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August 13, 2004

Bookreporter.com Newsletter August 13, 2004
This Week on Bookreporter.com
On the Road Again...Re-Packing the Books
AMERICAN SOLDIER by Tommy Franks
Our New Suspense/Thriller Author: Greg Rucka, Author of A GENTLEMAN'S GAME and Steve Berry, Author of THE ROMANOV PROPHECY
THE DEVIL'S BANKER by Christopher Reich is Now in Paperback
Debut Suspense/Thriller Author Feature: Raelynn Hillhouse, Author of RIFT ZONE; plus David Wolstencroft, Author of GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS
Library Journal's Most Borrowed Books List
This Week's Book Reviews and Features
Poll: Which of the following books have you read or are you looking forward to reading?
Question of the Week: What do you think will be remembered as the book of summer for 2004?
Word of Mouth: Tell Us What You're Reading -- TWO Prizes!
On The Book Report Network
 
Bookreporter.com
Past Reviews
Can't See the Graphics? Read This Newsletter Online
Past Poll: How many books are on your "to be read" pile right now?
Past Question of the Week: Book That Kept You Up All Night
On the Road Again...Re-Packing the Books
 
On the road again...today we leave for a week of vacation on the Outer Banks. I am hoping Hurricane Charley does not get in the way of our plans. For those of you who are in his path, we hold thoughts that the storm makes a mad dash out to sea. This is the third weekend in a row that I have packed a suitcase. Last weekend when we got back my older son said, "I have an idea. We don't even need to pack again. Just pull out the books we read and put new ones in." I think that shows incredible foresight about priorities! Of course, being a mom, I did opt to do a couple of loads of laundry as well.

We share our new Suspense/Thriller Author Spotlight author with you this week, Greg Rucka, author of A GENTLEMAN'S GAME: A Queen & Country Novel, which will be in stores on September 28th. The book opens with a terrorist attack on the London subway (or rather shall I say, the tube). The scenario is stunningly scary since you realize how easy it would be to accomplish something like this. To solve the crime, in steps Tara Chace, the new head of special operations for British Intelligence. Throw away the old rules, the old school, the old-boy network. The world of international espionage is about to learn the hard way that spying is no longer merely a gentleman's game. Would you like to be one of our 20 advance readers of A GENTLEMAN'S GAME? Then send your name and mailing address to SuspenseThriller@Bookreporter.com by Friday, August 27th.

Last weekend I read Sandra Brown's new one, WHITE HOT, which hits stores on Tuesday. My favorite all-time Brown book was ENVY; this one is a very close second. It has a twist I never saw coming. Brown said she wanted to write a "swampy" book and she set this one in Louisiana in summer. I did crank up the A/C more than once reading it. We will have more on this book next week, including an interview with Brown.

In my haste last week I noted that Nelson DeMille's John Corey was seen in GOLD COAST when I KNEW it was THE LION'S GAME. Also, NIGHT FALL's pub date changed to November 22nd. Revise your calendars! And I will let my brain catch up with my fingers.

Have a great week. I have a large, very large canvas tote filled with books. Eight days of travel; sixteen books. Sounds just right.

Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)

 
AMERICAN SOLDIER by Tommy Franks
 
AMERICAN SOLDIER by General Tommy Franks, with Malcolm McConnell (Memoir)
Reviewed by Robert Finn
In this riveting memoir General Tommy Franks, who commanded Coalition forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, tells his life story --- from his boyhood in Oklahoma and Midland, Texas, through a lifetime of military service, including his heroic tour as an Artillery officer in Vietnam.
Read a review of AMERICAN SOLDIER here.
 
Read more about Greg Rucka here. Read more about Steve Berry here.
Our New Suspense/Thriller Author: Greg Rucka, Author of A GENTLEMAN'S GAME and Steve Berry, Author of THE ROMANOV PROPHECY
 
Our new Suspense/Thriller author is Greg Rucka, author of A GENTLEMAN'S GAME, which is on-sale September 28th. Want to be one of 20 readers selected to receive an advance copy to comment on? Then send an email to SuspenseThriller@bookreporter.com with you mailing address by Friday, August 27th.

Click on the link below to read more about the author.

Here's more about A GENTLEMAN'S GAME by Greg Rucka:
Tara Chace may be the most dangerous woman alive. She can seduce you into believing she's the woman of your dreams --- or kill you with the icy efficiency of an executioner. As the new head of Special Operations for British Intelligence, she no longer has to court death in the field --- she wants to. Throw away the old rules, the old school, the old-boy network. The world of international espionage is about to learn the hard way that spying is no longer merely a gentleman's game.


Steve Berry, who wrote THE AMBER ROOM, which was one of my favorite books of 2003 is back with THE ROMANOV PROPHECY.

New This Week:
-Read an excerpt from THE ROMANOV PROPHECY

Previous Weeks:
-Read Steve Berry Fast Facts
-See Our Advance Copy Winners

Here's more about the book:

THE ROMANOV PROPHECY by Steve Berry
Following the collapse of Communism and a series of weak governments, the Russian people have decided to re-instate the monarchy with a distant relative of Nicholas II, and it is Miles Lord's job to perform background checks on the Tsarist candidates. But after he is nearly killed by a gunman, Miles flees from his assassins and stumbles upon the mysterious writings of Rasputin. They reveal a cryptic message, implying that someone may have survived the bloody Romanov massacre, the effects of which could be life-altering for the future Tsar and mother Russia.
Read more about our Suspense/Thriller feature here.
 
THE DEVIL'S BANKER by Christopher Reich is Now in Paperback
 
THE DEVIL'S BANKER by Christopher Reich (Suspense) is now available in paperback.

Forensic accountant Adam Chapel is assigned to Blood Money, an elite counterterrorist task force assigned to thwart what appears to be a planned terrorist attack on U.S. soil. When four of Chapel's colleagues are killed in an explosion, Chapel teams up with British intelligence agent Sarah Churchill to hunt down the shadowy investor who is the mastermind behind the terrorist plot. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

Read interviews with Christopher Reich including one done by Nelson DeMille and see a video of Reich discussing his work.
Read more about THE DEVIL'S BANKER and Christopher Reich here.
 
Read more about Raelynn Hillhouse here. Read more about David Wolstencroft here.
Debut Suspense/Thriller Author Feature: Raelynn Hillhouse, Author of RIFT ZONE; plus David Wolstencroft, Author of GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS
 
Our newest Debut Suspense/Thriller author is Raelynn Hillhouse, author of RIFT ZONE, which hits stores August 31st.

New This Week:
-Read an excerpt from RIFT ZONE
-See Our Advance Copy Winners

Here's more about the book:

Faith Whitney is an expert smuggler living in 1989 Germany, though her activities have not gone unnoticed. The East German Stasi have recruited her to deliver a package to Moscow, a package that must be delivered within forty-eight hours...or Faith will be eliminated. Her payment: the long-desired location of her missing father.

Our July Debut Suspense/Thriller author was David Wolstencroft, author of GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS. What happens when two intelligence agents are assigned to kill --- each other. What commences is a globe-trotting story where the protagonists join wits.

New This Week:
-Read an excerpt from GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS

Here's more about the book:

GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS by David Wolstencroft
Two friends in the spy business are directed to assassinate each other during their last mission in the Agency. Realizing that some orders aren't meant to be followed, the two traverse Europe and America to find out why their bosses want them dead --- and in the process unearth a web of secrets that could destroy the Agency itself.
Read more about the Debut Suspense Thriller feature here.
 
Library Journal's Most Borrowed Books List
 
Beginning this month Bookreporter.com will be posting Library Journal's Most Borrowed Books list. Click on the link below to see the titles included on the list --- we're sure you'll be adding books to your own personal reading list.
Click here to read Library Journal's Most Borrowed Books list.
 
This Week's Book Reviews and Features
 
INDELIBLE by Karin Slaughter (Suspense)
Reviewed by Norah Piehl
Internationally bestselling author Karin Slaughter delves into her characters' tortured pasts in INDELIBLE, a harrowing addition to her popular and critically acclaimed Grant County suspense series.

HEAR NO EVIL by James Grippando (Thriller)
Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
Miami attorney Jack Swyteck is involved in the most explosive criminal trial of his career -- a case that starts with a murder on a military base and concludes with a shocking surprise that will change Jack's life forever.

ONE FALSE MOVE by Alex Kava (Suspense)
Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
Jared Barnett has just been released from prison after serving only five years of a life sentence for murder. He has the perfect plan for a big score and needs help from his sister Melanie and her son in order to pull it off successfully. Melanie ultimately agrees to Jared's plan to rob a local Nebraska bank --- but everything goes terribly wrong.

THE WAKE-UP by Robert Ferrigno (Thriller)
Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
Frank Thorpe is ready to board a plane for a much-needed vacation when he sees an obviously poor young boy being knocked out of the way by an arrogant businessman who's in a hurry. Frank resolves to give Douglas Meachum, a hard-charging art dealer, exactly what he deserves --- nothing extreme, just a little wake-up call.

HEART OF THE HUNTER by Deon Meyer (Thriller)
Reviewed by Judy Gigstad
Tiny Mpayipheli once earned his living as a government gun for hire, but now he has moved to the countryside and leads a quiet, ordered life --- until he discovers that an old friend has been kidnapped. Tiny only has seventy-two hours to save him from certain death.

THE LAMENTS by George Hagen (Fiction)
Reviewed by Stephen M. Deusner
First-time novelist George Hagen follows a white South African family as they drift across the globe, living in locales such as Bahrain, North Rhodesia, England and America.

PAYNE AT PINEHURST: The Greatest U.S. Open Ever, by Bill Chastain (Sports)
Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman
Veteran sports journalist Bill Chastain details the dramatic story of the 1999 U.S. Open by combining extensive research with interviews of those who made it a unique event. Central to this amazing story is the late golfing champion Payne Stewart.
Read the reviews and features here.
 
Read Author Bibliographies here. Search Bookreporter.com here Read about the Light Wedge reading light here.
Poll: Which of the following books have you read or are you looking forward to reading?
 
Which of the following books have you read or are you looking forward to reading?

BLACKBIRD HOUSE by Alice Hoffman
THE BOURNE LEGACY by Eric Van Lustbader
DRESS YOUR FAMILY IN CORDUROY AND DENIM by David Sedaris
GARDEN OF BEASTS by Jeffery Deaver
HISSY FIT by Mary Kay Andrews
LITTLE SCARLET by Walter Mosley
MY LIFE by Bill Clinton
THE QUEEN OF THE BIG TIME by Adriana Trigiani
R IS FOR RICOCHET by Sue Grafton
THE ROMANOV PROPHECY by Steve Berry
THE RULE OF FOUR by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason
SAM'S LETTERS TO JENNIFER by James Patterson
SHADOW DIVERS by Robert Kurson
SKINNY DIP by Carl Hiaasen
None of the above
Answer the Poll here.
 
Browse through forthcoming books here. Read about books that have won awards here. Read more about Books Into Movies here.
Question of the Week: What do you think will be remembered as the book of summer for 2004?
 
What do you think will be remembered as the book of summer for 2004?

Our next question update will be on August 27th.
Answer the Question of the Week.
 
Word of Mouth: Tell Us What You're Reading -- TWO Prizes!
 
Tell us what books YOU are reading and loving --- or even those you don't.

This week we have some great prizes: FIVE readers each will win a copy of HISSY FIT by Mary Kay Andrews and SHADOW DIVERS by Robert Kurson. Please note that our next Word of Mouth update will be on August 27th.
Need more details about Word of Mouth? Click here.
 

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--- Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)

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