2020 New York City Big Book Award Distinguished Favorite

A troubled war veteran battling PTSD returns home to pursue his dream of becoming a police officer. But is he ready?

Experience the life-changing events through the eyes of the main character as he comes to grips with himself, his family, and the community around him. 

The night of the ambush changes everything for US Marine Todd Goodson. One moment, he is discussing tactics with his battle-weary squad in Afghanistan and the next he is waking up alone in a military hospital desperate for news of his friends.

Now returning home to pursue his dreams in law enforcement, Todd struggles with a deep sense of guilt over his role in the attack and worries that his prejudiced comments are ultimately what led his team astray. On top of his guilt, he’s battling relentless PTSD nightmares and rising tensions with his girlfriend. To escape his troubles, Todd travels from New York to Tennessee and visits an injured war buddy, eventually taking a temporary job managing a troubled low-income housing community in Nashville.

As Todd faces the challenges of his new job and makes some unexpected friends, he must also confront his deep-seated racism and homophobia. Overwhelmed with moral questions and his future career as a police officer, he starts to spiral out of control. 

Is Todd ready to serve and protect the public equally without prejudice?

Crooked Fences is a fiercely honest story of change about a returning war veteran’s battle to overcome the debilitating effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and depression, before entering the New York State Police Academy. First, he must confront the hatred of racism and homophobia instilled in him by his father while working at a low-income housing project. 

"My books are about the reality of life and death, joy and pain, victory and defeat. Through it all, I aspire to reveal the power of love, through truth." - C.J. Heigelmann, 2020

A Psychological Murder Mystery Thriller.

A guilt-ridden single mother kills in revenge for the accidental death of her only child. But she can't stop, and she can't hide what's inside.

The future is bright for Madison Sanders, a 27-year-old business analyst, and single mother.

Finally free from her abusive mother’s controlling grip, she relocates across the country and begins a new job.

Soon after, dark troubles arise as her misogynistic male office co-workers sexually harass her to the point of desperation. Unwilling to tolerate any more of the offensive behavior, she strikes back, reporting the offenders to the management. Feeling self-assured, she resumes her focus on work.

Then tragedy strikes in the form of an accident, resulting in the death of her only child. Madison accepts all blame and is crushed under the weight of her own guilt and grief.

But everything changes as a startling revelation about the accident is revealed, sending her on a crusade to reveal the truth of what really happened. Frustrated by uncooperative police detectives, she turns to the help of a private investigator to find the criminals responsible. But he finds much more than he expected.

The reader is transported through an odyssey of mystery, deception, and murder as new facts about the crime are revealed, including Madison’s own dark hidden past, unbeknown to her. In the journey to find justice, her family's secrets are uncovered, forcing Madison to accept a horrifying truth that she can't hide within.

Can’t Hide What’s Inside, is the debut novel of the award-winning and multiple bestselling Amazon author C.J. Heigelmann in the Mystery/Thriller/Suspense genres, further establishing his position in literary circles as a prolific and compelling multi-genre author.

"Readers are not one dimensional, and the stories they read shouldn't be either. My books are about the reality of life and death, joy and pain, victory and defeat." - C.J. Heigelmann, 2020.

He is a member of the Authors Guild, the Historical Novel Society, and the South Carolina Writers Association.
Awarded the 2020 New York City Big Book Award as the Distinguished Favorite in the category of Military Fiction.
Bestselling Subgenres: Contemporary Literary Fiction, Depression, Racism and Discrimination, African American Literary Fiction, Historical Thrillers, and Historical African Fiction.