Intercepts, T. J. Payne
Intercepts, T. J. Payne
List: $22.00 | Sale: $15.40
Club: $11.00

Intercepts
A Horror Novel

Author: T. J. Payne

Narrator: Joe Hempel

Unabridged: 8 hr 32 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/17/2026


Synopsis

Joe works at a facility that performs human experimentation. His work just followed him home.

“Inventive, scary, wholly entertaining, and deeply thought-provoking . . . T. J. Payne is the real deal.”—Jose Molina, writer/producer on The Vampire Diaries, Sleepy Hollow, and Firefly

Joe works for an organization known only as “The Company.” He cannot speak about what he does in public. He and his employees live in a constant state of paranoia that The Company is listening to their phones and watching their search histories. Why? Because on the bottom floor of the facility, rows of padded cells keep a group of humans in a constant state of extreme sensory deprivation. With their minds awake but their senses unable to ground themselves, they have gone insane, oscillating between vegetative states and fits of violent rage.

These experiments have a purpose, though—when the minds of these inmates transcend their physical selves, they’re able to “intercept” the sights and senses of anyone in the world. The process, however, is painful. Torturous.

Joe likes to think that his work, helping the government track down bad guys, makes the world a better place. He has no regrets. Until the day when his ex-wife dies by suicide. He learns that a woman who looks very much like one of Joe’s inmates had been haunting her. After his ex-wife’s death, Joe’s daughter Riley comes to live with him. And then she begins to have visions of the woman too...

Has Joe somehow played a role in turning the government’s most sinister weapon against his own daughter? And, most important of all: how far will he go to save her?

About The Author

T.J. Payne is the author of Intercepts, The Venue, and In My Father's Basement. Born and raised in Portland, OR, he moved to Hollywood with plans to write romantic comedies, but as he worked on his craft, he found his stories drifting toward more sinister themes. Eventually, he discovered the natural outlet for his voice—horror. Now, he explores the depths of human cruelty, hoping that his characters can find small wins in a dark world. He lives in Los Angeles with his high-school-sweetheart-now-wife.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Mort on May 26, 2020

WARNING! WARNING! This author, Mr. T.J. Payne, is a thief. Before you decide to pick up this book, remember that he will steal your time. He will make you shirk your responsibilities. Eat? Later. Work? I can be a few minutes late. Picking up children from school? Well, at least there's one good thin......more

Goodreads review by Brady on October 22, 2025

THIS BOOK WAS WIIIILD and definitely not for anyone that is squeamish or easily spooked, but if you like dark horror books, wow wow wow this was so good. without giving too much away, it’s about a facility that tests on humans ((that felt weird to type out)) but i was feeling a bit slump-ish and thi......more

Goodreads review by Peter on February 28, 2026

I really enjoyed this story. My only real gripe was that it was marketed as a horror story. There were some elements in there, but it didn’t fit the genre much at all. Maybe a thriller, but almost definitely not a horror. Beyond that, it’s always a gamble to dive into a new author with a book that’s......more

Goodreads review by Farrah on June 14, 2020

The blurb (blurb- that's one of those grating, nails-on-a-chalkboard words, like percolate and swig, yuck) for this book says the story centers around a secret, underground experimenting facility that is connected to a teenager having strange visions so I kinda went into this book expecting it to be......more

Goodreads review by Khalid on March 30, 2025

"I see nothing. Just blackness. But even blackness, when there’s nothing to contrast it against, is it truly black? Or is it just… nothing? " "I only remember that I once had memories. Now there is darkness. Only darkness. Well… Not only." I picked this up due to a few likes and reviews that slid......more


Quotes

“If you’re the slightest bit freaked out by conspiracy theories or even just the kind of person who keeps a little sticker over the webcam on your laptop, you should read Intercepts.”Cosmopolitan

Intercepts is the best kind of genre novel—inventive, scary, wholly entertaining, and deeply thought provoking. T.J. Payne is the real deal.”—Jose Molina, writer and producer on The Vampire Diaries, Sleepy Hollow, and Firefly

“This one reads like sprinting down a dark hallway barefoot, waiting for the broken glass.”BookTrib

“This is contemporary horror at its finest, with a concept that feels terrifyingly real. Payne balances horror and sci-fi with a mastery of both genres. Intercepts is proof that hidden government facilities can be far more terrifying than any haunted house.”—A. M. Shine, author of The Watchers

Intercepts is a five-star for me. I loved this book. I loved the protagonist. I loved the twists and turns it took.”—Nick Roberts, author of The Exorcist’s House

“This book really messed with my head and genuinely freaked me out. It will make you question everything.”—Brandon Baker, atbaker.reads on TikTok