From Fact To Fiction: Thrilling Book Reviews

What if Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, had helped Scotland Yard hunt Jack the Ripper?That’s the irresistible premise behind A Knife in the Fog, a historical thriller by Bradley Harper. In this episode of From Fact to Fiction, Brad and I explore the real people behind his characters, the desperate conditions of Victorian London’s East End, and the surprising limitations of criminal investigation in 1888. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus epis...

The Facts Behind Carbon SecretsThis month, From Fact to Fiction gets up close and personal as we talk about my own novel, Carbon Secrets, the third book in the Georgia Steele thriller series.Joining me is my longtime friend Jennifer Milch—a data executive, former stand-up comic, and wonderfully smart and sassy lady.We talk about the real science and ideas that inspired Carbon Secrets: scientists storing images in DNA, the history of eugenics and selective breeding, and the rapidly advancing world of brain-computer interfaces.And that leads us to on...

Everything Is True—Except the KillingHow Michael Lucker turned twelve years of illness into the thriller, Rule OneOn From Fact to Fiction: Thrilling Book Reviews, we unpack the truth behind my favorite specialty thrillers.In this episode, I talk with screenwriter and debut novelist Michael Lucker about Rule One, a suspense thriller rooted in his own long and frustrating medical mystery.Ever been to a doctor who didn’t listen? Who didn’t care? Who didn’t help?Ever wish you could change places with them—to have them...

The most dangerous battlefield on Earth may be one you’ll never see.In this episode of From Fact to Fiction, I welcome former U.S. Navy officers and bestselling thriller authors David Bruns and J.R. Olson to discuss their new novel, Weapons Free.Together we explore the real technology, tactics, and geopolitics behind the story—from passive sonar and underwater communications to China’s growing military presence in the South China Sea and the challenges facing today’s submarine commanders.If you’re a fan of Tom Clancy, The Hunt for Red Octobe...

The most dangerous battlefield on Earth may be one you’ll never see.In this episode of From Fact to Fiction, I welcome former U.S. Navy officers and bestselling thriller authors David Bruns and J.R. Olson to discuss their new novel, Weapons Free.Together we explore the real technology, tactics, and geopolitics behind the story—from passive sonar and underwater communications to China’s growing military presence in the South China Sea and the challenges facing today’s submarine commanders.If you’re a fan of Tom Clancy, The Hunt for Red Octobe...

Cult Fiction, Cult Life.Most of us think we’d never join a cult. Never.But never say never.In this episode of From Fact to Fiction, I talk with author T.O. Paine about his real-life experience living inside a cult—and how those experiences shaped his thriller The Teaching.From Fact To Fiction: Thrilling Book Reviews is a podcast and Substack site devoted to reviewing great specialty thrillers. In each review, I pair up with an expert and/or author and we talk about why we loved the book, unco...

Guns show up in almost every thriller, but how accurately are they depicted?In this episode of From Fact to Fiction, I sit down with Special Forces veteran and firearms expert Chris Grall to break down the biggest mistakes writers and filmmakers make—and how to avoid them. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit facttofiction.substack.com

A mysterious sleepwalking epidemic spreads across America. A deadly fungal infection jumps from bat to human with near total lethality.In this episode of From Fact to Fiction, microbiologist Dr. Michael San Francisco and I unpack the facts behind Chuck Wendig’s apocalyptic saga, Wanderers.If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit facttofiction.substack.comIf you have an idea for a book we should review, or you want to be an author/expert on the show, contact me at substack.com/@lmwhitaker or...

A tech billionaire is murdered. His will freezes billions in stock until someone is charged with the crime.Could it Happen? Fact or Fiction?In this episode of From Fact to Fiction, host LM Whitaker and tech executive Vicki Raport unpack the facts behind Jacob Kerr’s best-selling Dead Money.If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit facttofiction.substack.comIf you have an idea for a book we should review, or you want to be an author/expert on the sh...

In this episode of From Fact to Fiction, host L M Whitaker is joined by former CIA intelligence officer and author Carmen Amato to explore The Hidden Light of Mexico City.Drawing on Carmen’s years living and working in Mexico, they unpack the real-world forces behind her political thriller — from the powerful drug cartels and government corruption to Mexico’s entrenched class system and the human cost of inequality. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit facttofiction.substack.com

Meet Mrs. Ivanona and her Charm School.On this bonus episode, I introduce a fantastic spy thriller I wanted to share with you.It’s an oldie but a goodie … Nelson DeMille’s The Charm School. Read Full Review HEREIf you have an idea for a book we should review, or you want to be an author/expert, contact me at substack.com/@lmwhitaker or lmwhitaker.com. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episod...

I started From Fact to Fiction earlier in 2025 to share my love of specialty thrillers. Together, we explored an amazing range of great novels: techno-thrillers, science and medical, espionage and national-security, and historical.In this special end-of-year episode (Part 3 of 3), we revisit the historical and espionage/national security thrillers that captivated us in 2025. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit facttofiction.substack.com

I started From Fact to Fiction earlier in 2025 to share my love of specialty thrillers — and what a fun year it’s been! Together, we explored an amazing range of great novels: techno-thrillers, science and medical, espionage and national-security, and historical.In this special end-of-year episode (Part 2 of 3), we revisit the medical and science thrillers that scarried us through 2025 on From Fact to Fiction. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit facttofiction.substack.com

I started From Fact to Fiction earlier in 2025 to share my love of specialty thrillers — and what a fun year it’s been! Together, we explored an amazing range of great novels: techno-thrillers, science and medical, espionage and national-security, and historical.In this special end-of-year episode (Part 1 of 3), we revisit the techno-thrillers that shaped our journey through 2025 on From Fact to Fiction. Together, we explored stories where science and imagination collide—epic tales of evolution, cyberwarfare, and strange phenomena that sit just close enough to reality to make us a little uneasy. This is a publ...

This week, I sit down with author and registered nurse M.E. (Peg) Roach to talk about Robin Cook’s Bellevue. We explore what’s real, what’s imagined, and why sometimes the history of medicine is scarier than any paranormal twist. From first-year residency chaos to lobotomies and haunted hospitals, we dig into the facts behind the fiction — and the eerie echoes of medical history.If you want to talk to Peg directly about Bellevue, join her on Nov 12 on the Mystery Book Club. Visit sallyhandley.com/bookclubs to learn how. This is a public...

What makes a medical thriller feel real? Meet Darryl Bollinger, a former healthcare executive who’s written eight edge-of-your-seat novels that shine a light on the darker aspects of profit-driven medical care.In our short interview, Darryl shares how his decades in healthcare fuel his passion for incorporating real-world scenarios into thrilling fiction.Darryl’s wish: “That his readers will be transported and entertained in the same way that he still is today.”Find Darryl at darrylbollinger.com. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with oth...

What happens when three female thieves board the RMS Titanic to steal a priceless painting—and one of them falls for a Pinkerton man? On From Fact To Fiction, we review fantastic specialty thrillers, and unravel fact from fiction.In this episode, Bradley Harper, award-winning author of Knife in the Fog, joins us to discuss Maiden Voyage, his new historical thriller set aboard the doomed luxury liner.Learn about the real historical characters that inspired Harper: Forty Elephants: an all-female gang of thieves, a Pinkerton Agent whose father was the criminal mastermind behind Dol...

A Tenuous Line of Succession: Bruns and Olson pull back the curtain on Russia’s true power structure in this vivid national security thriller.On From Fact To Fiction, we review fantastic specialty thrillers, and unravel fact from fiction.In this episode, I am joined by authors and experts David Bruns and J.R. Olson to discuss their new novel Line of Succession, a thriller about an attempted assassination on the Russian president. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bo...

Grid Zero: What Andrew Diamond's Fiction Teaches Us About Grid Collapse, Cyber Threats, and National SecurityOn From Fact To Fiction, we review fantastic specialty thrillers, and unravel fact from fiction.In this episode, award-winnning author and software expert Andrew Diamond joined me to discuss Andrew’s book Grid Zero, a new 2025 novel. Grid Zero is a suspenseful thriller that addresses the fragility in our electric utility grid, and the potential devastating consequences of natural or criminal attacks. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other su...

Rinse and Repeat: The Rehab RacketOn From Fact To Fiction, we review fantastic specialty thrillers, and unravel fact from fiction.In this episode, medical thriller author and health care systems expert Darryl Bollinger joined me to discuss Darryl’s book Treatment Plan, a 2023 novel. Treatment Plan is a suspenseful thriller that immerses the reader in the complex and corrupt world of drug addiction treatment. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit facttofiction.substack.com