If your taste in fiction runs toward thrillers, you should definitely consider adding Libby Fischer Hellmann to your list of “want to read” authors. Long-time readers of this blog will remember I featured Libby last year after learning we have an audiobook narrator (the gifted Robin Rowan) in common. You can read that earlier post here.
While Libby and I have some common elements in our professional portfolios—editing, for example, as well as public speaking and crisis communication experience—she’s far more prolific as an author. Libby’s books cross the spectrum of crime fiction: suspense mysteries; historicals; PI novels; amateur sleuth; police procedurals; and a cozy mystery. Her fiction has been nominated for the Agatha, Anthony, and Edgar awards, and has repeatedly garnered Readers’ Choice awards (see the entire list here.) She’s also past president of Sisters in Crime–a busy woman indeed!
If you’d like to add Libby’s work to your collection—or buy as a gift—now’s the time! She has a box set (Kindle edition) of the Ellie Foreman mysteries on sale through December 2nd. This is the series the critics describe as “a masterful blend of politics, history, and suspense.” You can get all four books for just $5.99 now through December 2nd. Find the box set on Amazon, B&N, Kobo, and iBooks. And with book #5 in the series coming in just a few months, this is a perfect time to catch up!
Here’s a sample of the reviews for the books included in this set:
Jeremiah Healy, author of Turnabout calls An Eye for Murder “a clever mystery puzzle…a wonderful thriller.”
The Midwest Book Review has this to say about Picture of Guilt: “Hellmann has surpassed herself. Well-crafted, intense and exciting, right up to the last page… a must read.”
Crimspree Magazine declares A Shot to Die For is “a traditional mystery with a modern edge… the author’s confidence shows from beginning to end… refreshing as soft serve ice cream on a hot summer night.”
And as proof that Libby’s work appeals to readers across the spectrum, Tracy Farnsworth of the Romance Readers Connection says that “the story is action packed with twists that keep you turning the pages. Ms. Hellman has done a fabulous job in bringing two worlds together. … a must read.”
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I’ll be back soon with recommendations and suggestions for dog-related mystery fiction and some more terrific authors. Until then, happy reading!
It’s always fun to watch the reaction when I tell folks I’m a member of Sisters in Crime. Some chuckle, some look confused, and a few seem downright nervous until I explain the organization celebrates the mystery genre and supports women (men, too!) who write mystery, suspense, and thriller fiction.
I’ve been very fortunate to have the support and encouragement of so many in this group this past year as I launched my third book and debut novel, Deadly Ties. That support continues as I celebrate the release of the audio edition of the book, and I’m truly grateful. Today, I want to turn the spotlight on three “Sisters” and fellow authors who write compelling mystery fiction: Cathy Perkins, Mark Troy, and Marilyn Larew. Read on for details and links!
Cathy Perkins is an award-winning author who works in the financial industry where she’s observed the hide-in-plain-sight skills her villains put into practice. Whether writing darker fiction or lighter works, she delivers stories with strong characters who must overcome serious obstacles in pursuit of justice. If you like psychological thrillers or edgy mysteries with a romantic twist, give this author a try!
Here’s a glimpse of her latest novel, CYPHER, as described on her website:
When a hit-man kills the wrong person, a Greenville, SC detective confronts hidden agendas and conflicting motives in a powerful local family, while trying to control his attraction to the intended victim—a woman who should be dead, but instead is hell-bent on saving the remnants of her family.
Unwilling to stand by while her family and world are destroyed, she rips apart the secrets surrounding Cypher, the company her father built—and will take any measures to defend.
Cathy’s books are available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo. You can keep up with Cathy and all her news via her blog. (That’s where I discovered that Cathy, when asked what kind of animal she’d like to be, answered that she’d love to be a dog. I knew then she should be included here.)
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When you hear the name Sisters in Crime, you might think it’s all about women. Not true, as Mark Troy can tell you. Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Mark has traveled quite a bit, to include Thailand, Hawaii, and most recently Texas.
Mark Troy is the author of Pilikia Is My Business, a private eye novel published in 2001 and republished in 2010. Pilikia was nominated for a Shamus Award by the Private Eye Writers of America for Best 1st P.I. Novel. Game Face, a collection of short stories featuring P.I. Val Lyon, was published in 2011. The Rules, the first story in the Ava Rome series, was published as an ebook and audiobook in 2013. Mark’s latest release, The Splintered Paddle, is a dark thriller featuring a private investigator. Here’s a snippet from his website:
Private eye Ava Rome’s calling is to protect the defenseless. She takes on the cases of Jenny Mordan, a working girl who is being harassed by a police detective, and Cassie Sands, a teenager who is mixed up with a marijuana grower.
Norman Traxler did ten years in San Quentin nurturing his hatred of Ava Rome, the young MP who took him down for assaulting a prostitute.
When Traxler, the detective and the grower join forces against her, Ava’s calling — protecting the defenseless — becomes a fight for her life.
This dark thriller takes you on a tour of paradise tourists never see.
Waikiki, Hawaii. Dark clouds of revenge. Twisted motives. A bloody finale.
You can read an excerpt of The Splintered Paddle on Mark’s website, and find his books for sale on Amazon. If you’re a fan of intense, dark thrillers, this author might be just right for you!
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The third author in the spotlight today is another world traveler. Ask Marilynn Larew about her work and she’ll tell you “I write thrillers right out of today’s news.” With a Ph.D. in History, this college professor turned novelist has a strong background in teaching and writing. Here’s Marilynn, in her own words:
Although I live just over the Mason-Dixon Line in southern Pennsylvania, I love to travel – Hanoi, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Cairo, and, of course, Paris and London. On a bad day, I’ll even go to Philadelphia.
In my books I want to take you to places like that and show you international crime and terrorism. My books deal with drug runners selling dreams and death, merchants of death selling weapons to all comers, and human traffickers selling women and children into modern day slavery. These businesses produce mountains of money that has to be washed so the profits can be used. Some of this money goes to terrorist groups determined to destroy us.
Lee Carruthers, black money specialist for the CIA, follows the path of this illegal money to put these people out of business.
A review posted by Chanticleer Book Reviews called The Spider Catchers “a white-knuckled spy thriller about human trafficking and dirty money funding terrorism.” CIA analyst Lee Carruthers is ordered to Fez, Morocco, to find a missing colleague and winds up in a terrorist camp in the Algerian desert.
You can read an excerpt from the first in the Lee Carruthers series on Marilynn’s website, and keep up with all her news on her blog. Her work is currently available in paperback and Kindle editions on Amazon. You can order a signed copy direct from the author; visit her website for details.
