Christopher Greyson is a particular type of triple-threat author: prolific, successful, and willing to try new things. His name appears on several bestseller lists, and he’s also recognized as one of the top 100 Kindle authors of all time.
Best known for mystery, suspense, and thriller works, Greyson also spans multiple sub-genres from gritty crime fiction to cozy mysteries, fantasy, and sci-fi. His biggest success to date is the action-packed Jack Stratton Series, starring an investigator who handles “high-stakes, dangerous cases.” His cozy works focus more on bite-sized, engaging puzzle-solving.
What changes most in his approach from genre to genre? “Surprisingly, not much,” he said.
“I come to every novel the way an actor comes to a role: from inside the character. In a psychological thriller like ‘The Girl Who Lived,’ you see everything through the eyes of a broken heroine fighting a drug problem, and that colors every scene.”
The basic structure of novels, he adds, transcends everything he’s worked on so far. “Scene structure, rising stakes, tension, setbacks: they’re all there, just in different measures.”
Death features in a lot of them—not too surprising for thriller and mystery books. “But it takes different forms,” Greyson countered. “In a thriller like “One Little Lie,” it’s the threat of physical death for the protagonist. In a cozy, like Finn & Annie, it might be the death of the protagonist’s relationships or their dreams.”
Career Change
Before deciding to dedicate himself to novel-writing, Greyson had a diverse professional life. He earned academic degrees in theater, communications, and computer science and has worked as an actor, a public speaker, and a martial arts instructor.
Then a serious knee injury put an end to any sort of physically demanding career. For many, that might have been an excuse to wallow in self-pity. Instead, Greyson decided to channel his lifelong passion for storytelling into writing novels.
Was there a moment when he seriously questioned whether his career shift would pan out? “Just before I released my third book, I was working two jobs on top of the writing. My books were getting great reviews but weren’t selling.”
It’s one thing to be a struggling writer on your own; it’s another when you have a wife and two kids. “I didn’t have the luxury of not making money,” he admitted. “I’d gone bankrupt once and swore I would never again put money I didn’t have into a project.”
Then, like many times in his life, Greyson’s faith became his compass. “I prayed about it.”
His ultimate decision was to take the meager book sale profits and run a sale on “Girl Jacked,” his first novel. It was a last-ditch effort; if it didn’t work, fiction writing would have to remain a hobby instead of a job.
The result? “It took off, and I’ve never looked back. I thank God every day when I sit in my writing chair that it worked.”
Color of Success
Lately, Greyson has been working with former congressman Trey Gowdy to co-author a bestselling thriller series that began with 2025’s “The Color of Death.” Its sequel, “The Sound of Regret,” sees Assistant District Attorney Colm Truesdale returning to investigate the murders of a witness and confidential informant.
It makes sense that Gowdy, a former federal prosecutor and FoxNews presenter, would create such a character. But how did the collaboration with Greyson come about?
“When I was approached,” Greyson replied, “I honestly thought I wouldn’t get past the first phone call. I don’t use swearing, over-the-top violence, or graphic sex in my books, and a lot of publishing houses think that stuff is edgy.”
As luck would have it, “Trey said he didn’t want that material in his books either.” Gowdy also brought years of legal knowledge and, as Greyson put it, “the lived experience of being a caring prosecutor.” As a bonus, Gowdy had “enough real cases to fill a whole career’s worth of compelling novels, and that’s the stuff the best books are made of.
“All we had to do was get it onto the page.”
Partner Synergy
What did Greyson feel he brought to the table? “My expertise is story craft, which I love. In many ways, I was like a Sherpa, explaining the route as we went, pointing out pitfalls and dangers, and suggesting different paths.” When story disagreements arose, Greyson admits he happily deferred to Gowdy, his co-writer. “This story was [Gowdy’s] vision, so from the start I made it a rule.”
Surprisingly, Greyson found “there was an amazing amount of freedom in that. Trey always heard me out, but in the end the decision was his.”
When asked what advice he’d give to his younger self to do or not do when just starting out, he replied, “I spent a lot of time trying to find my voice while listening to people who had plenty of opinions.
“In many ways I was like Dorothy. I went on a long journey, but I had the ticket home the whole time. There are eight billion people on this planet and only one Christopher Greyson.
“So I’d say to the younger me, there’s only one of you. Rock it.”
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