Michael J. McLaughlin
About Michael
MICHAEL J. MCLAUGHLIN, MD, is the award-winning author of several thrillers, including Extinction, Fugue, and Woods. Following earlier careers as a surgeon and the owner of a medical writing business, he now writes novels in New Jersey, where he lives with his family. You can follow him on Instagram, Facebook, and most other social media platforms @mclaughlinbooks.
Michael’s Bio – The Long Story
Michael J. McLaughlin, MD, is a former surgeon, an entrepreneur, and an award-winning author. He received degrees from Harvard College and Columbia University. After four years as a plastic surgeon and hand specialist, he transitioned into medical writing before co-founding Peloton Advantage, which went on to become an industry leading medical communications company. In 2009 he was selected as a leading Change Agent in PharmaVOICE’s Top 100 Most Inspiring People. After selling the company, he turned his lifelong fiction writing side gig into a full-time career.
Michael also founded Physician Renaissance Network (PRNresource.com), a free resource for doctors with non-clinical careers and interests, and frequently lectures to physicians on these topics. His first book, Do You Feel Like You Wasted All That Training?, is the quintessential guide for physicians seeking non-clinical careers.
Michael’s first novel, Extinction, won an Indie Reader Discovery Award for best Mystery/Suspense/Thriller. The protagonist, Doctor Drew Chambers, is sent to a woolly mammoth research station in the Arctic where scientists are dying rapidly from a mysterious bone-disintegrating disease. Left stranded, Chambers must find a cure, survive the elements, and battle whoever is coming to erase evidence of an experiment gone awry. The novel seamlessly blends elements of medical, technology, and conspiracy thrillers into an action-packed race against the clock.
Woods is a psychological thriller that explores themes of loss, isolation, fear, and courage. Fourteen-year-old Tempest hikes through a desolate part of Maine’s North Woods with her New York City friends on a quest for a horror novel hidden in geocaches by their favorite author. When a mysterious killer stalks the teens and lures them into his deadly game, Tempest winds up alone in the vast woods, battling for her life while trying to save the others. The unlikely hero finds strength from unexpected sources while capturing the hearts of readers.
Fugue was a category finalist for the Eric Hoffer Book Awards and the Indie Reader Discovery Awards. In this psychological thriller, a young woman recovers from an unknown brain surgery with no memory of who she is. Confused and terrified, she goes on the run but eventually must confront the expectations, obligations, and threats from a forgotten life. As she chases down her future, past demons conspire against her, forcing her to decide which version of her life she will lead. Themes of isolation, fear, control, and identity chase her down across the changing landscape of multiple countries.
Michael’s next psychological thriller, which was inspired by true events from his travels, takes place in a setting as remote as the Arctic, only a lot warmer. The novel launches in April 2026, so watch for more updates here and on social media @mclaughlinbooks.
A Letter from the Author
Dear Readers,
Welcome! In case you scroll down and freak out by the amount of text that follows, please know that, above all else, I am sincerely grateful to all of you for reading my books. Seriously. Without your involvement, I would be little more than a Jack Torrence from Stephen King’s The Shining, banging keys (with only my index fingers, by the way) in isolation. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t go well for him.
Reading and writing have been an integral part of my life since childhood. Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are is still one of my all-time favorite books. I cut my teeth on Hardy Boys stories before moving on to Agatha Christie’s mysteries. And Then There Were None and other classics from the Queen of Mystery remain among the most cherished of my collected books. At age ten, I wrote and illustrated a Hardy Boy-esque collection of short stories called The Mystery Lives of Ken, Bob, and Company, which sits on my home office shelf for inspiration and a guaranteed smile whenever I need one.
Though a Biology major in college, loaded down with pre-med prerequisites, my favorite two courses were small workshops on poetry and short story writing. It didn’t take long to figure out that my poetry writing sucked. Seamus Heaney even told me the poem that got me rejected (twice) from the poet laureate’s course was “disgusting.” That moment ended what could have been an unsuccessful career in poetry, and perhaps turned my attention to thrillers, where I could disgust readers with reckless abandon.
As much as I always loved writing, I chose a career in medicine. My interest in anatomy and affinity for blood (other people’s) left me with three possible career paths – training to be a surgeon, writing about killers, or becoming a killer. I started with surgery, nudging asside creative writing and murder most foul. I continued to write short stories, mostly at odd hours in bizarre places, while earning a living through other means and raising a family. My novel ideas piled up while I waited for a chance to write them.
When I decided to change from surgery to a different career, medical writing was the obvious choice – an option that combined my two life-long passions. I worked for two medical communications companies before starting my own with a partner. It was at Peloton Advantage that I became proficient in writing, meeting deadlines, and withstanding critics.
It’s perhaps no surprise that my first novel, Extinction, was part medical thriller. Once a doctor, always a doctor, I suppose. I’ve incorporated some aspect of my medical career into my novels, often including an ailment as an obstacle or a doctor trying to save the day. My favorite example of this is in Woods, where Tempest battles severe headaches, a medical problem my family knows all too well. I also can’t wait for you to meet the doctor in my upcoming thriller.
My wife and I have three wonderful daughters. They inspire my characters, who talk in my head until I give in and share their voices with readers. The strength of my female protagonists comes from the four of them. I hope that, in return, my novels inspire my kids to rise above any adversity they face in life and persevere. I also hope my stories scare the crap out of their boyfriends (and now a fiancé, and eventually husbands). I’m not sure why I have that sadistic desire, but someday remind me to tell you the true story about my father-in-law showing me how well he could shoot a gun.
Robin Cook, Michael Crichton, Tess Gerritsen, Michael Palmer, Neil Shulman, and others taught me that physicians could become successful writers. The list of thriller authors that have inspired me includes Stephen King, John Grisham, James Patterson, Billy Shakespeare, Dean Koontz, Gillian Flynn, Lucy Foley, and many others. Through the International Thriller Writers, the American Mystery Writers, and other writing organizations, conferences, and events, I’ve had the good fortune of meeting many other authors and publishing professionals who are now friends and inspire me every day. I am grateful to feel welcome in this community. Please continue to support these authors’ work by reading their books and leaving reviews wherever you found them.
Sincere thanks to you and to my family/friends who support my writing. I hope you enjoy my books. That’s why I write them.
Sincerely,
Michael J. McLaughlin