<![CDATA[R.G. Belsky - Blog]]>

<![CDATA[R.G. Belsky - Blog]]>Fri, 19 Jun 2026 07:59:02 -0700EditMySite<![CDATA[EXCERPT FROM THE VANISHERS]]>Fri, 19 Jun 2026 13:51:52 GMThttps://www.rgbelsky.com/blog/excerpt-from-the-vanishers PROLOGUE
                                                     Hudson Lake, Michigan

            I know everyone in this diner is looking at me like I’m strange.
            Well, I’m sure used to that by now. It wasn’t always that way, of course. I mean I’m blonde-haired, just turned 30 and once – a million years or so ago before the terrible times happened – people said I was pretty. But now I realize that I look old beyond my years. I’ve lost a lot of weight, my face is pale and gaunt and I’m trembling noticeably right now even though it is the first real warm day of spring.
            I make my way unsteadily over to a stool at the diner’s counter and sit there quietly, without talking, even when a guy comes over and asks for my order.
            “What’ll it be, ma’am?” he smiles.
            I stare at him with a confused look on my face. Nothing people say these days - even simple questions like that - seem to make sense to me anymore.
            “Ma’am,” he repeats.
            “Pardon?”
            “My name is Danny. Danny Heller. I own this place. What do you want?”
            I think about if for a second, then say: “Do you think I could have some tea?”
            “Tea, sure.”
            He walks over to the kitchen area, pours a cup and brings it back to me.
            “How about something to eat?” he asks. “A sandwich. Some soup. Maybe a nice piece of pie. We got some nice pies today. Apple. Cherry. Lemon meringue.”
            “Lemon meringue?”
            “Sure. Want a piece?”
            I nod. “Yes, that would be nice.”
            Danny Heller cuts an extra large slice of the pie, places it onto a plate and carries it back to where I am sitting. I begin eating. Silently and without any emotion. Just like I do everything else now.
            “Are you from around here?” he asks.
            “No, not from around here.”
            What’s your name?
“Uh, I’m Megan…
“Well, I’m glad to meet you, Megan. Are you just visiting around these parts?”
            “I’m…,” I hesitate, because it’s painful to say the words., “I’m…looking for a vacation house.”
            “Hey we’ve got some good ones. The lake this time of year is one of the prettiest spots in all of Michigan. Or anywhere else, for that matter. Have you looked at many houses?”
            “Not here. Other places.”
            “You’ve been traveling then?”
            “Yes, I’ve been traveling quite a bit.”
            The truth is I have been traveling for nearly a year. I started back east, moving from resort town to resort town along the New England coast. When fall came, I started moving down along the coast toward the winter resorts. Miami Beach. The Gold Coast. The Gulf Shore. Then, with the advent of spring, I had come north and inland to look at lake areas. Ohio. Minnesota. And now Michigan.
            In all the places, I’ve done the same thing. Gone through ads for house rentals. Checked with real estate brokers. Driven aimlessly around shore areas looking.
Always looking.
Looking for the house.
The house I can never forget.
The house of my nightmares.
            “We have some local house listings on that bulletin board over there,” Danny Heller says, pointing to a wall at the end of the counter. “People with a place to rent put stuff up there. Maybe you’ll find something you want.”
            I get up from my stool and walk over to the bulletin board.
            Looking through the ads posted on the bulletin board without really expecting to find anything.
            But then I see it.
            And I scream!
            I scream so loudly that everyone in the diner stops eating and looks at me.
            It’s a scream that keeps gathering momentum as it goes on like a runaway train, terrifying everyone there.
            “What’s wrong?” Danny says, rushing over to where I’m standing by the bulletin board.
            I point to a picture of a house in one of the ads.
            “It’s here,” I whisper.
            “What?”
            “The house.”
            And it is.
The house I’ve been looking for.
The house from Pleasant Street.
            “I don’t understand,” Danny is saying.
            “It’s the house,” I sob. “Oh, my God, it really is the same house…”

]]><![CDATA[Audible Version of THE VANISHERS]]>Fri, 15 May 2026 18:25:17 GMThttps://www.rgbelsky.com/blog/audible-version-of-the-vanishersI'm delighted to announce that I've just signed with Podium Entertainment in LA to do the audible version of THE VANISHERS - my new paranormal thriller novel. No timetable yet, but hopefully will begin the process of deciding on the narrator soon.

]]><![CDATA[GREAT BOOKTRIB REVIEW OF THE VANISHERS]]>Sat, 09 May 2026 19:16:11 GMThttps://www.rgbelsky.com/blog/great-booktrib-review-of-the-vanishersLove this review of The Vanishers on BookTrib!

Atmospheric, unsettling and compulsively readable, The Vanishers turns the perfect summer rental into a nightmare about memory, the nature of reality and the terrifying fragility of proof.

Read the Review

]]><![CDATA[IT'S PUBLICATION DAY FOR THE VANISHERS!]]>Thu, 07 May 2026 12:55:35 GMThttps://www.rgbelsky.com/blog/its-publication-day-for-the-vanishersMy new book The Vanishers is out today!

Just $.99 right now for the ebook.

This one’s a bit different for me – a scary, supernatural, paranormal thriller about a woman who goes to a creepy summer house where people keep disappearing without a trace that they ever existed.

"Megan Foley and her husband think they have found the dream summer home on the Connecticut shore, but it turns into a nightmare when people there start disappearing - without leaving any evidence or trace they ever existed.

"Megan is convinced that there are other world/supernatural forces behind this.

"But she has to get someone to believe her before more people vanish...."

]]><![CDATA[MORE GREAT EARLY READER REVIEWS FOR THE VANISHERS]]>Wed, 06 May 2026 14:05:46 GMThttps://www.rgbelsky.com/blog/more-great-early-reader-reviews-for-the-vanishersMore praise coming in from early reader reviews of THE VANISHERS - my new paranormal thriller that will be published tomorrow, May 7. Here's what people are saying about it:

“Hold on to your seats this one you will not put down until it’s finished. Pick it up, get comfortable and find out what really happens during Megan's stay at their summer beach house.”

“This is such an intriguing read. There’s an element of flashback that gives the whole story an edge right from the beginning. The introduction of main characters is brilliantly set up and immediately gives us a great idea of who the story is about that lets us form that necessary attachment.”

“The writing style is super easy to get into. I was hooked instantly and flew through it. It’s insanely gripping right up to the very last page. I literally didn’t want to put it down, but you know… real life kept getting in the way…so I read it in every spare minute I had.”

“I love discovering books by new authors, and this one is definitely one of those gems!”

“I really loved this! It felt like reading an episode of Doctor Who! It was fast-paced, imaginative, and full of suspense. Sci-fi thrillers aren’t usually my go-to, but this one had me hooked from the very beginning. I kept wanting to rush to the end just to see how everything would play out.”

“I’m definitely going to check out more from this author, this won’t be my last read by him. Thanks for such a fun (and creepy!) reading experience.”

“This book has been a ride. It is a very suspenseful story that throughout you are trying to figure out what and how the things are happening in this vacation house. You start to notice little clues before the character herself realizes...The Vanishers is full of intrigue and suspense with a dash of mystery. It is an easy read and easy to follow along the story. Would definitely recommend.”

“This was a clever and mind-bending paranormal thriller about a woman and her husband who go on a weekend getaway to a guest house that seems to make people vanish…It's a very unique premise, a page-turner you can breeze through and enjoy the ride. If you liked the X-Files, this one is for you.”

“I could not put it down. It was such a page turner. All of the characters were so well written. This was the perfect thriller so if you are looking for a good one , pick this one up.”

“This was my first book by this author but not the last.
LOVED LOVED LOVED this story!!!”
]]><![CDATA[SOME GREAT EARLY REVIEWS FOR THE VANISHERS]]>Fri, 01 May 2026 14:20:26 GMThttps://www.rgbelsky.com/blog/some-great-early-reviews-for-the-vanishersWow, my new book THE VANISHERS - coming on May 7 - is already getting a lot of great 5-star reviews before publication on Goodreads and NetGalley. Here are some of the early comments from readers:

“Grab some snacks and a blanket then find a comfortable spot on the couch because you're going to devour this book in one sitting. At least, that's what I did. I kept telling myself just one more chapter but I never actually put it down. The story flowed so effortlessly and was so compelling I just had to know what was going to happen next.”

“This was a five-star read for me—honestly, my only complaint is that I wish it didn’t end! From the very beginning, the story pulled me in and kept a steady grip on my attention all the way through the final page.”

“If you’ve been in a reading slump or just want something that pulls you in right away, The Vanishers is a really solid pick. It’s one of those books that gives you exactly what you want from page one—mystery, tension, and that immediate need to know what’s going on. I was hooked almost instantly.”

“The Vanishers was a phenomenal read and one of those books that grabbed me from the first page and never let go. With a perfect house, a missing child, and secrets no one wants to admit, this story had everything I love in a thriller. It was a real page-turner that kept me fully engaged the whole way through, always making me want to read just one more chapter.”

“The Vanishers was an absolute blast to read — the kind of story that grabs you with its weirdness, pulls you into its atmosphere, and refuses to let go. What stood out to me most, and what I genuinely loved, was the alien aspect. It wasn’t predictable or familiar; it felt unsettling in a way that made every chapter feel like stepping deeper into something unknown.”

“The Vanishers by R.G. Belsky is the kind of psychological thriller that whispers before it bites. Slow-burn? Yes. Predictable? Not a chance in the world. There's a quiet unease running through every page – a sense that something's wrong but you can't quite put your finger on it until the story already has you in a choke hold.”

“I absolutely loved this book, I read it in practically one sitting and that's how I know a book is 5 stars for me.”
]]><![CDATA[My New Book THE VANISHERS - a Paranormal Thriller]]>Sun, 05 Apr 2026 20:28:43 GMThttps://www.rgbelsky.com/blog/my-new-book-the-vanishers-a-paranormal-thrillerMy new novel THE VANISHERS is now available for pre-sale as an ebook. Print version coming soon. Pub date is May 7.

This is a very different kind of a book from me. Still a thriller - but with a lot of paranormal, X-Files, supernatural stuff in it.

Here's a brief blurb about it:

"Megan Foley and her husband think they have found the dream summer home on the Connecticut shore, but it turns into a nightmare when people there start disappearing - without leaving any evidence or trace they ever existed.

"Megan is convinced that there are other world/supernatural forces behind this.

"But she has to get someone to believe her before more people vanish...."

]]><![CDATA[IN THE TRADITION OF JAMES PATTERSON, GILLIAN FLYNN AND PAULA HAWKINS...]]>Fri, 02 May 2025 20:41:07 GMThttps://www.rgbelsky.com/blog/in-the-tradition-of-james-patterson-gillian-flynn-and-paula-hawkins

Terrific review on BookTrib today for SWIPE, the new thriller about mruder on the dating apps from me and Bonnie Traymore.

"A brilliant and immersive matchup of two notable writers, Swipe takes readers into the world of app-based dating and on a hunt for a killer. In this literary thriller, the stakes are high as protagonists Sonya and Jake navigate lies, betrayal, false identities in search of justice, and with any luck, a meaningful long-term connection with someone special.

"In the tradition of James Patterson, Gillian Flynn and Paula Hawkins, Swipe gives us a sexy, suspenseful story that features dynamic, courageous characters who are also imperfect and must overcome their own fears, insecurities and troubled pasts. This novel is particularly notable in the way the story touches on a number of meaningful themes and ideas to ponder long after you’ve turned the last page. In addition to the gripping story, authors Belsky and Traymore include reflections on love, loyalty, hope, family and forgiveness."

Read the entire BookTrib review

]]><![CDATA[SWIPE: A Twisty, Psychological Thriller]]>Wed, 12 Mar 2025 17:01:13 GMThttps://www.rgbelsky.com/blog/swipe-a-twisty-psychological-thrillerLooking for love on the dating apps can be murder.

That the premise of SWIPE, a different kind of thriller written by and co-author Bonnie Traymore.

Coming May 1.

Available for pre-order now.

https://books2read.com/u/mZkRkJ

]]><![CDATA[New R.G. Belsky book coming soon...]]>Thu, 06 Mar 2025 14:31:01 GMThttps://www.rgbelsky.com/blog/new-rg-belsky-book-coming-soonSome publishing news from me: I've just signed a contract with Level Best Books for a new novel called THE MOGUL - about how a sensational front page murder story causes the downfall of a media empire. This one's a bit different from my Clare Carlson and other recent stuff. It's set over several decades - the 70s, 80s and 90s - when newspapers were at their peak. Not sure of the timetable yet. But more details to follow....
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