Review: Up From Hell
UP FROM HELL
Echoes of the Past: Crimes in Central Texas Book 1
By Joan Moran
Crime Thriller
Publisher: Next Chapter
Publication Date: April 7, 2026
SYNOPSIS
Growing up in Las Vegas, Neil Dixon's future looked bleak. The son of a drug-addicted mother, he didn't have a lot of options until a police officer, Sergeant Finch, pulled him from danger and sent him to a new life in Texas.
Now, years later, Neil has become the police officer he always wanted to be—steady, principled, and unafraid to stand alone. But Jarrell, Texas, is not the clean slate he hoped for. Corruption in the department is rampant, and traffickers operate across the border.
When Neil’s mother dies, he returns to Las Vegas and meets the father he’s never known. He gets pulled into a deadly game with his father that stretches from Vegas to the police department in Jarrell, to cartel-scarred border towns. To survive, he must decide what kind of man he truly is - and how far he’s willing to go to stop the people who profit from chaos.
The first book in Joan Moran's series of crime thrillers, UP FROM HELL, is a gripping, character-driven novel about the weight of the past and the cost of justice.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Joan holds two master’s degrees: in Theater and in Education. Her desire to teach in the theater department at UNLV led to her position there, where she taught acting and theater history. Five years later, Joan founded and was the artistic director of the Meadows Playhouse, Las Vegas’s first year-round theater. Her interest in film led to her admission to the American Film Institute in Los Angeles as a producing fellow. Joan wrote her first screenplay and continued to write for film in Hollywood for the next 15 years. She produced several films.
Joan also pursued a career as a motivational speaker and blogger. As a keynote speaker, Joan commanded the stage with her delightful humor, raw energy, and wealth of life experiences. She spread her knowledge and energy as she combined 15 years of theater experience, as well as over 13 years of experience as a yoga and meditation instructor at UCLA.
Joan began her writing journey with her memoir, 60, Sex & Tango: Confessions of a Beatnik Boomer. Other books followed: I’m the Boss of Me: Stay Sexy, Smart & Strong at Any Age, a compilation of her most popular blogs, and An Accidental Cuban, a thriller that takes place in modern-day Havana. The novel was developed into a streaming series. Her recently published book, Once A Homecoming Queen, is a darkly humorous take on senior alcoholism. Joan also adapted Once A Homecoming Queen into an award-winning screenplay. Her latest book is a historical memoir of her mother: Suddenly, I Was Jewish: The Life and Times of My Jewish Mother. Up From Hell is her seventh novel. She is developing Up From Hell into a trilogy: ECHOES OF THE PAST: CRIMES IN CENTRAL TEXAS.
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Up From Hell by Joan Moran is a crime thriller that is also the first book in the Echoes of the Past: Crimes in Central Texas series. There are layers to this story; it contains the themes of small town corruption, deep family secrets, addiction, and emotional trauma. Neil Dixon is digging into his past, which includes the mystery of his father, while he is dealing with corruption in Central Texas. I feel that Moran did a fantastic job in balancing the part of the story that has to do with crime with the part that is the emotional scars that Neil is holding. I am a huge fan of character-driven stories and Up From Hell is definitely that. We follow Neil as he goes about his family drama and the thrilling tale of corruption.
Readers who are interested in an emotionally-driven read will surely enjoy this book. Be aware, however, of the traumatic/PTSD themes that it contains. There can be a hopeless type of feeling that can go along with the themes in this book, but honestly, Neil is such a strong character and that strength bleeds through his trauma and grief. He is the definition of a survivor clawing their way through the muck. He tries hard to be better than the background he came from and I honestly love that.
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