BookOpinion

Amazon has released a 10-minute podcast from the audiobook for Heartsick by Chelsea Cain. Publishers Weekly says, “A vivid literary style lifts this well above the usual run of suspense novels.”

Amazon writes: “Narrated by Carolyn McCormick (of Law & Order fame), Heartsick turns typical serial-killer fare on its head by introducing one of the most tense, titillating relationships between cop and killer since Thomas Harris introduced Clarice Starling to Hannibal Lecter. This time, it’s a woman–the devastatingly beautiful, heart-stoppingly evil Gretchen Lowell–who, in the midst of a seemingly neverending bloodbath, takes lead investigator Archie Sheridan captive, subjects him to unthinkable torture, yet allows him to live and turns herself in. Fast forward two years, when Sheridan is coaxed out of a grim, drug-addled semi-retirement to hunt down another killer…and there’s only one person who can help him. Heartsick is a huge in-house favorite at Amazon.com and one of our favorite new releases for September. Take a listen and prepare to be hooked!”

Listen to Amazon’s free podcast here.

Charlie Huston’s latest novel, “The Shotgun Rule,” lands in bookstores this week. The dark and often vulgar coming-of-age novel is set in Northern California. “Huston has the courage to both unsettle and entertain the reader,” Publisher’s Weekly writes, “and his story resonates long after its disturbing final scenes.”

BookOpinion has pulled together a video interview with Huston on the book, an excerpt from the novel and reviews.

Publishers Weekly summarizes The Shotgun Rule: “Four teenage boys, out of school and experimenting with drugs, booze and sex, find trouble fast when they break into the home of the notorious Arroyo brothers to retrieve a stolen bicycle. In the process, they stumble on the Arroyo family’s main operation, a meth lab. In a classic moment of naïve bravado, they steal part of the stash, setting off a downward spiral of events that will reopen the door to the town’s dark past, when an earlier generation of criminals, including one of the boy’s fathers, controlled the streets.”

E.W. also chimes in: “Ooo-wee, what a righteously nasty imagination Charlie Huston has,” says Entertainment Weekly. “If you don’t know this perfervid writer of thrillers (Caught Stealing) and comic books (Moon Knight), this stand-alone novel is a great place to start…The Shotgun Rule is wise about the way boys grow into men, and roots its violence in understandable emotion.”

Here’s a short video with Huston talking about The Shotgun Rule:

The following is an excerpt from The Shotgun Rule:

Piece of Shit Bike

It started with Andy’s piece of shit bike.

—What the fuck were you doing not locking it up?

—I just went in for a second.

—I just went in for a second. How long do you think it takes to steal a bike, dickweed?

—It was right next to the window.

—Yeah, that’ll do it; no one ever steals shit that’s next to a window. Numbnuts.

George is kneeling next to a bucket of water, submerging the half inflated innertube from his bike’s front wheel. He looks once at Paul, then back in the bucket.

—Don’t be such a dick, man, he lost his bike.

Paul picks up a rock from the huge pile that occupies half the driveway. He shakes the rock around in his hand.

—He didn’t lose his bike.

He tosses the rock, bouncing it off Andy’s back.

—He let someone steal it.

Andy feels pressure behind his eyes and fights it. Already cried once coming out of the store and finding the bike gone. Can’t cry again.

He picks up a rock of his own.
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BOOKOPINION REVIEW: If you have read any Craig Parshall novels in the past, then you are going to be delighted with “The Last Judgment.” This is the final book of the Chamber of Justice series, and like Mr. Parshall’s previous novels, it is full of emotional conflict, conspiracy, violent upheavals and resolution.

The primary character, Will Chambers, is an attorney who has been hired by the foster parents of Hassan Gilead Amahn, an Egyptian by birth but raised by a Christian mother who was murdered in Egypt for her beliefs. The situation evolves after Gilead arrives in Cairo and has been preaching on the streets and is arrested. After Will pulls some strings in rather high places, Gilead is released and journeys on to Israel. When Gilead reaches Jerusalem in order to reach out to Muslims there with the love of God, he becomes unknowingly involved in a cataclysmic event…an explosion on the Temple Mount, demolishing the al-Aqsa Mosque and resulting in the death of hundreds of Muslims. It is believed that a group called The Knights of the Temple Mount is responsible for this crime and seemingly, Gilead is their leader.

Gilead is charged with the crime and incarcerated, and Will Chambers is approached again by the parents and requested to defend their adopted son. Will’s lovely wife, Fiona, pleads with Will to not accept the assignment but after researching the case, Will feels this is an opportunity not only to rescue Gilead, but to wreak justice upon a man named Warren Mullburn, a powerful figure who has put Will’s career and life in jeopardy in the past.

Warren Millburn, the owner of a small chain of islands in the Caribbean, has few friends but many allies in the shady world of political intrigue. And now, he is preparing his biggest coup ever — manipulation of events in the Middle East that will ultimately put him in control of a global empire unrivaled in world history.

How is Will going to achieve the release of Gilead considering the turmoil between the Israelis and the Muslims? With the press, President of the United States and the Muslim states screaming for Gilead’s blood, it seems an unlikely event. And behind the scenes, Warren Millburn is assuring his own future as well as Gilead’s death.

An impossible task: An American attorney defending a Christian in one of the most volatile areas of the world. Whichever way this case is resolved, it is going to change the history of the Middle East.

Well, Craig Parshall has done it again. “The Last Judgment” is well written, fast paced, highly detailed and electrifying. This is a must read if you are a fan of political intrigue or law based dramas. However, I highly recommend that you begin with the first book in the Chamber of Justice series, “The Resurrection File” in order to follow the sequence of events leading up to this final chapter of Will’s life.

– Elizabeth Channery

BOOKOPINION REVIEW: A young murdered woman in Nashville, Tenn., and the appointment of a new justice of the Supreme Court. What can these two events possibly have in common?

“The Divine Appointment” opens with attorney Eli Faulkner, of Jackson, Tenn., reaching a settlement for a client who has just been ripped off. Neither is satisfied with the agreement but the ordeal has been long and trying, and both are relieved that the episode is over. When Eli leaves Nashville and arrives home, the evening news reveals that a Supreme Court Justice, Martha Doyle Robinson, has just died from a battle with pancreatic cancer…leaving an opening for a very conservative president to appoint a new justice.

But there are definitely breakers ahead…primarily, a very liberal congress; Stella Hanover, president of The National Federation for Abortion Rights and wielder of a very big stick; and Senator Proctor, a man whose power and intimidating personality have cowed more than one senator or congressman into following his lead.

When President Wallace nominates Judge Dunbar Shelton of the Mississippi Supreme Court, the shadowy background figures in the clutches of Proctor and others like him go into action. But the President and Proctor reach an uneasy agreement on Shelton and it seems as if Dunbar Shelton will easily be the next appointed Supreme Court Justice.

Meanwhile, Holland Fletcher, an ambitious, fledgling reporter for the Washington Post, has been receiving frightening but intriguing phone calls from an unnamed woman who urges him to look into the case of Jessica Caldwell, the young woman who was murdered in Nashville. The source intimates that this is a conspiracy that goes very high up…all the way to Washington, D.C., in fact.

When Eli Faulkner is hired by the wife of the man accused of killing Jessica Caldwell, he begins to find conflicting information not only about his client, but also about Jessica Caldwell and her associations with several very powerful people in Washington. And the plot thickens further when an attempt is made on the life of Judge Shelton at his residence in Mississippi.

So, who murdered Jessica Caldwell? Who attempted to murder Judge Shelton? And how are all these events connected? Is President Wallace going to be forced to drop his nomination and try for a less conservative justice?

“The Divine Appointment” is told in short spurts, moving quickly from person to person and location to location. At first, this is a bit disconcerting, but it quickly grows on you and actually becomes a unique way to compose a very complex plot. The characters are great…either really likeable or despicable, depending on your point of view. To be honest, I had a difficult time putting this book down.

If you enjoy a fast-paced thriller with twists and turns that will leave you rooting for the good guys, “The Divine Appointment” is a novel that you are going to love. It’s unusual, well told and definitely earns my seal of approval.

– Elizabeth Channery

BOOKOPINION REVIEW: Frasier Island, supposedly a site for hidden, underwater missile silos is much more than what it seems. On this remote island, Ensign Rachel Whitney, Lieutenant George Hudson and Pierre Belanger are guarding a secret so powerful and so terrifying that it has the capability of annihilating an enemy power instantaneously. And somehow, there has been a leak in the chain of command and now they are facing the possibility of a low profile invasion from an unidentified country that wants this unique source of power.

Thousands of miles from nowhere with naval landings made difficult by harsh weather and choppy seas, the three guardians must somehow coordinate their efforts to avoid being overcome by a ruthless enemy. When Rachel determines by use of the sophisticated underwater listening system that the whale song she is hearing is actually the masking of the sound of an electric motor, she notifies George that there is a problem. Verifying that there could not possibly be a friendly vessel in the area, George makes the decision to destroy the submarine regardless of its country of origin. Within seconds, the sub is blown apart but Rachel, observing from the housetop, notices several bobbing black objects in the water, moving closer to the shoreline. And finally, she zeroes in on a swimmer.

George and Rachel gear up and give the small island a thorough sweep to turn up empty handed. Not entirely convinced that an intruder isn’t hiding in the jungle, George notifies his superior and locks down the Frasier Island facility. Now, all they can do is wait until reinforcements arrive.

When Captain Gallant steps ashore from the Seahawk, he informs George that Washington is demanding his presence immediately and Gallant is leaving two additional men to assist Rachel and Pierre with the maintenance and protection of the facility. George protests but finally realizes the necessity to report personally.

But are the men left behind really who they seem to be? And the island search was performed during a huge tropical storm…is there possibly someone hiding in the dark jungle just waiting for the opportunity to attack the facility and claim the powerful secret?

Okay, combining a fast paced conspiracy plot with an intertwined romance angle is not an easy job to do for a writer…and I give Susan Page Davis an “A” for effort. But the story of “Frasier Island” seems a bit flat to me, slow in spots and the characters, well, they’re, frankly, not very interesting. George, Rachel and Pierre have details written about them that are somewhat revealing, but they still remain a bit one dimensional for my tastes. The original idea for the book was great…it just never quite hit the heights I would have liked.

But in spite of that, I think Susan Page Davis has the makings of a really good author and, I look forward to reading her next book. In the meantime, if you are looking for a great combination of conspiracy, spy and romance, check out “Rainbow Six” by Tom Clancy or any of the older Ludlum novels. These are all page turners that are highly unpredictable, with twists and turns that will leave you breathless with the quality of writing and the remarkable plots.

– Elizabeth Channery

Amazon has released the first chapter of the audiobook for John Lescroart’s “The Suspect.” This is Lescroart’s latest legal thriller, which was released earlier this year, and takes place in San Francisco.

It’s narrated by David Colacci (also the voice behind The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay). AudioFile describes the audiobook: “Dr. Caryn Dryden is found dead in her hot tub. The number one suspect is her hot-tempered husband, Stuart Gorman, who stands to inherit millions but steadfastly claims to have been miles away at his mountain cabin. Although attorney Gina Roake has never handled a homicide, she is eager to defend Gorman since his innocence seems so easy to prove. But things change quickly. Reader David Colacci clearly captures Gorman’s anger and disbelief as the case builds against him. He effectively articulates Roake’s exasperation with her client’s refusal to accept his perilous situation. Although there are several holes in the plot, Colacci carries the day with his smooth presentation.”

Listen to The Suspect’s first chapter in this Podcast.

William Gibson’s ninth novel, “Spook Country,” releases in bookstores nationwide Aug. 7. The novel is set in the same high-tech present day as his last work, “Pattern Recognition.” The novel is already listed at No. 20 on Amazon’s list of new releases. BookOpinion has compiled reviews, a Q&A, and a video where Gibson discusses the book.

Publishers Weekly summarizes the storyline: “When a mysterious, not yet actual magazine, Node, hires former indie rocker–turned–journalist Hollis Henry to do a story on a new art form that exists only in virtual reality, Hollis finds herself investigating something considerably more dangerous. An operative named Brown, who may or may not work for the U.S. government, is tracking a young, Russian-speaking Cuban-Chinese criminal named Tito. Brown’s goal is to follow Tito to yet another operative known only as the old man. Meanwhile, a mysterious cargo container with CIA connections repeatedly appears and disappears on the worldwide Global Positioning network, never quite coming to port. At the heart of the dark goings-on is Bobby Chombo, a talented but unbalanced specialist in Global Positioning software who refuses to sleep in the same spot two nights running.”

The Washington Post says in its review of Spook Country, “Despite a full complement of thieves, pushers and pirates, Spook Country is less a conventional thriller than a devastatingly precise reflection of the American zeitgeist, and it bears comparison to the best work of Don DeLillo. Although he is a very different sort of writer, Gibson, like DeLillo, writes fiction that is powerfully attuned to the currents of dread, dismay and baffled fury that permeate our culture. Spook Country — which is a beautifully multi-leveled title — takes an unflinching look at that culture. With a clear eye and a minimum of editorial comment, Gibson shows us a country that has drifted dangerously from its governing principles…”

In a lengthy review, the Village Voice writes, “Pattern Recognition was partly concerned with specifying the ambient sense of invasiveness in all aspects of life after the collapse of the towers. Taking that anxiety as given, Spook Country is the more reflective, less unnerving of the two novels. Concentrating on a single protagonist focused the textural intensity of Gibson’s prose; splitting his attention over three has diffused its hallucinatory voltage. Yet even at half-wattage, it illuminates our techno-psychic landscape like nothing else in contemporary letters.”

In the following video, Gibson discusses Spook Country at length:

Here’s a little Q&A that recently appeared in Wired:

Wired: So, comedy or horror?

Gibson: I think it turned out to be satirical, which is what comedy best aspires to in tragic times. I can’t make a narrative up beforehand, can’t write before I start typing, so I literally don’t decide what a story is or where it goes.

Wired: I was surprised to see Hubertus Bigend from Pattern show up. It made me wonder if that novel and Spook are consciously building to form your third trilogy.

Gibson: You know, I’ve never wanted to write a trilogy. I tacked that “He never saw Molly again” on the end of Neuromancer to indicate no sequel was to be expected. The fact that I’ve done it twice now … Well, it seems to be one result of my “method.” I wasn’t suspecting H.B. either, for the longest time, but then it became apparent that Node, the shadowy magazine startup, was way Bigendian.

Wired: One of the details that leaped out at me was the Adidas GSG9, named for the German counterterrorism squad. I felt certain you’d invented the shoe, but then I Googled it.

Gibson: The Adidas GSG9s were the obvious choice for the thinking man’s ninja. Nothing I could make up could resonate in the same way. There’s code in name-checking the GSG9 history — esoteric meaning. Something that started with Pattern Recognition was that I discovered I could Google the world of the novel. I began to regard it as a sort of extended text — hypertext pages hovering just outside the printed page. There have been threads on my Web site — readers Googling and finding my footprints. I still get people asking me about “the possibilities of interactive fiction,” and they seem to have no clue how we’re already so there.

Spook Country is available for purchase here at Amazon.