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Bookreporter.com Newsletter	January 10, 2003
This Week on Bookreporter.com Happy New Year! Bookreporter.com Talks to: Pete Hamill Suspense/Thriller Feature: Stephen Frey and Stephen White Author Talk: Brian Haig, Author of THE KINGMAKER Author Talk: Laura Pedersen, Author of BEGINNER'S LUCK DEAD AIM by Thomas Perry This Week's Book Reviews Poll: Which suspense/thriller authors do YOU rush out to read each time he/she has a new book out? Question of the Week Word of Mouth: Tell Us What You're Reading	On The Book Report Network Bookreporter.com Past Reviews Past Poll: How many books are you giving this holiday season? What is your reading resolution?
Happy New Year! After three weeks without an update, we are back with a very full lineup this week. The holidays this year seemed even longer than usual, which was so nice. After a full week of family visits and presents, we got away to the Outer Banks (one of my favorite places to just unwind) for New Year's week and spent a wonderful week reading (8 books!), enjoying walks on the beach and just relaxing. Pure heaven, especially the reading part. Most of my reading was for our suspense/thriller feature. I thoroughly enjoyed both Stephen Frey and Stephen White, reading both their new books and some of their backlists. To me, it is such fun to discover a new author and read through their books like this. So many of your write and ask us for lists of author's titles, in order. We have a feature on AuthorsOnTheWeb.com called Author Bibliographies where you can find complete listings for more than 90 authors. Click on the link below. If we are missing an author who you are interested in, send me a note at Carol@bookreporter.com and put in the subject line: Author Bibliography Needed, and the author's name. And we will get onto it! We added some new guides at ReadingGroupGuides.com this week. Whether you are already in a book club, or contemplating joining one (now there's a New Year's resolution), or if you just want to see another perspective on a book, check this website out. Our Author of the Month on AuthorsOnTheWeb.com is Jeffrey Archer. He is one of my favorite authors, and reading this book I remember why he is known as the Master of the Plot Twist! We'll have more on this book in the weeks to come. Lots of reading here this week so please read on. As always, if you have ideas or suggestions, please pass them along! Happy reading... Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com) Read Author Bibliographies here.
Bookreporter.com Talks to: Pete Hamill In this interview with Bookreporter.com's Tom Callahan, acclaimed novelist and journalist Pete Hamill discusses his latest novel FOREVER, conveys his love of New York City and explains why he feels "New York fatalism" has helped make life "tolerable" since 9/11. If you missed Tom's review of FOREVER, which we ran before the holidays, you can get to it from the link below. Read our interview with Pete Hamill here!
Suspense/Thriller Feature: Stephen Frey and Stephen White This year we will explore in depth the work of 12 suspense/thriller authors. We'll explore their new books --- and their past ones. By the end of the year the goal is that you will have met 12 new authors, read 12 new books --- and had the opportunity to learn about dozens more. Our January author is Stephen Frey. This week we add this to our feature: Part one of a two-part interview with Stephen A review of his new hardcover SILENT PARTNER The first installment of a three-part excerpt of SILENT PARTNER A review of his new paperback THE DAY TRADER The first installment of a three-part excerpt of THE DAY TRADER A list of the readers who were selected to read advance copy of SILENT PARTNER Our February author is Stephen White. This we add this to our feature: The first installment of a three-part excerpt of THE BEST REVENGE, his new hardcover A review by Joe Hartlaub of WARNING SIGNS, his new paperback and a look at a previous review of this book by Kate Ayers The first installment of a three-part excerpt of WARNING SIGNS A list of the readers who were selected to read an advance copy of WARNING SIGNS Read our suspense/thriller feature here.
Author Talk: Brian Haig, Author of THE KINGMAKER Brian Haig landed on the suspense scene with the novels MORTAL ALLIES and SECRET SANCTION. In this interview Haig discusses his latest novel, THE KINGMAKER, his background as a United States infantry officer, and the authors who inspired his work. THE KINGMAKER by Brian Haig (Suspense) Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub Sean Drummond, the smart-mouthed hero of Brian Haig's bestselling SECRET SANCTION and MORTAL ALLIES, returns to defend the biggest traitor America has ever known. Read an interview with Brian Haig, author of THE KINGMAKER here
Author Talk: Laura Pedersen, Author of BEGINNER'S LUCK In this interview Laura Pedersen talks about how she got the idea for her debut novel, BEGINNER'S LUCK, how she and her character Hallie differ --- and how they are the same --- and what has influenced her work. BEGINNER'S LUCK by Laura Pedersen (Fiction) Reviewed by Roberta O'Hara Laura Pedersen introduces readers to Hallie Palmer --- a savvy 16-year old who is wise beyond her years --- and a number of endearing and quirky characters who populate Cosgrove County, Ohio. Note that this book was both a B&N Discover Great New Writers Pick for Winter 2003 and a Borders Original Voices Pick for January 2003. For more about Laura Pedersen, please go to LauraPedersenBooks.com. Read an interview with Laura Pedersen, author of BEGINNER'S LUCK here.
DEAD AIM by Thomas Perry DEAD AIM by Thomas Perry (Thriller) Reviewed by Ann Bruns Robert Mallon hires a private investigator to look into the past of a troubled woman who killed herself just days after he rescued her from an attempted suicide --- and Robert's once peaceful and carefully constructed life is turned completely upside down. Next week we will have an interview with Thomas Perry, which was done by Ann Bruns. Be sure to check back for it Read a review and excerpt of DEAD AIM by Thomas Perry here.
This Week's Book Reviews TO AMERICA by Stephen E. Ambrose (Nonfiction) Reviewed by Curtis Edmonds Stephen Ambrose, one of the country's most influential historians, reflects on his long career as an American historian and confronts the successes, failures and struggles of America. THE CONQUERORS: Roosevelt, Truman and the Destruction of Hitler's Germany, 1941-1945 by Michael Beschloss (History) Reviewed by Curtis Edmonds Respected historian Michael Beschloss details one of the most important stories of World War II --- as Allied soldiers fought the Nazis, Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman fought in private with Churchill and Stalin over how to ensure that Germany could never threaten the world again. THAT OLD ACE IN THE HOLE by Annie Proulx (Fiction) Reviewed by Karen Jenkins Holt Annie Proulx takes readers for a ride through the dusty panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma, as reluctant land swindler Bob Dollar secretly scouts for properties that can be bought for hog farms. LET'S ALL KILL CONSTANCE by Ray Bradbury (Mystery) Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub An unnamed screenwriter and his sidekick, Detective Elmo Crumley, travel through Hollywood to locate and warn celebrities who have been marked for death and search for the would-be murderer. VAGABOND by Bernard Cornwell (Historical Fiction) Reviewed by Kate Ayers After much anticipation, Bernard Cornwell delivers this sequel to THE ARCHER'S TALE, in which a young archer sets out to avenge his father's honor on the battlefields of the Hundred Year's War and winds up on a quest for the Holy Grail. IN HER SHOES by Jennifer Weiner (Fiction) Reviewed by Roberta O'Hara In this follow-up to her critically acclaimed debut, GOOD IN BED, Jennifer Weiner tells the funny and poignant story of two very different sisters and the grandmother they've been estranged from since their mother's death. HOLLYWOOD TOUGH by Stephen J. Cannell (Suspense) Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub LAPD Detective Shane Scully finds himself unwittingly involved in a criminal scheme to take over the movie business in this gripping novel by Stephen Cannell that is impossible to put down. BEHIND SAD EYES: The Life of George Harrison by Marc Shapiro (Biography) Reviewed by Ron Kaplan Bestselling author Marc Shapiro sheds new light on the late Beatle George Harrison, discussing such topics as his drug use, his reclusive lifestyle and his religious beliefs. IN HIS SHADOW by Dave Zeltserman (Mystery) Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub When a young woman approaches private eye Johnny Lane to help find her birth parents, the last thing he expects is the path the case eventually leads him down. Read this week's reviews here.
Poll: Which suspense/thriller authors do YOU rush out to read each time he/she has a new book out? We are excited about the launching of our new Suspense/Thriller Feature. Which suspense/thriller authors do YOU rush out to read each time he/she has a new book out? David Baldacci D.W. Buffa Michael Crichton Nelson DeMille Ken Follett Stephen Frey Lisa Gardner Tess Gerritsen John Grisham Jonathan Kellerman Phillip Margolin James Patterson Stephen White I read suspense/thrillers, but none of these authors. I do not read suspense/thrillers. Answer the Poll here.
Question of the Week Name up to three suspense/thriller titles that had you guessing till the end. Answer the question here, or write to Question@Bookreporter.com
Word of Mouth: Tell Us What You're Reading Tell us what books YOU are reading and loving --- or even those you don't. One lucky reader will win a copy of DEAD AIM by Thomas Perry. Need more details about Word of Mouth? Click here.
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