Local author publishes thriller book and will be having a signing event in Yuma

Allen T. Grimes, author of 'When the Lantern Swings' will perform a dramatic reading July 6

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Allen T. Grimes, author of 'When the Lantern Swings' will be performing a dramatic reading and signing his new book at the Yuma Foothills Library Sat. July 6 from 3:30-5 p.m.

The horror thriller novel was released July 2, 2024.

Grimes, a retired Special Agent with the FBI and former Akron Police Officer, brings over 26 years of law enforcement expertise to his gripping narratives.

"It's about a retired cop Ed Freeman who moves to Lake Hope State Park as senior park ranger and he goes there because of a shooting incident in which he shot a teenager, we thought had a firearm. But it actually turned out to be a B.B. gun. So he wants to get away from big city law enforcement and he moves to the Lake Hope State Park, hoping for a quiet, what we call retirement job in law enforcement," explains Grimes.

"But then he runs across the mangled remains of a young woman on the old Moonville Rail Trail. All indications are that she's been run over by a train, but that's impossible because the tracks were removed 40 years before that."

He gave his main character mental challenges to bring some reality as to what people endure in everyday life.

"My main character, Ed Freeman, has both ADHD, and he's also struggling with the with the shooting incident and that causes hallucinations during his investigation. So he's struggling mightily with these internal issues, while at the same time trying to solve this very challenging case and also save the lives of his fellow investigators," Grimes says.

He says he loves characters who are struggling with personal issues.

"I don't like when fictional characters are too brave, too noble, too kind and always do things for the right reasons, because I think that people relate to people who have challenges in their lives because most of us do," Grimes adds.

He adds his inspiration stemmed from his honeymoon trip he took with his wife and this book was actually 37 years in the making.

"My wife and I, when we were first married, like most newlyweds, didn't have a lot of money for a honeymoon. And a friend of ours told us about Lake Hope State Park, which is in Zaleski, Ohio, and it was very cheap to stay there for a week," says Grimes.

"On Friday nights, they have this campfire night where the park ranger tells stories about local legends. One of the legends was of a miner who was killed in the Moonville tunnel. And as the train came, he tried to warn the train off with his lantern by swinging it frantically. But it didn't work, and he was killed. It's actually a true story."

This novel allowed Grimes' law enforcement experience to blend with imagination.

"Because I was in law enforcement for many years, I always wonder what would an ordinary person, what would an ordinary cop do when he's put in an extraordinary situation? My ideas come to me as little movie clips, you know, just a few seconds long and in this movie clip, I saw a cop bending over a body on a trail, and it's obvious that he was run over by a train," explains Grimes.

"But it couldn't be, because there are no tracks. So he has to figure out how in the world is he run over by a train? So what would a cop do? A cop would start his investigation like an ordinary police case until circumstances force him to realize this is something supernatural. And perhaps my ordinary police investigative techniques will not work in this case."

You can purchase the paperback 'When the Lantern Swings' for $16.95 on his website and get it on Amazon starting Tues. July 9.