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Bookreporter.com Newsletter September 5, 2003 This Week on Bookreporter.com Vacation Reading Two Author Interviews: Bookreporter Talks to Martha Grimes and Laura Lippman Suspense/Thriller Spotlight: Nelson DeMille Interviews Christopher Reich and We Review THE DEVIL'S BANKER; An Excerpt from HELLO, DARKNESS by Sandra Brown and Announcing Our New Author, Richard North Patterson Our Chick Lit Feature: Our First Title --- PUSHING 30 by Whitney Gaskell Bookreporter.com Talks to Margaret Coel, author of KILLING RAVEN and Announces a Contest. Winner Receives a Complete Collection of Coel's Arapaho Novels --- PERSONALLY Autographed THE HOUR BEFORE DARK by Douglas Clegg This Week's Book Reviews and Features Poll: Did you read as much as you wanted this summer? Question of the Week Word of Mouth: Tell Us What You're Reading and Win a Copy of THE WEDDING by Nicholas Sparks On The Book Report Network Bookreporter.com Past Reviews Past Poll: Do you like to read books set in places where you have visited? Can you share a book set in a place you have visited that you really enjoyed? Vacation Reading Thanks to all of you who sent such nice notes about the 7th Anniversary of Bookreporter.com. We really appreciated them! I spent last week in North Carolina on the Outer Banks where the weather was sunny and HOT. We rented a house where there were these seats built into the outdoor pool. I spent most of the week sitting in the pool and reading --- a perfect vacation. My sons splashed a lot so I now have many watermarked book jackets and I am happy that I was reading advance reading copies of many of these titles. Here is what I read, many of which we will be reviewing in the months to come: BLEACHERS by John Grisham, A FAINT COLD FEAR by Karin Slaughter, AT THE STROKE OF MADNESS by Alex Kava, BREAKING HER FALL by Stephen Goodwin, STONE GARDEN by Molly Monachan, SO MANY BOOKS SO LITTLE TIME by Sara Nelson, DRIFTING by Stephanie Gertler, A PERFECT DAY by Richard Paul Evans and two young adult books --- MAGGIE'S DOOR by Patricia Reilly Giff and JINGLE BOY by Kieran Scott. I read another book that takes on particular significance as we mark the second anniversary of the terrorist attacks on 9/11 --- FATHER FIGURES: Three Wise Men Who Changed a Life by Kevin Sweeney. Sweeney's dad died when he was 3. By the time he was 8 he was feeling a need for male influences in his life so he "adopted" three dads who he "studied" to learn how to be a good dad, husband and man. It's an emotional read and I definitely shed more than one tear reading it. As we approach the 9/11 anniversary this book made me think about the ongoing toll on the fatherless --- and motherless --- children of the terrorists' victims and the how developing role models for those missing in their lives is so important. It's another huge task to take up after 9/11. This week we have FOUR author interviews to share with you! Enjoy the special feature where Nelson DeMille, the author of UP COUNTRY interviews Christopher Reich, as well as terrific pieces done by our own team with Martha Grimes, Laura Lippman and Margaret Coel. This week we introduce our next Suspense/Thriller author --- Richard North Patterson whose new book BALANCE OF POWER will be in stores on October 14th. Patterson's plot revolves around the business of guns and the debate over gun control after the President's in-laws are killed in a shooting. I had not read Patterson before. Readers who enjoy issue-oriented fiction will find themselves wrapped around this one. If you would like to be one of our 20 advance readers, please send a note to SuspenseThriller@Bookreporter.com by Friday, September 12th with your name and snail mail address. Be sure to take a look at the contest that goes live today where a winner will receive an entire collection of Margaret Coel's work --- personally autographed. See more details on all of these features below. Enjoy this week's update. Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com) Click here to read more about FATHER FIGURES: Three Wise Men Who Changed a Life. Two Author Interviews: Bookreporter Talks to Martha Grimes and Laura Lippman Martha Grimes' succession of novels has demonstrated time and again her mastery of prose and her limitless imagination. In her latest offering, FOUL MATTER, Grimes' expands into virgin territory with a satirical tale of writers and publishers and the comic consequences when egos and ethics collide. In this interview with Bookreporter.com's Ann Bruns, Ms. Grimes gives readers a glimpse into her views on the industry and her sense of what it means to be a true writer. Click on the photo of Grimes on the above left to read this interview. **** Laura Lippman was a newspaper reporter at the Baltimore Sun for fifteen years. Her Tess Monaghan novels --- THE LAST PLACE, THE SUGAR HOUSE, BALTIMORE BLUES, CHARM CITY, BUTCHERS HILL, and IN BIG TROUBLE --- have won the Edgar, Agatha, Shamus, Anthony and Nero Wolfe Awards, and her novel IN A STRANGE CITY was a New York Times Notable Book. In this interview with Bookreporter.com's reviewer Ava Dianne Day, Lippman discusses her latest effort and first stand-alone novel, EVERY SECRET THING. She also talks about her early years as a reporter and aspiring author, her writing routine, and what readers can expect from her next. Click on Lippman's photo on the above right to read the interview. Read our Author Interviews with Martha Grimes and Laura Lippman here. Suspense/Thriller Spotlight: Nelson DeMille Interviews Christopher Reich and We Review THE DEVIL'S BANKER; An Excerpt from HELLO, DARKNESS by Sandra Brown and Announcing Our New Author, Richard North Patterson In this exclusive Bookreporter.com Suspense/Thriller interview Nelson DeMille, the bestselling author of UP COUNTRY, talks to Christopher Reich about Reich's latest novel THE DEVIL'S BANKER, as well as what Reich loves about writing, the books that have influenced him the most, and the details of his next project. THE DEVIL'S BANKER by Christopher Reich (Suspense) Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub Forensic accountant Adam Chapel is assigned to Blood Money, an elite counterterrorist task force assigned to thwart what appears to be a planned terrorist attack on U.S. soil. When four of Chapel's colleagues are killed in an explosion, Chapel teams up with British intelligence agent Sarah Churchill to hunt down the shadowy investor who is the mastermind behind the terrorist plot. Sandra Brown: HELLO, DARKNESS will be out in hardcover on October 7th and THE CRUSH is now available in paperback. New This Week: Read the Prologue of HELLO, DARKNESS. In Case You Missed Last Week. See our list of advance readers. Introducing our October author, Richard North Patterson, whose new book BALANCE OF POWER will be in stores on October 14th. Interested in being one of 20 advance readers? Then send us mail at SuspenseThriller@bookreporter.com with your name and snail mail address by Friday, September 12th to become eligible. Read our Suspense/Thriller feature here. Our Chick Lit Feature: Our First Title --- PUSHING 30 by Whitney Gaskell As promised, here is our new Chick Lit feature. Our first title is PUSHING 30 by Whitney Gaskell. Here are two lines that sum up the story. Ellie Winters, a woman who is dependable and loyal and has a near-phobic aversion to conflict. But as her thirtieth birthday looms ever closer, she starts to feel like she's lost the instruction manual to her life. It's witty and smart and oh soooooo much fun. I spent a recent Saturday reading PUSHING 30 and while I am "just a tad over 30" now, I just loved it. See our list of 20 advance readers by clicking on the link below. Read our Chick Lit feature here. Bookreporter.com Talks to Margaret Coel, author of KILLING RAVEN and Announces a Contest. Winner Receives a Complete Collection of Coel's Arapaho Novels --- PERSONALLY Autographed Margaret Coel is the New York Times bestselling, award-winning author of the acclaimed author of the John O'Malley/Vicky Holden series, as well as several works of nonfiction. Originally a historian by trade, she is an expert on the Arapaho Indians. In this interview with Bookreporter.com's reviewer Barbara Lipkien Gershenbaum, Coel discusses KILLING RAVEN, the ninth installment in her O'Malley/Holden series. She also talks about the research she conducts for her books, her fascination with the Arapaho Reservation, and the tenth book in the series due out next year. KILLING RAVEN by Margaret Coel (Mystery) Reviewed by Barbara Lipkien Gershenbaum Margaret Coel, who is an expert on the Arapaho Indians, has written a riveting tale about the inner workings of gambling casinos, how corporate corruption can manipulate the odds for everyone, and the impact of personal betrayals --- all of which take place on and around the Wind River Reservation, home of the Northern Arapaho. Readers have a chance to win a set of personalized signed copies of Margaret Coel's 9 novels in the O'Malley/Holden series, including her latest mystery, KILLING RAVEN. To enter the contest, email Contests@bookreporter.com with the answer to this question: What did Lela see that looked like it was "rising out of the ground, clawing at the dirt?" The answer to the question can be found by reading the KILLING RAVEN excerpt, located at www.bookreporter.com/community/contests/030905-coel-margaret.asp Read our interview with Margaret Coel, a review of KILLING Raven and details about our Margaret Coel Contest here. THE HOUR BEFORE DARK by Douglas Clegg In Douglas Clegg's THE HOUR BEFORE DARK, the mysteries and passions of one family on an isolated New England island in winter explode into an exploration of childhood darkness and terror. Part murder mystery, part chiller, THE HOUR BEFORE DARK is Clegg's "best and most exciting novel to date," according to NY Times bestselling novelist, Peter Straub. Recently bought for the movies, THE HOUR BEFORE DARK is a page-turner with a twist. Read more about THE HOUR BEFORE DARK here. This Week's Book Reviews and Features LIES: AND THE LYING LIARS WHO TELL THEM - A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right by Al Franken (Politics/Current Events) Reviewed by Jesse Kornbluth and Joe Hartlaub Bestselling author and satirist Al Franken has no problems expressing his opinions as he attempts to destroy what he considers to be the myth of liberal bias in the media and expose how the Right shamelessly tries to deceive us. Our resident political foes Jesse Kornbluth and Joe Hartlaub offer their passionate yet opposed views. *** FOUL MATTER by Martha Grimes (Literary Humor) Reviewed by Barbara Lipkien Gershenbaum From Martha Grimes comes this scathingly funny novel that casts a jaded eye upon the business of publishing. Writers, editors, secretaries, hit men and backstabbing publishers are all fair game for this roman à clef from one of America's favorite authors. EVERY SECRET THING by Laura Lippman (Thriller) Reviewed by Ava Dianne Day Two 11-year-old girls are sent to jail following the tragic death of a baby they encounter in an unattended carriage. Seven years later, they regain their freedom and look forward to starting their lives anew --- but their hopes of a fresh start are soon crushed. WE JUST WANT TO LIVE HERE: A Palestinian Teenager, an Israeli Teenager - An Unlikely Friendship by Amal Rifa'i and Odelia Ainbinder with Sylke Tempel (Current Affairs) Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman Palestinian Amal Rifa'i and Israeli Odelia Ainbinder are two young women who exchange letters about life in Jerusalem and the violent Intifada that broke out in the fall of 2000 --- and they ultimately build a unique friendship. TRIANGLE: The Fire That Changed America by David Von Drehle (History) Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman Journalist David Von Drehle recounts in powerful and passionate detail the fire that broke out in the Triangle Shirtwaist factory on March 25, 1911 --- a disaster that brought about numerous workplace legislation and changed the complexion of the factory world. BRADBURY STORIES: 100 of His Most Celebrated Tales by Ray Bradbury (Short Stories) Reviewed by Stephen M. Deusner Contained in this landmark volume are one hundred of Ray Bradbury's enthralling, imaginative and haunting short stories, all of which were chosen by Bradbury himself. RIDING THE BUS WITH MY SISTER by Rachel Simon (Memoir Paperback) Reviewed by Toni Fitzgerald Beth is a spirited woman with mental retardation who spends nearly every day riding the buses in Philadelphia. When Rachel agrees to accompany her sister on the buses for one year, little does she realize the impact this decision will ultimately have on her life and relationship with Beth. STELLA DESCENDING by Linn Ullmann (Fiction) Reviewed by Kate Ayers Husband and wife Martin and Stella play a dangerous game on the edge of a roof, stories above the street. For Stella, it is the last game she will ever play. Did she simply lose her balance --- or did Martin push her over? IDLEWILD by Nick Sagan (Science Fiction) Reviewed by Bob Rhubart A young man awakes with amnesia and is determined to uncover the identity of the person who he believes is trying to murder him. He quickly begins to unravel a series of truths, making it clear that much more than just his life is at stake LITERARY OCCASIONS: Essays by V.S. Naipaul (Essays) Reviewed by Rob Cline V.S. Naipaul, a master of the English language and winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, has compiled a collection of essays about reading, writing and identity. Read this week's reviews and features here. Poll: Did you read as much as you wanted this summer? Did you read as much as you wanted this summer? Yes, I am very pleased with the books I read. No, I wanted to read more. I am not sure how I feel about my summer reading. Overall rate the books that you read this summer: They were some of the best books that I have read. While I read some terrific titles, others were surprisingly inferior. They were not as good as books I have read in the past. Answer the Poll here. Question of the Week Here's our question of the week: What book are you most looking forward to reading in the next few weeks? Answer the Question of the Week. Word of Mouth: Tell Us What You're Reading and Win a Copy of THE WEDDING by Nicholas Sparks Tell us what books YOU are reading and loving --- or even those you don't. Five lucky readers will win one of five copies of THE WEDDING by Nicholas Sparks. We will ask what you would like inscribed in your book when we get your mailing information. Please note that our next Word of Mouth update will be on September 19th. Need more details about Word of Mouth? Click here. As always, here are a few housekeeping notes. If you are seeing this newsletter in a text version, and would prefer to see the graphics, you can either read it online (see the link on the upper right) or change your preferences below. Those of you who wish to send mail to the general mailbox at Bookreporter.com, please write to: Mail@bookreporter.com. If you would like to reach me, please write Carol@bookreporter.com. Writing any of the respond buttons below will not get to us. Quick observation --- we have noticed that many of you have been changing your Internet providers in the past month. If you do, please be sure to "take us along" by signing up for the newsletter in your new name! Happy reading....and don't forget to forward this newsletter to a friend. --- Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com) Back to top.