A little history: This is a great opportunity to thank some truly great mystery writers who led to the creation of my novels. Paramount among them is American crime writer Robert B. Parker. On January 18, 2010, he passed away and more of his great works were never to be.

There are others I must thank as well. I read all of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes adventures while growing up. As a teenager I visited 221B Baker Street in London, England, and named one of my early rock and roll bands 'Baker Street.' I included a reference to Mr. Holmes in my first novel titled 'Too Soon to Die' as a tribute. My youth also embraced many stories by Raymond Chandler, Agatha Christie, Ian Fleming, and Mickey Spillane. I can recall having a frayed copy of a paperback in the back pocket of my tattered jeans many times. Over the years I've read hundreds of murder mysteries and thrillers.

I've always been a creative person and explored many outlets for expression including many years as a guitarist and music teacher in Winnipeg, Manitoba. So I married and was blessed with three kids (including twins), but due to poor services for our quadriplegic son, Colin, our eldest, I ended up in Mississauga, Ontario, practicing my craft as a private sector City Planner/Urban Design Director. After several subsequent challenging diversions into the unknown including a three-year stint in Buffalo and Williamsville NY, I currently own and manage a small Niagara investment firm in association with Investia Financial in St. Catharines, Ontario (twenty minutes from Niagara Falls). My life began the first chapter in a new book, however, when I started writing murder mystery novels a few years ago.

My novels: Mack Barron, the protagonist in my novels is the multi-talented head of an agency called 'Mackenzie Investigations' in Boston, Massachusetts, a great city I love. He and his team are retained on a wide variety of fascinating and incredibly demanding cases. A quick peek at the first four novels are described below. Though stand-alone, they are intended to form an exciting series.

#1  'TOO SOON TO DIE' 

'TOO SOON TO DIE' In Boston’s high-stakes world of wealth and power, some secrets are worth killing for… 

When private investigator Mackenzie Barron takes on the case of a murdered billionaire, he stumbles into a deadly web of lies, greed, and betrayal. As dark secrets come to light, Mack races to uncover the truth before he becomes the next victim. With millions on the line and a killer on his tail, can Mack outsmart a shadowy conspiracy that reaches into the city’s highest echelons? Or will his own troubled past finally catch up with him? "In this pulse-pounding thriller, Stephen Winn delivers a masterclass in suspense." Brace yourself for shocking twists, complex characters, and a mystery that will keep you guessing to the very last page. 

TOO SOON TO DIE – where everyone’s a suspect and no one is safe. ***96,700 words*** 

#2  'NEVER LAUGH AT THE DEVIL'

'NEVER LAUGH AT THE DEVIL' centers on Jonathan Burke, a mid-thirties financial wizard who is fed up with a life he's convinced is destined for tragedy. He's a bachelor who wants to settle down, but lacks any hope of a decent future while running a Ponzi scheme for an evil Mafia boss and his son. He decides to change his life for the better. The tragic and incredibly challenging consequences of his actions, and the intervention of Mack Barron and his team, are beyond anything he could have predicted in his wildest dreams. ***90,600 words***

#3  'INTO THE VALLEY OF DEATH'

'INTO THE VALLEY OF DEATH' starts with a terrorist plot involving enormous potential harm to the citizens of the City of Boston and surrounding areas. The dark hostile plan is partially revealed at a crowded late night house party. A man standing out back in the shadows while having a cigarette, overhears three others arguing heatedly about the details of a sinister scheme. When a fight breaks out, the man flees the party only to find out later he has been identified and implicated in a brutal stabbing death that ensued after his departure. That's when he calls Mack Barron. You won't be able to put this book down. ***78,700 words***

#4  'AT THE END OF THE LANE'

‘AT THE END OF THE LANE’ presents a strange and at times surreal tale. It warps the line between murder mystery and horrorific thriller while combining two story lines into a baffling detective crime novel. Aaron Striker, a contract hitman, (think Philip Carlo's THE ICE MAN) was found decomposing in his living room where he had been savagely beaten and murdered. Elsewhere, private eye, Mack Barron, finds a blood-spattered portfolio held by his first true love, Jamie Lee, at the very instant of her tragic death. Both events ignite a media assault focused on harassing and bringing down the Mafia. The FBI, Boston Homicide, and Mackenzie Investigations, join forces against a corrupt law firm used as a front for the Mob and its deadly illegal activities (think John Grisham's THE FIRM). This riveting novel includes an explosive ending with a double plot twist you’ll never guess. ---Movie potential--- ***75,800 words***

More novels will follow. I hope you enjoy reading my novels as much as I have had the pleasure of designing and writing them for you. Many more exciting stories are planned.

Thank you so much for spending a few moments here. Please come back and visit again for updates.

Feel free to visit my blog for insights into some of my experiences and thoughts. 

--Stephen Winn