Town of Trials
Four months after Coldwater, Missouri, nearly burned, young prosecutors John Chance and Annaleigh Stanton are still sweeping up the ashes.
Peace? An illusion, especially in a town built on secrets.
John’s risky choice—prosecutor and now detective—is slowly unraveling him. The manhunt for fugitive Kenneth Roy Atlee is dying in the dark. The fragile new relationship he shares with Annaleigh teeters on the edge after her “I love you” went unanswered. And now, John battles strange symptoms from Wesley Raith’s blood, ones that no doctor can truly explain, threatening to upend everything he’s worked for.
The revelation that John’s biological father never left for St. Louis shifts the search back to Coldwater, where new players arrive with hidden agendas, complicating life at the courthouse and on patrol.
As autumn arrives, the net tightens around Atlee. When he’s finally dragged into court, Coldwater will learn that justice is only one of the many verdicts still pending.
In a town where every choice is a test, some trials threaten to break more than the law.
This book contains mature themes, including graphic violence, strong language, and clean, closed-door romantic content.
Welcome back to the Coldwater Chronicles, a captivating anthology series centered around the shadowy heart of Coldwater, Missouri, a small town where secrets ignite and extraordinary forces shape destinies. Join John Chance and Annaleigh Stanton in their gripping quest through mysteries and deadly conspiracies.
Alongside this heart-pounding and thrilling main storyline, the series will also follow other characters through planned tales of romance, psychological suspense, and sci-fi adventure, all tethered to Coldwater’s enigmatic legacy. Books will span different eras and genres, weaving suspense, emotion, and the haunting pull of this mysterious town.
Plus, you never know who will cameo!
Immerse yourself in the Coldwater Chronicles, continuing with Town of Trials, A Coldwater Chronicles Thriller (Book 2).
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D. R. Young
D. R. Young has been weaving stories since he was a kid sketching comic books in the suburbs, dreaming up heroes, their sidekicks (a talking violin!) and clever twists.
As a teen, he swapped pencils for pulpits, preaching tales of faith to captivated crowds. Later, he poured his creativity into music, then pivoted to a career as a software engineer.
All the while, stories bubbled in the back of his mind.
Now, he’s a husband, dad, and the emotional support human to a scrappy Shih Tzu with a knack for laziness.
His debut novel, Tunnel Vision, A Coldwater Chronicles Thriller, is a Southern Missouri mystery series where a law grad with degraded vision takes on small-town corruption. Partially inspired by his own history (and battles) with corrective eye surgery, coupled with childhood trips to hauntingly familiar places, it’s the first of many tales to come.
The engineer in him still tinkers, and his X suspension fight... and loss... sparked a wild AI fix-it pitch on his blog.
But the writer’s in charge now, crafting novels packed with murder, thrills, and heart. Those small-town shadows have more secrets to share, and D. R. Young's just getting started.
The Coldwater Chronicles
The Coldwater Chronicles consists of two books and series is set to expand with the upcoming release of one more book. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
