wishes for great sales.

Slainthe!