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The Contract Killers release—as promised

The Contract Killers release—as promised

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As promised, there’s special eBook pricing from April 22 through April 26 to celebrate the release of the new Travelers thriller, The Contract Killers, which is only available on Amazon. 

Travelers book one is free, Travelers books 2-6 are $.99, and The Contract Killers (book 11) is $2.99. Here’s the link to the series page where you can see all the deals.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07F7Q1K9M

And here’s the blurb for The Contract Killers:

When you make your living robbing criminals, you never know when your time is going to run out.

After the Travelers cheated the Orange Hill Cartel, the cartel sent a team of contract killers to hunt them down. Now every job the Travelers try, the killers close in, disrupting the scam just as the Travelers are about to cash out.

So the Travelers have gone to ground in the Colorado mountains, hiding in a cabin up a dirt road. After they run out of money, they take a short-term job robbing an embezzling banker in Rocky Shore, Missouri, hoping to get in and out before the killers can find them.

But when the killers crash this job, the Travelers barely escape after a shootout on the city streets. Can they stay one step ahead of the killers long enough to hatch a plan to deal with them and get the Orange Hill Cartel off their backs for good?

The Contract Killers is a cat-and-mouse cross-country race against time. If you like unpredictable plot twists, criminal shenanigans, and nail-biting suspense, you’ll love the eleventh novel in the Travelers series.

…

So there you have it. Hoping The Contract Killers is the best Travelers book yet! So pick up your copy at the discounted price and catch up on the earlier books if you haven’t read them yet.

Happy reading!

The Contract Killers

The Contract Killers

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Got back from my daughter’s wedding last week, so I’m a little bit behind. (The wedding was great, everything went as planned, had a chance to visit with relatives I haven’t seen in a while. Lots of fun!)

Still finishing up the last few details for the release of the new Travelers book, The Contract Killers.

Here’s the description:

When you make your living robbing criminals, you never know when your time is going to run out.

After the Travelers cheated the Orange Hill Cartel, the cartel sent a team of contract killers to hunt them down. Now every job the Travelers try, the killers close in, disrupting the scam just as the Travelers are about to cash out.

So the Travelers have gone to ground in the Colorado mountains, hiding in a cabin up a dirt road. After they run out of money, they take a short-term job robbing an embezzling banker in Rocky Shore, Missouri, hoping to get in and out before the killers can find them.

But when the killers crash this job, the Travelers barely escape after a shootout on the city streets. Can they stay one step ahead of the killers long enough to hatch a plan to deal with them and get the Orange Hill Cartel off their backs for good?

The Contract Killers is a cat-and-mouse cross-country race against time. If you like unpredictable plot twists, criminal shenanigans, and nail-biting suspense, you’ll love the eleventh novel in the Travelers series.

As per usual, there will be special pricing on some of the earlier books in the series, as well as a discounted price on The Contract Killers, during the first few days after the release. I’ll let you know all the details when the release date is certain.

Happy reading!

The Contract Killers and A Hell of a Woman

The Contract Killers and A Hell of a Woman

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I’m just finishing up Travelers book 11, now titled The Contract Killers. Here’s what the cover looks like.

Meanwhile, a thriller I read last month.

A Hell of a Woman by Jim Thompson (1953). Frank “Dolly” Dillon is a man with a bad job, bad marriage, and very few scruples. He’s angry and blames the world for the choices he’s made. When he sees the opportunity to steal a large sum of money and run away with a beautiful young woman, he concocts a plan that quickly spirals out of control.

This is a seriously hard-boiled noir crime thriller, which is the kind of book Thompson is famous for writing. In the 1980’s, there was renewed interest in his books because of their re-release by Black Lizard Press. I read several of them back then, but not this one. Now all his books are in Mulholland Classic editions, so they’re still available.

Happy reading!

KD Thorne special and The Hot Spot

KD Thorne special and The Hot Spot

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Travelers book 11, now titled The Contract Killers, is off with the editor. After he has his say, I’ll tidy it up. Hoping for the best Travelers thriller ever.

Meanwhile, two items of interest.

First, the KD Thorne thrillers (eBook versions) are on sale February 11 through 15. Book one is free and books 2-4 are $.99 US. So if you haven’t read them and you want to check them out, now is your chance. Here’s the link to the series page:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09B8614W4

Second, I read The Hot Spot by Charles Williams (Originally titled Hell Hath No Fury, 1953). A drifter’s plan to rob a bank in a small town goes sideways. Add a a femme fatale and a hardened adversary, and you have a classis noir, where the hero’s hopes and desires lead him into an intricate web of events where he’s in a constant struggle to outsmart his enemies and the cops.

Beautifully plotted, with an ending you won’t see coming. You’ll have to overlook the casual sexism of the early 1950s, but outside of that, this is an excellent read.

Happy reading!

Happy New Year and We Solve Murders

Happy New Year and We Solve Murders

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Happy New Year! I’m on the last edits of the new Travelers book, tentatively titled The Orange Hill Payback. Then it will go off to the editor and he’ll have his say. So far, I’m happy with the way the story has shaped up. Lots of plot twists and turns, some new tradecraft, and the Travelers conniving their way through a maze of hard trouble.

If you want to catch up on the series before the new book comes out in the spring, you can see a complete list of my Travelers and KD Thorne books here:

 https://www.amazon.com/stores/Michael-P.-King/author/B00W81SHBI

Meanwhile, here’re a thriller I read after Christmas.

We Solve Murders by Richard Osman (2024). Osman writes the Thursday Murder Club series, which I’ve mentioned previously. This book is the start, it seems, of a new series.

This is a rollicking, tongue-in-cheek who-done-it, featuring Steve Wheeler, a retired cop, and his daughter in-law, Amy Wheeler, who works for a close-protection agency. Clients of Amy’s agency are being murdered, and the evidence points toward Amy as the killer. And if that’s not enough, someone is trying to murder her to keep her from solving the case.

It’s off to the races, with comic characters in pursuit of their dreams and Steve and Amy following the clues across the globe to figure out who the murderer really is. The story takes a little while to build up speed, but once it’s going, it doesn’t disappoint.

Happy reading!

Happy Holidays and The Middleman

Happy Holidays and The Middleman

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Wishing you a happy holiday season, no matter what holiday you’re celebrating. The new Travelers book is shaping up into its final form. Going to have to come up with an appropriate title. Lots of twists and turns and tradecraft in this one, which I hope makes it an un-put-downable read. If you want to see a complete list of my Travelers and KD Thorne books, you can check them out here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Michael-P.-King/author/B00W81SHBI

Meanwhile, here’re a thriller I read after Thanksgiving.

The Middleman by Olen Steinhauer (2018). I’ve read several of Steinhauer’s thrillers. All were excellent. This one involves the FBI hunt for a would-be terrorist group. But in the usual Steinhauer way, pretty soon you’re not sure if all the bad guys are bad guys and if all the good guys are good guys, as we follow FBI Agent Rachel Proulx while she tries to unravel the complex machinations of the Massive Brigade before they can execute the next step in their plan to overturn the US government.

Lots of rich detail and suspenseful complications make for a very satisfying read.

Happy reading!

Devil’s Peak and The Green Ripper

Devil’s Peak and The Green Ripper

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Wishing my US friends a happy Thanksgiving. I’m making good progress on the new Travelers book. This time around, the Travelers are being chased by hit men employed by the Orange Hill Cartel, and they have to find a way to outsmart them and keep the cartel from hiring new killers. And the Travelers, of course, have to make a living. Lots of balls in the air. Hoping to make it an exciting page turner. If you want to see a complete list of my books, you can check them out here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Michael-P.-King/author/B00W81SHBI

Meanwhile, here’re two thrillers I read this month.

First, Devil’s Peak (Benny Griessel Mysteries Book 1: 2008) by Deon Meyer. A well-written police procedural that takes place in post-apartheid South Africa. Police detective Griessel, a roaring alcoholic who’s been kicked out by his wife, is on the trail of a vigilante who is murdering child killers. And that’s just the beginning of his trouble as he wades through his personal problems, office politics, and public outcry for immediate capture of the vigilante.

Lots of South African local color, tight description, and intense action make this a fun, fun read.

Second, The Green Ripper (Travis McGee Book 18: 1979) by John D. MacDonald. The Travis McGee books are critically acclaimed, but I’ve never read them, so I thought I’d check one out. This one won the National Book Award.

On this outing, McGee’s girlfriend dies from a bizarre illness that turns out to be murder, which sends the heartbroken McGee down a rabbit hole into a world of brainwashed cultists bent on terrorism in the US.

Well drawn characters, complex plotting, and surprising action make for a read that you won’t want to put down. 

Happy reading!

The Travelers series

The Travelers series

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Just a short note.

There’re special discounts on the eBook versions of the Travelers books 1-5. That’s The Traveling Man: free, The Computer Heist: $.99, The Blackmail Photos: $.99, The Freeport Robbery: $.99, and The Kidnap Victim: $.99.

These discounts run through November 2, so if you haven’t read the early books and want to catch up, or you know someone who’d like to try them, now’s your chance.

Here’s the link to the series page: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07F7Q1K9M

Happy reading!

Hell With the Lid Blown Off and I Have Some Questions for You

Hell With the Lid Blown Off and I Have Some Questions for You

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Hard at work on a new Travelers book. This outing finds them on the run from the Orange Hill Cartel, a mob crew they’ve cheated more than once.

Meanwhile, I’m always on the lookout for exciting thrillers or mysteries that maybe you haven’t read yet. This month is no exception.

First, Hell With the Lid Blown Off (Alafair Tucker Mysteries Book 7, 2014) by Donis Casey. This is an historical mystery, which takes place in rural Oklahoma shortly before World War One.

I was a little put off by the organization of this book (each of the sections is named for the focus character), but once I got going, it was hard to put down. Lots of local color about family and small-town life in the 1910s, and one of the best descriptions of a tornado I’ve ever read.

After a terrible storm pummels the area, one of Alafair’s sons finds a man buried in muck. Initially, everyone thinks he died in the storm, but a knife wound is discovered on the body. Lots of likely suspects and believable red herrings make for a fun read as Alafair and the local sheriff each try to solve the case.

Also read I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai (2023). Bodie Kane, a 40-ish film professor and podcaster, returns to her prep school to teach in a short term, only to get caught up in reexamining the murder of one of her prep school classmates and the conviction of a school employee.

A beautifully complex murder mystery—Bodie’s reinterpretation of the relationships among her classmates and teachers and her reevaluation of her own behavior in the past and present make this book a real page turner that skillfully juggles several possible murder suspects. Named Best Book of 2023 by several newspapers. A high recommend.

Happy reading!

My Gun Is Quick and Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead

My Gun Is Quick and Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead

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Working hard on the outline of a new Travelers book. In the meantime, here’s two thrillers I read last month. They couldn’t be more different from each other. One is traditional hard-boiled, the other is quirky literary.

The first is My Gun Is Quick (Mike Hammer Book 2, 1950) by Mickey Spillane. I’d never read one of these books, although I was familiar with the character from popular culture (which means I knew the character’s name, but I don’t know why).

Mike Hammer is a hard-drinking, quick-to-fight private eye who lives by a code of protecting the innocent and punishing the guilty. On this outing, a prostitute is murdered, and the police aren’t interested, at least initially. So Hammer digs into her death and uncovers the city-wide corruption supporting a violent prostitution ring.

Lots of twists and turns here, leading to a smash-up finale, although you’ll have to ignore the casual sexism and homophobia that marked the hard-boiled thrillers of this era.

Also read Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead (2019) by Olga Tokarczuk. (Tokarczuk is a Nobel Prize winner). This is a first-person literary mystery. The narrator, Janina, is an eccentric older woman. You might practice astrology, translate William Blake into Polish, and be strong for animal rights, but, trust me, you are not as eccentric as Janina. Community leaders in her village are being murdered in bizarre ways, and she gets involved in the investigation, trying the patience of the local police.

We dig into her character via her philosophical musings, odd outbursts, and spirited generosity, as we follow along to the discovery of the killer and the surprising ending. Challenging and enjoyable.

Happy reading!