Final Draft: Story 9 in the “Tales of Suspense” Series

Victoria Halloran was the heir of the great Whitcomb legacy which came with an estate beyond value situated on a private island called Belle Isle outside of Detroit. With her kind and attentive husband Herbert at her side, from there she reigned as queen on her throne. Unfortunately her throne was her bed—she was a hypochondriac invalid that had not escaped her world of pillows and linens for more than a dozen years.

Imperious, entitled, and bitter, she only found happiness when the world revolved around her. Other than through her overworked telephone, she had no contact with the outside world. But when she eavesdrops on another party’s call and discovers a murder plot, she is desperate to convince others that something must be done to prevent it.

The entire story takes place over a few hours largely with her alone in her bed, but the action and tension are larger than life and, as the clock ticks down to the appointed time of the killing, the scene is almost unbearable.

Each book in the “Tales of Suspense” Series is a standalone story and not connected to the others. Readers can jump in at any point.

In the Name of the Son is a gripping psychological thriller set in 1954 Portland. Francine Avery, a poised etiquette columnist by day, becomes a relentless vigilante by night after a hit-and-run steals her six-year-old son, Mikey. Frustrated by the law’s inaction, she turns grief into obsession, tracking suspects with meticulous precision and a cold, jagged resolve. Blending maternal fury, noir atmosphere, and psychological tension, this standalone thriller explores how far a mother will go for justice, balancing love, madness, and vengeance in a haunting, page-turning story.

What lurks in the recesses of the mind of a child? Those angelic faces that bring holiday cheer to Christmas productions, that beam with pride in their Cub Scouts’ and Brownies’ uniforms, and dance across the stage in recitals or pound out ear-cringing trumpet solos.

Henry Allen Carruthers had just celebrated his sixth birthday eleven days after he started first grade in 1955 and for him life was simply grand. But his idyllic existence would inexplicably grow dark with an unexpected life turn and the impact would slowly begin to change the sweet and lovable child.

Feeling that his one-eyed teddy bear—a gift from his missing mother—was his only friend in an increasingly unfamiliar and frightening world, dark thoughts begin to enter his young mind when his father remarries. A heart-pounding, page-turning entry in the “Tales of Suspense” Series.

Each book in the “Tales of Suspense” Series is a standalone story and not connected to the others. Readers can jump in at any point.