Suspense novelist Gary Johnston set his second book, Dangerous Reality
mostly during the Viennese Ball.

If you like books that make you double-check the locks before hesitantly climbing into bed, look no further. Gary Johnston, an Eau Claire native who still resides here, has written three compelling thriller novels. Johnston was a history major in college because he enjoyed learning and writing about history. “Combine that with a wild imagination and anything’s possible, I suppose,” he says.  He started writing the first book when he was in college in the 80s and has since revised it a little, and the other two were written in the last couple of years. They are all stand-alone books, but they have a common thread weaving through all of them.  

The first book, The Ripple Effect, takes place in Cleveland, Ohio and centers on the assassination of a fictional president. The second book, Dangerous Reality, places its action mostly in Davies Center on the UW-Eau Claire campus, specifically during the Viennese Ball. And the third, most recent book, The Thrill Factor, tells the story of a freshman at UW-Eau Claire whose parents are brutally murdered and of the continued violence that happens afterwards. Johnston says Eau Claire used to be called “the place where nothing ever happens but anything could.” Sounds like the perfect place for a suspenseful story. He says he writes in the genre of suspense because it’s what he likes reading. Some of his favorite authors are Steve Barry, James Paterson, and Daniel Silva, among others.

Johnston also started donating his profits for his books to the American Cancer Society, specifically Relay for Life. Half the money that he receives when someone purchases one of his books goes directly to the charity organization. He hopes to get more authors involved in the project once it has taken off.

Gary Johnston is also working on two other books in the thriller genre, with the same characters as the first three. With Halloween fast approaching, it’s the perfect time to read twisted plots of suspicious murders.

Gary Johnston’s books are available on Amazon, and the last two are also available at Barnes and Noble. All three are currently available as e-books.