Opal Eye by Jim Crandall

What’s Hidden in Plain Sight: Jim Crandall Debuts Thriller Opal Eye

TRAVERSE CITY, MICHIGAN— Jim Crandall’s Opal Eye is a riveting tale that begins with a twelve-year old boy witnessing a murder that, according to Crandall, “defies understanding.”

As the story goes on, suspicions arise, and a serial killer continues to commit untraceable murder. For the people who catch on to the pattern of murders, it becomes a game of cat and mouse—unless the hunters of the killer are able to see beyond the walls of their own mind, they run the risk of becoming victims themselves. 

As his first book, writing the manuscript was not only a challenge of craft, but a challenge of learning. 

“I've begun to understand the art of the storyteller,” he said. In his words, the book explores “how many things we all have in common, and how many undiscovered ways we're each unique.”

When asked about the most rewarding part of the two-year process of developing Opal Eye, he discovered that it wasn’t just finishing the book, but “learning how to write for the enjoyment of my fellow readers and myself,” he said. 

As a reader himself, he cites other writers as inspiration throughout his writing process. 

“[Inspiration comes from] novelists and screenwriters who introduce me to wonderful stories and characters that I revisit like my favorite songs,” he described. His own motivation came from the moment when he was “finally able to listen to the characters.”

Advance Praise

Early praise for the book commends Crandall for his talent in writing unforgettable characters and scenes that will keep you up at night, whether you meant them to or not.

“Jim Crandall's strong voice and rich imagination shine through on every page of this rollicking good story. Unforgettable characters, hair-raising situations, and a secret band of extraordinary people who live for hundreds of years but remain at risk of extermination—what more could a reader want?” — Jerry Dennis, author of The Living Great Lakes

“Intriguing, suspenseful. Jim Crandall’s style pulls you into the characters and their stories­—reads like you’re right in the moment.” — B. Barney

The Author

Jim is a lifelong resident of Michigan. He grew up in the Detroit area and had the good fortune of enjoying the stories of Service, London, Heinlein, and Asimov. He moved to Grayling after he finished work as an engineer and rediscovered the art of the storytellers, learning how they turn a good idea into a book that can offer adventure and delight to his fellow readers. 

The Book

Opal Eye

Jim Crandall

606 pages, 6” x 9”, B/W

Thrillers / Suspense / Psychological / Supernatural

ISBN: 978-1-968761-81-3, $35.95 (Hardcover)

ISBN: 978-1-968761-82-0, $22.95 (Softcover)

Publication Date: 09/24/2026

Mission Point Press 

Copies are available for preorder at Bookshop.org, Amazon, and other online retailers. On its September 24 publication date, it will be available for purchase wherever books are sold. For information or to arrange for signings and events, contact the author at jimcrandallauthor@gmail.com.  

.