UP FROM HELL
Echoes of the Past: Crimes in Central Texas, Book 1
By Joan Moran
Crime Thriller
Publisher: Next Chapter
Publication Date: April 7, 2026
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*** SYNOPSIS ***
Growing up in Las Vegas, Neil Dixon’s future looked bleak. The son of a drug-addicted mother, he didn’t have a lot of options until a police officer, Sergeant Finch, pulled him from danger and sent him to a new life in Texas.
Now, years later, Neil has become the police officer he always wanted to be—steady, principled, and unafraid to stand alone. But Jarrell, Texas, is not the clean slate he hoped for. Corruption in the department is rampant, and traffickers operate across the border.
When Neil’s mother dies, he returns to Las Vegas and meets the father he’s never known. He gets pulled into a deadly game with his father that stretches from Vegas to the police department in Jarrell, to cartel-scarred border towns. To survive, he must decide what kind of man he truly is – and how far he’s willing to go to stop the people who profit from chaos.
The first book in Joan Moran’s series of crime thrillers, Up From Hell, is a gripping, character-driven novel about the weight of the past and the cost of justice.
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*** REVIEW ***
My interest in this story is two-fold. I like a good crime thriller and stories about small towns in Texas. Having lived in one for a number of years and been privy to some of the double-dealings and corruption in police departments and city governments, I enjoyed that aspect of Up From Hell. The story deals with all that in a realistic way.
The central character, Neil, exhibits an inner strength from the start of the story when at age eight we meet him, noting that he’s more responsible than his addicted and dysfunctional mother – a mother that he protects and cares for in a way that no child should ever have to do. That opening sets Neil up as a very likable character indeed.
One of the other characters I liked a lot was the aunt who took the boy in after his mother dies. She is one of those no-nonsense country women, who also has a soft spot, and her support of Neil is inspiring, and her character is well-developed.
Neil’s father was harder to connect with. Not because he’s a gangster. There are plenty of gangsters in fiction that a person can find engaging. The Godfather series comes to mind, but the father’s characterization in this story is uneven. First, he’s that uber-tough, scary man, then he devolves into a weaker, unfocused person. The transition from one to the other isn’t as smooth as it could be to become believable. At least that was the case with me.
Another smaller issue I had while reading is the repetition of facts and history, such as the details of how the police officer in Las Vegas, helped Neil stay on the straight and narrow and inspired him to seek a future in law enforcement. That plot element is mentioned, almost word for word, so often in the narrative as the story progresses, that it became tiresome.
The author’s background in film and screenwriting is evident in the way scenes are set so visually, and that is a strength of the story. Vivid descriptions place the reader firmly in a setting, and one can get a real feel for the places the story takes place.
Part a character study of someone who’s dealing with so much trauma and part suspense,
this is a story that many readers will enjoy.
*** ABOUT THE AUTHOR ***
Joan holds two master’s degrees: in Theater and in Education. Her desire to teach in the theater department at UNLV led to her position there, where she taught acting and theater history. Five years later, Joan founded and was the artistic director of the Meadows Playhouse, Las Vegas’s first year-round theater. Her interest in film led to her admission to the American Film Institute in Los Angeles as a producing fellow. Joan wrote her first screenplay and continued to write for film in Hollywood for the next 15 years. She produced several films.
Joan also pursued a career as a motivational speaker and blogger. As a keynote speaker, Joan commanded the stage with her delightful humor, raw energy, and wealth of life experiences. She spread her knowledge and energy as she combined 15 years of theater experience, as well as over 13 years of experience as a yoga and meditation instructor at UCLA.
Joan began her writing journey with her memoir, 60, Sex & Tango: Confessions of a Beatnik Boomer. Other books followed: I’m the Boss of Me: Stay Sexy, Smart & Strong at Any Age, a compilation of her most popular blogs, and An Accidental Cuban, a thriller that takes place in modern-day Havana. The novel was developed into a streaming series. Her recently published book, Once A Homecoming Queen, is a darkly humorous take on senior alcoholism. Joan also adapted Once A Homecoming Queen into an award-winning screenplay. Her latest book is a historical memoir of her mother: Suddenly, I Was Jewish: The Life and Times of My Jewish Mother. Up From Hell is her seventh novel. She is developing Up From Hell into a trilogy: ECHOES OF THE PAST: CRIMES IN CENTRAL TEXAS.
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