Northern Bite

by Todd Morgan

Northern Bite

In a small northern town, stories travel faster than facts.

When Kevin returns home, he finds the place unchanged on the surface — the same roads, the same diners, the same faces — but something beneath it has shifted. A robbery at the local convenience store has everyone talking, and his brother’s name sits uncomfortably at the center of it.

As the town closes ranks and rumors harden into certainty, Kevin moves through a landscape of half-truths, conflicting accounts, and quiet judgments. Witnesses remember different details. Conversations change depending on who’s listening. Even within his own family, loyalty and denial blur together until no version of events feels stable.

Northern Bite is a tense, atmospheric literary crime story about small-town pressure, fractured truth, and the cost of silence. It explores what happens when a community decides who you are — and how far one man can carry a story before it breaks him.

Sometimes the most dangerous thing isn’t the truth — it’s how many versions of it exist.

Also available in paperback.

66 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 17, 2025

About the author

Todd Morgan didn’t plan to become an author. One book turned into dozens — each shaped by real life, hard-earned lessons, and a deep belief that struggle can be turned into something meaningful.

His first title, Smart Strategies for Better Living, became a #1 bestseller during its free promotional launch, connecting with thousands of readers seeking practical, down-to-earth guidance.

Since then, Todd has created three guided-journal series focused on healing and resilience: Life, Rewritten (families navigating separation and change), Toxic Ties (recovering from damaging relationships), and Rebuilding After… (starting over after life’s hardest moments). Each book is designed to help readers feel seen, supported, and a little stronger by the end.

Todd is also the author of the Greybridge Noir Mystery series, a seven-book collection of dark, standalone stories featuring detective Jack Mercer. Gritty and atmospheric, the series explores cold cases, buried secrets, and the psychological cost of uncovering the truth.

His fiction includes The Last Quiet Move, a full-length murder mystery blending psychological suspense with a puzzle-driven plot, and Northern Bite, a psychological crime story driven by atmosphere, moral ambiguity, and quiet tension.

Through it all, Todd writes with one goal in mind: to create work that matters — and to keep going.

Reviews

[Princessfal123 bookendedreviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Northern Bite by Todd Morgan

This is a psychological crime mystery short story (66 pages) and my first ever read in this genre. The story centers around a small northern town where a robbery has taken place at the local convenience store. Rumors quickly begin to circulate that the suspect is one of its own young residents. He’s arrested and stands trial….. but which ‘truth’ will be believed?
Mr. Morgan uses solid descriptive imagery, providing the reader with an experience of becoming a member of the town. One can feel the mist in the air and touch the peeling paint on the basement apartment. The storyline is intriguing and not just gained, but held my attention throughout. The author doesn’t rush the timeline. It unfolds slowly giving the reader time to think about what has happened and what might happen next.
This story creates an opportunity to think about how one person can twist their narrative multiple ways to work in their own favor. Curiosity fuels gossip and rumors become truth, though none are fully accurate. In the end, whose retelling will you believe?

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great short crime story! It was interesting to get the brother’s POV of the crime his brother committed and the subsequent actions. I will say I feel like I may be too immune to the crime that happens today and not sure I feel like armed robbery would get the town’s attention the way this one did. If there had been an actual murder, yes probably so. Definitely felt like the brother of the main character was a sociopath and narcissistic. He carefully planned a crime to try and get away with it. I couldn’t really see any point in what he did expect to just prove that he could do it. And their mother was just in denial. Overall a great read and the author did a great job of putting you in that dread-inducing state!

[Foxee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Northern Bite is a masterfully written crime mystery that centers on a high-stakes game of influence. Instead of a typical "whodunnit," the story explores the psychological fallout of a crime and the clever ways a person can navigate the system by controlling the information others receive. I was gripped by the atmospheric tension and the way the author challenges the reader to find the truth hidden beneath layers of conflicting perspectives. It’s a sophisticated, intellectual thriller that stays with you long after you finish it—I highly recommend picking this up immediately.

[Lauri Walston · Rating 4 out of 5]

????

So this book felt personal to another level. I think everyone in their families has that one person or maybe that has traveled a wrong path and just "knows" how to make things different or change someone's perspective enough to rise doubt. This was a quick read and I couldn't help but get upset because as I said this hit personal with my own family that this scenario happened. Not robbery but wrong action and made sure to try to change stories and keeps doing it ... what did I do? Leave ...

[brittnreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book after the author reached out on Tiktok and asked if I'd be willing to read one of his books and provide a review. I was pleasantly surprised. This was a short read, but it managed to draw the reader in. The author is very descriptive and his writing flows well. I found the story intriguing especially coming from a small town myself. I was kind of waiting for a bigger moment to happen and that never really came. With that being said, it was a great short read and I would recommend it to anyone looking for such a read.

[B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put it down!

This was such a quick and engaging read. I love the descriptive way that Todd Morgan writes. He really has a gift for painting a picture with his words. At times, I could almost smell the scene he was describing, feel the mist on my skin. This town felt like it could have been the small town I grew up in. I really enjoyed this book. This was my first experience with Todd Morgan's work and it definitely won't be my last.

[Katie Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Northern Bite grabbed my attention immediately! Todd is a master at painting a scene; the sound of the cars, the smell of the mist or snow in the air, the murmur of voices as they cast their judgements.
A story of manipulation born out of small town boredom, or the need to be seen, the power struggle of right and wrong, a family slowly unraveling by their own surroundings.
I could not put this book down! A quick but fun,-keep you on the edge of your seat-read!

[Talitha Juristo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Todd Morgan has a true talent for quick reads that pull you in instantly. His descriptive writing paints the scenes masterfully. Northern Bite really embodies small town living and how gossip takes on a life all its own when something big happens.

[Bam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this story, absolutely recommend it..

[Thandeka Carney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plot twist

Wait a min wait a min this was really good. I was not expecting that... what a way to committee a crime and then make telephone work in ya favor... this was a good read