Charm Artist

Octavius Hunt: refined and talented artist - or something much more sinister?

After the Portland terrorist attack, the kidnapping of his daughter, and the domestic violence case that almost killed him, Detective Wayne Deetz and his wife Joanie escape for a long overdue vacation in Sedona, Arizona, to make some monumental career decisions. When Joanie’s childhood friend, Suzanne, acts euphoric and distant, Deetz and Joanie become suspicious of her boyfriend, the beguiling millionaire artist Octavius Hunt. The more Wayne and Joanie dig into Octavius’ corrupt and scandalous background - and his shady partnership with Mayor Marsden Maddox and entrepreneur Timmy Kondore - the darker and more twisted Suzanne’s reality becomes. When Wayne and Joanie dare to venture one step too far into Octavius’s sinister world of drugs and pleasure to find answers, they find themselves square in the madman’s crosshairs.

With tension in every scene, Amazon number-one best-selling author Creston Mapes demonstrates why he is a "top pick" among mystery, fiction, and thriller lovers. Fans of Frank Peretti, Terri Blackstock, Ted Dekker, Joel Rosenberg, Lynette Eason, Susan Sleeman, Colleen Coble, and Christy Barritt will love this thriller from award-winning and best-selling author Creston Mapes.

Praise for Charm Artist

“I was hooked on the first page...a fast-paced, enjoyable read" (Gail Mundy)

“There’s a reason Creston Mapes is an Amazon number-one best-selling author; he’s an absolute genius when it comes to writing suspense. In this new installment of Signs of Life series, Detective Wayne Deetz and his wife Joanie are on a well-deserved vacation in Sedona, Arizona. But Deetz quickly finds himself pulling back the curtain on the dark and seedy world of opioid addiction in all its ugliest glory. So much for a quiet vacation with the wife...Once again Mapes takes us on a wild ride, and leaves us breathless to the very last page.” (Best-selling author Diane Moody)

About the author

Creston Mapes grew up in Northeast Ohio, where he has fond memories of living with his family of five in the upstairs' portion of his dad's early American furniture store - The Weathervane Shop. Creston was not a good student, but the one natural talent he possessed was writing.

He set type by hand and cranked out his own neighborhood newspaper as a kid, then went on to graduate with a degree in journalism from Bowling Green State University. Creston was a newspaper reporter and photographer in Ohio and Florida, then moved to Atlanta, Georgia, for a job as a creative copywriter for a printing firm/ad agency.

Creston served for a stint as a creative director, but quickly learned he was not cut out for management. He went out on his own as a freelance writer in 1991 and did work for Chick-fil-A, Coca-Cola, The Weather Channel, Oracle, ABC-TV, Johnson Controls, TNT Sports, colleges and universities, ad agencies, and more. He's ghost-written more than 10 non-fiction books.

Along the way, Creston has written 10 contemporary thrillers, achieved Amazon best seller status, and had one of his novels (Nobody) optioned as a major motion picture. He plans to continue writing fiction into the sunset.

Creston married his fourth grade sweetheart, Patty, and they have four amazing kids who range from 21 to 31 years old. Creston loves his part-time job as an usher at local venues were he gets to see all the latest-greatest concerts and sporting events. He enjoys reading, fishing, time with his family, and dates with his wife.