Latest Books: August 2009 Archives

Undercover in the not-so-pretty world of high fashion fakes, TV investigative reporter Charlotte McNally discovers that when you can't tell the real from the fake--you also can't tell who can be trusted!

As she struggles to bring the couture counterfeiters to justice, Charlotte realizes the only thing she knows for certain is that the wrong choice could be the last decision she every makes.

"Sassy, fast-paced and appealing. This is first-class entertainment." -- Sue Grafton

"In her latest addictive page-turner AIRTIME, real-life TV reporter Hank Phillippi Ryan once again thrills us ... AIR TIME isn't only exciting and sexy and even funny--it's also damned well written." -- David Morrell

"AIR TIME is a thrill ride from the first page to the last. This story will tickle your funnybone and touch your heart. Hank Phillippi Ryan is a fabulous new talent." -- Susan Wiggs

Award-winning investigative reporter Hank Phillippi Ryan is on the air at Boston's NBC affiliate. Her thirty years in television have resulted in new laws, people sent to prison, homes removed from foreclosure, and millions of dollars in restitution. Along with her 26 EMMYs, Hank's won dozens of other honors for her groundbreaking journalism. She's been a United States Senate legislative aide and a Rolling Stone editorial assistant.

Her bestselling debut novels, Prime Time (Agatha Winner, double RITA nominee and DAPHNE nominee), and Face Time (BookSense Notable Book), are being re-issued in July and August 2009 as MIRA Books.

Commander Christopher Burke and his crew have just finished their mission on the red dirt of Mars and now they just want to get back to Earth. To see friends, family, and loved ones. To be home.

But even with communication to ground control cut and a perilous landing, nothing could prepare the crew for what they discover when they step foot back on planet Earth.

Everyone... everywhere... is gone.

Now Burke and his team have one mission: find out who or what is behind the disappearance of all mankind.

"Parrish balances vivid emotion and storytelling tension deftly, while keeping the questions coming at a breakneck pace. He has made himself a mainstay in modern fiction with this fantastic novel." -- John Wofford, TheChristianManifesto.com

"Robin Parrish spins a speculative sci-fi tale in this futuristic thriller.... [His] knack for suspense makes Offworld an exciting read." -- John D. Leatherman, Christian Retailing

Novelist. Journalist. Pop culture guru. Just a few defining words to describe Robin Parrish, a culturally-minded writer with a passion for archetypal mythologies and the truths they represent about the nature of our existence.

Robin is the author of Bethany House Publishers' suspense thrillers, The Dominion Trilogy: Relentless, Fearless, and Merciless; the just-released scifi epic Offworld, and the upcoming paranormal thriller Nightmare.

He's also been a journalist for more than fourteen years, covering all aspects of pop culture and entertainment.

The final book in Leslie Parrish's thrilling Black CATs trilogy features Supuervisory Special Agent Wyatt Blackstone, the enigmatic team leader, trying to solve the case of his career. Someone is brutally murdering evildoers, leaving clues that point to an impossible suspect: a woman everyone in the world believes is dead. Has one of his own former colleagues become a deadly vigilante targeting the most loathesome of criminals?

"If you're a romantic suspense fan and haven't yet tried this series, I highly recommend you do." - All About Romance

"With Pitch Black, Ms Parrish isn't taking any prisoners." -- Mrs. Giggles on book 2 in the series

 

Leslie Parrish lives in a small, western Maryland town that's just too nice and quaint not to have some dark, twisted secrets. An award-winning novelist of two dozen light romantic comedies under the name Leslie Kelly, she recently dove into the darkest part of her imagination to produce the Black CATs trilogy.

When a middle school in Illinois is taken hostage by Beslan-style terrorists, only one man can stop them: the shadowy Central Security Service operative known only as "Devlin." But Devlin quickly realizes that the school assault was only the means to draw him out of the shadows -- and into the killing zone. The action moves from the Midwest to Los Angeles, Washington, and London, and comes to a thrilling climax at the maximum security French prison at Clairvaux. To be continued...

"The Vince Flynn for the 21st Century" -- John Fasano, Darkness Falls.

"Hostile Intent kept me up most of the night. Hold on, is all I can tell you." -- Jay Nordlinger, National Review

"Six pages into Hostile Intent and I began to feel uneasy. By page nine I'd been punched in the gut. And it just doesn't stop." -- Bill Whittle, Pajamas TV.

 

Michael Walsh, former journalist for Time Magazine, is the author of three previous novels: "Exchange Alley," "As Time Goes By" (the controversial sequel to the movie "Casablanca") and "And All the Saints," winner of the 2004 American Book Award for fiction. For additional info on Michael Walsh and the writing of HOSTILE INTENT, click here. And read a feature interview on NationalReview Online by clicking here.

206 BONES finds Tempe and Ryan in Chicago, where they have been asked to personally accompany remains recently discovered in Montreal. They wonder what merits this special treatment, but not for long.  It turns out that the deceased, an older woman named Rose Jurmain, was from a storied Chicago family with deep pockets and litigious tendencies.
 
In short order, the family's lawyer tells Tempe she has been accused, by an anonymous tipster, of botching Jurmain's autopsy, and maybe even of intentionally covering up a murder.  Tempe, always meticulous in her work, is furious and determined to find out who is behind the anonymous accusation. Within hours, though, the one person with information about the caller is dead. It seems impossible that the call and the death are unconnected, and Tempe is worried that it's personal. Is someone out to destroy her career, or maybe even worse?

While Tempe begins to uncover who's trying to sabotage her, three more elderly women turn up dead around Montreal. Could their deaths be related to the Chicago heiress's? Tempe and Ryan think they must. Meanwhile, things at Tempe's lab grow increasingly tense as an ambitious new colleague seeks to prove herself. How far will she go to get ahead? Office politics threaten to turn deadly in 206 BONES, Reichs's most terrifying thriller to date.

"Reichs juggles the questions of who done it... until the very end with consummate skill... Not content to keep things simmering on low boil, Reichs dunks her protagonist into a pressure cooker... She's a true master of cliff hangers." -- Jeffery Deaver
 
"The science is fascinating, and every minute in the morgue with Tempe is golden." -- The New York Times Book Review
 
"A genius at building suspense." -- New York Daily News
 
"Dan Brown can't hold a candle to the writing and plotting of Kathy Reichs." -- Liz Smith
 
"At this point, Reichs is even better than Cornwell." -- Publishers Weekly
 
Kathy Reichs, like her fictional creation, Temperance Brennan, is a forensic anthropologist for the Laboratoire de sciences judiciaires et de médecine légale for the province of Quebec. She was vice president of the American Academy of Forensic Science, serves on the Canadian National Police Services Advisory Board, and is one of only seventy-five forensic anthropologists certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology. A professor of anthropology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Dr. Reichs is a native of Chicago. 206 Bones is her twelfth novel featuring Temperance Brennan. Her website is www.kathyreichs.com.

In TEARS OF PEARL we find Lady Emily and Colin now married. Who changes the most?

They're both steady individuals, and wouldn't have gotten married if they thought it would change them. It took a lot to persuade Emily to get married again--she's not about to give up freedom for a husband and isn't willing to compromise herself, a position that can be difficult for a Victorian woman. Any tension between them comes from the dangers inherent in the investigative work they do. But in TEARS OF PEARL, they've just embarked on their honeymoon--they're happy and romantic and not planning on getting embroiled in intrigue. The best laid plans....

This is the fourth book in the Lady Emily Ashton series. As a writer was it more challenging to grow the lead characters and how did you work with growing them?

Characters grow as you write them--it's what keeps the work interesting. And it happens naturally. The longer you're friends with someone, the better you know her---the same is true with characters. Put them in more situations, you learn more about them.

How did your trip to Turkey impact your writing of this book?

Going to Istanbul was absolutely essential to writing TEARS OF PEARL. The city is so very different from what we're used to in the west--it would be impossible to adequately capture it without experiencing it firsthand. Maps and pictures can tell you where things are and what they look like, but cannot give you a feel for the atmosphere.

This is your first book with St. Martin's Minotaur. Can you touch on the transitioning process of working with a new editor on your fourth installment of the series?

Leaving HarperCollins was a very difficult decision--and one I thought about carefully. I loved working with everyone there, but I'm beyond excited at the direction Minotaur is taking me. My editor, Charlie Spicer, is a dream to work with, and Andy Martin has a focused vision that makes him an amazing publisher.

If you could give a piece of advice to a debut novelist about development of lead character for a series what would it be?

Don't write yourself into a corner--leave as many options open as you can. You don't want to limit yourself. It's impossible to predict while writing Book One where you're going to want to take your protagonist in Book Five. I made Emily young (but was vague about her age) and keep the time that elapses between books to a minimum because I don't want to all of a sudden realize she's ten years older than I was imagining her.

Tasha Alexander attended the University of Notre Dame, where she signed on as an English major in order to have a legitimate excuse for spending all her time reading. She lived in Amsterdam, London, Wyoming, Vermont, Connecticut and Tennessee before settling in Chicago.

MURDER PAST, MURDER PRESENT is a superb collection of twenty-two mystery, suspense, and thriller short stories from bestselling, award winning members of the American Crime Writers League, one of the most respected and longest running writing organizations. Tales in this anthology span from thought provoking historical mystery treats to modern day suspense thrillers. The impressive contributors include ITW members Jan Burke (introduction), Taffy Cannon, Shirley Kennett, Twist Phelan, and R. Barri Flowers.

"Murder Past, Murder Present is an eclectic collection of mysteries that will keep readers turning the pages as they go from one entertaining story to the next. This is definitely one book I intend to add to my library." -- Carol A. Guy, author of Spirit Lake and Night of the Canid.

R. Barri Flowers is the editor of the mystery anthology, American Crime Writers League: Murder Past, Murder Present. A well respected, award winning literary criminologist and crime writer, Flowers is the author of several legal thrillers, including STATE'S EVIDENCE, JUSTICE SERVED, and PERSUASIVE EVIDENCE; as well as the bestselling true crime classic, THE SEX SLAVE MURDERS. He has also written a number of published mystery, thriller, and noir short stories, including "The Wrong End of a Gun," in SEATTLE NOIR. His next nonfiction crime book set for a fall 2009 release is COLLEGE CRIME.

Wildcard CIA operative Zara Morgan has been assigned a mission to hunt down a terrorist with Lawson Vaughn, the leader of a covert ops team who lives and breathes protocol.

Efficient and unapologetic about playing by her own rules, Zara draws Lawson into an unauthorized game of vengeance that compromises both their careers. The renegade partners find themselves isolated from their government and dancing a tightrope with each other as well as the terrorist they're hunting.

As they ignore orders from their superiors to hunt their tenacious foe, Zara's life is endangered when she's injected with a contagious and deadly virus. With unflinching determination and steadfast courage, Lawson must break all the rules to save her...as well as the lives of millions of other innocent people.

"...fast action, scary situations, fabulous settings, and knock-your-socks-off love scenes..." ~ Long and Short Reviews

"In the shadowy cut-throat and high-tech world of covert ops, I'd Rather Be In Paris is a breath of fresh air--exciting and dangerous, but inhabited by unique and sympathetic characters...If you've been missing Alias, you need to read Misty Evans." ~ Sean Ellis, author of The Shroud of Heaven

Misty Evans is a multi-published, award-winning author who lives in a small town in Illinois with her husband, twin sons, and big dog Max. She's a member of several writing organizations, occasionally teaches creative writing classes at the local YWCA, and is currently on tour promoting her latest book.

When Air Force Captain Luke Trussell opens his door one Sunday morning, he's shocked to find the police--and even more shocked when they charge him with rape. He knows he made a mistake in judgment the night before, but he certainly didn't force his attentions on the woman who's been stalking him for months.

Problem is...Karina Harter has the bruises--and the DNA evidence--to make her claim convincing. 

"Gripping, frightening, and intense...a compelling romance as well as a riveting and suspenseful mystery... Novak delivers another winner." --Library Journal

Brenda Novak is the national bestselling author of 31 books. Her most recent trilogy--TRUST ME (6/08), STOP ME (7/08) AND WATCH ME (8/08), hit many lists and received high praise from readers and reviewers alike. A busy wife and mother of five, Novak, who lives in Sacramento, California, calls herself the typical "soccer mom." She juggles her writing career with daily car pools, helping her kids do homework and driving them to sports practice.