Let's Get Under the Cover
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Author's Note
New Releases (That I'm Excited About)!
Two Writers You Should Read
Events
It's Contest Time!
Other Writing
Let's Get Under the Cover
MY NEW COVER IS OUT!
And I just love the work the wonderful team at Thomas and Mercer did.
They were extremely accommodating and put up with all my "well..." bullshit. After a few back-and-forths we arrived at the cover above and I love it more than I love my dog (it's fine, he's not a subscriber to this newsletter and will probably never read this).
Book covers are an odd thing. Sometimes iconic, sometimes disregarded, and most frequently forgettable...and, also, a singular image intended to frame the story. The cover is designed by someone who typically hasn't read the book, and is instead following guidance from others about a few key points - a character description, an influential image, a typeset intended to be jarring.
The plot of No Home for Killers is about two sisters brought together to find out the truth behind the murder of their estranged brother, a troubled jazz musician...and one of the sisters is a secret vigilante named Three Strikes. Her real name is Emily Peña, and the team at T&M thought Emily would work best on the cover.
Normally with all my books, there's a point in the writing where the cover comes to me. I can see what the book looks like, or sometimes the image isn't entirely there, but coming...like the colors on an old Polaroid photograph starting to brighten.
But that never happened with No Home for Killers. The cover, maddeningly, remained just out of reach. I had different ideas, but nothing that seemed definite. And so I was eager for T&M's input and approach, even if that eagerness was tinged with apprehension. Because, honestly, even I wasn't sure how to best capture Emily's likeness.
I knew what almost every character in the book looked like, and even had a suggested actor/actress as a reference for each of them. Not so with Emily. I only saw her in my mind and, regardless of how thoroughly I searched the Internet, I couldn't find someone who matched her. One idea I had was to draw her, so I put together a sketch and showed it to my wife and kid and they laughed and were VERY RUDE and hurt my feelings, so I didn't send my sketch on to T&M.
But Thomas and Mercer worked their magic. And this is her. This is Emily, her mixed allure and aggression in the tilt of her head and, when those lips part, something offbeat and humorous is coming out. There's a very real danger, but also, in a different light, a sense of injury. They brought my character to life, and there's something very lovely and fulfilling about that collaborative experience.
If you've read either The Unrepentant or They're Gone, you'll know that I've written quite a few female protagonists. And if you've ever heard me talk about that in a podcast or panel, you'll know that's something I'm not entirely comfortable with. There are so many wonderful female protagonists in crime fiction written by wonderful female writers, rich and layered and funny, and I don't know...there's a vivid reality to them that I envy. But I love Emily, and what she represents, and how she wins and fails. I hope she can take her place among that wealthy pantheon of characters that crime fiction writers have given us over the years, particularly in recent years.
Oh! And here's a cool little treat, When I was finishing up an early version of this book, I asked an artist I know to do a rendering of the Three Strikes mask that Emily wears while she's doing her vigilantism. I told the artist (the wonderful Angela Del Vecchio) roughly what I was thinking, and she created the image below. It's exactly what I had in mind.
I can't wait for you to meet Emily.
(And you can preorder No Home for Killers now!)
EA
I mentioned They're Gone ("One of the best crime fiction books of 2020" - S. Florida Sun Sentinel) above and, guess what? It's on-sale this week at Amazon! Only $1.99 through Friday on Kindle. YO!
You can order it HERE.
When Paris Peralta is arrested in her own bathroom—covered in blood, holding a straight razor, her celebrity husband dead in the bathtub behind her—she knows she'll be charged with murder. But as bad as this looks, it's not what worries her the most. With the unwanted media attention now surrounding her, it's only a matter of time before someone from her long hidden past recognizes her and destroys the new life she's worked so hard to build, along with any chance of a future.
Twenty-five years earlier, Ruby Reyes, known as the Ice Queen, was convicted of a similar murder in a trial that riveted Canada in the early nineties. Reyes knows who Paris really is, and when she's unexpectedly released from prison, she threatens to expose all of Paris's secrets. Left with no other choice, Paris must finally confront the dark past she escaped, once and for all.
Because the only thing worse than a murder charge are two murder charges.
Using the confidential list they pilfered from Aaron Sears, Sam and Rachel delve into the world of artifact sales. Rachel poses as a museum curator while Sam takes on the role of rogue archaeologist. Their first marks are Robert and Evie Malvern, a wealthy couple who are known to quietly collect ancient artifacts via illicit means. But the grift hits a snag immediately when Robert Malvern turns the tables on them at gunpoint. The threat of death or prison is very real but he offers them a way out: if Rachel will pose as his missing wife for the next few days, he will call it even.
It doesn’t seem like a difficult assignment but quickly becomes a disturbing one. Evidence mounts that Evie Malvern isn't missing but murdered. Meanwhile, Sam goes to great lengths to do what he can to protect Rachel, discovering along the way that the Malverns have gotten themselves into trouble with some vengeful criminals. Both he and Rachel realize that they are pawns in the Malverns’ latest gambit.
The question is, does this realization come too late? Will Rachel survive her dangerous impersonation of Evie, or suffer the same fate? Is this the end for the grifters?
Blackmail is such an ugly word. Even uglier when it's happening to you, especially when you don't know who's behind it, and defense lawyer Jefferson Bell doesn't have a clue. Disgruntled client? Current mistress? One of a handful of pissed-off ex-mistresses? An opportunistic co-worker? A team of blackmailers looking for a big payday?
If the truth comes out, however, it will destroy his career and cause the end of Bell's marriage. And he can't let that happen, not after all the hard work he'd put in, not after all the sacrifices he'd endured over the years. So following the advice of a friend, Bell visits a multi-purpose taco truck and procures what he needs to bring the extortionist down, and hard. Now he just has to find him. Or her. Or them.
With the help of his buddy and former client Rags Richland, Bell follows the trail through Chicago. When the blackmailer sets up an exchange, Bell attempts to seize the opportunity and spring a trap. But things go sideways, and Bell is no closer to learning his tormentor's identity. To complicate matters, Bell's situation has attracted the attention of the managing partner at his law firm, who gives Bell an ultimatum: fix things and make sure there's no blowback on the firm. The ultimatum comes with a veiled part: Or else.
The more Bell searches, the more things come unraveled, and the more his desperation grows. And keeps growing, right up to the snapping point.
Then blows right past it.
Hundreds go missing each year making the dangerous crossing over the border. What if you were one of them?
While investigating the deaths of undocumented migrants in the Arizona desert, Detective Nathan Parker finds a connection to the unsolved murder of his partner by a coyote on a human smuggling run. The new evidence lures Parker over the border in search of the truth, only to trap him in a strange and dangerous land. If he’s to survive, Parker must place his life in the hands of the very people he once pursued.
Border violence, border politics, and who is caught in the middle. The forces behind it might surprise you.
Carlota Moreau: A young woman growing up on a distant and luxuriant estate, safe from the conflict and strife of the Yucatán peninsula. The only daughter of a researcher who is either a genius or a madman.
Montgomery Laughton: A melancholic overseer with a tragic past and a propensity for alcohol. An outcast who assists Dr. Moreau with his experiments, which are financed by the Lizaldes, owners of magnificent haciendas and plentiful coffers.
The hybrids: The fruits of the doctor’s labor, destined to blindly obey their creator and remain in the shadows. A motley group of part human, part animal monstrosities.
All of them live in a perfectly balanced and static world, which is jolted by the abrupt arrival of Eduardo Lizalde, the charming and careless son of Dr. Moreau’s patron, who will unwittingly begin a dangerous chain reaction.
For Moreau keeps secrets, Carlota has questions, and, in the sweltering heat of the jungle, passions may ignite.
On a whim, Grady Kendall applies to work as a live-in caretaker for a luxury property in Hawaiʻi, as far from his small-town Maine life as he can imagine. Within days he's flying out to an estate on remote Hokuloa Road, where he quickly uncovers a dark side to the island’s idyllic reputation: it has long been a place where people vanish without a trace.
When a young woman from his flight becomes the next to disappear, Grady is determined—and soon desperate—to figure out what's happened to Jessie, and to all those staring out of the island’s “missing" posters. But working with Raina, Jessie’s fiercely protective best friend, to uncover the truth is anything but easy, and with an inexplicable and sinister presence stalking his every step, Grady can only hope he'll find the answer before it's too late.
TV writer Yara Gibson’s hometown of Palmdale, California, isn’t her first choice for a vacation. But she’s back to host her parents’ twentieth-anniversary party and find the perfect family mementos for the celebration. Everything is going to plan until Yara receives a disturbing text: I have information that will change your life.
The message is from Felicia Campbell, who claims to be a childhood friend of Yara’s mother. But they’ve been estranged for years—drama best ignored and forgotten. But Yara can’t forget Felicia, who keeps texting, insisting that Yara talk to her “before it’s too late.”
But the next day is already too late for Felicia, whose body is found floating in Lake Palmdale. Before she died, Felicia left Yara a key to a remote lakeside cabin. In the basement are files related to a mysterious tragedy, unsolved since 1998. What secrets was Felicia hiding? How much of what Yara knows about her family has been true?
The deeper Yara digs for answers, the more she fears that Felicia was right. Uncovering the truth about what happened at the cabin all those years ago will change Yara’s life—or end it.
“You are the next step in human evolution.”
At first, Logan Ramsay isn’t sure if anything’s different. He just feels a little . . . sharper. Better able to concentrate. Better at multitasking. Reading a bit faster, memorizing better, needing less sleep.
But before long, he can’t deny it: Something’s happening to his brain. To his body. He’s starting to see the world, and those around him—even those he loves most—in whole new ways.
The truth is, Logan’s genome has been hacked. And there’s a reason he’s been targeted for this upgrade. A reason that goes back decades to the darkest part of his past, and a horrific family legacy.
Worse still, what’s happening to him is just the first step in a much larger plan, one that will inflict the same changes on humanity at large—at a terrifying cost.
Because of his new abilities, Logan’s the one person in the world capable of stopping what’s been set in motion. But to have a chance at winning this war, he’ll have to become something other than himself. Maybe even something other than human.
And even as he’s fighting, he can’t help wondering: what if humanity’s only hope for a future really does lie in engineering our own evolution?
Kathryn O'Sullivan is one of those rare writers who can seemingly do anything. I first came across her work as a fellow member of my local Sisters in Crime chapter, and her critically praised Colleen McCabe mysteries. But, as I got to know her, I learned that she was an active and knowledgeable screenwriter and filmmaker. And her latest novel (co-written with Paul Awad), When Earth Shall Be No More, is an emotional exploration of parallel universes and lives, without sacrificing character for action, or shying away from complex intellectual and philosophical issues (but never hopelessly submerging the reader in abstract concepts).
And a writer Kathryn recommends?
Choosing one author to recommend was difficult, so I’d like to recommend one book: KLARA AND THE SUN by Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro. KLARA AND THE SUN is a science fiction novel about Klara, a solar-powered Artificial Friend, who is acquired to be a companion to 14-year-old Josie. Josie is lonely (most kids in this near-future world are home schooled with little contact with other kids) and sickly (I won’t give away why Josie is sickly, but the reason is an indictment of some parents of privilege in the United States). We see the world through Klara’s eyes as she attempts to make sense of events, emotions, and life. Ishiguro poignantly explores the parent-child relationship, the “disposable” society, mortality, and what it means to feel love. I found the ending quite moving. This is a story for readers of science fiction and non-science fiction alike. I can’t wait to see how they adapt it for film!
To learn more about these authors, click on the photos above.
The Sisters in Crime Podcast
I was a guest on Sisters in Crime's Writers' podcast, hosted by the wonderful Julie Hennrikus. There's no writing organization I admire more than Sisters in Crime, and I jump at any opportunity to work with them (as a proud "Mister Sister"). I had the opportunity to talk about some early lows in my writing career, and some fun highs, and Julie is a fantastic host and we had a warm, lively conversation. You can check it out HERE.
It's contest time! The monthly contest winner wins copies of the books listed in my "Two Writers You Should Read" segment. And the winner is...
sarah____rich@gmail.com
Congrats, and keep your eye out for a separate e-mail from me!
I wrote an essay for CrimeReads about the comments made by James Patterson (and recently repeated by Joyce Carol Oates) about the odd concern for the success of white male writers. I loved this essay, was so happy CrimeReads ran it, and beyond delighted that it resonated with so many readers. Did it upset James Patterson? He'll be okay. Anyway, you can read it HERE.
Also, yes, I UPDATED THE GRAPHICS IN MY NEWSLETTER! WITH MOVING PICTURES! I'm very hip.
Until next time, much love and happy reading!