Shouting Out

by Marcus Sakey

Today, instead of blathering on one of my usual topics, I thought I'd take a moment to give a couple of shout-outs.

First, my buddy and sometimes-writing-partner Marc Paoletti's debut novel SCORCH hit bookshelves last week:

SCORCH tells the story of David Cole, a Hollywood special effects pyrotechnician whose world is blown apart (literally) when he inadvertently crosses a film producer with mob ties. In the ensuing mayhem, Cole loses his son, he's horribly burned, and he must use his knowledge of F/X to exact justice before he goes insane from pain and grief.

Publishers Weekly called it "authentic" and "brutal." Kirkus Reviews called it "razor-sharp." BookList called it "genuinely engaging." Crimespree Magazine called it a “thrill ride.” And The Mystery Gazette gave it five out of five stars.

Besides being a hell of a guy and a fine writer, Marc is a former F/X professional who worked on some of the biggest movies of the previous decade, so he really knows his stuff.


Also, the folks at Bleak House Books continue their tradition of publishing exceptional work with Nathan Singer's latest, IN THE LIGHT OF YOU. Check out some of these quotes:

"Quite simply one of the finest coming-of-age novels published so far this century. Incendiary and moving, deeply relevant and searingly honest, it deserves to catapult Nathan Singer into the list of America's best young novelists."
—John Connolly , author of The Book of Lost Things


"In furiously fast-paced prose, Singer gives voice to 16-year-old loner Mikal Fanon and his infatuation with the white power movement. An unblinking portrait of young white rage."
—Booklist

“A brutal, unflinching look at America's racist subculture, replete with sex, violence and jagged-edged punk rock. Nathan Singer does more than narrate the story of the rootless, disaffected kids drawn into the hate: he lets you hear the siren song that lures them to their doom. This is a writer with balls bigger than my entire head.”
—J.D. Rhoades, author of The Devil's Right Hand

And speaking of Dusty Rhoades, the paperback of his latest Jack Keller novel, SAFE AND SOUND, came out recently:

Jack Keller works in fugitive apprehension, and never feels more alive than when he’s hunting down a skip. But when a young girl goes missing, and Keller finds out that the father is an AWOL member of the army’s elite Delta Force, he knows immediately that this case will be anything but fun and games.

Keller is a Gulf War vet who knows his way around the Army’s red tape, but the psychological scars from his experiences in the gulf have only just started to recede enough for him to live and love again. No one is sure how taking on the kidnapping case will affect him, least of all his girlfriend Marie, who’s counting on Jack’s recovery if they are going to have any future together. But a young girl’s life hangs in the balance, and a shadowy group of missing Delta commandos seems to be the key to finding her. For Jack Keller, it’s not an easy decision, but it’s the only one he can make: consequences be damned, he’s going after the girl.

If you're looking for a can't-put-it-down thriller, you can't do much better than J.D. Rhoades.

Finally, our guest-blogger Julia Spencer-Fleming's latest novel, I SHALL NOT WANT, came out on Tuesday. If you haven't tried her series yet, by god, get your butt in gear. Beautiful writing and wonderful characters.

Phew. I know I've forgotten a few people. What else came out recently, or is about to come out, that you think we ought to know about?