2019 Pacific Book Awards Best Mystery Finalist . . . Crime Delayed
2020 Pacific Book Awards Best Mystery Winner . . . Crime Denied
2020 Chanticleer International Book Awards: 1st Place Blue Ribbon, CLUE Book Awards for Suspense, Thriller Fiction . . . Crime Denied
2021 Chanticleer International Book Awards Finalist, CLUE Book Awards for Suspense, Thriller Fiction . . . Crime Conspiracy
2021 Chanticleer International Book Awards Finalist, Book Series, CLUE Book Awards for Suspense, Thriller Fiction . . . Crime Series, The Buck Taylor Novels
2022 Chanticleer International Book Awards Finalist, CLUE Book Awards for Suspense, Thriller Fiction . . . Crime Exploded
2022 Chanticleer International Book Awards Finalist, CLUE Book Awards for Suspense, Thriller Fiction . . . Crime Spree
2023 Chanticleer International Book Awards Finalist, CLUE Book Awards for Suspense, Thriller Fiction . . . Crime Scene
2023 Chanticleer International Book Awards Series Finalist, Mystery & Mayhem Book Awards . . . Crime Series.
Chuck Morgan attended Seton Hall University and Regis College and spent thirty-five years as a construction project manager. He is an avid outdoorsman, an Eagle Scout and a licensed private pilot. He enjoys camping, hiking, mountain biking and fly-fishing.
He is the author of the Crime series, featuring Colorado Bureau of Investigation Agent Buck Taylor. The series includes Crime Interrupted, Crime Delayed, Crime Unsolved, Crime Exposed, Crime Denied, Crime Conspiracy, Crime Unknown, Crime Exploded, Crime Spree, Crime Scene, Crime Victims AND Crime Unraveled. He is also the author of The Assassin’s Heart, a romantic thriller.
He is also the author of Her Name Was Jane, a memoir about his late wife’s nine-year battle with breast cancer. He has three children and four grandchildren. He resides in Lone Tree, Colorado with his Siberian Husky.
About the Author
2019 Pacific Book Awards Best Mystery Finalist . . . Crime Delayed
2020 Pacific Book Awards Best Mystery Winner . . . Crime Denied
2020 Chanticleer International Book Awards: 1st Place Blue Ribbon, CLUE Book Awards for Suspense, Thriller Fiction . . . Crime Denied
2021 Chanticleer International Book Awards Finalist, CLUE Book Awards for Suspense, Thriller Fiction . . . Crime Conspiracy
Some secrets were never meant to be unearthed—especially by her Book 1 of the Leilani Kealoha Trilogy Detective Leilani Kealoha thought she’d left her family’s secrets buried deep beneath the banyan roots of her Hawaiian childhood. But when a string of ritualistic murders erupts across Oʻahu—each victim tied to disputed ancestral lands—Leilani is...
Paradise Has a Price—And Detective Leilani Kealoha Is Paying It In this gripping island noir, Hawaii’s sun-drenched shores hide more than tourists and tiki torches. When a wave of resort break-ins spirals into an underground web of crime, Detective Leilani Kealoha finds herself caught in a deadly crosscurrent of betrayal, corruption, and danger. ...
In paradise, justice comes at a deadly price. Detective Leilani Kealoha thought her days of turmoil were behind her. But when a routine case spirals into a tangled web of high-stakes crime and political corruption, Honolulu’s tranquil façade begins to crack. Ruthless masterminds manipulate the very institutions meant to protect the island—...
Detective Leilani Kealoha thought routine cases were enough—until Honolulu’s sun burned away her peaceful façade to reveal a labyrinth of corruption, betrayal, and cold-blooded crime. Haunted by her past and driven by a desperate need for justice, Leilani finds herself...
Can a minimalist book cover still convey lyrical narratives and Emotion?
Chuck Morgan, Crime Fiction Author
Minimalist book covers often look deceptively simple—one object, one color field, a quiet title. But simplicity isn’t the same as emptiness. When done well, minimalism can feel poetic, atmospheric, and emotionally charged. It can hint at a novel’s inner music without spelling out every detail. For new authors, this approach can be a powerful way to communicate tone, theme, and narrative...
How the Lettering on a Book Cover Shows the Story’s Mood and Pace
Chuck Morgan, Crime Fiction Author
When new authors think about book covers, they usually picture the artwork first, the image, the colors, and the overall vibe. But the lettering on your cover does just as much work as the picture behind it. In fact, the typography often communicates the story’s mood and pace before a reader even notices the art. The font, size, spacing, and style of your title and author name all send signals...
A good cover works because every part, composition, color, typography, and detail, pulls in the same direction. The goal is not to explain your plot but to suggest the experience the reader will have. A thriller should feel tense. A romance should feel warm. A fantasy should feel epic. Readers make these judgments in seconds, so clarity matters more than complexity.
