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The doors were locked. The house wasn't.

Silent Entry

A tech-driven police procedural set in small-town New Hampshire

by Michael D. Callaghan

Silent Entry book cover

The Case Makes No Sense on Paper

Detective Elena Shoreman returned to Ashford for a smaller life. Someone was already inside the neighbors' houses.

A Mystery for Readers Who Notice the Details

After eight years in Seattle, Elena wanted a town where she already knew everyone's name. She didn't get one.

Dogs bark at empty yards. Nothing ties the victims together except timing, geography, and the sick certainty that someone wanted them to know they had been inside.

When a local tech consultant offers a theory that sounds insane, she has every reason to doubt him. She also has no better answer.

Silent Entry is a standalone mystery: a fair puzzle, a warm small-town cast, and technology explained through character, not lecture. The Author's Note at the end of the book separates what is real, what is invented, and why the answer is sometimes both.

What You'll Find Inside

A Fair Howdunit

Clues planted honestly. A solution that is surprising but logical in hindsight.

Tech That Holds Up

Smart-home security and signal science treated seriously, without techno-babble or Hollywood hacking.

Small-Town Stakes

Ashford feels lived-in. The dread is ordinary: the lock you trusted didn't mean what you thought.

Characters First

Elena, her father, Mitch, and Officer Meeks carry the story. The case serves the people, not the other way around.

About the Author

Michael D. Callaghan has spent 30+ years in software development at HP, Compaq, Dell, and Disney. Silent Entry is his tech-driven mystery novel; Her Last Note is his literary ghost-story novella.

He also writes non-fiction for developers and tech professionals, including P-AI-R Programming and Slow Down to Get Ahead.

She came home to keep her father safe.

Someone was already inside the neighbors' houses.

Questions? Email michael@walkingriver.com