Russ Tilton knows how to kill people. More importantly, he knows how to hide the bodies. Fortunately, he prefers to do his killing with words. He learned those skills as a US Marine, and during his thirty-year career in law enforcement. He retired from the Memphis Police Department in 2020 as a detective sergeant where he worked everything from homicides to internal affairs to narcotics investigations. This foray into the darker side of life is reflected in his stories. When he is not adding to his literary body-count, he enjoys sailing, kayaking, scuba diving, hiking and drinking coffee, lots of coffee.

Night Terror by Russ Tilton

Isolated on a remote river. Hunted by weaponized animals. Will anyone make it out alive?

It had been a rough five years for Memphis Police Officer Jake Jessup. Blaming himself for the death of two partners, a divorce, and almost losing his job, the three-day canoe and kayak trip in the Ozarks sounded like the perfect way to reconnect with family and friends, and to put old demons to rest. What he found instead was a new set of demons, only these were real… and deadly.

A float turns tragic for a group of boaters when a secret military project escapes into the Ozark Mountains of West Arkansas. But the people behind the project may turn out to be an even bigger threat than those with four-legs.

They're going to wish it was just a banjo player in the woods.

CURATOR'S NOTE

•What better author could you find for a series about a team of investigators pursuing monstrous threats than a US Marine with a 30-year career in law enforcement? Russ knows his way around a crime scene, and he brings that expertise to Night Terror and the other titles in his Genetics Investigation Team series. This particular book has some especially brutal twists, as a river boating trip runs afoul of an escaped experimental beast with military-grade enhancements and a truly savage temperament. It's a little bit Deliverance, a little bit Species, and more than enough pulse-pounding excitement to keep your attention span nailed to every word of this epic war against a truly murderous monster. – Robert Jeschonek

 

REVIEWS

  • "Let me offer up some descriptive terms, a few emotions I felt, in list form to give you a quick overall sense of what Night Terror is about: surprising, super charged pace, creative & unique, addictive, comes alive for all your senses, little spooky at times in best way, dark humor, realistic relationships, I laughed, I shed a tear once (or maybe twice), I cheered, suspenseful, felt like a movie (should be), & much, much more!"

    – Reader review

  • "I am THRILLED I happened upon this series - & have now become introduced to author Russ Tilton! Total delightful fluke. (Or …. destiny … ?? ;) lol"

    – Reader review

  • "This book - I tell you - it really grabs ahold of you during the 1st few pages, then like (welcome ;) quicksand immerses you, & before you have a chance to even consciously notice, you're off & running with the characters, totally invested. And you better hold on because it's a wild, super fast ride!"

    – Reader review
 

BOOK PREVIEW

Excerpt

Prologue

Liam Sayed was ten minutes late when he left the cave, but only five minutes from meeting his seventy-two virgins. He felt a little guilty as he walked down the narrow trail. He was quick to condemn his relief when they were late, but he would offer Bibi a cigarette and all would be forgiven.

It was a good post for sentry duty. Away from his superiors, mostly out of the wind, and an approach the enemy would never use.

Had never used, he corrected himself.

If there was anything he learned fighting the infidels, it was to never underestimate your enemy.

The moonless night was perfect for an assault, but there had been no hint of military activity in the area. If there had been Muhammad Rasul, Commander of the Faithful, and his three top advisors would not be here. Rasul was a careful man, and Liam felt honored to be part of his security force.

In the darkness, the trail appeared narrower than usual as he looked down the slope at the treacherous terrain. The ancient path, little more than a goat trail, was the only way up to the caves, stair-stepping through crags and rocks past five outposts. All the other approaches were shear rock faces. The enemy wouldn't make it halfway up before they were seen and destroyed. And the tunnels were deep. The Americans would have to level the mountain to ensure they killed their target. This was about as safe a location as the supreme commander could hope to find.

Through the gloom, he saw the large boulder that marked his post. He skirted the massive rock, then called out, "Ho, Bibi. Do not be mad…" Bibi wasn't there. Sayed's heart rate kicked up.

He peered into the darkness, took a step forward, and saw a pair of feet sticking out from the shadows. He moved closer. There was Bibi, leaning against the rock, his head down and his AK-47 lying in the dirt next to him. Anger flashed through Sayed.

I can't believe he's sleeping!

"Get up," Sayed hissed, looking back toward the cave. "You're lucky I found you and not Hassem."

The man didn't stir. "Bibi, are you crazy?" He kicked his leg. Bibi toppled sideways.

Sayed pulled out his cigarette lighter and flicked it on. A scream caught in his throat when he saw the man's shredded face, the flesh torn from his skull, his chest and abdomen ripped apart, his intestines lying in a pile between the man's legs. Dropping the lighter, the young guard staggered back, unable to breathe.

Rocks clattered behind him. He spun around and saw something on the trail fifty feet from the cave entrance. He peered at it, then his eyes went wide. He clawed at his rifle strap. A shadow fell across him, and something slammed onto his shoulders, knocking him to the ground. Teeth tore into the back of his neck turning his shout into a choked gurgle while a dozen knives stabbed his chest and his left thigh.

In the seconds before he died, Sayed didn't think about the reward waiting for him in heaven, he thought about pain he never imagined possible and about the strange creatures running down the trail toward the cave entrance.