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Welcome
to my growing bookshelf.

I began writing thriller novels at the age of 70. Five years later there are eight in the series. People tell me the last one may be the best. Please read the recap and reviews of each below. Click on the links to purchase and provide a five-star review on Amazon.

Thank you,  J.T.

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It was the summer of 1960 and Jackie McCabe was just 11. He and his pal Hugo DeMann were always out for adventure at Lake Maxinkuckee. During a sleepover one night, Hugo urged his friend to sneak out of the family cottage to explore. Several shocking events quickly sent them scurrying home. A few days later, the boys were hunting for wayward golf balls in the woods next to the golf course. They knew the greenskeeper would pay them enough to buy ice cream cones. But Jackie found something quite horrifying. In the weeks that followed, dead bodies began turning up around the lake. In each case, the corpses had something macabre and unexplained carved into their foreheads. The police chief and his deputy were at their wits’ end. When the circus came to town that summer, everyone received a brief reprieve from the terror. Little did they know that the killer’s link to the circus helped shape his demented mind. It wasn’t long before an FBI detective arrived to help solve these grisly murders. Despite his best efforts, suspects and motives remained elusive. Who could be behind these lethal messages?

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This thriller and  love story takes place four years after teenager Amos McCabe escaped from kidnappers. Now, with a degree in archeology, he's invited to work at a dig site in Italy south of Rome. Anthropologists discovered the bones of nine Neanderthals.  The lead archeologist informs Amos there are tunnels they hadn’t yet explored. His curiosity gets the better of him. The adventurer brings his headlamp and investigates before anyone arrives for work. When the young man reaches the end of a tunnel, something terrifying happens. He discovers he’s been transported to an alternate universe of 50,000 years ago! The brave explorer soon realizes there’s no way to escape. What will become of McCabe? Has his exuberance gotten the better of him? Join Amos for an adventure of a lifetime in a new world of wonder.

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Missing Memories takes you on an emotional roller coaster ride you’ll never forget. Former nemesis Karsen Ojin plots to regain his lost riches. At Ojin’s bidding, vile criminals kidnap Amos McCabe and take him to an island off the coast of Italy. They inject their prisoner with a drug designed to keep him calm. But it has a devastating side effect – amnesia. Before the drug takes full effect, young McCabe outwits his captors and escapes, jumping into the frigid sea. Good fortune shines on him when he’s rescued by a fishing boat captain. On his amazing journey, Amos adopts the last name Augustus and is helped by a number of amiable Italians. In the end, the young adventurer discovers more than his memories. He uncovers those things that are truly important in life.

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Diamond thieves are ready to strike. Who will escape with the ultimate prize? The criminals will hit major European cities in a brilliantly timed and orchestrated plot. Interpol must track them down before they attack.  The target? Some of the world’s most prestigious jewelry stores, including Tiffany’s and Harry Winston’s. And annual events such as the Cannes Film Festival and the Paris Fashion Show. Diamond jewelry usually adorns movie stars and top models at these celebrations. If the criminals have their way, the diamonds will disappear. One of the bold bandits has his eye on the most famous gem in the world: the Hope Diamond. This 45-carat blue stone, surrounded by white diamonds, is valued at $245 million.  But this stunning gemstone comes with a legendary curse.

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Can Anyone Control the Beautiful Villain and Her Murderous Ways?   Readers recall the madman Adamis Baum who planned to annihilate billions of people by dispersing an Ebola Zaire virus into the world’s water. To protect his faithful from the deadly virus, Baum forced a hostile takeover of a Boston pharmaceutical company. Its drug offered phenomenal healing powers – even as a cure for the Ebola virus.  In an ironic twist of fate, American Jack McCabe turned out to be the closest living relative to the slain Baum and inherited his biotech company.  When McCabe submits his drug for FDA trials, a consortium of pharmaceutical companies lashes out to stop this new competitor.  Along with murderers and kidnappers, the pharmas control two unscrupulous senators.

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Two sisters have disappeared. Their frantic parents seek answers. The father of the missing teens was the judge in Hugo DeMann's murder trial. Criminals may still hold a grudge against him for their crony’s life sentence. Could they be behind the girls’ mysterious disappearance? Are they involved in some cruel obsession? When the investigation moves to Europe in search of the girls, Interpol discovers a nefarious neo-Nazi organization in Berlin behind the kidnapping. Intel from the CIA leads the team of investigators to the masterminds, who are producing radioactive bombs targeted for Israel. The suspected Nazi sympathizers involved in this dangerous scheme must be stopped before their lethal weapons are delivered to Middle Eastern terrorists.

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Potawatomi Indian descendants remain in the Lake Maxinkuckee area. Legal testimony from one of them sends a murderer to prison. Cronies of this criminal now seek lethal revenge. The lake is also the vacation home of Jack McCabe who becomes the unexpected heir to a pharmaceutical company and its highly coveted drug. A blackmail scheme by a former employee soon threatens the loss of the drug's formula. This extortion plot leads Interpol on a search for the thief along the French Riviera.  The New Global Order has been nearly decimated, but three members are still at large. Interpol is intent on completing its mission and sends battle-tested teams to hunt down the criminals

Fairways and Foul Plays

How will she stop the murder of millions? A sinister global order terror group plots to destroy the U.S. economy. Business leaders must comply with extreme demands or face deadly consequences. Heir to his family's fortune, Jack McCabe learns of his parents' suspicious demise on the ski slopes of Austria. Then he discovers the cold body of his friend. Jack soon realizes that he is among those who've been targeted. Expanding their evil, the terrorists devise a scheme that threatens humanity. Italian Interpol officer Kara Sterrio is a member of the team that searches for the enemy throughout Europe. It's a race against time to end this horror before it can be realized.  If you crave page-turning mystery and crime fiction with unexpected plot twists, this novel will grip you to its exciting conclusion.

JT Kelly Thriller Novels, JT Kelly Books, best thriller novels

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J.T. KELLY FICTIONAL THRILLER AUTHOR

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Reader Reviews

Fair Ways and Foul Plays

Riveting! What begins as a murder mystery turns into an international thriller involving a plan to unleash a deadly virus upon the entire world.

John G.

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What a marvelous read. This book grabs you on page one and holds you to the incredible end.

Holly 

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This is a spellbinding spy spoof, spectacularly spiraling the reader into a world on the brink of conquest and subjugation.

Robert 

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This is a fun, fast-paced page-turner cast with a wide range of characters, from small-town sheriffs and Interpol agents to evil megalomaniacs. 

Book lover

Diamond Destiny

My Dad and I share books all the time.  I don’t usually read these kinds of books but I had a hard time putting them down. They were all wonderful.

Amazon reader

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Action-packed thriller. Great escape for a summer read! Loved the many characters and I got to travel all around the world with them!

Katherine

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This is a fun, fast-paced ride with lots of familiar characters. I highly recommend this book to anyone.

Lawrence

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A thrilling page-turner. Once again the path to international adventure begins in Culver, Indiana.

Ann

Deadly Defiance

This action-packed mystery grips you to the very end. Colorful characters fill the pages!

Daniel

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This novel kept me turning pages and losing sleep. I enjoy this author's books immensely and can’t say enough about them.

Amazon customer

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Another home run by J.T. Kelly.  A great second book that was as thrilling as the first. 

Brent 

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A must read from J.T. Kelly.  I recommend this book to anyone who loves action and adventure.

Highlander

Missing Memories

Just finished this book last night and it was terrific! Don't want to give anything away but I sure loved the ending.

Series reader

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What an enjoyable novel. Might be my favorite Kelly book. It was hard to put down and very suspenseful.

James

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My wife and I just finished this exciting book. What a thrilling adventure. It's got to be the best one yet. 

Doug

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Missing Memories was so good! I cried at the end, with happy tears. Isn't that a sign of a good book? I'm amazed at all the creative ideas!

CeCe

Suite Suspicion

The adventures of the evil Syndicate kept me mesmerized from start to finish. I was glued to the action, hoping the sisters would be rescued.

Ann 

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Kelly hits it out of the park one more time in his 3rd book full of suspense and mystery. Another home run!

Deanna 

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 You won’t put this down. Kelly includes fascinating details about the story's locations, the sisters’ experiences, and stolen artwork from the Nazi era.

Carolyn

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I love the action and mystery in J. T Kelly’s books. Suite Suspicion is my favorite!

Katie 

Ominous Odyssey​

I just finished this book. It's so good and the ending is incredible. Well done! I can't wait to read more of Amos' adventures!

Katherine

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This is an amazing story. The author really tied it together beautifully at the end. And it's such an intriguing concept. Bravo!!

Carol

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J.T. Kelly is so talented. He really put his heart and soul into this one. I loved the mystery and suspense of this thriller!

JC

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Ominous Odyssey is not just an adventure novel; it's an intriguing journey that provokes reflection on what it means to be human and how we can influence the world around us.

Lucia, Amazon Italy review

Formula for a Felony

Kelly's books are always exciting and hard to put down. This story kept me on the edge of my seat.

Mary P.

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This is a great read and I recommend it to anyone needing a little action and international mayhem in their life.

Brook

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Mr. Kelly’s writing pulled me right into the middle of it all. With lots of action, suspense, twists, and turns. This book kept me guessing.

Cristina

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I loved this story. It was a lot of fun in the best tradition of a Ken Follett novel or a classic action-adventure movie.

Rob

Macabre Messenger​

In J.T. Kelly’s eighth novel,  summer vacation joys in 1960 are shockingly interrupted by a series of gruesome, unexplained murders. The fast-paced action is packed with twists and turns and clever details of the era. It’s an entertaining read that keeps the pursuing police and readers guessing.

CeCe

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​This book is a thrilling ride back to the summer of 1960, blending childhood nostalgia with spine-chilling suspense. The author masterfully captures the eerie atmosphere around Lake Maxinkuckee as young Jackie and his friend stumble upon a sinister mystery. With dead bodies surfacing and a circus in town, the tension ramps up, keeping you guessing with every twist.

Remy​​​​​​​​​

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