On a late summer evening, 17-year-old, Amanda Williams, sneaks out to a club in Manhattan’s upper west side. She is unaware arrangements are made for her to start a rehab program the following morning. Two employees from the facility are assigned to follow and safely get the cocaine addicted teen to the Adirondack location. Although her father is aware of the last-ditch arrangement, Amanda will never arrive at the treatment center.

A complex plan is derived by an unknown benefactor to hijack Amanda Williams’ journey north. She is supposed to be rerouted to a private hospital in coastal South Carolina. The result, however, turns into a trail of lies, deceit, and betrayal.

Shadows After Midnight is available on Amazon.com at https://a.co/d/039AoVkk in paperback and kindle versions. Also available at Barnes and Noble EAN: 2940184910277 and various other sites.

Chapter 1 – Unforgiven

Chapter 1 – Unforgiven

Mid-June

“This is only a sample of what’s gonna happen to you if you don’t do what is asked.” The burly neanderthal held Ted Cicco in a headlock from behind, while pressing a knee against his spine. His voice was deep, gruff, and when he spoke, he spoke into Ted’s ear, spewing out spit and garlicky evidence of an earlier meal.

“One jolt,” he pushed hard into Ted’s thigh, “and you ain’t got the use of your leg no more.” The man tightened his grip around Ted’s neck. “One twist, and you ain’t got life no more. Now, which would you prefer?”

Ted gasped for air. “Your boss was paid back…in full. I do not owe him anything.”

“Oh, but you do,” the gorilla at his back laughed. “If the boss says your debt ain’t paid, it ain’t paid. Did you think we wasn’t gonna find you, or forget about Nevada? Mr. B has branches from New York to California.

“No, no. You don’t understand.” Bile rose in Ted’s throat. Vomit was about to erupt from his mouth onto his attacker. What then? His neck would truly be snapped, he thought, trying to focus. “My debt was paid.” His mother, Josephine Cicco, had taken out a second mortgage to pay her son’s debt. The situation was assumed to be closed.

Ted’s attacker turned him around, carefully securing two massive hands on his victim’s neck while pushing him against the parked SUV. “You don’t understand, asshole, debts to the Bondano family ain’t never paid in full. You will be on call to the organization for the rest of your life. How long or short that life is, depends on you.”

A siren blared on a distant street. Ted glanced towards his mother’s house across the way. The front porch light glistened in anticipation of his arrival. She would be calling soon, wondering where he was. The drive to Canara Lake from Westchester County took him four-and-a-half hours. Was he followed, or did, the Bondano family know where he lived? He swallowed hard at the frightful thought.

There was a slight breeze off the water momentarily cooling Ted’s sweat-ridden face and arms. He shuddered. This was not supposed to happen. He believed Sammy Bondano was ancient history, and he was safe.

“Maybe we could make this all go away. Ha? Whadaya think, Teddy boy? One hand washes the other. You know, like maybe do the boss this really big favor, and perhaps, and might I emphasize the word perhaps, Mr. B will forgive the twenty grand you owe him.”

“I don’t owe him twenty grand,” Ted protested. “He was paid in full.”

“Tst, tst, tst. The freaken interest gets you assholes all the time. I mean, banks do it, credit cards do it.” Ted’s attacker wore an evil grin while shaking his head. His eyes were large and dark, his lips thin, almost crooked.

“Anyways, you’re a good-looking fella, Teddy-boy, or is it Thee-o-dore?” he smirked.

“I see you work out.” The man moved his left hand down Ted’s left shoulder, pressing his biceps while keeping a strong lock on his victim’s neck. “And you got a nice small waist, tight ass; I bet you get lots a broads.” He took hold of Ted’s testicles and squeezed. “Whaddaya say?”

“I am… not… killing… anybody,” Ted winced, gasping for words.

The man released his grip, “nah, that’s my job, Teddy-boy. But maybe down the road, after your assignment is done, you might be able to help us with somethin else, huh?”

Ted’s cellphone buzzed inside his pocket. ”I am not a violent person.”

“We know where you live, work, and play,” his attacker sneered, grabbing Ted’s shoulders. “And we know where they live, work and play too.” He gestured in the direction of the small white colonial with the wide front porch across the street. “All of them.”

“No,” Ted whispered. “Just tell me what I have to do.”

“We’ll be in touch. Make sure you answer the phone when we call.” The man grunted then turned, and walked away.

PRESS RELEASE AUGUST 2026

Some Debts Are Never Truly Paid: Shadows After Midnight Delivers a Thrilling Ride Through Darkness and Redemption

In Pleasant Grove on August 23, 2024, a seventeen-year-old girl sneaks out to a Manhattan nightclub. Two rehab counselors follow her. Her parents wait at home, hoping their daughter will finally get help. What happens next sets off a chain of events that will leave readers breathless.

Shadows After Midnight, the gripping new crime thriller from Laura Monti, delivers a harrowing journey through the dark underbelly of human trafficking, the devastating cycle of addiction, and the lengths a parent will go to protect their child.

The story begins on a humid late summer evening. Amanda Williams has no idea her parents have arranged for her to enter a rehab program the very next morning. Two counselors from the facility track her to the club, tasked with safely transporting the cocaine addicted teen to the Adirondack Mountains. But Amanda never arrives at the treatment center.

A complex plan hijacks her journey north. The scheme intends to reroute the teen to a private hospital in coastal South Carolina. But the carefully laid plan unravels into a web of lies, deceit, and betrayal. What follows is a harrowing descent into a nightmare that will test every character’s strength and resolve.

Monti weaves a multi-layered narrative that moves from the gritty streets of New York City to a terrifying house of horrors hidden in plain sight deep within the South Carolina woods. From there, the story transports readers to a private island in the Bahamas where a grieving man holds secrets that will change everything. The novel crisscrosses between multiple perspectives, allowing readers to experience the fear, desperation, and hope of each character caught in this quagmire of suspense.

The core message of Shadows After Midnight is both urgent and universal. The world is filled with criminal-minded individuals who care nothing about humanity and are driven by careless greed. Monti forces readers to confront the reality that such evil exists everywhere, and that turning a blind eye only enables it further. Yet the novel also offers hope. It demonstrates that humans are capable of profound change when hope and love prove stronger than hate and destruction. The book targets adult readers aged eighteen and above, appealing to both men and women who enjoy crime thrillers with heart. Fans of Gillian Flynn and Mario Puzo will find familiar territory here, yet Monti’s voice remains distinctly her own.

The author draws from deeply personal experience. What began as a short story in a writing class over twenty years ago grew into this sprawling seven-hundred-page novel. Inspired by sleepless nights worrying about her own son during his rebellious years, Monti transformed that maternal anxiety into a tale of a teenage girl’s struggle. Her frequent trips to South Carolina sparked her curiosity about those long, deserted driveways leading to seemingly nowhere. Those hidden places became the setting for the novel’s most chilling scenes. A cruise to the Bahamas provided the inspiration for the private island and the yacht that play pivotal roles in the story. In a deeply personal touch, the author included a yacht named Fortunato, her father’s name, as a subtle tribute to the man she believes still watches over her.

Monti’s writing style masterfully balances fast-paced suspense with deep emotional resonance. She does not shy away from the gritty realities of drug addiction and withdrawal, nor does she romanticize the violence of organized crime. Her prose is sharp and cinematic, painting vivid pictures of both the darkness and the beauty her characters encounter. The dialogue crackles with authenticity, and the multiple storylines converge with precision in the novel’s explosive climax. Readers will find themselves racing through the pages, desperate to know what happens next, yet pausing to absorb the emotional weight of each revelation.

Shadows After Midnight is available now on Amazon and at all major online retailers and bookstores.