Books by J. Lee Murphy

Featured Novel · Paranormal Conspiracy Thriller

Shadows of Deception

Whispers from the Glyndon

A paranormal conspiracy thriller set in the real streets and hidden history of Richmond, Kentucky — a CIA conspiracy novel and government conspiracy thriller rooted in Appalachian mystery fiction.

Rob Murray came home to retire. Former CIA. Burned out. Finished with secrets.

Richmond was supposed to offer a quiet job, familiar streets, cold beer at Paddy’s, and twenty-four uneventful months before retirement.

Instead, dogs begin disappearing. Lights move across the night sky. People stop asking questions. And Rob discovers that his connection to the town’s secrets began long before he returned home.

Beneath Richmond’s traditions and carefully preserved history lies evidence of secret experiments, an ancient race, and a plan that could determine humanity’s future.

To uncover the truth, Rob must decide which memories are real, which were planted… and whether he was ever truly meant to find the answers.

For readers who enjoy small-town dread, government conspiracies, ancient mysteries, psychological suspense, and heroes who know entirely too much.

Late 2026 · The Paint Lick Train Wreck

The Devil in the Bluegrass

A Legacy of Blood and Bone

Before he was a candidate, he was a sideshow act — the "Devil's Son," a scarred freak-show boy caged behind velvet curtains for a nickel. His powers had never been tested until the 1882 Sells Brothers circus train wreck tore open the earth outside Paint Lick, Kentucky, and something ancient poured into him through the grief of the dying.

That night he discovers he can feed on trauma, mimic emotion, and reshape his own ruined flesh into whatever face a room needs to see. Generation after generation, he perfects the performance — teacher, neighbor, pillar of the church — always climbing, always hungry. In the present day he resurfaces as Matt Blandford, a magnetic gubernatorial candidate whose rise feels less like politics than possession, while the people of Paint Lick who look too closely glimpse burnt flesh under the mask.

Part historical horror, part political thriller: a monster forged in a real Kentucky tragedy, finally testing powers he spent a lifetime hiding — on the campaign trail.