January 5, 2007

Happy New Year!

Bookreporter.com Talks to Lalita Tademy, Author of RED RIVER

Bookreporter.com Talks to Julia Navarro, Author of THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE HOLY SHROUD

Bookreporter.com Talks to Alan Campbell, Author of SCAR NIGHT

New Featured Suspense/Thriller Author: Robert Dugoni, Author of DAMAGE CONTROL

New Featured One to Watch Author: Hisham Matar, Author of IN THE COUNTRY OF MEN

New Featured One to Watch Author: J.G. Sandom, Author of GOSPEL TRUTHS

Featured Suspense/Thriller Author: Steve Berry, Author of THE ALEXANDRIA LINK

Featured Suspense/Thriller Author: William Landay, Author of THE STRANGLER

Featured Suspense/Thriller Author: Frank Turner Hollon, Author of BLOOD AND CIRCUMSTANCE

Featured Mystery Mayhem Author: Deanna Raybourn, Author of SILENT IN THE GRAVE

New Featured One to Watch Author: Gayle Brandeis, Author of SELF STORAGE

New Featured Romantic Suspense Title: MOST LIKELY TO DIE by Lisa Jackson, Beverly Barton and Wendy Corsi Staub

Poll and Question of the Week

Historical Fiction Promotion

10th Anniversary Page and Pictures

Happy New Year!

Here's to a great 2007! I hope you all had a memorable holiday season. We had a wonderful time on the Outer Banks. I got a Tom Tom GPS system as a gift since I am forever getting lost. The amusing thing about this is that my husband's name is Tom and whenever I would get lost I would call him for directions. My older son programmed it to have a British woman's voice and thus we now are told "stay on the motorway" and all kinds of other little British-isms. We already have had a fight with Miss Tom Tom, who we have yet to name. On the drive up we took the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel while she wanted us to take 95. Thus for 20 minutes Miss Tom Tom kept telling us to "take the next U turn, make a left and turn around." Maybe it was our imaginations, but she sounded more and more insistent each time she said this. We did not listen and eventually she complied. Then we all were startled out of our skin at one point when we had been driving in silence for about an hour and Miss Tom Tom perked up and said "Turn right here." I see us having many adventures ahead!
 
It was a wonderfully bookish week, which I started off reading SANTA CRUISE by Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark. I needed a quick holiday read to get in the spirit of things. Then I read Steve Berry's THE ALEXANDRIA LINK, which we have been featuring for you. It's in stores on January 30th. I enjoyed this enormously and appreciated getting to know his lead character, Cotton Malone, who we first met in THE TEMPLAR LEGACY a lot better as he returns in this novel.
 
Then I took a chick lit break and read SHOPAHOLIC & BABY by Sophie Kinsella, which will be in stores on February 27th. My son loves these books as he tells me he feels he can understand women a lot better reading them. He sat on the deck reading and yucking it up and thus I could not wait to read it. I was not disappointed! You may have caught my quote that people are raving about Kinsella in Tuesday's USA Today.
 
From there I moved on to Linda Fairstein's BAD BLOOD, which is in stores on January 16th. I love that I learn something new each time I read one of Fairstein's books. In this one her thriller is wrapped up in the story of a family of sandhogs, a slang term given to construction workers who work underground on a variety of excavation projects. Beginning with their first job in 1871, the Brooklyn Bridge, the "hogs" have built a large part of the city of  New York --- the subways and sewers and foundations for bridges and skyscrapers.The story is riveting; I finished the book as we exited the New Jersey Turnpike and I have to say I appreciate water in the city of New York a whole new way now. We look forward to sharing this one with you.

Robert Dugoni, author of DAMAGE CONTROL, which comes out January 30th, is our newest featured Suspense/Thriller author. We previously featured him as a Debut Suspense/Thriller author for his novel THE JURY MASTER. Relentlessly paced and intelligent, DAMAGE CONTROL solidifies Dugoni's place among the masters of the genre. It was just terrific when I read it back in October.

We have 20 advance reading copies of DAMAGE CONTROL by Robert Dugoni to give away to readers who would like to preview the book and comment about it. A description can be found by clicking the link below. If you are interested, please send your name and mailing address to SuspenseThriller@bookreporter.com by Friday, January 19, 2007.

We also have two new featured One to Watch authors --- Hisham Matar and J.G. Sandom. Hisham Matar's debut novel, IN THE COUNTRY OF MEN, was shortlisted for the 2006 Man Booker Prize and is a searing portrait of beauty, pain and loss.

We have 10 advance reading copies of IN THE COUNTRY OF MEN by Hisham Matar to give away to readers who would like to preview the book and comment about it. A description can be found by clicking the link below. If you are interested, please send your name and mailing address to OneToWatch@bookreporter.com by Friday, January 12, 2007.

Our second featured One to Watch author is J.G. Sandom, whose GOSPEL TRUTHS is a "masterful first novel, based on a true incident, spins a complicated web of corruption, greed, and deception that connects international banking, high Vatican officials, notorious fascist scoundrels, and the London police."

We have 10 advance reading copies of GOSPEL TRUTHS by J.G. Sandom to give away to readers who would like to preview the book and comment about it. A description can be found by clicking the link below. If you are interested, please send your name and mailing address to OneToWatch2@bookreporter.com by Friday, January 12, 2007.

(Please note the slightly different emails as we have two One to Watch features running simultaneously)

We also have news of a very interesting contest for you. Ever wanted to win a library of thrillers, all signed? The International Thriller Writers Organization is giving away just such a prize. To enter all you have to do is go to www.150Thrillers.com before February 15th and sign up to get the free ITW newsletter. Oh, and I also think you also should plot out how to find some shelf space.
 
This weekend is going to be all about dismantling Christmas from around the house. Boxes from the attic and back to the attic. Who needs a stairmaster? Oh, and amazing news for all of you who left off wondering about the 3-D cookies. They worked! My younger son managed to get the sleigh, the reindeer, the snowman and the tree ALL standing. Now I just have to go dust the cookies.
 
Wishing you a great week. Make some time to curl up with a book. I am reading, and enjoying, THE ASSASSIN by Andrew Britton. His debut novel, THE AMERICAN, was a favorite of mine and I hope it's cold enough to tap into the half cord of wood sitting on our porch as part of my Christmas present, build a fire and read!


Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)

List of titles reviewed and featured on January 5th.

List of titles reviewed and featured on December 15th.

Bookreporter.com Talks to Lalita Tademy, Author of RED RIVER

Lalita Tademy, author of the critically acclaimed CANE RIVER, once again blends American history with stories of her ancestors in her latest book, RED RIVER. In this interview with Bookreporter.com's Stephen Hubbard, Tademy explains why she chose to fictionalize events from her family history rather than portray them in a work of nonfiction, and describes the challenge of writing a new book after the unexpected success of her debut novel. She also discusses some of the early roadblocks of researching the little-known catastrophe on which RED RIVER is centered, and reveals why she is considering trying her hand at contemporary fiction in the future.

RED RIVER by Lalita Tademy (Historical Fiction)
Reviewed by Stephen Hubbard
Lalita Tademy weaves together history and the story of her own family to bring readers an epic work of fiction --- the dramatic, intertwining story of two families struggling to make a place for themselves in an America deeply divided after the Civil War.

Bookreporter.com Talks to Julia Navarro, Author of THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE HOLY SHROUD

Madrid-based journalist Julia Navarro's first attempt at writing fiction resulted in the international bestselling novel THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE HOLY SHROUD, which was recently translated from its original Spanish and released in the U.S. In this interview with Bookreporter.com's Marcia Ford, Navarro describes the chance event that sparked her interest in the religious relic upon which her book is based, and explains how she managed to blend history, legend and products of her own imagination to produce this mystery thriller. She also discusses the transition from journalism to novel-writing and shares her eagerness to see how American readers respond to her work.

THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE HOLY SHROUD written by Julia Navarro, translated by Andrew Hurley (Fiction)
Reviewed by Marcia Ford
A fire at the Cathedral of Turin and the discovery of a strangely mutilated body attract the attention of Italy's special Art Crimes Department. For the fire is only the latest in a troubling series of arsons and break-ins at the cathedral, which houses what millions believe to be the authentic burial shroud of Jesus Christ.

Click here to read our interview with Julia Navarro and a review of THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE HOLY SHROUD.

Bookreporter.com Talks to Alan Campbell, Author of SCAR NIGHT

Alan Campbell, a designer and programmer for the internationally bestselling video game Grand Theft Auto, has published his debut work of fiction, SCAR NIGHT. In this interview with Bookreporter.com's Stephen Hubbard, Campbell describes the varied career paths that led him to writing the novel and explains how other fantasy heavyweights such as George R. R. Martin and Mervyn Peake have influenced his work. He also touches upon some of the book's recurring themes and images, discusses the similarities and differences between writing and game coding, and shares what readers can look forward to in future installments of this series.

SCAR NIGHT by Alan Campbell (Fantasy)
Reviewed by Stephen Hubbard
Suspended by chains over a seemingly bottomless abyss, the ancient city of Deepgate is home to a young angel, an assassin, and a psychotic murderer hungry for revenge --- or redemption. But soon a shocking betrayal will unite all three in a desperate quest.

Click here to read our interview with Alan Campbell and a review of SCAR NIGHT.

New Featured Suspense/Thriller Author: Robert Dugoni, Author of DAMAGE CONTROL

Robert Dugoni, our newest featured Suspense/Thriller author, has graduated from his Debut Suspense/Thriller status --- where we last featured him for THE JURY MASTER --- and established himself as as a top contender in the genre. His newest work is DAMAGE CONTROL, a thriller about a gifted attorney whose perfect world is torn apart by secrets and a crime only she can solve --- if she can stay alive. The book hits shelves on February 14th.

We have 20 advance copies of DAMAGE CONTROL to share with readers who would like to read the book and comment on it. Interested? Then send your name and mailing address to SuspenseThriller@bookreporter.com by Friday, January 19th.

More about DAMAGE CONTROL:
A rising star at her prestigious Seattle law firm, Dana Hill knows all about stress. She pours herself into her work and family with all the energy she has. But her carefully balanced life is about to be turned upside down. First a frightening medical diagnosis forces her to reassess her roles as a lawyer, mother, and wife to a man she suddenly no longer trusts. Then her life is rocked further by the shocking and brutal murder of her twin brother.

As Dana and Logan chase the faint trail of evidence from Seattle to Maui, they threaten the reputation, career, and future of a powerful man who will stop at nothing to protect what he considers his. But for Dana, for whom time has a special meaning, nothing --- not even her own life --- is more important than finding the truth. She has moved beyond fear and beyond anyone's attempts at damage control.

New Featured One to Watch Author: Hisham Matar, Author of IN THE COUNTRY OF MEN

One of our two newest featured One to Watch authors is Hisham Matar, whose poignant and breathtaking debut novel, IN THE COUNTRY OF MEN, comes out on January 30th.

We have 10 advance copies of IN THE COUNTRY OF MEN to share with readers who would like to read the book and comment on it. Interested? Then send your name and mailing address to OneToWatch@bookreporter.com by Friday, January 12th.

More about IN THE COUNTRY OF MEN:
Libya, 1979. Nine-year-old Suleiman's days are circumscribed by the narrow rituals of childhood: outings to the ruins surrounding Tripoli, games with friends played under the burning sun, exotic gifts from his father's constant business trips abroad. But his nights have come to revolve around his mother's increasingly disturbing bedside stories full of old family bitterness. And then one day Suleiman sees his father across the square of a busy marketplace, his face wrapped in a pair of dark sunglasses. Wasn't he supposed to be away on business yet again? Why is he going into that strange building with the green shutters? Why did he lie?

IN THE COUNTRY OF MEN is a stunning depiction of a child confronted with the private fallout of a public nightmare. But above all, it is a debut of rare insight and literary grace.

New Featured One to Watch Author: J.G. Sandom, Author of GOSPEL TRUTHS

Our second featured One to Watch author is J.G. Sandom, winner of the Academy of American Poets Prize. With GOSPEL TRUTHS, coming out January 30th, Sandom weaves a compelling tale of corruption, greed and deception.

We have 10 advance copies of GOSPEL TRUTHS to share with readers who would like to read the book and comment on it. Interested? Then send your name and mailing address to OnetoWatch2@bookreporter.com by Friday, January 12th.

Please note the slightly different email address as we have two One to Watch author features running simultaneously.

More About GOSPEL TRUTHS:
They have been drawn into a plot more insidious than anything they could have imagined --- a battle to control one of religion's greatest secrets. For English detective Nigel Lyman, it begins with the suspicious suicide of a corrupt Italian banker in London. For French-born Mariane Soury-Fontaine, it starts with the mysterious disappearance of her lover. And for American mathematician Joseph Koster, the search leads through France's soaring cathedrals to the baffling labyrinths that masons once carefully inscribed in their floors.

These strangers are about to crack a code that dozens have died for, a puzzle whose power reaches back to the birth of the Christian faith, through the echoing halls of the Vatican, and to the dark, corrupt realms of organized crime. Now staying alive is the ultimate challenge. Because the next revelation is the most forbidden of all...

Featured Suspense/Thriller Author: Steve Berry, Author of THE ALEXANDRIA LINK

Steve Berry truly needs no introduction. An established master of the suspense/thriller genre, Berry is the author of such bestsellers as THE TEMPLAR LEGACY, THE THIRD SECRET and THE ROMANOV PROPHECY. His newest page-turner, THE ALEXANDRIA LINK, hits stores January 30th and will satisfy fans of Berry's distinctive brand of historically-inflected thrills.

-Click here to see our advance reader copy winners
-Click here to see Steve Berry's backlist.
-Click here to read fast facts about Steve Berry.

More about THE ALEXANDRIA LINK:
Cotton Malone retired from the high-risk world of elite operatives for the U.S. State Department to lead the low-key life of a rare-book dealer. But his quiet existence is shattered when he receives an anonymous e-mail: "You have something I want. You're the only person on earth who knows where to find it. Go get it. You have 72 hours. If I don't hear from you, you will be childless." His horrified ex-wife confirms that the threat is real: Their teenage son has been kidnapped. When Malone's Copenhagen bookshop is burned to the ground, it becomes brutally clear that those responsible will stop at nothing to get what they want. And what they want is nothing less than the lost Library of Alexandria.

Featured Suspense/Thriller Author: William Landay, Author of THE STRANGLER

One of our Suspense/Thriller authors is William Landay, whose highly acclaimed MISSION FLATS was awarded the John Creasey Memorial Dagger as the best debut crime novel of 2003. Now, with THE STRANGLER --- hitting stores January 30th --- Landay proves himself a fascinating and complex writer whose terrifying novel will leave readers breathless.

-Click here to see our advance copy winners
-Click here to read Fast Facts about William Landay.

More about THE STRANGLER:
Boston, 1963. A city on edge. On street corners, newsboys hawk the shocking headline: KENNEDY IS DEAD. In the city's underworld, a mob war rages. But what terrifies Bostonians most is the mysterious killer who has already claimed a dozen victims, a murderer whose name is indelibly linked to their city: the Boston Strangler. This is the electrifying backdrop of William Landay's magnificent new novel, a story of one Irish-American family, a city under siege, and the long shadow cast by the most infamous killer of his day...

Click here to read more about William Landay and THE STRANGLER.

Featured Suspense/Thriller Author: Frank Turner Hollon, Author of BLOOD AND CIRCUMSTANCE

One of our featured Suspense/Thriller authors is Frank Turner Hollon, who has written THE GOD FILE, THE PAINS OF APRIL, LIFE IS A STRANGE PLACE and A THIN DIFFERENCE. His latest fascinating and frightening medical thriller is BLOOD AND CIRCUMSTANCE --- available in stores on January 16th --- a chilling tale that unfolds in the most unexpected way.

-Click here to see our advance copy winners
-Click here to read an excerpt from BLOOD AND CIRCUMSTANCE.
-Click here to see Frank Turner Hollon's backlist.

More about BLOOD AND CIRCUMSTANCE:
The pretrial interview sessions between a killer and a doctor create an intricate tale of murder, mercy, and madness.

Joel Stabler takes the life of his beloved brother Danny in what appears to be a mercy killing. When Joel's lawyers assign a psychologist to determine his sanity at the time of the shooting, the full story of the brothers' past --- and long family history of mental illness --- begins to unfold.

Featured Mystery Mayhem Author: Deanna Raybourn, Author of SILENT IN THE GRAVE

Our newest featured Mystery Mayhem author is Deanna Raybourn, whose compelling blend of historical suspense and intelligent prose puts her in the Jacqueline Winspear category of smart thrills and chills. SILENT IN THE GRAVE is Raybourn's debut novel, and it hit shelves January 1st.

-Click here to read an excerpt from SILENT IN THE GRAVE
-Click here to see our advance copy winners.

More about SILENT IN THE GRAVE:
A psychotic murderer is about to make his one mistake.

Underestimating Lady Julia.

To say that Lady Julia met Nicholas Brisbane over her husband's dead body is not entirely accurate. Edward -- it should be noted -- was still twitching upon the floor.

Lady Julia Grey is a London aristocrat with a wildly eccentric family and a husband she does not love. When her husband dies, she discovers that Edward was the target of menacing notes. Enlisting the help of detective Nicholas Brisbane, Julia begins to sleuth for clues to unravel the mystery of Edward's death. As she does so, she discovers that she has more in common with her unconventional family than she would like to admit, and also finds herself increasingly attracted to Nicholas, a man with a few mysteries of his own.

New Featured One to Watch Author: Gayle Brandeis, Author of SELF STORAGE

One of our featured One to Watch authors is Gayle Brandeis, a skilled and compelling writer whose wry meditation on love, marriage and friendship --- SELF STORAGE --- comes out January 23rd.

-Click here to see our advance copy winners.
-Click here to read an excerpt from SELF STORAGE.
-Click here to read critical praise for SELF STORAGE.

More About SELF STORAGE:
Set during the year following the September 11 attacks, SELF STORAGE explores the raw insecurities of a changed society. With lush writing, great humor, and a genuine heart, Gayle Brandeis takes a peek into the souls of a woman and a community-and reveals that it is not our differences that drive us apart but our willful concealment of the qualities that connect us all.

Click here to read more about Gayle Brandeis and SELF STORAGE.

New Featured Romantic Suspense Title: MOST LIKELY TO DIE by Lisa Jackson, Beverly Barton and Wendy Corsi Staub

We are THRILLED to be featuring MOST LIKELY TO DIE as our newest Romantic Suspense title. A collaborative effort by three New York Times bestselling authors and mistresses of the genre --- Lisa Jackson, Beverly Barton and Wendy Corsi Staub --- MOST LIKELY TO DIE (available January 30th) is a thrilling novel about love, revenge and the dark secrets three women hold to a terrifying murder.

-Click here to see our advance copy winners.

More About MOST LIKELY TO DIE:
A Killer Who Gets Away With Murder Once...

It's been twenty years since the night Jake Marcott was brutally murdered at St. Elizabeth High School. It's a night that shattered the lives of Lindsay Farrell, Kirsten Daniels, and Rachel Alsace. It's a night they'll never forget. A killer will make sure of that...

Finds It Easier To Kill Again...

A 20-year reunion has been scheduled for St. Elizabeth's. For some alumni, very special invitations have been sent: their smiling senior pictures slashed by an angry red line...

And Again...And Again...

Three women have been marked for death. Tonight, as the music plays, and the doors of St. Elizabeth are sealed, a killer will finish what was started long ago, and the sins of the past will be paid for in blood...

WHEN DARKNESS FALLS by James Grippando (Thriller)
Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
Miami criminal defense attorney Jack Swyteck is called to defend a man named Falcon. But when the body of a brutally murdered woman is found in the trunk of the abandoned car in which he is living, a panicked Falcon takes Jack's best friend, Theo, hostage. Jack must work with the cops and their negotiator to free Theo and other captives before Falcon decides he has nothing to lose by killing them all.

-Click here to read an excerpt from WHEN DARKNESS FALLS.

SLIVER OF TRUTH by Lisa Unger (Thriller)
Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon
Ridley Jones is swept into a whirlpool of deceit and danger as she struggles to discover the truth about her dead (or is he?) father and herself in this irresistible and intelligent thriller, a sequel to Lisa Unger's sensational debut novel, BEAUTIFUL LIES.

-Click here to read an excerpt from SLIVER OF TRUTH.

THE SHAPE SHIFTER by Tony Hillerman (Mystery)
Reviewed by Roz Shea
Since his retirement from the Navajo Tribal Police, Joe Leaphorn occasionally has been enticed to return to work by former colleagues who seek his help when they need to solve a particularly puzzling crime. But this time the problem is with an old case of Joe's --- an unsolved case that continues to haunt him.

-Click here to read an excerpt from THE SHAPE SHIFTER.

THE CAT WHO HAD 60 WHISKERS by Lilian Jackson Braun (Mystery)
Reviewed by Marge Fletcher
Moose County, 400 miles north of everywhere, is in an uproar (good and bad) following vast inheritances from wealthy old families. Only "Cool Koko" knows what's happening...and he's not telling. Jim Qwilleran thinks it's because he has more whiskers than ordinary cats, but who's counting?

IN THIS RAIN by S. J. Rozan (Mystery)
Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
Joe Cole is a former city investigator who now lives a broken life, cut off from his wife and daughter, and from the city he once knew so well. But for Joe, everything changes when a woman's murder and a teenager's rooftop freefall rip open old wounds --- and reveal a shocking layer of rage and deception.

FIND ME by Carol O'Connell (Thriller)
Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
Introduced in MALLORY'S ORACLE, Carol O'Connell's debut novel, New York City homicide detective Kathleen Mallory and her origins have been as mysterious as a number of her cases. FIND ME, O'Connell's latest work, provides Mallory and her fans with some answers.

THE BLACK SUN by James Twining (Thriller)
Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott
In Maryland, a vicious gang breaks into the National Cryptologic Museum and steals a Nazi Enigma machine. In a London hospital, an Auschwitz survivor is murdered in his bed, his killers making off with his severed left arm. And in Prague, a seemingly worthless painting is stolen from a synagogue. Three cities. Three puzzling thefts. Could there possibly be a connection?

FALL: The Rape and Murder of Innocence in a Small Town by Ron Franscell (True Crime)
Reviewed by Barbara Lipkien Gershenbaum
On a chilly autumn night in 1973, Casper, Wyoming, two young half-sisters were abducted, brutally beaten, raped and murdered. Unable to shake the demons of that night, author and Casper native Ron Franscell returns 30 years later to examine the widespread effect of evil and its poisonous effect on the people and town of Casper.

THE NEW AMERICAN WORKPLACE by James O'Toole and Edward E. Lawler III (Business)
Reviewed by Marge Fletcher
In 1972-73, a survey was conducted to examine working conditions throughout the United States. THE NEW AMERICAN WORKPLACE brings that survey to the 21st century, examining all aspects of work and the American worker in today's global economy.

Poll and Question of the Week

Poll:

Did you receive books this holiday season?

-Yes
-Yes, but I never receive enough thus I am headed out shopping.
-No, but I wish I did.
-No

-Click here to answer our Poll.

Question:

What is your reading resolution this year?

-Click here to answer our Question of the Week.