Two years ago, I hit “publish” on Cyphers & Sighs. My first stab at fiction. It had a little bit of everything—espionage, flirtation, tech-world intrigue. It was slick, fun, and smart. I was proud of it.
This year, I released Let It Die, the sixth Greg Newsome thriller—and everything about it feels different. It’s darker, sharper, heavier. It hits where Cyphers hinted.
Recently, I decided to score the two books across ten key storytelling dimensions—voice, stakes, characters, prose, emotional resonance, and more. Here’s how they stacked up:
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Cyphers & Sighs: 69/100
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Let It Die: 91/100
The numbers don’t lie. I’ve changed. So has my writing.
So What’s Different?
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The stakes aren’t just higher—they’re personal.
Cyphers begins with a drink at a bar. Let It Die starts with a sniper attack that wipes out a family. One story teases danger. The other lives in it. -
The characters evolved.
In Cyphers, characters flirt with risk. In Let It Die, they confront grief, vengeance, and moral collapse. Greg Newsome isn’t wondering what if—he’s wondering what now. -
The writing found its edge.
The sentences in Let It Die carry weight. There’s less polish, more punch. Fewer metaphors, more broken glass. I stopped trying to sound like an author and started writing like a human with something to say.
But I Needed That First Book
Cyphers & Sighs taught me how to tell a story. How to pace a scene. How to write dialogue that pops. It gave me my characters, my world, my voice.
Let It Die took all of that—and stripped away the safety net.
If Cyphers was me learning the rules, Let It Die is me breaking them.
What’s Next?
The next book’s already in the works. Greg Newsome isn’t done yet—and neither am I. I’ll keep writing stories that make your heart race, your stomach twist, and your conscience squirm.
Thanks for coming along for the ride.
—Glen Hellman