updates on our august authors

Declan Burke blogs his high praise for Reed Farrel Coleman's THE JAMES DEANS:

"some writers can make you feel that they have inhabited their characters to a degree associated with demonic possession, but Reed Farrel Coleman’s gift is to graft that sensation onto the reader, so that he or she feels they’re wearing the character like skin...[The James Deans is] "how books are supposed to be."


High fives for J. D. Rhoades! Indiebound has picked BREAKING COVER as a "Notable Book" for August.

"Shamus-finalist Rhoades (The Devil's Right Hand) delivers a gripping stand-alone thriller. The action escalates to a powerfully violent, powerfully satisfying conclusion." - Publishers Weekly


Tom Piccirilli follows up his 2008 Thriller Award win with a World Fantasy Award nomination! FIVE STROKES TO MIDNIGHT, the anthology which features his stories "Loss" and "Bereavement", has also won two Bram Stoker awards.



Gischler's GO-GO GIRLS are charming their way through the blogosphere. (Is that a boing boing we hear?) The book was on the top 10 best sellers list of the Independent Mystery Bookseller's Association in July, and has picked up more rave reviews:

"fast, funny and action-packed...Gischler continues to demonstrate that he's one of the freshest and most talented voices in genre fiction." - Chicago Sun-Times

"the latest, most entertaining and insightful world’s end vision...some of the darkest, grisliest humor you’re likely to experience. Yet lurking beneath the surface of this nightmare comedy is a satiric profundity that pushes it far above most similar stories...read McCarthy’s THE ROAD if you must. But you really must read GO-GO GIRLS OF THE APOCALYPSE." - Alan Cranis, Bookgasm

"You ought to add Victor Gischler's work to your to-do list right quick. Reading a Gischler novel is like driving a fast car downhill with your foot over the brake, but loving the speed so much that you’re afraid to press the damn thing. Go-Go Girls pulls the reader into the chaos of the story. If you’re sitting around feeling sorry for yourself, give this book a shot at lightening your load." - Jay Willson, RevolutionSF

Interviews with the mad genius behind it all can be found at In For Questioning and The Rap Sheet.

Steve Ekstrom at Newsarama recommends BATMAN: MURDER AT WAYNE MANOR as a great gift or collectible item. "Set earlier in the Dark Knight’s career as a costumed vigilante, Swierczynski’s Batman is dark and reflective. Surprisingly minimal, the story is gripping; introducing some of Gotham’s elite, both past and present — as well as a new villain for the book, the Black Mask of Fate. Readers assimilate the clues quickly; the paced natured of this story speeds things along quickly. The actual physical clues provide a tactile connection to the nuances of back story...very polished, high quality"

And — drumroll, please — we are absolutely delighted to announce the film option for SEVERANCE PACKAGE:

Film/TV rights were sold to Lionsgate by our terrific film co-agent Angela Cheng Caplan. Marc Platt and Adam Siegel are producing, with Brett Simon ("Assassination of a High School President") attached to direct and co-write the script with Swierczynski (aka our own "multi-sport star, a literary Deion Sanders.")

Envy The Writer

Take some time out for Moments in Crime, St. Martin's Minotaur blog where Edgar Award finalist Michael Koryta is guest blogging this week. His new stand-alone novel, ENVY THE NIGHT, is in bookstores today, and has received high praise from Ridley Pearson (author of more than 20 novels, including the New York Times bestseller "Killer View", the Lou Boldt crime series, and many books for young readers):

"Reading James Crumley and John D. MacDonald set the writing hook in me: I wanted to write mysteries and thrillers. I wanted to be a storyteller.

Now, in Michael Koryta, all these years later, I've read the heir apparent to those masters. There is grit and determination in Michael's writing; there is heart and character; the threat of violence first simmers, then boils over. The pulse quickens. Envy The Night is everything this kind of novel is meant to be. A more fitting title: Envy The Writer.

It has been a long time since I've enjoyed a mystery novel as much as Envy The Night. This book had me from the first page, and much to my surprise, kept me reading hard and fast until the last.

What separates this book from others? One word: characters. Stories are stories. We all read (and write) a ton of them. But we come to novels to meet fresh faces, and Michael Koryta delivers.

This diabolical mystery novel, laid out in simple but eloquent prose and pitch-perfect dialogue, heralds a changing of the guard. I have seen the future of "The Best Mystery Writer in America" and its name is Michael Koryta."

new month news

Can't wait to find out what Batman is up to next? "Duane Swierczynski’s BATMAN: MURDER AT WAYNE MANOR (Quirk) offers an absorbing glimpse into the Caped Crusader’s psyche." - School Library Journal


Sarah Weinman is calling GO-GO GIRLS OF THE APOCALYPSE an "incredibly funny, violent, panoramic and pulpy apocalyptic novel" and one of her Picks of the Week!



Some intrepid globetrotters over at The Independent are going "around the world in 80 sleuths". Their last stop? The South Pole with a copy of Greg Rucka's WHITEOUT.



Gary Phillips will be on Crimewav.com this week reading his short story "Swift Boats for Jesus" from the anthology he edited, POLITICS NOIR: Dark Tales from the Corridors of Power from Verso.



If the summer heat has got you craving some ice cream or a fizzy drink, be sure to check out Elizabeth Somer's list of 15 Foods that Fool for healthy and tasty tips, tricks, and alternatives.


To find out more about "the glamorous life of Jo Barrett", head over to HTexas Magazine for Jo's monthly column and her thoughts on owning a ranch.

The 2008 Shamus nominations are in...

Congratulations to our Best Hardcover noms - Reed F. Coleman (SOUL PATCH) and Michael Koryta (A WELCOME GRAVE)! The 27th annual Shamus Awards will be presented in October at Bouchercon.