About the Author
The Author
Jon Nelson
Jon Nelson is the author of The Retributionist trilogy, a series of corporate thrillers exploring betrayal, power, justice, and the hidden debts people leave behind.
Rather than writing traditional legal fiction, Jon describes his work as "faction"—stories rooted in emotional truth while remaining works of fiction. His novels ask readers to question not only what happened, but why people make the choices they do when loyalty is tested, power is abused, and justice fails.
At the heart of The Retributionist is a simple idea:
Every betrayal leaves a balance due.
Written Behind Razor Wire
Fourteen Years. Three Novels. One Pen.
The Retributionist trilogy was written entirely by hand during Jon's fourteen years in federal prison.
Working as a janitor in the prison chapel, he transformed a small mop closet into a makeshift writing space. Between his daily responsibilities, he studied, journaled, and filled notebook after notebook with the story that would eventually become The Retributionist.
Every completed page was carefully mailed home, where it was typed, preserved, and safeguarded by the woman who would later become his wife.
What began as a personal discipline eventually became a three-book series—written one page at a time behind razor wire.
The Final Journal Entry
March 17, 2020
After a nine-week COVID lockdown, Jon was unexpectedly released seven years early under the CARES Act.
Before leaving the prison for the final time, he returned to the small mop closet where he had spent years writing and quietly retrieved his journal.
Only after arriving home did he reread the final entry, written weeks before his release. The words, written without knowing what lay ahead, carried a meaning that would only become clear later.
"Father, protect and deliver. M2 and I look to you, we both look within, we seek your presence and your Kingdom. No more bondage. No more separation, debt or exilement. Open the prison gates. You can do it in a holy instant. I love you Jesus."
For Jon, those words became a reminder that hope often arrives long before we recognize it.
Today
Continuing the Story
Today, Jon lives with his wife and enjoys life with their six children and a growing family of grandchildren.
He continues to write stories that explore the complicated space between justice and judgment, truth and fiction, accountability and redemption. While The Retributionist is a work of fiction, the emotional realities that shaped it continue to influence every page.
The trilogy is only the beginning.
Author's Note
The Retributionist is a work of fiction. While it draws on emotional truths and themes informed by the author's life, all characters, events, organizations, and situations are fictional or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events is purely coincidental.