Fri.. Nov.21, 2025 - See Previous Newsletters

I have some exciting news today—something I’ve been anxious to share all week.

Introducing a Brand-New Lust, Money & Murder Novella:  

The Fifty Million Dollar Job

A Prequel to Mortal Silence, LM&M 18

As I mentioned in my last newsletter, while I was editing Mortal Silence, I ended up with a substantial number of deleted scenes—not because they weren’t strong, but because they expanded far beyond the kind of flashback that fits into the tight structure of the Lust, Money & Murder books.

These chapters covered an underworld event that takes place decades before Elaine Brogan enters the picture: a massive counterfeit operation involving Salvatore Grimaldi, an ambitious Roman crime boss (and key character in Mortal Silence), and Massimo Serpieri, a brilliant but deeply flawed technician at the Bank of Italy, where the country's paper money is produced.  It also involves Massimo's fourteen-year-old nephew.

As I reviewed that material, I realized it wasn’t simply a great flashback—it was a complete story in its own right, and quite a bit longer than I thought.  For most people, it will probably be about a one-hour read.

So I'm polishing it up as a novella within the Lust, Money & Murder universe:

Synopsis:  A dark, twist-filled crime story that reveals the origins of a legendary counterfeit operation with consequences that echo into the present-day timeline.

Fast-paced, atmospheric, and full of the kind of twists LM&M readers love.

The first draft was obviously done a while back, with Mortal Silence—I'm only editing it now.  So it will be published in 1-2 weeks, max.

Now—Something Special for Lust, Money & Murder Fans

After eighteen books, the Lust, Money & Murder series has grown into a massive, interconnected thriller universe—one filled with characters you’ve followed from the U.S. to Europe to Russia and beyond.  If I may say so, there are very few thriller authors out there, including the biggest names, who have created such a complex network of characters with their personal lives integrated into the stories.

To celebrate that, I created The LM&M Character Universe Board.

Featuring the major recurring characters—Elaine Brogan, Nick LaGrange, Luna Faye, Tony Iezzi, Dmitry Durov, and of course the brilliantly evil Giorgio Cattoretti—all rendered in the same cinematic style as the latest book covers.

It’s the first time I’ve shown them together as a unified ensemble.  This now appears on the product pages for all books in the series.

Scroll down to see the whole and the individual bios.

Mortal Silence

If you haven’t read Mortal Silence yet…

It’s out now and getting fantastic reviews from early readers:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  "Clever, complicated, and impossible to put down. This series just keeps getting better.”

(Just to be clear: Mortal Silence is Book 18 in the LM&M series, and the events of The Fifty Million Dollar Job serve as its prequel.)

To read it, click on the link below:

Also, the Mortal Silence paperback is available now—I received my copy this morning.  For me, it's always a thrill to hold one of my new books in my hands, but opening the package is stressful—I never know what might have gone wrong:

Hope you enjoy your weekend!

Bye for now,

Mike

P.S. Have you read all my books?  

Lust, Money & Murder

Discounted Trilogy Boxed Sets

Lust, Money & Murder

Stand-Alone Novels

Outback Diamonds (LM&M #16)

Marilyn's Secret Liptstick (LM&M #17)

Mortal Silence (LM&M #18)

More 'Unputdownable' Books by Mike Wells
(Click on the photos for full synopses)

International Crime Thriller - Lust, Money & Murder (Series)
The deeper she goes, the more she risks becoming a criminal herself.

Crime/Psychological Thriller
If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Crime Thriller - The Drive-By Wife
Takes "home invasion" to an entirely new level.

Crime Thriller - Renata's Revenge
They. Picked. The. Wrong. Girl.

Crime Thriller/Serial Murders - With Mother's Approval
A mother's love is eternal. For some, it's lethal.

Romantic Suspense - Forbidden (Series)
Temptation has its price.

New Adult Sci-Fi Adventure - Wild Child (Series)
You don't choose the green water...the green water chooses you.

Horror/Black Comedy
Babies always know...and they don't forget.

Technothriller - The Tesla Secret
Unlocking Tesla’s free energy secret could power the world...or end their lives.

Technothriller - Blind Scorpion
He could walk away a hero...but for which country?

YA Sci-Fi Romance - The Mysterious Disappearance of Kurt Kramer 
Lost in between worlds, will his heart lead him home?

Romantic Comedy - Secrets of the Elusive Lover
He plays the field, but she changes the game.

Coming of Age Suspense - The Wrong Side of the Tracks
First love in the teenage hell known as high school.

Book-Related Merchandise

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