Rich Petrelli — Long Bio (~300 words)

Rich Petrelli is a Florida-based author of fiction and nonfiction, best known for
thrillers that plunge readers into worlds where ancient mysteries, hidden orders, and
cutting-edge science collide. Born in Bethpage, New York, he now lives a nomadic life: for
more than a decade, he and his wife, Zona, have traveled full-time by RV, a journey that
has carried them across diverse landscapes and cultures and that infuses his fiction with
authentic settings and a deep appreciation for the mysteries history holds.

His debut thriller, The Hidden Cipher (Color & Quill, December 2025), opens the Templar’s
Legacy Trilogy. When a forbidden Templar manuscript resurfaces after seven centuries,
cryptologist Dr. Elena Voss is drawn into a conspiracy guarded by silence and blood.
Readers’ Favorite awarded the novel a five-star review, praising its complex plot, action-
packed suspense, and “exceptionally accomplished” characterization. The saga escalates in
The Black Chalice (August 2026), as a deadly pathogen sweeps the globe, and concludes in
Babel: Every Vow Must Be Tested, arriving February 14, 2027.

Rich designed the trilogy as an escalation. Book One deliberately “starts with
absence”—the Templars appear only as fragments and echoes—so that each installment reveals
more of the Order and raises the stakes. At its center is a heroine who is not an action
hero by choice: Elena is analytical and careful, a scholar forced to live with uncertainty
when her expertise leads her deeper into danger.

The series reflects years of research into cryptology, genetics, and faith, and the same
curiosity drives his work in other genres: the fitness guide ISOMETONICS: The Intermittent
Fasting Fitness Plan; the social commentary Words Are Words, Violence Is Violence; RV-
travel guides; and children’s books including The Adventures of Pman & Pookie and Wiggle &
Giggle. When he isn’t writing, Rich enjoys studying history, science, and human behavior,
and practicing martial arts.