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...
Assassin Thriller Novels: A Quick Guide for Readers Who Crave High-Stakes Suspense
Chuck Morgan, Crime Fiction Author
Assassin thriller novels deliver a unique blend of danger, intelligence, and emotional tension. These stories follow operatives who navigate covert missions, global conspiracies, and moral gray zones, all while racing against threats that escalate with every chapter. For readers who crave fast pacing and cinematic action, the genre offers an addictive escape.
The Leilani Kealoha Hawaiian Island Thriller Series
Chuck Morgan, Crime Fiction Author
Crime fiction set in Hawai‘i has a distinct pull. The islands offer beauty, isolation, and cultural depth, creating a natural tension that fits the thriller form. Chuck Morgan’s Leilani Kealoha Hawaiian Island Thriller Series uses that atmosphere to deliver five suspenseful novels built around secrets, heritage, and a detective shaped by her past.
Gritty crime fiction books deliver morally gray detectives, broken institutions, and criminals who feel disturbingly real. These stories lean into atmosphere, tension, and consequences — the kind of crime fiction that stays with you long after you close the book.
What Defines Gritty Crime Fiction
Grit isn’t just violence. It’s the tone, the lived‑in settings, the flawed investigators, and the refusal to offer tidy...
