by Alejandro Torres De la Rocha
At Excelsior Academy, a prestigious Jesuit school in Santo Domingo attended by the children of the elite, students learned Math, History—and how to stay quiet.
Profesora Lourdes ruled with impunity. Until one day, Marcos, a senior pushed too far, decided he’d had enough. Alex—the devil on his shoulder—offered a simple solution: don’t get mad, get even. With the help of Manuel, Mario, and Enrique, they orchestrate a plan to turn the tables on Lourdes and teach her a lesson.
It goes wrong.
Badly.
What was meant to humiliate spirals into something far worse, leaving Lourdes fighting for her life. Terrified of the consequences, the friends bury the truth and cling to silence, convinced the system will protect them if they protect it.
Then the killings begin.
A masked figure emerges, hiding behind the Grim Cojuelo—a terrifying legend of Dominican folklore said to hunt the guilty. One by one, those involved are targeted. Not at random. Not without reason.
As paranoia replaces loyalty and secrets rot from the inside out, the question stops being who is the killer and becomes something far more dangerous:
When no one is innocent…
who do you trust?
**Genre:** Psychological Thriller / Slasher
**Setting:** A private school in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
**Plot Overview
In the sweltering heat of Santo Domingo, a group of high school friends—Alex, Marcos, Mario, Manuel, and Enrique—find themselves pushed to the breaking point by the tyrannical cruelty of their teacher, Profesora Lourdes . Led by the manipulative and charismatic Alex, the group hatches a plan to exact revenge by slipping a toxic substance into her water bottle .
What begins as a misguided attempt at justice quickly spirals into a nightmare. Following the incident, a masked figure known as: The Grim Cojuelo—a terrifying twist on Dominican folklore—emerges from the shadows . The killer begins to hunt the conspirators one by one, brutally murdering Enrique at a beach house and livestreaming the terror to the survivors .
As the body count rises and the police investigation led by Lieutenant Ricardo closes in, the tight-knit group fractures under the weight of paranoia, guilt, and suspicion . Trapped in a fortress-like beach house with no escape, the friends must confront the terrifying reality that the monster may be one of them .
**Key Elements:**
*The Grim Cojuelo: A masked antagonist armed with a scythe who uses technology and intimate knowledge of the group's secrets to torment them.
*Psychological Depth: The story explores the unraveling of mental health, specifically touching on Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and the toxic dynamics of adolescent friendship .
*Themes: The narrative examines the dangerous consequences of revenge, the loss of innocence, and the heavy price of silence in the face of abuse .
“As a storyteller, De la Rocha is a fresh new voice. He creates a sinister world with a Caribbean twist, and with these sneaky twists and a new monster, Mortal Vengeance is an ideal read for spooky season.”
Reader Views
“Torres De la Rocha masterfully weaves themes of mental health, betrayal, and the institutional mechanisms that enable abuse.”
Akinfolarin Ayomide
“ As a bad guy, El Grim Cojuelo is terrifying, and I was filled with dread every time he appeared”
Sarah Osman
“Torres employs a descriptive writing style, capturing nuances of the characters, setting, and dialogue, which makes the reading feel stage-like and dramatic.”
Yvonne Oloo
“Torres has managed to establish a sense of brooding, suspense, which makes the reader eager to read more, and the Dominican setting is an invigorating originality to the genre.”
Jelly Fink
“The author’s choice to push sensations and metaphors to their limits gives the book a feverish energy, like the world is always one bad decision away from breaking.”
Literary Titan
“The writing often leans intense, almost cinematic, with scenes described in a way that makes the emotions feel oversized, raw, and volatile.”
Literary Titan
“What makes Mortal Vengeance stand out is its unflinching look at what people carry after pain, loss, or harm.”
Lia Anshar
“Mortal Vengeance pulled me in from the first page and kept me hooked until the final, breath-stealing twist.”
Amazon Review
Untangling wild thoughts into amazing stories.
Alejandro Torres De la Rocha is a Dominican-born and raised writer, trainer, and creative strategist who has never fit neatly into a single box — and frankly, never tried to. He holds a Bachelor’s in Advertising Communications from UNIBE and a Master of Science in Public Relations and Corporate Communications from NYU. He also survived 12 years of Jesuit school, which gave him discipline, a moral compass, and an insatiable desire to question authority — all of which show up in his work whether he invites them or not. His career has taken him everywhere from community manager to marketing director, thriving in roles that blend storytelling, corporate training, performance, and just enough chaos to keep things interesting (and HR slightly nervous). His writing is unapologetically influenced by Kevin Williamson (Scream, Teaching Mrs. Tingle, Dawson’s Creek) and Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Dollhouse, The Avengers — back before the fall from grace). Expect sharp dialogue, psychological warfare, broken pretty people making worse decisions, and just enough emotional carnage to leave you wondering why you feel personally attacked. His debut novel, Mortal Vengeance, was born out of literal, petty teenage revenge — written after being grounded for failing Spanish during his freshman year at Jesuit school. To avoid getting blood on his hands (a very Alex move), he poured the rage into storytelling. With no desktop, no internet, no Nintendo 64, and a house full of disappointment, he wrote. What began as a movie script meant to make characters pay for sins only he understood became something deeper: a reset button. Writing gave him a way to process emotions, reimagine his future, and gain control — not through violence, but through narrative. Mortal Vengeance was his personal auto-correct. And a warning shot. He’s currently based in Barcelona, Spain, where he continues to write, train, create, and occasionally cause just enough trouble to stay interesting. When he’s not writing, he’s probably judging you, binging shows (yes, even the trashy reality ones — hey Andy Cohen, call me!), or overanalyzing fictional villains like they're his exes. Because for him, they kind of are.
Book 1 - Uncle Ale's Magical Adventures
by Alejandro Torres De la Rocha