When John Graves first set out to write Death by Design, he didn’t intend to create a global phenomenon. What began as a speculative thriller has since evolved into a full-blown literary saga, capturing the attention of science fiction enthusiasts, survivalists, philosophers, and thriller fans alike. But the author behind the high-stakes apocalypse is anything but grim.
John Graves is a former chef turned author, a man whose passport boasts stamps from over 100 countries. From sailing to Hawaii and the Mediterranean to trekking the Taklamakan and the Serengeti, Graves has lived the kind of adventure most only dream of, and now he’s channeling that life into fiction that speaks to the deepest fears and greatest hopes of humanity.
“We are dangerously close to rewriting what it means to survive,” Graves says. “That’s what I wanted to explore. What if extinction was engineered, and what if one person truly believed it was necessary?
A Killer Premise and a Dangerous Heroine
In Death by Design, we meet Tracker, a lethal operative trained by Mossad and the Navy SEALs, tasked with exterminating humanity in the name of saving the Earth. Hired by an extremist environmental cabal, she is given 20 billion dollars and 20 years to complete the mission. Her weapons are not just guns or bombs but engineered plagues, nanotechnology, food-system sabotage, and nuclear precision. Tracker is cold, efficient, and unflinching, and in her mind, entirely righteous.
Standing in her way are Dr. Sharon Blake, a brilliant scientist, and Jake, a senior official at the CDC, joined by Mantis, a former ally turned enemy. Together, they represent the last intellectual and ethical bastion against global collapse.
Graves doesn’t just flirt with science fiction tropes, he reinvents them with rigorous plausibility. Each act of terror feels chillingly possible, written with a precision that reflects his exhaustive research into bioweapons, epidemiology, and environmental degradation.
“I didn’t want a superhero or a cardboard villain,” Graves explains. “I wanted readers to sympathize with both sides, even when it makes them uncomfortable. Especially then.”
From Chef to Chronicler of Collapse
Born with an appetite for both cuisine and curiosity, John spent the early part of his career in the kitchen. “There’s something meditative about creating meals,” he says. “But eventually I needed a different kind of outlet, something that dealt with ideas and consequences.”
That search for deeper meaning took him far beyond any kitchen. He became an avid traveler and, along the way, a storyteller. Every mountain, desert, and sea offered a new angle of observation. The extremes of nature helped him understand the extremes of human thought.
“When you’re sleeping in the Sahara or crossing the Atlantic, you understand vulnerability. That’s where my characters live.”
The Sequel That Shakes You
Graves returned in Life by Chance, a sequel that takes place 30 years after the apocalyptic collapse engineered by Tracker. Humanity is fractured, reduced to primitive tribes and underground survivors. The last historian becomes a prisoner, forced to document Tracker’s confession as she nears death. But even as she ages, her ideological grip on what remains of the world is still dangerously potent.
The book explores rebirth, generational trauma, scientific legacy, and the tension between rebuilding and repeating past mistakes. Characters like Jake, Dr. Blake, and new generations fight to restore a world they never knew, haunted by the decisions of one woman.
It’s dark, yes, but Life by Chance also offers something its predecessor barely allowed: hope.
Critical Praise and a Cinematic Future
Death by Design has been praised by Readers’ Favorite, where critic Astrid Iustulin called it “one of the most intelligently developed novels I have ever read.” The book was also featured on Fox 2 Now News, which brought Graves’ voice to a wider audience. In every interview, he remains humble, focused, and driven by one goal, to make people think.
“I don’t care if people agree with Tracker or hate her. I just want them to ask, ‘What would I do?’”
With high-concept visuals, tense action, and complex characters, both books are cinematic in nature. Graves’ fans are already dreaming of a Netflix or HBO limited series. Tracker and Mantis are the kinds of morally conflicted female leads that award-winning dramas are made of.
“Honestly,” Graves says with a smile, “I wrote it like a movie in my head. Now I just need the right studio to see it the same way.”
Cover Worthy, Globally Relevant
John Graves is a natural fit for the September 2025 cover of America Inspire Magazine. His work touches on real global anxieties, climate change, extremism, biological warfare, and the ethics of human survival. But more than that, John himself is an example of what it means to reinvent one’s life.
From the kitchen to the page, from the Sahara to the bookstore, from a passion for travel to a platform for truth, his journey inspires not because it’s perfect, but because it’s real.
“We all have a role to play,” he says. “Mine is to imagine what could go wrong, and what might still go right.”
Explore His Work
Death by Design (Book 1 of The Tracker Series)
Available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Death-Design-John-Graves/dp/0578794330
Readers’ Favorite Review: https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/death-by-design/1
Life by Chance (Sequel)
Now available on Amazon
EIN Presswire Feature: https://fox2now.com/
Author Website: https://thejohngraves.com/
