tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75891319490520861022024-03-12T17:55:20.649-07:00Top Suspense GroupDave Zeltsermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04007736514118297783noreply@blogger.comBlogger360125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589131949052086102.post-15049675931509140212014-04-02T03:05:00.004-07:002014-08-29T05:38:57.733-07:00Nightmare, with Angel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Four of my backlist titles are lined up for launch, and the first of them is now up and available as an Amazon exclusive; <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JECY6M8" target="_blank">Nightmare, with Angel</a> will be followed over the coming weeks by paperback and ebook editions of <b>White Bizango</b>, <b>The Spirit Box</b>, and <b>Red, Red Robin</b>.<br />
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<b>Nightmare, with Angel </b>is the manhunt/Eurothriller that earned me the 'finest British writer of bestselling popular fiction to emerge since John le Carre' quote from John Williams in <b>The Independent</b>. It's been used by my publishers ever since and no one's ever heard me protesting. But I don't think anyone's ever sought out le Carre's opinion on the matter, either.<br />
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It's set in the months following German reunification. A while ago (on my own blog) I posted an account of the research behind the book; if you weren't around for that, here it is again.<br />
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<b>Nightmares and Angels</b></div>
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Just after the Berlin Wall came down, I threw a bag into the back of the Volvo and drove down to the Hamburg ferry. Not quite as spontaneously as that, of course. I had a plan. I'd lined up meetings with Hamburg's Sex Crimes division and detectives in the Criminal Investigation department of the Dussseldorf police. I had places to look at, questions to ask, and a date with the Senior Pathologist in the morgue at Heinrich Heine University.<br />
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But in the most ambitious part of the trip, I headed East. Right across Germany, through the border, and into territory that had, only months before - weeks, even - been sealed off, self-contained, an enigma to the West.<br />
<br />
For someone raised on spy fiction, this was no small deal. In Cold War mythology, East Germany was enemy territory. In reality the border was a zone of tension, and people died trying to cross it.<br />
<br />
What I found was empty checkpoints, broken barriers, watchtowers with their windows stoned-in... there were concrete blocks that had been placed to prevent any vehicle from making a dash through, forcing the car into a zigzag path that no longer served any purpose. This once-fearsome locale now felt like a corner of an abandoned airfield, already becoming overgrown...<br />
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<a href="http://brooligan.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/backlist-bonanza-1.html" target="_blank">Read More</a></div>
Stephen Gallagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280419153030490653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589131949052086102.post-18318590339111295362014-03-01T16:38:00.005-08:002014-03-03T01:12:19.250-08:00Two from Ed Gorman<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgukBRKUSDkbHvhBbm6UcwIDk2lt26uyOpljI22rTSi-w487_YL7DlPT1Yu3Ci4sP_3cNJmYRt8GjDZ4cDtYpdEEuDTPKWb_lbZgOLxEkDohOVCtCV-wycjv4Jhp2yVZQNGdJGDcjJcc08/s1600/Ed+Gorman+Dead+Mans+Gun.jpg" /> </div>
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Review Roundup: Ed Gorman's Balancing Act by Kathleen Rice Adams</div>
<br />
Though he’s better known for his crime, mystery, and horror fiction, Ed
Gorman is no slouch at writing westerns, either. Gorman’s spare style
and uncomplicated prose make it easy to imagine the author as a
storyteller in the oral tradition, forced to put pen to paper during an
attack of laryngitis.<br />
<br />
Perhaps nowhere is that better expressed than in the new anthology Dead
Man’s Gun and Other Western Stories. The collection of nine short tales
and one brief treatise entitled “Writing the Modern Western” provides
eloquent evidence of the author’s exceptional range in storytelling.
More than range, though, Gorman’s short stories display the author’s
uncommon ability to dig into the darkest recesses of the human psyche
and expose the thin lines separating good and evil, bravery and
cowardice, love and hate, pride and shame. The way Gorman’s characters
balance on those lines — always in danger of falling to one side or the
other — will make readers alternately shudder and rejoice.<br />
<br />
No matter how uncomfortable the thought may be, Ed Gorman knows us all.
Gazing into his mirror is undeniably uncomfortable, yet oddly
liberating. “Dead Man’s Gun” will resonate with anyone who’s ever wanted
revenge. Writers and movie buffs will relate to “Pards,” a bittersweet
tale about a middle-aged, unsuccessful writer who finds a spiritual twin
in an aging matinee icon. “The Face,” a Civil War story, is an
atmospheric, psychological study of men under pressure, inexorably
sliding into madness. “Mainwaring’s Gift” is at once sad and romantic
and hopeful. “Gunslinger,” “Blood Truth,” and “Dance Girl” are equally
compelling, each in its own way.<br />
<br />
Though all the stories take place in the 19th century American west,
it’s difficult to define Dead Man’s Gun and Other Western Tales as
simply “western.” Fans of psychological horror, crime, and mystery will
find much to enjoy in this volume, as well.<br />
<br />
Read the book.<br />
<br />
Buy <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Mans-Other-Western-Stories-ebook/dp/B00CLTS6MC/">Dead Man's Gun & Other Western Stories</a><br />
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DEATH GROUND by Ed Gorman,<br />
Reviewed by Benjamin Boulden<br />
<br />
Leo Guild is an aging bounty hunter. He is a former lawman, father and
husband, but that is all behind him. Now he rides alone. He is
melancholy, intelligent and violent; when he needs to be. He also has a
past that sticks with him. He killed a little girl. The courts forgave
him, but he can't find the heart to forgive himself.<br />
<br />
DEATH GROUND opens on the evening of Guild's 54th birthday. In lonely
celebration he makes a date at the local brothel with a young
"straw-haired" girl. Things don't go as expected with the girl and his
birthday truly turns for the worse when he is summoned to the Sheriff's
office.<br />
<br />
Two men are dead. One--Merle Rig--hired Guild as a bodyguard and the
other--Kenny Tolliver--was technically Guild's employee. He hired Kenny
to protect Rig while he paid a visit to the "straw-haired" girl. As he
looks at the cadavers on the heavy mortician's tables he figures his
job is gone and it is time to ride on, but first he pays a visit to
Kenny's mother. A scene that unsettles Guild and also piques his
interest; Kenny's mother knew Rig and Kenny palled around with a couple
local deputies.<br />
<br />
Leo Guild decides he can't leave town until he figures who really
killed the pair and why. He has a feeling it is not the violent
mountain man being blamed by the Sheriff, but he doesn't have many suspects. He doesn't have anything but a hunch, really.<br />
<br />
DEATH GROUND isn't a traditional Western. It, like all of Gorman's
Westerns, is a noir mystery wrapped in the trappings of the Old West.
That is not to say that the historical element isn't accurate or
interesting, because it is. It is also central to the story, but an Ed
Gorman Western is more of a historical mystery than anything else. A
hardboiled historical mystery at that.<br />
<br />
The prose is tough and tender in varying shades. It defines the story,
action, and protagonist with a lean, smart and melancholy and literate
style:<br />
<br />
"Then he started digging snow up with both hands, and he covered them
good, the two of them, and then he stood up and looked out on the
unfurling white land. There was blue sky and a full yellow sun. Warmer
now, there was even that kind of sweetness that comes on sunny winter
days. It made him think of pretty women on ice skates, their cheeks
touched perfect red by the cold, their eyes daring and blue."<br />
<br />
Leo Guild is an everyman. He is the man who does what needs to be done.
He isn't a hero, or a villain, but rather he is simply a man; a man who
has seen much, done much, and lost much. Guild is an example of what
makes Ed Gorman's fiction so damn good: characters that are measured
and three-dimensional; characters that act, feel and sound real. His
male characters are strong and pitiful, lustful and scared, vain and
dangerous, lonely and weak--generally all at the same time--and more<br />
importantly they are recognizable. And his female characters exhibit
the same steady qualities. Neither wholly good nor bad, just human.<br />
<br />
DEATH GROUND is a Western that should have wide appeal. It will please
the traditionalist with its rugged description of frontier life and the
people who settled it. It will also introduce readers of hardboiled
crime fiction to a new genre, but mostly it will please any reader who
wants something tangible and meaningful mixed into a well-told,
excellently plotted and immensely entertaining novel.<br />
<br />
Buy <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Death-Ground-Ed-Gorman-ebook/dp/B00BTB9FHS/">Death Ground </a>Dave Zeltsermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04007736514118297783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589131949052086102.post-76021111640121683842014-02-24T11:19:00.002-08:002014-02-24T11:19:33.095-08:00An interview and an article<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Over at <a href="http://litvote.com/dave-zeltserman/">Harvard Square Edition</a> I talk with Mary Uhas about my novels, writing, advice to first-time authors, and the two most effective ways to market&sell ebooks.<br />
<br />
I'm also featured in the article '<a href="http://likethedew.com/2014/02/21/gut-check-fiction-heathens-writing/">Gut Check Fiction and the Heathens Who Are Writing It</a>', along with Nic Pizzolatto (HBO's True Detective) and Tom Franklin. Here's a small excerpt from this article:<br />
<br />
"Dave Zeltserman is the uncrowned king of blue collar noir. Zeltserman
has populated the 2000s with tales of urban desolation, suave ex-cons,
dirty cops, men desperate for one last score, and average Joes looking
to take something from a world that has robbed them of too much. He has
even dipped his hand in horror with 2011’s <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004S774Q4/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004S774Q4&linkCode=as2&tag=ltd337-20" target="_blank"><i>The Caretaker of Lorne Fields </i></a>and last year’s <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007T8YGTW/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B007T8YGTW&linkCode=as2&tag=ltd337-20" target="_blank">Monster</a>. </i>A personal favorite of Zeltserman’s fiction is <i>Small Crimes</i>. Hitting the street in 2008, <i>Small Crimes</i>
chronicles the journey of paroled ex-cop Joe Denton as he seeks out a
return to a normal life. As old enemies demand Denton to right past
wrongs, the reader realizes despite his boisterous attempt, that Denton
is not who he appears to be. Zeltserman’s writing is sharp, vibrant, and
smooth to read. He has the rare ability to make bad men seem redeemable
and good men unsavory, as only great writers can do. As Denton’s antics
of greed, coercion, and hostility escalate, Zeltserman’s writing makes
Denton’s machinations graspable and almost agreeable."<br />
Dave Zeltsermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04007736514118297783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589131949052086102.post-74400264468402594452014-01-27T10:11:00.004-08:002014-01-27T10:15:33.344-08:00The next in the Hunted Series: The Interloper<br />
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A <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/908403909/dave-zeltsermans-ultra-hardboiled-the-interloper">kickstarter project</a> is underway to publish all three novellas in Dave Zeltserman's Hunted series as a 270-page paperback and ebook.<br />
<br />
What some people have been saying about Dave Zeltserman's ultra hardboiled series:<br />
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"a swiftly paced story that rewards with tension, suspense, and surprise." Bill Crider, author of the Dan Rhodes mystery series<br />
<br />
"dark tour-de-force of non-stop action and tension" Vincent Zandri, bestselling author of The Remains and The Innocent<br />
<br />
"Stark
meets Ludlum meets Forsyth in this tight and tricky opener to a new
novella series from the always-innovative Dave Zeltserman." Roger Smith,
author of Wake Up Dead and Dust Devils<br />
<br />
"The Hunted rockets along,
never boring for a second ... The Dame reads like a Reader’s Digest
Condensed Parker, with all of the elements that we know and love crammed
into a scant 70 pages" The Violent World of Parker<br />
<br />
"Everything
Dave Zeltserman writes is gold, and his new Hunted series is no
exception." Evan Lewis, author of the Skylar Hobbs mystery stories<br />
<br />
To read more about this project and an excerpt from The Interloper, click <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/908403909/dave-zeltsermans-ultra-hardboiled-the-interloper">here</a>.Dave Zeltsermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04007736514118297783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589131949052086102.post-7237888279032579912013-12-12T03:07:00.000-08:002013-12-12T03:07:22.741-08:00Ripper StreetEvery show's cancellation hits the people who love it, and every show has a core group of people who love it lots. But the wider dismay over the BBC's cancellation of Victorian-era police drama <b>Ripper Street,</b> shown in the US on BBC America, seems to have an unusual edge to it. <br />
<br />
I'm not a fan. By which I don't mean that I have a low opinion of it, simply that I don't follow the show. And if anything I ought to welcome its cancellation, because with <b>Ripper Street</b> and <b>Copper</b> out of the way, development execs are willing to look seriously at the Becker books again. <br />
<br />
But it's worrying that once again the BBC has killed a series that it claims to be proud of, citing a fall in viewing figures as the reason. For an advertising-driven broadcaster viewing figures are crucial because their business is one of selling eyeballs to advertisers. The viewer is not the client, but the product. The programmes are bait, to draw a crowd and serve it up to the client's sales force. In the UK, regulation imposed a quality threshold on commercial television from the very beginning. With relaxed regulation you get <b>Babestation</b>.<br />
<br />
The BBC isn't a commercial network. With its one-off yearly license fee funding, the BBC's model is more like that of a cable company - and it's the biggest bargain of its kind in the business, whatever the bottom half of the internet may say. Sky charges you more, produces less, and still shows you ads.<br />
<br />
Subscription-funded companies like HBO or Showtime don't have to worry about the figures for any one programme. Their brand image is defined by the quality of some of their least-watched product. Hence <b>The Sopranos</b>, <b>Deadwood</b>, <b>Mad Men</b>, <b>Breaking Bad</b> - bar-raisers for an entire industry. AMC's <b>Mad Men</b> made its debut to less than a million viewers. The episode average never rose above three million, but it was deemed worthy of six seasons.<br />
<br />
The BBC's there for all of us in the UK. Because of the compulsory license fee, we're all subscribers. Yet the BBC chooses to ape ITV's methods and compete for ratings in time slots, as if courting imaginary ad buyers. Which wouldn't be so bad if they didn't then use those ratings as the measure of a programme's worth, when simply moving the material around the schedule can have a drastic effect on its numbers.<br />
<br />
(I speak here as someone who once saw his big-budget one-off BBC drama scheduled against live football on ITV, Manchester United v AC Milan. They knew what the outcome would be and didn't even bother making any trails for the show.)<br />
<br />
I've heard it suggested that the real reason for <b>Ripper Street</b>'s cancellation is that it's too 'blokeish' for some executives' tastes, and the numbers only provide a handy excuse. So presumably the blokes will now go off and watch <b>The Paradise</b> instead. Or maybe <b>Mr Selfridge</b>.<br />
<br />
That's about a bloke, isn't it?Stephen Gallagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280419153030490653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589131949052086102.post-13610868235835005522013-11-05T07:06:00.000-08:002013-11-08T03:07:42.948-08:00This week on CrimeCityCentral's podcast---More Than a ScamThis week on <a href="http://crimecitycentral.com/crime-city-central-no-69-dave-zeltserman/">CrimeCityCentral's podcast</a> is Dave Zeltserman's twisty More Than a Scam. This story was received honorable mention in the 2002 Best American Mystery Stories, and might be the first crime story about those ubiquitous Nigerian email scams.<br />
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The story's introduction starts at the 12 minute mark.Dave Zeltsermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04007736514118297783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589131949052086102.post-66846711865158144382013-10-17T09:23:00.002-07:002013-10-17T09:45:24.767-07:00Some of our favorite noir films<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Max Allan Collins: Kiss Me Deadly<br />
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Vicki Hendricks: Body Heat<br />
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Joel Goldman: LA Confidential<br />
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Bill Crider: The Maltese Falcon<br />
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Naomi Hirahara: The Crimson Kimono<br />
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Ed Gorman: Cape Fear <br />
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Paul Levine: The Killers<br />
<br />
Libby Hellmann: Double Indemnity<br />
<br />
Harry Shannon: Fargo<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-YIR2ROdd4Jv-D_zI9Wd7zEPviGT4ZCa-HPP_MBseTKN0XD2AkzulMHzGUiBGE5BIEMrqqGL5IxClRG7XZalmfdjdaRkr4iJ9h1RBq0w5qzV4b3XjjrR0dPmHiCV1-VeMuTLHxn_DghQ/s1600/The+Third+Man.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-YIR2ROdd4Jv-D_zI9Wd7zEPviGT4ZCa-HPP_MBseTKN0XD2AkzulMHzGUiBGE5BIEMrqqGL5IxClRG7XZalmfdjdaRkr4iJ9h1RBq0w5qzV4b3XjjrR0dPmHiCV1-VeMuTLHxn_DghQ/s1600/The+Third+Man.jpg" /></a></div>
Dave Zeltserman: The Third Man<br />
<br />
Other favorites from Top Suspense: Gun Crazy, Out of the Past, Touch of Evil, Angel Heart, Night of the Hunter and The Postman Always Rings Twice.<br />
<br />
Let's hear your favorites!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Dave Zeltsermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04007736514118297783noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589131949052086102.post-62903273084440582792013-10-11T08:40:00.001-07:002013-10-13T05:02:11.391-07:00MIND PRISON -- Free Today<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMHSV0PDawPiSvtgwKIjObczvQHBkCUD7ifAhywmlZi3C3rw4RsijTMm22WeW6WnKdo3ULFNcPPms8fWxhpBy2X57L8gU6QUdDBzldvOFQ4i2hG6zIIq7WKZzYn7C-DTBnj7USZTkS0WE/s1600/MindPrison.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMHSV0PDawPiSvtgwKIjObczvQHBkCUD7ifAhywmlZi3C3rw4RsijTMm22WeW6WnKdo3ULFNcPPms8fWxhpBy2X57L8gU6QUdDBzldvOFQ4i2hG6zIIq7WKZzYn7C-DTBnj7USZTkS0WE/s320/MindPrison.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mind-Prison-ebook/dp/B00FN8DUSI">Free today</a>!Dave Zeltsermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04007736514118297783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589131949052086102.post-50833166786944970582013-10-09T11:56:00.000-07:002013-10-09T14:51:17.352-07:00The Long Ride Back<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW2Pw9bowNkScEJa_iaxMMmt2sOYPWPZcYy9vCTi9AwJYEutcTqnOJpMGlNpc5nnfr3VMTt1lC2UiGelUOM8xvw0o2DxCC5wHdxuNsUzxgg7iXqepL0_cKHBsc5kw6VXJTESMQ1-w7Sf8/s1600/EdGorman-westerm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW2Pw9bowNkScEJa_iaxMMmt2sOYPWPZcYy9vCTi9AwJYEutcTqnOJpMGlNpc5nnfr3VMTt1lC2UiGelUOM8xvw0o2DxCC5wHdxuNsUzxgg7iXqepL0_cKHBsc5kw6VXJTESMQ1-w7Sf8/s320/EdGorman-westerm.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />
Readers who stumble onto Ed Gorman's writing soon find their pulse quickening with excitement as they discover that he's one of the best mystery, horror and Western writers working today. Here's what a few critics are saying about Ed's exceptional Western collection, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Long-Other-Western-Stories-ebook/dp/B00FMF28XU">The Long Ride Back & Other Western Stories</a>:<br />
<br />
"This being my first exposure to Gorman, I loved every second of it. Expecting a typical Western, I was blown away by how he turns the genre on its ear like some of the Western writing of Elmore Leonard." Bruce Grossman, Bookgasm <br />
<br />
"Simply one of the best western writers of our time." Rocky Mountain News<br />
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"Ed Gorman's western stories are anything but ordinary. They often take take place in lonely, tragic, mythical landscapes." Goodreads <br />
<br />
"Donald E. Westlake (to whom <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0425179273/craigsbookclu-20">Ghost Town</a> is dedicated) pointed out similarities to the Westerns of Will Charles (crime author Charles Willeford writing under a pseudonym) Willeford and Gorman approached their material in the same way, namely that criminals are the same no matter what time period they're living in. That's Western noir. What Gorman is doing with the Western may not be new, but it's still a fresh approach that hasn't been done to death. He did not create the concept of Western noir, but he gave it a name, and he is certainly the best at it." Somebody Dies<br />
<br />
THE LONG RIDE BACK AND OTHER WESTERN STORIES is the biggest collection of Ed Gorman's critically acclaimed, award-winning Western fiction ever published. This massive trade paperback brings together the complete contents of the three e-book Gorman collections published by the Western Fictioneers Library: DEAD MAN'S GUN, A DISGRACE TO THE BADGE, and ENEMIES. Nineteen short stories and novellas and two essays add up to more than 100,000 words from one of the finest writers of our time. This indispensable collection is available only from the Western Fictioneers Library.<br />
<br />
Also available for the Kindle are these celebrated Gorman Western novels :<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Death-Ground-ebook/dp/B00BTB9FHS">Death Ground</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wolf-Moon-ebook/dp/B004D4ZRNO">Wolf Moon</a> <br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Guild-ebook/dp/B003P8QDLO">Guild</a>Dave Zeltsermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04007736514118297783noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589131949052086102.post-50649065905696182292013-10-07T07:56:00.002-07:002013-10-08T07:43:48.331-07:00Mind-bending short story MIND PRISON<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiseCYsmHhVJ9NSdCoITDDG4r6pxILWH-1pFhy_zfstnt9W6xj2ASP1GEcdzQA93Et6l-WzxrOPlW4OcURq_B9iW0Lrw30avFGfQmbh5J5Bx-LR3D2hYHuIzSYIQnQiMUzpSLpcHVwyU_c/s1600/MindPrison.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiseCYsmHhVJ9NSdCoITDDG4r6pxILWH-1pFhy_zfstnt9W6xj2ASP1GEcdzQA93Et6l-WzxrOPlW4OcURq_B9iW0Lrw30avFGfQmbh5J5Bx-LR3D2hYHuIzSYIQnQiMUzpSLpcHVwyU_c/s320/MindPrison.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />
From Shamus Award-winning author, Dave Zeltserman, comes this mind-bending mix of science fiction and noir. A renowned
scientist, Dr. Graham Winston, is developing an ingenious and, some
might say, horrifying technology that will revolutionize prison. He's
close to a breakthrough, except that he finds himself distracted by his
beautiful mistress... and thoughts of murder.<br />
<br />
"MIND PRISON is a dandy tale of hubris and horror that both Philip K. Dick and O. Henry would heartily endorse." <b>Lee Goldberg, author of THE HEIST and THE WALK</b><br />
<br />
"MIND PRISON is a mix of science fiction and noir as diverting as it is surprising." <b>Max Allan Collins, author of ROAD TO PERDITION</b><br />
<br />
"A
taut, dark, searing science fiction story filled with noir
atmospherics--greed, sexual betrayal, murder--that evokes the best of
Philip K. Dick's grim near future." <b>Ed Gorman, author of CAGE OF NIGHT and FLASHPOINT</b><br />
<br />
"MIND PRISON features a novel and Orwellian solution to the problem of overcrowding in American prisons." <b>Publishers Weekly</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mind-Prison-ebook/dp/B00FN8DUSI">MIND PRISON is available</a> now for $0.99.<br />
<b> </b>Dave Zeltsermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04007736514118297783noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589131949052086102.post-8165396272998404752013-10-01T00:00:00.000-07:002013-10-09T02:32:13.602-07:00Frontlist Feature: State Vs. Lassiter by Paul Levine<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Bfur2wyTZS3MppSxRTi5jhxH0SlETShipjQhWVlPJmCX5vmO8nH7nTOYLkSK5taz8mSBHTf0mz4-gBf2lELjIReZ0-sFJ22HaqbbXxDm042xZArn9eE6WKheIic9a2aAp7fsNwEMSUQ/s1600/State+vs+Lassiter-d-072513.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Bfur2wyTZS3MppSxRTi5jhxH0SlETShipjQhWVlPJmCX5vmO8nH7nTOYLkSK5taz8mSBHTf0mz4-gBf2lELjIReZ0-sFJ22HaqbbXxDm042xZArn9eE6WKheIic9a2aAp7fsNwEMSUQ/s320/State+vs+Lassiter-d-072513.jpg" width="211" /></a>Top Suspense member Paul Levine was one step ahead of
Shakespeare when the bard suggested we should “First, Kill All The Lawyers.”
An attorney himself, Paul wisely stopped practicing—except in his writing. In fact,
that’s one of the titles in his as-funny-as-Carl Hiassen legal thrillers, the
S<i>olomon and Lord </i>series.</div>
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Now, though, Paul has released a new entry in his <i>other</i> award-winning
series featuring lawyer Jake Lassiter. In this thriller, life is great
for Jake at the start. His law practice is booming...He’s
crazy about the new woman in his life... His
one-time delinquent nephew Kip is getting A’s in school...What can go wrong?</div>
<o:p></o:p>
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How about a charge of first degree murder?</div>
<span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.5pt;"><br />
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When money goes missing from client trust
accounts, Jake confronts his banker, Pamela Baylins, who also happens to be his
lover. She accuses Jake of skimming client funds; he accuses her of dipping
into the till. She threatens to report him to the Florida Bar and the State
Attorney and within hours is killed.</span><span style="color: #333333;"> </span>All the
evidence points to Jake, who is charged with murder. <o:p></o:p>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The premise, Paul
says, was simple. “</span>I wanted to put Jake Lassiter in his tightest spot
yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And what could be more
precarious than being charged with first degree murder?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For a lawyer who’s used to representing
other people, sitting in the defendant’s chair is a new and frightening
experience.”</div>
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And, according to readers, Paul
has another winner. Following is praise for the book and the series.</div>
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<!--[if supportFields]><span lang=EN-CA style='mso-ansi-language:EN-CA'><span
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lang=EN-CA style='mso-ansi-language:EN-CA'><span style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span><![endif]--><b>PRAISE
FOR “STATE vs. LASSITER”<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Blend the wit of Carl
Hiaasen with the dialogue of Elmore Leonard and throw in John Grisham<b>’</b>s
courtroom skills, and you have ‘State vs. Lassiter.<b>’” – </b><b><i>Amazon.com<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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Lassiter stands tall
like Jack Reacher, Travis McGee or Spenser.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Levine’s only problem he isn’t prolific enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want more Lassiter!” –<b><i>Amazon
Vine Voice review<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: center;">
<b>PRAISE FOR THE JAKE LASSITER SERIES<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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“Mystery writing at its very, very best.”<b><i>–Larry King, USA TODAY<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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“Irreverent, genuinely clever, great fun.” – <b><i>New York Times Book
Review<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: center;">
“Twice as good as Turow and Grisham and four times the fun.” – <b><i>Armchair
Detective</i></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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“Jake Lassiter has a
lot more charisma than Perry Mason ever did.” – <b><i>Miami Herald<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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Btw, Paul has won
the John D. MacDonald fiction award and has been nominated for the Edgar,
Macavity, International Thriller, and James Thurber prizes. He also wrote more
than 20 episodes of the CBS military drama “JAG.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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Don’t miss <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">State vs.
Lassiter</i>.</div>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span>
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Libby Hellmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14357982182362948869noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589131949052086102.post-80093409168446721672013-09-29T08:59:00.000-07:002013-09-29T09:56:22.804-07:00Horror Then and Now<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM23XY0hDEisY6A9-zjLN5HpEg6LL_PPpfnMPcjwlytTJDK79KxmgcfBNBwKo-SAEYQehRDC_AAT5pfcCaaRcPT_y7lPQ-dz8l6HvW1OjGAqwMfeKEin7n2nx0vH41egO_zFCHtuNcxQQ/s1600/RANews_Frankenstein.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM23XY0hDEisY6A9-zjLN5HpEg6LL_PPpfnMPcjwlytTJDK79KxmgcfBNBwKo-SAEYQehRDC_AAT5pfcCaaRcPT_y7lPQ-dz8l6HvW1OjGAqwMfeKEin7n2nx0vH41egO_zFCHtuNcxQQ/s320/RANews_Frankenstein.jpg" width="305" /></a></div>
The October issue of the Readers Advisory newsletter pairs classic horror novels with recommended modern read-alikes.<br />
<br />
For Frankenstein:<br />
<br />
"The novel <i>Frankenstein</i> was so scary that it frightened its own
author. Though Dr. Frankenstein and his monstrous creation are pillars
of popular culture, the original text is often overlooked. This is a
shame: Shelley’s imaginative tale of terror Is a literary masterpiece,
blending adrenaline and thrills with thought-provoking questions about
what it means to be human.
<br />
<br />
In Shelley's classic novel, Dr. Frankenstein's creation is a monster,
albeit a sympathetic one. In Zeltserman's campy retelling, the real
monster is the doctor himself, aided by his co-conspirator, the Marquis
de Sade. Frankenstein's patchwork science experiment is the hero, and
his perspective on events will delight anyone familiar with the original
material, provided they can handle the depraved scenes of horror."<br />
<br />
Click <a href="http://www.ebscohost.com/novelist/novelist-special/horror-then-and-now">here </a>to read the article for more classic horror novels and recommended read-alikes.Dave Zeltsermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04007736514118297783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589131949052086102.post-64859913004833911562013-09-24T16:44:00.000-07:002013-09-28T01:56:57.159-07:00Frontlist Feature: Blood Hina by Naomi Hirahara<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJORMu9TAgSXv0TqLLd2_iZizOj_5UVNT-BHjbf247vVTVc1-bN0802HQHQODRnqhZ-vFYmIttv5uTcRwRVpQBKCywHcV5hpbAB7KE12xAlQvpflgHrz0L-9Vvi0hdyLT6JK4mde93mY/s1600/BloodHinaCvrFinal%2528rgb%2529_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJORMu9TAgSXv0TqLLd2_iZizOj_5UVNT-BHjbf247vVTVc1-bN0802HQHQODRnqhZ-vFYmIttv5uTcRwRVpQBKCywHcV5hpbAB7KE12xAlQvpflgHrz0L-9Vvi0hdyLT6JK4mde93mY/s320/BloodHinaCvrFinal%2528rgb%2529_.jpg" width="203" /></a></div>
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Top Suspense member Naomi Hirahara won an Edgar for Best
Paperback Original for <i><span style="background: white; color: #2d2d2d; font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Snakeskin Shamisen</span></i><span style="background: white; color: #2d2d2d; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">, the third
novel </span>in her “reluctant” detective Mas Arai series, but that honor is
only one of many in her literary career, which you can read more about <a href="http://www.naomihirahara.com/bio.html">here</a>. The fourth entry in her series, BLOOD HINA, has just been released as a trade paperback and ebook.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Here’s the description: </span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Mas Arai’s best friend Haruo is
getting married, and he has grudgingly agreed to serve as best man. But when an
ancient Japanese doll display of Haruo’s fiancée goes missing, the wedding is
called off with fingers pointed at Haruo. To solve the mystery to save Haruo’s
life, Mas must untangle a web of secrecy, heart-breaking memories, and murder.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Naomi wrote the book, she says, <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">because
she “wanted to explore a number of topics. The most important one was
love for the widowed and divorced in their twilight years. What does love
the second time around look like in the circle of my older, crotchety Japanese
gardener? In terms of setting, I wanted to take full advantage of a
nonfiction book I had written on the history of the Southern California Flower
Market in downtown Los Angeles. What I discovered was a tight-knit,
nocturnal community that sold flowers underground while the rest of the world
was sleeping. The contrast between the fragrant smell of the flowers
versus the realities of industrial downtown L.A. is striking and rife with stories,
especially crime-based ones. Last of all, I wanted to explore how people
struggle with their addictions – gambling, substance abuse, and so on.
This is such a reality for people of all walks of life, including those in Mas
Arai’s world.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Those goals have clearly resonated in BLOOD HINA, as praise
continues to pour in from review magazines as well as authors who know the
Asian community in the U.S.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">“Edgar-winner Hirahara once again provides a sensitive
insider’s view of the Japanese- American subculture in her fourth Mas Arai
mystery.”</span><i>—Publishers Weekly</i></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"> “Written with heart and depth, and starring an Everyman for
our time.” </span>—<i>Kirkus Reviews</i></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"> “Mas Arai is a true original and one of my favorite
characters in crime fiction. I love spending time in his world and I’m thrilled
that he’s back—and at the top of his grumpy game.” </span>—S.J. Rozan, Edgar-winning author of <i>The Shanghai Moon</i></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"> "Naomi Hirahara has done it again! It's wonderful to
see reluctant detective Mas Arai back in action." </span>—Lisa See, <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author of <i>Snow
Flower and the Secret Fan</i></div>
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Naomi is one of the West Coast's most respected authors, and
hers is a series you don’t want to miss. You can find BLOOD HINA at <a href="http://amzn.to/1gUqw3m">Amazon</a>, <a href="http://bit.ly/1b7Vdoo">Nook</a>, and <a href="http://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/Search?Query=Blood+Hina">Kobo</a>.</div>
Libby Hellmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14357982182362948869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589131949052086102.post-90029186455920834762013-09-18T14:05:00.003-07:002013-09-18T14:21:31.513-07:00FRONTLIST FEATURES: Hungry 4: Rise of the Triad by Harry Shannon & Steven Booth<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoj8CHj4dhbLrcrN3WL4QUHi1abv8yEtVLvVFPchZyWmUDraaN3GZs1xfhnw84gn8TH4iJH3rKiCYJj3k0zfabI2zg9jW4TEHnewdAqTWpeScRaBRj76VrVBTK5n8NyQQ_ojNW1zXiUc4/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoj8CHj4dhbLrcrN3WL4QUHi1abv8yEtVLvVFPchZyWmUDraaN3GZs1xfhnw84gn8TH4iJH3rKiCYJj3k0zfabI2zg9jW4TEHnewdAqTWpeScRaBRj76VrVBTK5n8NyQQ_ojNW1zXiUc4/s320/photo.JPG" width="211" /></a></div>
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Best-selling Top Suspense member <a href="http://www.harryshannon.com/%E2%80%8E">Harry Shannon</a> is one of the
most versatile member of our group. He writes horror (i.e. Zombie), sci-fi,
dystopian, and mystery fiction. Plus, he’s a well-known musician (and his <a href="https://www.facebook.com/paigeshannonmusic">teen daughter Paige</a> is already taking after her father). So when
Harry has a new book out, it’s a reason to celebrate. </div>
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Harry’s newest is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Hungry-Sheriff-Miller-ebook/dp/B00F4NZIW8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1379538277&sr=8-1&keywords=the+hungry+4+rise+of+the+triad">TheHungry 4: Rise of the Triad</a></i>. It’s part of the Sheriff Penny Miller Series,
but it’s also a new twist for Penny and Harry. Here’s the description:</div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Small town Sheriff Penny Miller and her outlaw friend Scratch
somehow managed to survive a nuclear blast in Nevada and then a
brutal attack on their peaceful lodge in Colorado. They head for Los Angeles,
looking for a fresh start. The citizens of Southern California remain
blissfully ignorant of the coming war. They believe the zombies are simply an
urban legend.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">When they find themselves in a suspiciously run Malibu rehab facility,
Miller can't relax. She knows the gore is about to hit the fan. Miller can
sense when zombies are near. And they’re almost always near. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">When all hell breaks loose, Miller and Scratch must endure deadly experiments,
resist an ongoing government conspiracy, and battle another horde of ravenous
zombies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">And that’s just for starters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i>The</i><i> Hungry</i> series began with a short story called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jailbreak</i>, Harry says, which was created for a charity anthology
about zombies. “I asked Steven W. Booth, who was just beginning to write, if he
wanted to collaborate. The story went up free on Amazon and got downloaded tens
of thousands of times, so we wrote a novel called The Hungry. Best selling
zombie author Joe McKinney contributed the introduction. Those sales were also
great and launched an entire series. Sheriff Penny Miller of Flat Rock, Nevada
is one hell of a lot of fun to write. She has a sailor's mouth, but a heart of
solid gold. Her novels feature lots of black humor, action and gore.
Collaborating at this length is rather new to me, but I really enjoy it, so <i>The
Hungry 5</i> is already in the works, You don't have to read these in order, by the
way, but it helps.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Rise of the
Triad</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"> is already getting fabulous reviews, including these from prominent
reviewers and authors:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">"Zombie thrillers loaded with sexiness and smarts."
-Jonathan Maberry, NYT Best Selling Author of Extinction Machine<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">"Like getting a bag of Halloween candy after a six month
fast." -Frank Errington, Horrible Book Reviews<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">"Not just wall to wall action, but balls to the wall
intense." -Steve Hockensmith, author of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pride and Prejudice and Zombies<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">"I loved it from the first
line." -Joe McKinney, author of Dead Cit<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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The Top Suspense Group is proud to count Harry Shannon as
one of our members. You definitely need to check out <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Hungry-Sheriff-Miller-ebook/dp/B00F4NZIW8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1379538277&sr=8-1&keywords=the+hungry+4+rise+of+the+triad">The Hungry 4</a></i>. </div>
Libby Hellmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14357982182362948869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589131949052086102.post-17195699690734410742013-09-16T01:30:00.000-07:002013-09-16T01:30:00.060-07:00<h2>
FRONTLIST FEATURES: What Doesn't Kill Her by Max Allan Collins</h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRP4OEqO0JxwOCboY8-fbayTMTOqYzQF7VTT6DslleXQsd5dupYSo6em0KMh7K2djvjc894RbwCbuSJEVUhftS_wWwSEFYqVznmx94gnC_m3EuG9ysztdjkYASo5zADo4jXjHGrc2ejHE/s1600/what-doesnt-kill-her-full.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRP4OEqO0JxwOCboY8-fbayTMTOqYzQF7VTT6DslleXQsd5dupYSo6em0KMh7K2djvjc894RbwCbuSJEVUhftS_wWwSEFYqVznmx94gnC_m3EuG9ysztdjkYASo5zADo4jXjHGrc2ejHE/s320/what-doesnt-kill-her-full.jpg" width="211" /></a>Of all the members of Top Suspense, Max Allan Collins has
to be the most prolific. (<a href="http://www.maxallancollins.com/books/">Just
take a look at this</a>). He’s ALWAYS got a new book coming out— frankly, the
rest of us envy his productivity, but that’s another story. So it’s not surprising that Max has a
new novel coming out September 17. </div>
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WHAT DOESN’T KILL HER tells the story of Jordan
Rivera, who was an ordinary kid with an ordinary family – until a vicious
killer took it all away from her, sparing her and leaving her broken. The
murders destroyed something inside Jordan and she spent ten long, silent years
in an institution. Catching a glimpse of a news report about another ordinary
family slain, Jordan breaks her silence. Now she’s out, and she molds
herself—body and mind—into an instrument of justice. While a young detective pursues the case on his own, Jordan
teams up with members of her Victims Support Group, people like her, damaged by
violent crime. They have their own stories of pain, heartache, and vengeance
denied. With their help, Jordan will track down the killer before he can ravage
any more lives. Her own life depends on it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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When we asked Max why <i>this</i>
story, here’s what he said: “For my first novel with Thomas & Mercer, I wanted to step
away from the historical and private eye genres I’m best known for, and do a
straight thriller. I also wanted to get away from the procedural nature of the
CSI, CRIMINAL MINDS and BONES novels that Matt Clemens and I have done
featuring super-star forensics teams, including our own J.C. Harrow novels. The
notion fascinated me of real people, members of a Victims of Violent Crimes
support group, teaming up to use their own various everyday skills to track
down a killer. Also, I’d been toying with doing an American variation on the
strong damaged female protagonist of GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, and this
seemed a perfect opportunity.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Reviewers agree. <o:p></o:p></div>
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"<i>What Doesn't Kill Her</i> is a kick-ass thrill ride
from page one. This is the American answer to <i>The Girl with the Dragon
Tattoo</i>." – John Gilstrap, author of <i>High Treason</i> and <i>Damage
Control<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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“Another winner from a fine writer.” Not the Baseball
Pitcher<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: #000041; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">"Collins weaves a compelling story with strong
characters: Jordan, several members of her victims support group, and Mark
Pryor, a high school crush recently made detective who pursues the case on his
own time. Jordan is torn between her desire to destroy the killer on her own and
identifying with the other victims, accepting their help. There are lots of
interesting twists to keep the story moving briskly." Karen Musser
Nortman"</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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You can find WHAT DOESN’T KILL HER at <a href="http://amzn.com/B00BI2FN56">Amazon in ebook and print. Audio too</a>. And
while you’re at it, check out a couple of other works in the pipeline: EARLY
CRIMES (Perfect Crime), which collects three early pieces by Max -- a short
story, a novella, and a previously unpublished novel. And ASK NOT, a new
Nate Heller thriller, the third in his JFK trilogy, will be out in October. It
deals with the statistics-defying number of witness deaths that followed the
assassination.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />
See? Prolific. And Amazing. </div>
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Libby Hellmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14357982182362948869noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589131949052086102.post-33274683182100890872013-09-02T06:21:00.002-07:002013-09-02T06:23:06.182-07:00<h2>
<span style="font-size: large;">FRONTLIST FEATURES: MONSTER by Dave Zeltserman</span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp2ZAAKUINC5xtkdPlyA-MLc0QD5PbM5P8PRnBIYx7A8LcllPM6_cOnZkrOOEj2IaqEKNXsN1tcqDKZsxFoMKcJuFVpM86wG2QgkRsBHnW2SkHCvs1bVpaizPTE6Fbe2k4Zu_Sy5iqB0k/s1600/download.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp2ZAAKUINC5xtkdPlyA-MLc0QD5PbM5P8PRnBIYx7A8LcllPM6_cOnZkrOOEj2IaqEKNXsN1tcqDKZsxFoMKcJuFVpM86wG2QgkRsBHnW2SkHCvs1bVpaizPTE6Fbe2k4Zu_Sy5iqB0k/s1600/download.jpeg" /></a></div>
Dave
Zeltserman’s <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Monster-ebook/dp/B007T8YGTW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1378127866&sr=8-1&keywords=monster+zeltserman">Monster</a> cleverly and chillingly reanimates a classic tale.
Friedrich Hoffman, the so-called monster, recounts how he was falsely accused
of killing his fiancée, tortured and killed for his crime, and awoke on the lab
table of Victor Frankenstein a man with all manner of gruesome plans. We see
inside Friedrich's mind as he embarks on a single-minded quest for vengeance;
but at what cost to the remnants of his humanity? Intense and gothic, <i>Monster</i>
depicts nineteenth-century Europe in a blaze of depravity, excess and
supernatural terrors, in an ingenious tribute to one of literature's greatest
works.<br />
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We
asked Dave why he wrote the book:<o:p></o:p></div>
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Sometimes an idea will pop into your head that just won't leave you
alone. That's what happened to me when I had the idea of writing a retelling of
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein where everything a dying Victor Frankenstein told
Captain Walton aboard the icebound ship was a lie to protect his reputation,
and the monster now gets to tell the real story. A year later this idea
continued to nag at me, and after another year and reading about thirty books
for research this idea had turned into a story that I wanted to write. In my version,
Victor Frankenstein would be in league with the Marquis de Sade to bring hell
to earth, and the monster would be remain a tragic, albeit heroic, figure.
Thematically the book would be about the corrosive quality of vengeance, as
well as a repudiation of de Sade's central theme of man being only a base
animal. While I knew there were many readers who consider Shelley's great novel
a sacred tome and would look at any retelling as blasphemy, at this point this
was a novel that was burning too deeply inside and was one I had to write.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Although
<i>Monster</i> was released earlier this year, it continues to garner places on
Must-Read Horror Lists, including:<o:p></o:p></div>
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One of Booklist Magazine's best 10 horror novels of the past 12
months<o:p></o:p></div>
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Picked as one of the books of the year by NPR
Boston (WBUR)<o:p></o:p></div>
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And
reviews have been nothing less than raves: <o:p></o:p></div>
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"An impressive achievement: He manages the difficult trick of
creating a voice that sounds authentically like Shelley's while remaining
entirely lucid to the contemporary reader ... You don't get much more gothic
bang for your buck --Los Angeles Times<o:p></o:p></div>
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"This reworking of Frankenstein is chilling and
captivating!...A tale of justice, true love, and ultimate forgiveness, this
gruesome novel is perfect for fans of Stephen King and similar horror
stories." ForeWord Magazine, Pick of the Week<o:p></o:p></div>
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As
stated above, the hardcover and ebook versions of <i>Monster</i> have already been
released. The French version came out over the summer, and the paperback
version will be out in early 2014.<o:p></o:p></div>
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If
you’re a horror aficianado, <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Monster-ebook/dp/B007T8YGTW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1378127866&sr=8-1&keywords=monster+zeltserman">Monster</a></i> is for you<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">! </span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Libby Hellmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14357982182362948869noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589131949052086102.post-86486311281289980372013-08-30T07:06:00.001-07:002013-08-31T02:45:32.158-07:00Top Horror Novels<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr4mu-gC8hRQ75BEXZ5kEMGDt3pHIvE89SsOpiXr_atCl-Lt-nkv1S7QSXn-Vpb0nTo6n9OA6LxoOv9pk03IQHbrcFyVduaZatQzov-quBDz06I8fF2RgQrR1388oKAVefskrZQdkCRws/s1600/MonsterNew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr4mu-gC8hRQ75BEXZ5kEMGDt3pHIvE89SsOpiXr_atCl-Lt-nkv1S7QSXn-Vpb0nTo6n9OA6LxoOv9pk03IQHbrcFyVduaZatQzov-quBDz06I8fF2RgQrR1388oKAVefskrZQdkCRws/s1600/MonsterNew.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
Booklist Magazine has announced their <a href="http://booklistonline.com/Top-10-Horror-Fiction/pid=6279145">Top 10 Horror Novels</a> of the past 12 Months:<br />
<br />
Apocalypse Cow. By Michael Logan<br />
Ash. By James Herber<br />
Babayaga. By Toby Barlow<br />
Hitchers. By Will McIntosh<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Little Star. By John Ajvide Lindqvist</span><br />
<b><span style="font-size: small;">Monster: A Novel of Frankenstein. By Dave Zeltserman</span></b><br />
NOS4A2. By Joe Hill<br />
The Ocean at the End of the Lane. By Neil Gaiman<br />
Red Moon. By Benjamin Percy<br />
Zoo. By James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE4YzC4qoNSVJyadRcDkKClRWzHTfhzNy0zAkJPF_7PNYL2wDpcgPlsUJZI6Ek5jkNAvG07Dg7rAk1MWMuWmqA8hmcLPrWKmzH00AMDHuwSulmREZUDohHG0ECrUz8EJEcNk2MbBKeuN4/s1600/Caretaker-new.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE4YzC4qoNSVJyadRcDkKClRWzHTfhzNy0zAkJPF_7PNYL2wDpcgPlsUJZI6Ek5jkNAvG07Dg7rAk1MWMuWmqA8hmcLPrWKmzH00AMDHuwSulmREZUDohHG0ECrUz8EJEcNk2MbBKeuN4/s320/Caretaker-new.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />
The American Library Association also recently came up with this list of best bets for Horror:<br />
<br />
Joe Hill.Heart-shaped Box. <br />
Michael Koryta.The Ridge. <br />
Adam Nevill.Last Days. <br />
<b>Dave Zeltserman.The Caretaker of Lorne Field</b><br />
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Dave Zeltsermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04007736514118297783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589131949052086102.post-20961366868235804762013-08-21T05:27:00.002-07:002013-08-21T05:27:40.603-07:00FRONTLIST FEATURES: THE HEIST by Lee Goldman and Janet Evanovich<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyGYZFbHx_LlK7Uzt-Q7Mxg_rcjTwm1MtVSDB_Ywzw1M0FQveqyjw10WqqwXruJPMEY46qs2J8jkkBdNjLB4JVUkKaW3z24k0kKswpSOFxRh6LHXmSoJKoXJ_W2vzHnDdZDNNt4wEPTnw/s1600/Barnes+and+Noble+Heist+Edition.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyGYZFbHx_LlK7Uzt-Q7Mxg_rcjTwm1MtVSDB_Ywzw1M0FQveqyjw10WqqwXruJPMEY46qs2J8jkkBdNjLB4JVUkKaW3z24k0kKswpSOFxRh6LHXmSoJKoXJ_W2vzHnDdZDNNt4wEPTnw/s320/Barnes+and+Noble+Heist+Edition.JPG" width="214" /></a>Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock all summer, you’ve
probably heard about Top Suspenser <a href="http://www.leegoldberg.com/">Lee Goldberg’s</a> collaboration with superstar
author Janet Evanovich. Together they created a new crime series featuring a
female FBI agent and a male crook, and it’s been sitting on top of the charts
ever since it came out June 18.</div>
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But, in the unlikely event you haven’t
heard about it:.</div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><i>FBI Special Agent Kate O’Hare is known for her fierce dedication and
discipline on the job, chasing down the world’s most wanted criminals and
putting them behind bars. Her boss thinks she is tenacious and ambitious; her
friends think she is tough, stubborn, and maybe even a bit obsessed. And while
Kate has made quite a name for herself for the past five years the only name
she’s cared about is Nicolas Fox—an international crook she wants in more ways
than one.
</i></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><i> </i></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><i>Audacious, handsome, and dangerously charming, Nicolas Fox is a
natural con man, notorious for running elaborate scams on very high-profile
people. At first he did it for the money. Now he does it for the thrill. He
knows that the FBI has been hot on his trail—particularly Kate O’Hare, who has
been watching his every move. For Nick, there’s no greater rush than being
pursued by a beautiful woman . . . even one who aims to lock him up. But just
when it seems that Nicolas Fox has been captured for good, he pulls off his
greatest con of all: He convinces the FBI to offer him a job, working side by
side with Special Agent Kate O’Hare.</i></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><i> </i></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><i>Problem is, teaming up to stop a corrupt investment banker who’s
hiding on a private island in Indonesia is going to test O’Hare’s patience and
Fox’s skill. Not to mention the skills of their ragtag team made up of
flamboyant actors, wanted wheelmen, and Kate’s dad. High-speed chases, pirates,
and Toblerone bars are all in a day’s work . . . if O’Hare and Fox don’t kill
each other first.</i></span><br />
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Lee and Janet teamed up because as Lee says, “<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">we are old
friends and we set out to write the kind of book we love to read... pure
escapist adventure, exotic locales, punchy banter, and lots of sexual tension.
We hope the fun we had writing it comes across on the page!”<span style="color: #757575;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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It obviously has. Praise has poured in, including this:</div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“<i>The Heist</i> is the perfect title to carry on a trip to the
beach. The laugh out loud humor that readers expect from Evanovich is in full
force, and Goldberg’s crafty and elaborate writing is prominent. . . . Everyone
will be eager for the next book in the series.”<b>—Associated Press</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“The action is fast-paced and the writing is first-rate, making <i>The
Heist</i> an excellent choice for vacation reading.”<b>—Huntington News<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black;">'Non-stop laughs with plenty of high jinks' -- <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">USA Today</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>'A laugh-out-loud page-turner' -- Heat
'Pithy, witty and fast-paced' -- <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The
Sunday Times</b></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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Btw, there are 285 5-star reviews on Amazon. Do yourself
a favor and check it out! It’s available everywhere, and on <a href="http://amzn.com/B00AD6P44I">Amazon</a>, right here. </div>
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Libby Hellmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14357982182362948869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589131949052086102.post-46318923366028063852013-08-18T18:29:00.005-07:002013-08-18T18:29:58.174-07:00Flashpoint by Ed Gorman<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw_Y20u6bFZwAgIC1HIJxE7fvzfBznTVguveEwtugmgHqBtEUibGUxeSRmVgi8CJg7u13WwlgjrvKftyvR4ppxhdhaHm9BJ9IQMfN76sl9HlWfVGY6ELH8bv9XrXB6C-1pzhs91cOSmjI/s1600/Flashpoint-EdGorman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw_Y20u6bFZwAgIC1HIJxE7fvzfBznTVguveEwtugmgHqBtEUibGUxeSRmVgi8CJg7u13WwlgjrvKftyvR4ppxhdhaHm9BJ9IQMfN76sl9HlWfVGY6ELH8bv9XrXB6C-1pzhs91cOSmjI/s1600/Flashpoint-EdGorman.jpg" /></a></div>
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">"A cynical view of the electoral fourth mystery featuring political consultant Dev Conrad...Everyone has secrets, and Conrad has to unravel enough of them to find a killer and salvage a candidate." </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Publishers Weekly</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />“The Dev Conrad mysteries showcase Gorman’s gifts for creating realistic characters and plotting suspenseful stories.” <br />Booklist</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><b>From Gravetapping: FLASHPOINT by Ed Gorman</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Flashpoint is the fourth novel to feature Dev Conrad. Conrad is a former Army Intelligence operative, and current political consultant. He has a cynical political view. The only thing he likes less than politicians are political consultants, but he loves the game. This time Dev is in Illinois where a client is accused of murder. Not so much by the police, at least not publicly, but definitely by the news media. Or, as Dev Conrad puts it— <br /><br /> “Sex. A senator. A murder. An international orgasm.” <br /> <br />The novel opens with Dev Conrad driving from his Chicago office to Senator Logan’s rural upstate cabin. The senator telephoned Dev with some unidentified trouble, and Conrad, in a state of confusion and dread, is on his way to help. The trouble is a beautiful women lying dead in a pool of her own blood on the porch of Senator Logan’s cabin. The senator has a history with the woman. She was seen at several of his campaign events in recent weeks, and the senator admits to everything but sleeping with her. <br /> <br />The election is a few weeks away, and the story captures the 24 hour cable news cycle, and one of the networks is aligning Senator Logan with the devil. Conrad quickly retains Ben Zuckerman, a top-notch Chicago criminal lawyer, but Logan is holding something back. Conrad doesn’t know what, or why, Logan isn’t forthcoming, but he is certain Logan didn’t kill the woman. <br /> <br />The cast of characters includes Senator Logan’s strong daughter, delicate wife, and manipulative brother. A less than ethical operative from the other side, a beautiful local attorney, a detective, and a somewhat disconcerting federal investigator. It is a dark story, almost cynical, without Mr. Gorman’s usual wary hope. It casts the political system in a stark, and corrupt light. Dev Conrad compares current elected pols with the openly corrupt senators of the late 1800s, which were referred to by the industry each represented rather than their respective home states. <br /> <br />The mystery is top-notch. The murderer isn’t revealed until the final pages, and I was genuinely surprised, but Flashpoint is more than a mystery. It is social commentary on the state of the current American political environment from popular sentiment to its elected officials. It takes a whack at the news media, specifically the cable news networks, and the hatred and misinformation disseminated by certain fringe elements, which have garnered mainstream credentials in recent years. <br /> <br />Flashpoint is a serious and stark novel; however it is told with a wry sense of humor. There are a handful of lines, which made me laugh aloud, and more than a few places where I smiled. Not to mention it isn’t every novel that can make mention of Thomas Eagleton, communists, George W. Bush, conspiracy, and The Manchurian Candidate without devolving into something less than it is. And what it is, is a very fine novel, but be warned Dev Conrad’s cynicism is catching. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span>Dave Zeltsermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04007736514118297783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589131949052086102.post-89692209107184890652013-08-15T22:59:00.000-07:002013-08-15T22:59:00.802-07:00Frontlist Features: HAVANA LOST by Libby Hellmann<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNDD2Wgp-KCqSP5NSrXilvYEzAGIzlHnWBg25qwm-xfBerSgjrHwLAZ_RnmiCgdGn6fchVzTCN7KmDfMX5T2aR84WLVZo8hWIM6mWHKuIJHMZ0Q7CFKJfAWgY8A24z6Nqc1mA69eBHN6Y/s1600/FINALHL+smallest.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNDD2Wgp-KCqSP5NSrXilvYEzAGIzlHnWBg25qwm-xfBerSgjrHwLAZ_RnmiCgdGn6fchVzTCN7KmDfMX5T2aR84WLVZo8hWIM6mWHKuIJHMZ0Q7CFKJfAWgY8A24z6Nqc1mA69eBHN6Y/s320/FINALHL+smallest.jpeg" width="212" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://libbyhellmann.com/">Libby Hellmann </a>used to get jealous when she was a little
girl in the 1950s and her parents flew down to Havana to gamble. She begged
them to take her along. They didn’t, and in 2012 she finally go to go with
her own daughter. The result of her trip was HAVANA LOST, the third in her
so-called Revolution Trilogy.</div>
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Here’s more about the book:</div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">On the eve of the Cuban Revolution, </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">headstrong
18-year-old Francesca Pacelli flees from her ruthless Mafia-boss father in
Havana to the arms of her lover, a rebel fighting with Fidel Castro. Her
father, desperate to send her to safety in the US, resorts to torture and
blackmail as he searches the island for her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">So begins the first part of a spellbinding
saga that spans three generations of the same family. </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Decades later
the Pacelli family is lured back to Cuba by the promise of untold riches. But
pursuing those riches brings danger as well as opportunity, and ultimately,
Francesca must confront the lethal consequences of her choices.</span> <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">From the troubled
streets of Havana to the mean streets of Chicago, HAVANA LOST reveals the true
cost of <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">chasing power instead of love.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">HAVANA LOST is award-winning author Libby Fischer Hellmann’s tenth novel
and third thriller that explores <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">how
strife and revolution affect the human spirit.</span> HAVANA LOST is a
testament to Hellmann’s <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">gift for </span>authentic
historical detail as well as her talent for writing compulsively readable
thrillers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Here's what people are saying about it:</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Hellmann is already an icon of the
Chicago mystery scene. In HAVANA LOST she heads in a bold new direction and
masterfully evokes a Cuba past and present in a heartrending tale..."</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Sean
Chercover, author of THE TRINITY GAME<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">“Hellmann offers
readers a literary tour de force… a story lush with details of another place
and time and lovers whose stars are tragically crossed. The writing in this
thriller will take your breath away."</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">William
Kent Krueger, author of ORDINARY GRACE and the Cork O’Connor series<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">"An
engrossing tale of love, betrayal and revenge that spans three generations of
remarkable women. Hellmann beautifully captures the scents sounds and feel of
Cuba before and after the revolution."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">—Zoë Sharp,
author of the best-selling Charlie Fox crime thriller series<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Libby Hellmann is
a master at crafting an engrossing read.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"> HAVANA LOST is exceptional; the novel
intrigues you from the get-go and keeps you turning pages 'til the last.”—Heather
Graham, NY Times Best-selling author of the </span><span style="background: white; color: black;">KREWE OF HUNTER series</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">“After Fidel took over and Cuba turned Communist,” Libby
says, “the island was suddenly off limits to most Americans. “Because of that,
Cuba seemed more mysterious and exotic. Then, of course, came the Bay of Pigs,
then the Cuban Missile Crisis, which made Cuba even more impenetrable.” Libby
also recalled one of the Godfather films where Al Pacino (Michael Corleone) and
Lee Strasberg (Meyer Lansky) are on a Havana rooftop discussing how they’re
going to own the island. Shortly after that, Michael sees a rebel willing to
die in order to overthrow Batista. "That clinched it. All I needed was a strong
fascinating female character to base the story around, and I found her in Mafia
princess Frankie Pacelli. The rest, as they say, is history.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">The book, which has over 15 reviews on <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17941795-havana-lost">Goodreads</a>, is out today, August 16. You can find it in
print at all the usual suspects, in audio <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Havana-Lost/dp/B00E80B9CG/ref=tmm_aud_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1371047019&sr=1-1-catcorr">here</a>, and in ebook <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Havana-Lost-ebook/dp/B00CS7TICY/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1371047019&sr=1-1-catcorr">at Amazon</a>. For more information, including a "Glossi" digital magazine about Cuba, she invites you to <a href="http://libbyhellmann.com/">her website</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Libby Hellmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14357982182362948869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589131949052086102.post-14567890218258246032013-08-12T09:04:00.000-07:002013-08-13T07:26:02.465-07:00Frontlist Features: COMPOUND MURDER by Bill Crider<div class="MsoNormal">
Most of the Time at Top Suspense we tell you about
our backlist, so those of you who don’t know us have a chance to get acquainted with us at your leisure. But we’re also releasing new novels every year, so today kicks off a look at our new suspense novels -- what publishers call our "frontlist" -- that our members have published over the past year. And it turns out that two of us will be releasing new books this week!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD7rmK77zNvKzZ6QK0_cQv8-6xR7V8w1zkPl57CltBbSrhQlAmgwicxW-33TKFFTzHEjgAngfNtdMtcO9OaD63v68jToeMTyho8lRPrZDJITn6cNwRBAniLzTXEbrB1Imfa_-jWBBly_g/s1600/Compound+Murder+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD7rmK77zNvKzZ6QK0_cQv8-6xR7V8w1zkPl57CltBbSrhQlAmgwicxW-33TKFFTzHEjgAngfNtdMtcO9OaD63v68jToeMTyho8lRPrZDJITn6cNwRBAniLzTXEbrB1Imfa_-jWBBly_g/s320/Compound+Murder+2.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
First up is <a href="http://www.billcrider.com/About_Us.html">Bill Crider</a>, who’s often called the<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>master of the genre, and his 20th Sheriff Dan Rhodes mystery comes out today, August 13. If you don’t know Dan Rhodes you should. Here's more about the book:<br />
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Before classes start one morning, the body of English instructor Earl Wellington
is found outside the building of the community college. Wellington was
clearly involved in a struggle with someone and has died as a result. Sheriff
Dan Rhodes pursues and arrests Ike Terrell, a student who was fleeing the
campus. Ike's father is Able Terrell, a survivalist who has withdrawn from
society and lives in a gated compound. He’s not happy that his son has
chosen to attend the college, and he's even less happy with the arrest.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Rhodes discovers that Wellington and Ike had had a confrontation
over a paper that Wellington insisted Ike plagiarized. Wellington also had
had a confrontation with the dean and was generally disliked by the students.
As the number of suspects increases, it’s up to Rhodes to solve the murder
while also dealing with an amusing but frustrating staff, a professor who wants
to be a cop, and all the other normal occurrences that can wreak havoc in a
small town.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Here’s what Bill himself says about Sheriff Dan Rhodes and his exploits:</div>
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<blockquote>
<i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">"Compound Murder </span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">is the 20th book in the Sheriff Dan Rhodes
series. I wrote it because over the years I've come to enjoy visiting the
sheriff and his friends. Every book is another little piece of the
chronicle of Blacklin County, Texas, that I've been working on since the
mid-1980s. It's fun to tell a story over a period of time and show how
the town and the people have changed. Or not changed. Some people
say they get tired of writing a series over time, and Conan Doyle famously
tried to kill off Sherlock Holmes so he wouldn't have to write about him
anymore. I don't feel that way at all. I still have some more
stories to tell about Rhodes and the kind of crimes that might not shake the
world but that can shake a small town right down to its foundations."</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></blockquote>
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<br />
<i>Compound Murder,</i> which comes out today, August 13, has,a s usual, already garnered praise from many quarters, including the following:<br />
<blockquote>
"Rhodes, often embarrassingly compared to fictional sheriff Sage Barton, successfully emulates that action hero in the clever and satisfying resolution." <i>Publishers Weekly</i>.</blockquote>
<blockquote>
"The latest in the [Sheriff Dan Rhodes] series, Compound Murder: A Dan Rhodes Mystery keeps this fine series rolling along well and is very much worth your time." <i>Kevin Tipple, Blogger News Network</i></blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Every time I see "a Dan Rhodes Mystery" on the cover, I know I'm in for a good time . . . Dan keeps the peace in and around Clearview, Texas with a supporting cast as outrageous as that in Sheriff Andy Taylor's Mayberry. Y'all have fun, now, ya hear?" <i>Meritorious Mysteries</i>.</blockquote>
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<i>Compound Murder</i> is available at all the usual suspects in every conceivable format, but here are links to Amazon, <a href="http://amzn.com/B00B59VJSW">our preferred vendor</a>.</div>
Libby Hellmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14357982182362948869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589131949052086102.post-79557653685867463612013-07-28T08:37:00.002-07:002013-07-28T11:04:28.562-07:00The Big Deal and Top SuspenseAmazon has put the following Top Suspense kindle books on sale for $0.99 as part of their Big Deal sale that runs until Aug. 4th<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Midnight-Room-ebook/dp/B003LN2BBO/ref=sr_1_48?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1375025431&sr=1-48">The Midnight Room by Ed Gorman</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/DEEP-ALIBI-Solomon-Series-ebook/dp/B007TLNHXA/ref=sr_1_9?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1375025497&sr=1-9">Deep Blue Alibi by Paul Levine</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Innocence-Georgia-Davis-Series-ebook/dp/B001UE8J4Y/ref=sr_1_19?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1375025465&sr=1-19">Easy Innocence by Libby Fischer Hellmann</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/SHOT-Ellie-Foreman-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B008EOCPFC/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1375028460&sr=1-1&keywords=A+Shot+to+Die+For">A Shot to Die For by Libby Fischer Hellmann</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ellie-Foreman-Mysteries-Suspense-ebook/dp/B008R3RRZS/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1375028534&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Ellie+Foreman+Mysteries">The Ellie Foreman Mysteries -- Boxed Set by Libby Fischer Hellmann </a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Stone-Cold-Thriller-Series-ebook/dp/B00AAFIIH2/ref=sr_1_4?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1375025521&sr=1-4">Stone Cold by Joel Goldman</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Deadlocked-Lou-Mason-Thrillers-ebook/dp/B005TAJAWK/ref=sr_1_5?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1375025541&sr=1-5">Deadlocked by Joel Goldman</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Times-Mason-Thrillers-ebook/dp/B0061NZQHW/ref=sr_1_14?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1375025570&sr=1-14">Dead Times Four by Joel Goldman</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Julius-Katz-Archie-Detective-ebook/dp/B0050VI5OM/ref=sr_1_42?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1375024586&sr=1-42">Julius Katz and Archie by Dave Zeltserman</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Angry-Julius-Stories-Detective-ebook/dp/B0085MZDCK/ref=pd_sim_kstore_3">One Angry Julius and Other Stories by Dave Zeltserman</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/21-Tales-ebook/dp/B003GDJMWK/ref=sr_1_59?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1375025403&sr=1-59">21 Tales by Dave Zeltserman</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Watch-Me-Die-ebook/dp/B003BLPGZO/ref=sr_1_11?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1375025606&sr=1-11">Watch Me Die by Lee Goldberg</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Space-Charlie-Willis-ebook/dp/B002HWSL5K/ref=sr_1_37?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1375025626&sr=1-37">Deadspace by Lee Goldberg</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Crime-Nathan-Heller-Novels-ebook/dp/B0054LXWZU/ref=sr_1_21?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1375025672&sr=1-21">True Crime by Max Allan Collins ($1.99)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Flying-Nathan-Heller-Novels-ebook/dp/B0054LXX4K/ref=sr_1_41?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1375025732&sr=1-41">Flying Blind by Max Allan Collins ($1.99)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Triple-Play-Nathan-Casebook-ebook/dp/B0054LXWXW/ref=sr_1_33?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1375025702&sr=1-33">Triple Play by Max Allan Collins ($1.99)</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Memorial-Day-Callahan-Novels-ebook/dp/B003DKK1GM/ref=sr_1_44?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1375025763&sr=1-44">Memorial Day by Harry Shannon</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Eye-Burning-Man-Callahan-ebook/dp/B003DKK1HQ/ref=sr_1_49?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1375025790&sr=1-49">Eye of the Burning Man by Harry Shannon</a>Dave Zeltsermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04007736514118297783noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589131949052086102.post-52238607796902473472013-07-24T17:24:00.000-07:002013-07-24T17:24:34.618-07:00Ed Gorman interviewedOver on <a href="http://therapsheet.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/what-ed-said.html" target="_blank">The Rap Sheet</a>, J Kingston Pierce conducts an excellent long interview with Ed Gorman:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Gorman’s efforts have not gone unrecognized. As I mention in today’s <i>Kirkus</i>
column, he has at various times received the Shamus Award, the Bram
Stoker Award, the Spur Award, and The Eye, the lifetime achievement
award given out by the Private Eye Writers of America (PWA). But his
influence doesn’t stop there. Together with author <a href="http://www.thrillingdetective.com/trivia/randisi_r.html">Robert J. Randisi</a>, in 1985 he created <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mystery_Scene_Magazine"><i>Mystery Scene</i> magazine</a>, for which he still pens a regular column, “Gormania.” From 2008 to 2009 he served as <a href="http://www.privateeyewriters.com/past_officers.html">president of the PWA</a>. And he’s been a frequently enthusiastic supporter (occasionally through <a href="http://newimprovedgorman.blogspot.com/">his blog</a>) of efforts by other
wordsmiths looking to break into the fiction-writing game or win greater
recognition for their talents.<br />
<br />
“Ed Gorman’s talent as a writer is matched only by his generosity to
other writers,” Randisi told me in a recent e-note. “Indeed, he’s a true
Renaissance man because he has also been columnist, reviewer,
and publisher in this business. But I’ve also been privileged over the
years to have Ed as a friend, and perhaps that is where he has been the
most invaluable.”</blockquote>
<a href="http://therapsheet.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/what-ed-said.html" target="_blank">Click here</a> to read the complete interview.Stephen Gallagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280419153030490653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589131949052086102.post-19929152774930605592013-07-15T07:45:00.000-07:002013-07-15T07:45:08.741-07:00London Between the Wars: Of Crimes and Costermongers<a href="http://www.paul-levine.com/" target="_blank">Paul Levine</a> interviews New York Times bestselling author Jacqueline Winspear on his Pulp Friction Podcast <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/authorsontheair/2013/07/08/pulp-friction-with-paul-levine-welcomes-jacqueline-winspear" target="_blank">here</a>. Jackie sets her "Maisie Dobbs" crime fiction series in the 1920's and 30's in London. If you don't know what a "costermonger" is, this is the place to find out!paul levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026534960288055517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589131949052086102.post-5076606091285583212013-07-08T07:23:00.000-07:002013-07-08T07:23:06.989-07:00The Science ThrillerAs someone whose stories have often turned on an element of science - imagined science in the early days, real science later on - I was recently in Dublin for a panel discussion hosted by Trinity College as part of the <a href="http://europaws.org/festival/" target="_blank">European Science TV and New Media Festival</a>. It wasn't a debate, as such; everybody brought something different to the panel and we ranged from the coaching of actors to achieve authenticity, to the dangers of embracing bad science for popular appeal, to the wider use of media to communicate real and urgent science issues in accessible ways.<br />
<br />
Along the way I referred to a document that I'd written for private circulation back in March 2009, when we were waiting to hear if CBS were going to pick up <b>Eleventh Hour</b> for a second season. Our figures were good but the omens weren't, as we'd only been given a partial order for extra episodes instead of the full 'back nine' to complete the first season.<br />
<br />
This was a memo that I'd written at the request of the Bruckheimer people, spitballing a future direction for the show and reflecting on why our science thrillers could hold a unique place alongside the forensics and the procedurals elsewhere on the network. Having mentioned it in Dublin, I said that I'd put it online when I got home. So if you were there, here it is.<br />
<br />
And even if you weren't, <a href="http://www.stephengallagher.com/bedlam/eleventhhourseasontwo.pdf">here it is anyway</a>. It's a gathering of thoughts resulting from my experience on the ITV show, where I had little control and my commitment to scientific probity was considered unhelpful, and from the US episodes which represent some of the most satisfying work I've ever done.<br />
<br />
The whole thing runs just over four pages and <a href="http://www.stephengallagher.com/bedlam/eleventhhourseasontwo.pdf">the PDF is here.</a> <br />
<br />
Here's an extract:
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><b>Villains and Guest Characters</b></i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>At the beginning of my career I wrote a miniseries called Chimera, a variant on the Frankenstein story with a cold-hearted scientist as its villain. It made some waves, and through various debates and public events brought me into contact with a lot of real-world science professionals. I found that these scientists were, almost without exception, sharp, cultured, funny, and great late-night company. They were well-read, they listened to opera, they played musical instruments. Future Nobel prizewinner Paul Nurse was a motorbike nut (and was the guy who first encouraged me to dream up a real-science drama). Biologist Jack Cohen advised sf writers on alien-building. All were genuinely excited to be doing the work they did.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDtTM7BkKL4mDPMfU8CSDnfO1wXVlXrxrt-ICRH_WgClanzrKgUJr6OWAb5Kd-tSrnJK9WZuHEID2ZOX5NVQbkpMVE4nqUTdw7rKMUtsUHIkgvkARsUiwKr0fdnKoGjedM26z1Cm5f/s1600/11thH7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDtTM7BkKL4mDPMfU8CSDnfO1wXVlXrxrt-ICRH_WgClanzrKgUJr6OWAb5Kd-tSrnJK9WZuHEID2ZOX5NVQbkpMVE4nqUTdw7rKMUtsUHIkgvkARsUiwKr0fdnKoGjedM26z1Cm5f/s320/11thH7.jpg" width="320" /></a>As much as these real scientists shaped my picture of Hood, they also shaped my attitude to science villains. The ruthless, 'playing God' stereotype, arguing that harm can be justified in the name of progress, is a cartoon. Science's villains are the same recognisably human people as those regular scientists. But they become villains through regular human flaws, not by Nazi logic. They sell out, or screw up. They can bend the truth to suit their paymasters or the policymakers, and call it 'being realistic'. They can be reckless, they can underestimate danger, they can lie to cover their mistakes, they can take desperate measures to cover their lies. But science's villains are characterised by their human failings, not by single-minded immoral intent.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>And often they won't even be scientists, but people who co-opt science to their own purposes. CEOs, charlatans, toxic waste dumpers, politicians, lobbyists, thieves, counterfeiters, scammers, conspiracy theorists, drug lords, mobsters. People like the real-life international hustler and would-be breakthrough human cloner who provided the model for the bad guy in my very first story.</i></blockquote>
The memo was never intended for public circulation but I reckon enough time's probably passed by now.<br />
<br />
You may find it a useful snapshot of a discussion in the show-making process. Just bear in mind that we didn't get the pickup!Stephen Gallagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280419153030490653noreply@blogger.com0