ABOUT JOSEPH THOMAS OWENS

I write fiction and specialize in mysteries, thrillers, and crime dramas through novels, novellas, short stories, and screenplays.

My passion is murder, mayhem, cops, and courtrooms. I write twisty thrillers, heavy on procedure, with engaging characters and broken heroes. 

My latest novel, Conspiracy of Law, is set in 1992 New York City and is the story of a young, idealistic ADA forced to solve his good friend's murder to prevent a disaster that could kill thousands. I started the book in 1992 and put it aside with plans to finish it later. Then life intervened along with a marriage, a son, and a new business. But the story wouldn't let go and, thirty-three years later I took it out to finish. Now, thirty-four years later, that story that wouldn't let go is finally a book. 

My next book is called Autumn Stayed Too Long, and is a murder mystery set in Los Angeles in the early 1950s. That one will come next year.

I'm also a huge fan of Victorian era crime and horror writers like Wilkie Collins, Charles Dickens and Mary Elizabeth Braddon whose stories were often inspired by real unsolved cases. I have three original Victorian character-driven series:

The Private Enquiries of Victoria Graves features the young, bright and inquisitive daughter of the Reverend John Graves who shares her father's passion for faith and justice, is a modern woman in a rapidly changing time, and whose relationship with deceased murder victims is, in a word, unique. 

The Investigations of Augustus Blythe, Consulting Detective follows a retired Scotland Yard inspector known for his sharp eye, relentless logic, and mastery of interrogation. 

The Trials of Jonathan Blackwood centers on a young barrister committed to defending strange clients accused of macabre and fiendish crimes including Victor Frankenstein and others like him. His bizzarre clients and independent American girlfriend often put him at odds with powerful forces in Victorian society. 

All three series draw from forgotten true crimes, blending meticulous research and character-driven storytelling with a Victorian gothic flair. The books are published under my Penny Dreadful Books imprint.

I believe a great mystery isn't just about solving a crime—it's about exploring the darker corners of human nature, justice, faith, and morality. My Victorian stories reflect the belief that the past may not be as distant as we think, with the same tensions and truths of then still echoing today.

I've had the good fortune to release works with Big Five publisher HarperCollins, graphic novels, and self-published efforts. I believe in the philosophy of Italian historian and author Umberto Eco, who said, “To survive, you must tell stories.”

In college I studied writing with Booker Prize winner Michael Ondaatje (The English Patient) and have degrees in English Literature and Creative Writing from Temple University in Philadelphia and York University in Toronto. 

If you like your fiction rich with atmosphere, layered with character, laced with intrigue, and sufficiently disturbing to require a peek under the bed and a look in the closet before bedtime, you’re in the right place. The stories are taking shape right now—and there’s always murder afoot.