Discover new books on Goodreads

See if your friends have read any of Bryan Nowak's books

94 ratings | 72 reviews | avg rating:4.70

more photos (1)

Bryan’s Year In Books

Bryan’s 2025 Year in Books

Take a look at Bryan’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

Go to Bryan’s 2025 Year in Books

Bryan Nowak’s Followers (25)

Bryan’s Bookshelves

to-read (2)
currently-reading (11)
read (142)
did-not-finish (0)
arc (0)
fantastic (2)
gave-up-on (0)

Bryan’s Friends (46)

Crystal Lake Publishing

305 books | 3,194 friends

E. Mercy

140 books | 451 friends

Mark Towse

113 books | 2,046 friends

Jesse Rohrer

1,461 books | 202 friends

Joseph Maddrey

1,172 books | 61 friends

Christa

7,051 books | 816 friends

Charlotte Harper

795 books | 17 friends

Barb

639 books | 3,431 friends

More friends…

Bryan Nowak

Goodreads Author

Website

http://www.bryannowak.com

Twitter

Bryan_TheWriter

Genre

Horror, Fiction, Mystery

Influences

Dean Koontz, Stephen King, Terry Brooks, Douglas Adams

Member Since

July 2015

edit data

Thank you for taking an interest in me. By now, you know that I’m Bryan Nowak, and the author of the books No Name, The Dramatic Dead, Riapoke, and Crimson Tassels. I grew up in Steger, Illinois, a South Suburb of Chicago. When I was a child, we spent lots of summers in Indiana. So much so, that I consider myself to be part Hoosier. Many of my relatives still live in Indiana and it’s a frequent destination for summer vacations.

I was born in the summer of 1973. I had the good fortune of attending Eastview Elementary School. There I learned the value of a good library through our Librarian, and one of my neighbors, Mrs. Lavelle. I exhausted the library of ghost stories, and tales of monsters. One in particular I remember was the tale of the Thank you for taking an interest in me. By now, you know that I’m Bryan Nowak, and the author of the books No Name, The Dramatic Dead, Riapoke, and Crimson Tassels. I grew up in Steger, Illinois, a South Suburb of Chicago. When I was a child, we spent lots of summers in Indiana. So much so, that I consider myself to be part Hoosier. Many of my relatives still live in Indiana and it’s a frequent destination for summer vacations.

I was born in the summer of 1973. I had the good fortune of attending Eastview Elementary School. There I learned the value of a good library through our Librarian, and one of my neighbors, Mrs. Lavelle. I exhausted the library of ghost stories, and tales of monsters. One in particular I remember was the tale of the restless spirits of dead pirates. It was supposedly a true story. Years later, after the advent of the internet, I would find out that the story was well known, and the location of the story is presently a bed and breakfast in South Carolina. Reading those stories are what gave me a firm foundation of suspense and the paranormal.

Eighth grade was a pivotal year for me. This was the year I left Central Junior High School, and Northern Illinois, forever. I moved to the little lake-shore town of Excelsior, Minnesota. Till this day it still stands out in my mind as an idyllic place to live. I continue to compare every other city to its quaint grandeur.

In Minnesota I joined the US Army Reserves and the National Guard. I am a proud veteran. I went to college in Minnesota and met my wife there. Our first son was born in Minnesota. It is safe to say that I will always have a soft spot in my life for the state that I once called home.

It was during my time in the U.S. Army that I was sent to the state of Virginia. I was filling in with an active duty unit who needed some extra help. I repeated this process over and over for the next three summers. It was during these active duty tours that I learned to really love the state of Virginia and vowed it would be my home if I was unable to live in the state of Minnesota. Many years later, my wife and I moved our family to Virginia. We have been residents of Virginia ever since, with our three children.

I generally prefer horror to other genera, but I am not necessarily a purist. I like a good solid mystery to go along with it to keep you turning the pages or flicking the screen of your e-reader. I prefer a story line that doesn’t ooze blood, but I want it saturated in tension and dread. I’m a firm believer that if I can entertain you while scaring you a little, I have done my job.

I sincerely hope you enjoy reading my books. If you are reading this, then you are already paying me the highest compliment you can pay any writer. Sincerely, and from the bottom of my heart, I want to say thank you.

-Bryan Nowak, Author
...more

Learn more
Ask the Author

To ask Bryan Nowak questions, please sign up.

Combine Editions
Bryan Nowak’s books

Average rating: 4.18 · 56 ratings · 33 reviews · 5 distinct works • Similar authors

	Riapoke 3.96 avg rating — 24 ratings — published 2017 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Dramatic Dead (The Dirk Bentley Mystery Series Book 1) 4.43 avg rating — 21 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	No Name 4.38 avg rating — 8 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Reverent Dead 3.67 avg rating — 3 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	crimson tassels 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Bryan Nowak…

Bryan is Currently Reading

Bryan Nowak is currently reading

Betrayal of Angels (Illyria Book 1)

by Armin Shimerman

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Jan 15, 2024 04:43PM

Bryan Nowak is currently reading

The Housemaid's Secret (The Housemaid, #2)

by Freida McFadden (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Nov 19, 2023 03:25PM

Bryan Nowak is currently reading

The Whispering Death

by Sara Jayne Townsend (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Aug 20, 2023 11:08AM

Bryan’s Recent Updates

Bryan Nowak rated a book it was amazing We Are All Guilty Here (North Falls, #1) by Karin Slaughter (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 25, 2026 12:02PM · 1 like · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Bryan Nowak rated a book it was amazing Love, Mom by Iliana Xander (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 27, 2025 04:43PM · 1 like · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Love, Mom by Iliana Xander. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Love, Mom by Iliana Xander <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Bryan Nowak rated a book it was amazing Night of the Witch (Witch and Hunter #1) by Sara Raasch (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 10, 2025 05:39AM · 1 like · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Night of the Witch by Sara Raasch. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Night of the Witch by Sara Raasch <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Bryan Nowak rated a book it was amazing Deliver Us From Evil (A. Shaw, #2) by David Baldacci (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 22, 2025 05:20PM · 1 like · like
Bryan Nowak rated a book it was amazing Beyond the Pale by Bryn Grover (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Received an ARC copy of this book and it did not disappoint. All authors have stories which just accumulate after a time because you wrote them for a magazine or other things. Putting them together in a compilation gives you a fun (and sometimes stra ...more
Jun 16, 2025 03:32PM · 3 likes · like · see review
Bryan Nowak rated a book it was amazing Ward D by Freida McFadden (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 11, 2025 05:14PM · 2 likes · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Ward D by Freida McFadden. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Ward D by Freida McFadden <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Bryan Nowak rated a book it was amazing The Coworker by Freida McFadden (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 07, 2025 01:00PM · 1 like · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Coworker by Freida McFadden. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Coworker by Freida McFadden <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Bryan Nowak rated a book it was amazing Simply Lies (Mickey Gibson, #1) by David Baldacci (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 29, 2025 05:18PM · 1 like · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Simply Lies by David Baldacci. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Simply Lies by David Baldacci <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">