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May 20, 2021: May reading and the new book

May 20, 2021: May reading and the new book

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Looking forward to getting out and about this summer. Finally. Starting with my niece’s wedding at the end of the month. It will be great seeing all the kin I haven’t seen since—when? The last wedding!

Not quite on the countdown to the new book, but I’m hoping to have it at the copyeditor’s before we leave town for the wedding. It’s NOT a Travelers book, but it takes place in the Travelers’ world. The plot concerns Capt. KD Thorne and her partner Jeffery Blunt, operatives with the National Defense Agency. (You might recall Clara Garcia and the National Defense Agency from Travelers books 6 and 8.) Anyway, I’ll have more to say about The Hunt for the Hijacked Viruses as it gets closer to being released.

Just read Robert Crais’s LA Requiem, the 8th Elvis Cole/Joe Pike book. I’ve mentioned previously that I particularly like the books in this series that focus on Joe Pike. This one slips in the complicated backstory that explains just how Joe Pike becomes the silent, sunglass-wearing, dangerous and yet loyal man of action we see in the series. An excellent crime thriller.

Last month, I mentioned that I downloaded a copy of Red Means Run by Brad Smith. This is a classic who-done-it, where the hero is wrongly accused of murder and the reader is given the clues as the story progresses. (I was almost at the end before I figured it out.) Set in upstate New York, with detailed characters and crisp dialogue. Well worth a read.

Also read S is for Silence, a Sue Grafton novel featuring her detective Kinsey Millhone, which concerns a cold case of a missing woman from a small town. Was she murdered or did she run away? I’ve read several of Grafton’s alphabet series, and I’m always impressed by the way Grafton handles the details in the story, as well as with Kinsey’s emotional range. A fun read.

LynDee Walker’s Fear No Truth is free today. I’m going to check it out. Here’s the link if you’re interested.

https://www.amazon.com/Fear-No-Truth-LynDee-Walker-ebook/dp/B07KYTLJ6S

That’s all for now. Happy reading!

April 8, 2021: Happy April Reading

April 8, 2021: Happy April Reading

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Been knocking out some early spring chores—cleaning up flower beds and raking up some of the never-ending leaves—in hopes of being able to cut loose later in the season. And I’m making good progress on the new book, which I’ll have something to say about when it’s in just a little bit better shape.

I recently read Michael Crichton’s Timeline. Not a crime thriller, but one of those thrillers based on a scientific premise, in this case a sort of quantum theory time travel that takes a group back into the medieval period in France where they get caught up in events as they try to make their way back to the present. I haven’t read many Crichton books, but years ago I read Eaters of the Dead, a retelling of the Grendel story as if it happened to an Arab traveler who finds himself among a group of Vikings. (Made into the movie The 13th Warrior.) I actually saw the movie version of Timeline several years ago. It made an impression on me, so I happened to pick up the book. First rate actioner. The fictional science was presented believably and was not overly complicated or boring. The history was very cool.

I also read Don’t Know Jack (The Hunt for Jack Reacher Series Book 1) by Diane Capri. (Included a free link for it in last month’s email.) It seems that each of these books in connected to a Jack Reacher novel, in this case the first one: The Killing Floor. This is an FBI procedural about trying to unravel a complex conspiracy that is somehow connected to a Jack Reacher adventure. A fun read from start to finish. I’d read The Killing Floor previously, but I don’t think you’d need to read it to fully enjoy this book.

Later this month, (the 25th through the 30th of April) there’ll be a spring sale on the first five Travelers books. So if you need to catch up, or you know someone who’d like to try the books, now’s your chance. I’ll drop a reminder with the book links on the 25th.

Finally, Red Means Run by Brad Smith is free today. I downloaded a copy. Here’s the link if you’re interested. (There’s nothing in this for me. Just though you might like to know.)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B088NGHL9L

That’s all for now. Happy reading!

March 11, 2021: Happy Spring Reading

March 11, 2021: Happy Spring Reading

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Just a quick note. We’re finally out of the deep freeze here in Iowa. Feeling some warmth and sun, which you can’t always count on in March.

Making good progress on the new book. Don’t want to say much about it yet, although I hope to have it for you later this spring.

In the meantime, I recently read Don Winslow’s Power of the Dog, which is the first of his novels that deal with the US war against drugs in the 1980s and 1990s. So it’s the DEA up against corrupt cops and narco-terrorists. Well-written, gritty, exceptionally realistic portrayal of corruption and violence in the war-on-drugs quagmire.

Also read Richard Stark’s The Dame. As you know, I’m a big fan of the Parker crime thrillers. Donald E. Westlake (writing as Richard Stark) also wrote four books that feature Alan Grofield (a sometime Parker accomplice) as the lead character. The Dame is the second of those novels and starts out as a locked room mystery—you know the drill: a crime has been committed at a remote location so someone who is already there must have done the deed. Who is it? Agatha Christie wrote several of these, including Murder on the Orient Express, but The Dame is written in Richard Stark’s unique hard-boiled style and does not disappoint.

Finally, Don’t Know Jack (The Hunt for Jack Reacher Series Book 1) by Diane Capri is free today. I’ve been wanting to check out this series, so I picked up a copy. Here’s the link if you’re interested. (There’s nothing in this for me. Just though you might like to know.)

https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Know-Jack-Hunting-Reacher-ebook/dp/B0072JJTIG

That’s all for now. Happy reading!

February 12, 2021: Research and Reading

February 12, 2021: Research and Reading

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We’re in the deep freeze here in Iowa. Thought we might escape the worst winter weather this year, then February came howling in with snow and below zero (F) temperatures. Looking forward to some relief in March.

At least it’s good weather to be at the computer writing a new book, which, of course, means research and reading.

On the research side, here’s an article on date rape drugs. The intro to the article says that at least 25% of American women have been sexually assaulted or raped. A pretty sobering statistic.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320409#types

On the reading front, for Christmas, my wife got me an exceptionally good crime thriller about a getaway driver trying to go straight and digging himself in deeper—Blacktop Wasteland by SA Cosby. Haven’t seen it discounted anywhere, but I’m definitely going to be looking for this writer’s next book.

Also, I knew that William F. Buckley had written a series of spy novels featuring CIA agent Blackford Oakes. I’ve been wanting to check one out, and I found the third one—Who’s on First—discounted. Not realistic (for realism there’s George Smiley) but an eccentric and fun cold war thriller (published in 1980), if that’s your cup of tea.

Finally, if you know someone who’d like to try the Travelers series (or if you’re catching up), The Freeport Robbery: The Travelers Book 4 is $2.99 through Monday February 15.

Here’s the universal link so you can shop at your favorite store:

https://books2read.com/u/m2Vz67

That’s all for now. Happy reading!

January 22, 2021: As promised

January 22, 2021: As promised

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Just a quick note. 

If you know someone who’d like to try the Travelers series, The Traveling Man eBook is currently free and The Computer Heist eBook is $.99 through January 25. Here are the universal links:

The Traveling Man https://books2read.com/u/bzoz6n

The Computer Heist https://books2read.com/u/bP9Vzz

That’s all for now. Happy reading!

January 12, 2021: New Year’s Reading

January 12, 2021: New Year’s Reading

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Back in the day—you know, back when you wandered through bookstores just checking things out—I used to spend some time at the remainder table. (The table of deeply discounted books at the front of the store.) I’d sometimes find a book at that table that seemed interesting enough to take a chance on. If I liked it and it was in a series, I’d probably go to the library, check out the first one or two of the series and give them a read. Then if I was hooked, I’d start buying the rest. You’ve probably done something similar.

With eBooks, my pattern is pretty much the same. Lots of eBooks are occasionally free or discounted, so I’m always on the lookout for an opportunity to check out a series I think might be fun. One way I do this is by subscribing to eBook promotion sites, such as Bookbub or Early Bird Books, where I can check out discounted or free books just like I’m at the remainder table.

Last month, I picked up two books this way: Palm Beach Nasty by Tom Turner and A Dangerous Man by Robert Crais. Got a chance to read them both last week.

Palm Beach Nasty is the first book in Tom Turner’s series featuring police detective Charlie Crawford. I’d read Palm Beach Bedlam (book 8) previously, so I was interested in seeing how the series opened. Palm Beach Nasty did not disappoint. It was a fun read and effectively develops the key characters and overall ambiance of the series. So if you like straight-ahead, fast-paced thrillers with a Florida vibe, you might want to give this series a look.

A Dangerous Man is Robert Crais’s new Elvis Cole/Joe Pike book. (I was surprised to find it discounted.) I’ve read a lot of these books, but it’s been a while, so I’d forgotten just how much I enjoy them, particularly the ones that mainly focus on Joe Pike, who plays Hawk to Elvis Cole’s Spenser (If you catch the Robert B. Parker analogy). Pike is a hard-charging, take-no-prisoners kind of guy, and it’s always a pleasure to see Crais run him through his paces. 

One last note. If you know someone who’d like to try the Travelers series, The Traveling Man eBook is currently free and The Computer Heist eBook will be $.99 for a few days later this month. I’ll send a short email when the dates are set.

That’s all for now. Happy reading!

December 10, 2020: The Dark Web Scam is out now!

December 10, 2020: The Dark Web Scam is out now!

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It’s the official release day for The Dark Web Scam: The Travelers Book 9 eBook version!

To celebrate the release, the eBook is $2.99 through December 16. Then the price goes up to $4.99. Here’s the universal link so you can choose your store:

https://books2read.com/u/bw7rjZ

There are some other special promos to celebrate the book 9 release. So if you know someone who’d like to try the Travelers series, now is their chance.

The Traveling Man: The Travelers Book One—Free. https://books2read.com/u/bzoz6n

The Computer Heist: The Travelers Book Two–$0.99. https://books2read.com/u/bP9Vzz

The Blackmail Photos: The Travelers Book Three–$0.99. https://books2read.com/u/3LDZd5

The book 9 description:

How could a little murder-for-hire scam go so wrong?

The Travelers and a computer hacker are operating a dark web con, taking cash from suckers who think they’re hiring contract killers. Easy money. And no one to complain to the police. But when an actual killer comes after them, they’re on the hunt for payback.

Who sent the assassin who killed their partner? And why is he stalking a newspaper reporter? 

Once the Travelers figure out who they’re up against, they set a plan in motion to rob him and take revenge, but as the cat-and-mouse game progresses, and the police get involved, the Travelers find they’re moving through a quagmire of drugs, sex trafficking, and greed where any misstep could lead to the morgue.

The Dark Web Scam is a hard-charging crime thriller. If you like criminal machinations, fast-paced action, and devious plot twists, you’ll love the ninth novel in the Travelers series.

***

Hope you enjoy the new book! (Can’t wait to hear what you think.)

December 2, 2020: Happy holidays and The Dark Web Scam

December 2, 2020: Happy holidays and The Dark Web Scam

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Woo hoo! It’s the winter holidays. No matter what you’re celebrating, I wish you and yours a fabulous holiday and a wonderful new year.

Great news. The Dark Web Scam: The Travelers Book 9 eBook version will be released this month. Because of Covid, people working from home, etc., getting the eBook distributed is taking longer than usual, so I’m not quite sure of the official release date. But as soon as I know, you’ll know. Hope it’s going to be a great addition to the Travelers series. Can’t wait to hear what you think.

How could a little murder-for-hire scam go so wrong? The Travelers and a computer hacker are operating a dark web con, taking cash from suckers who think they’ve hired contract killers. Easy money. And no one to complain to the police. But after their partner is murdered, they’re on the hunt for payback.

I’ll send a reminder when the official release date is certain, so you’ll know that The Dark Web Scam is available at your preferred vendor and about any special pricing to celebrate the release.

In the meantime, I’ve been reading a few old Perry Mason mysteries. I knew about them, of course, and I’ve seen some of the original TV shows on Amazon Prime, as well as the new HBO show, which made me want to have a look at the original books.

I read The Case of the Dubious Bridegroom and The Case of the Lonely Heiress. These are real pre-Miranda period pieces, so the police have a lot more leeway and Perry Mason isn’t afraid to push the law right to the edge. The writing is serviceable, and the storytelling is first rate. So if you haven’t read any of them, you might want to give them a try.That’s all for now. Happy reading!

November 3, 2020: Reading suggestions

November 3, 2020: Reading suggestions

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Bought a gas fire pit for the back porch so we can extend our outside time farther into the fall. So far, it’s been a great place to drink Saturday morning coffee and watch the birds at the feeder.

The Dark Web Scam: The Travelers Book 9 is still being edited. Hope it’s going to be a great addition to the Travelers series.

How could a little murder-for-hire scam go so wrong? The Travelers and a computer hacker are operating a dark web con, taking cash from suckers who think they’ve hired contract killers. Easy money. And no one to complain to the police. But after their partner is murdered, they’re on the hunt for payback.

I just read Breakout, the 21st Parker novel. This one involves a prison breakout and subsequent caper. As you might recall, I’m a big fan of these books and they’re an inspiration for the Travelers series. Donald Westlake, writing as Richard Stark, wrote 24 Parker books, the first 16 from 1962-1974, the last 8 from 1997-2008. The latter ones have to deal with technologies that didn’t exist when the series began. But every one of these books that I’ve read (twenty, perhaps?) has been a riveting page turner.

While on the subject of fun reads, Grosse Ponte Pulp: John Rockne Mystery Series books 1-3 by Dan Ames is free today. I picked up a copy. Here’s the link if you want to check it out. (There’s nothing in this for me. Just though you might like to know.)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01I5RZD2E

That’s all for now. Happy reading!

October 20, 2020: A few words about Thicker Than Thieves

October 20, 2020: A few words about Thicker Than Thieves

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Here’s another in the series of emails about the thinking behind a Travelers book. This time, Thicker Than Thieves.

Often, in a Travelers book, the Traveling Man’s wife does the key seduction, while the Traveling Man is more focused on manipulating the other pieces of the puzzle. (Like in The Blackmail Photos.) So in Thicker Than Thieves, I thought it would be fun to put him in the role of primary seducer.

To that, I wanted to add a scam we haven’t seen before in a Travelers book (always looking for something new!), which led to the idea of the Travelers robbing smugglers.

From there, one choice lead to another. The smuggled item to be stolen? Mob diamonds from India. The smugglers to steal from? Iranian Americans. And so it goes until we’re dealing with white nationalists and Middle Eastern jihadis.

It was a little more research than usual, but lots of fun to write. Getting all the pieces to fall together was a complicated challenge. I hope you enjoyed it.

If you haven’t yet read Thicker Than Thieves, you can check it out here:

https://books2read.com/u/megY8g

Happy reading!