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Joseph Finder

Goodreads author profile

url

http://www.goodreads.com/JosephFinder

born

October 06, 1958 in Chicago IL, The United States

gender

male

website

http://www.josephfinder.com

twitter username

joefinder

genre

Mystery & Thrillers

member since

June 2009

About this author

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Joseph Finder’s plan was to become a spy. Or maybe a professor of Russian history. Instead he became a bestselling thriller writer, and winner of the International Thriller Writers Award for Best Novel for KILLER INSTINCT (2006) and winner of the Barry and Gumshoe Awards for Best Thriller for COMPANY MAN (2005).

Born in Chicago, Joe spent his early childhood living around the world, including Afghanistan and the Philippines. In fact, Joe’s first language — even before English — was Farsi, which he spoke as a child in Kabul. Finally, after a stint in Bellingham, WA, his family finally settled outside of Albany, NY.

After taking a high school seminar on the literature and history of Russia, Joe was hooked. He went on to major in Russian studi...more Joseph Finder’s plan was to become a spy. Or maybe a professor of Russian history. Instead he became a bestselling thriller writer, and winner of the International Thriller Writers Award for Best Novel for KILLER INSTINCT (2006) and winner of the Barry and Gumshoe Awards for Best Thriller for COMPANY MAN (2005).

Born in Chicago, Joe spent his early childhood living around the world, including Afghanistan and the Philippines. In fact, Joe’s first language — even before English — was Farsi, which he spoke as a child in Kabul. Finally, after a stint in Bellingham, WA, his family finally settled outside of Albany, NY.

After taking a high school seminar on the literature and history of Russia, Joe was hooked. He went on to major in Russian studies at Yale, where he also sang with the school's legendary a cappella group, the Whiffenpoofs (and likes to boast that he sang next to Ella Fitzgerald, an honorary Whiffenpoof). Joe graduated summa cum laude from Yale College, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, then completed a master’s degree at the Harvard Russian Research Center, and later taught on the Harvard faculty. He was recruited to the Central Intelligence Agency but eventually decided he preferred writing fiction.

His first book, published in 1983 when Joe was only 24, was RED CARPET: THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE KREMLIN AND AMERICA'S MOST POWERFUL BUSINESSMEN, the first book to reveal that the controversial multi-millionaire Dr. Armand Hammer, the CEO of Occidental Petroleum, had worked for Soviet intelligence in the 1920s and 1930s. (This book is no longer in print.)

But RED CARPET was only part of the story that Joe wanted to tell. So he wrote his first novel – the only way he could legally tell the whole Armand Hammer saga. Published in 1991, THE MOSCOW CLUB described events whose factual truth would only be revealed many years later. THE MOSCOW CLUB was named by Publishers Weekly as one of the ten best spy thrillers of all time and was published in thirty foreign countries.

What followed were three more critically-acclaimed thrillers – EXTRAORDINARY POWERS, THE ZERO HOUR (sold to Twentieth-Century Fox for a record sum) and HIGH CRIMES, which became a 2002 Fox film starring Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman. Joe was invited on the movie set and even cast for a nonspeaking role as a JAG prosecutor.

Published in 2004, PARANOIA represented a major turning point in Joe’s career, landing on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists, among others. It was his first book to use the ruthless drive, corruption and conspiracy of the corporate world as riveting plotline. Called “fun...movie-ready...[with] twists aplenty...” by Entertainment Weekly, PARANOIA has been acquired by Gaumont, one of the world’s largest film production and distribution companies. The movie deal was announced in April 2009, with Barry Levy (“Vantage Point”) set to script the adaptation.

Joe’s next three novels – COMPANY MAN, KILLER INSTINCT and POWER PLAY – were all bestsellers in which things were decidedly not business as usual. He was quickly hailed as “the CEO of suspense.”

Joe’s latest novel VANISHED, published August 2009 by St. Martin's Press and an immediate bestseller, introduced his new continuing character, "private spy" Nick Heller. Trained in the Special Forces, Nick is a high-powered intelligence investigator – exposing secrets that powerful people would rather keep hidden. He's a guy you don't want to mess with. He's also the man you call when you need a problem fixed. The second novel in the series, BURIED SECRETS, will be published June 21, 2011.

In addition to his fiction, Joe does occasional work for Hollywood, is a member of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers and Council on Foreign Relations, and has written on espionage and international affairs for a number of publications, including TheDailyBeast.com, Forbes, The New (less)

96 posts
Joseph Finder's Blog

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Books by Joseph Finder

Average rating: 3.71 · 10,015 ratings · 1,524 reviews · 32 distinct works

	Paranoia 3.70 avg rating — 2,022 ratings — published 2004 — 29 editions	My rating:
	Vanished (Nick Heller, #1) 3.77 avg rating — 1,574 ratings — published 2009 — 19 editions	My rating:
	Power Play 3.79 avg rating — 1,168 ratings — published 2007 — 25 editions	My rating:
	Buried Secrets (Nick Heller, #2) 3.89 avg rating — 1,067 ratings — published 2011 — 15 editions	My rating:
	Company Man 3.79 avg rating — 1,125 ratings — published 2005 — 25 editions	My rating:
	Killer Instinct 3.75 avg rating — 946 ratings — published 2006 — 26 editions	My rating:
	High Crimes 3.73 avg rating — 510 ratings — 19 editions	My rating:
	The Zero Hour 3.60 avg rating — 271 ratings — published 1996 — 17 editions	My rating:
	Extraordinary Powers 3.72 avg rating — 165 ratings — published 1994 — 12 editions	My rating:
	Plan B: A Nick Heller Story 3.17 avg rating — 187 ratings — published 2011 — 5 editions	My rating:

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Series by Joseph Finder

Nick Heller (2 books)
by Joseph Finder (Goodreads Author)

3.82 avg rating — 2,641 ratings

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Joseph's Writing

Other Writing (Nonfiction)

1 chapters — updated Sep 30, 2009 03:21pm

Description: Joseph has written extensively on corporate corruption, espionage, international affairs, and writing in general.

Joseph is Currently Reading

Joseph Finder is currently reading:

The Queen's Gambit: A Novel

by Walter Tevis

bookshelves: currently-reading

My rating:

Jun 10, 2011 06:15am

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Joseph's Recent Updates

Joseph Finder gave to: Love Is Murder by Sandra Brown (Goodreads Author)	My rating:
I was fortunate enough to read an early copy of this book, and said at the time that it was like a box of chocolates–each one is different, but they’re all great. A terrific introduction to some writers thriller fans may not have encountered before,...more
May 31, 2012 06:33am · see review
Joseph Finder is currently reading: The Queen's Gambit: A Novel by Walter Tevis	My rating:
Jun 10, 2011 06:15am
Joseph Finder gave to: Love You More (Detective D.D. Warren #5) by Lisa Gardner	My rating:
One of the best books I've read this year. This was my Amazon review: I've been a fan of Lisa's D.D. Warren series for some time, but she's truly outdone herself with this one. It grabs you on the first page and keeps you guessing until the final chap...more
May 27, 2011 08:08am · see review
Joseph Finder gave to: The Trinity Six by Charles Cumming	My rating:
Loved this book. Here's what I told BOOKLIST: What is it about British spy novelists? From Graham Greene and Geoffrey Household and Eric Ambler to Ian Fleming, Len Deighton, and John le Carre—for some reason, when it comes to writing about espionage...more
May 27, 2011 08:04am · see review
Joseph Finder gave to: Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett	My rating:
Hits on all cylinders: plot, pacing, love story, narrative momentum, and characters — especially a great, interesting villain. This is a book I've used to teach the art of the thriller.
May 27, 2011 08:02am · see review
Joseph Finder gave to: The Gold Coast the Gold Coast by Nelson DeMille	My rating:
One of my favorites. More of a straight “novel” than a thriller, but this, along with all of DeMille’s books since then, is a model of how to incorporate humor and attitude into your storytelling without diminishing the suspense.
May 27, 2011 07:58am · see review
Joseph Finder gave to: Tell No One by Harlan Coben	My rating:
Irresistible hook, great voice, twist after twist after twist.
May 27, 2011 07:58am · see review
Joseph Finder gave to: Disclosure by Michael Crichton	My rating:
Another book that shows the corporate boardroom can be every bit as dangerous as any jungle. Great mix of realistic details with action.
May 27, 2011 07:56am · see review
Joseph Finder gave to: Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton	My rating:
Not only a classic thriller, but an education in how to incorporate research and complicated scientific details without slowing down action.
May 27, 2011 07:54am · see review
Joseph Finder gave to: Persuader (Jack Reacher, #7) by Lee Child	My rating:
Reacher is a great series hero, and Lee Child’s dry, crackling prose is among the best in the business. What sets PERSUADER apart is its opening sequence, one of the best, most cleverly worked out thriller openings I’ve ever read.
May 27, 2011 07:53am · see review

More of Joseph's books…

Quotes by Joseph Finder

“As the saying goes not every conspiracy is a theory.”
― Joseph Finder, Buried Secrets

3 people liked it

“I would argue that coffee has been far more important to literature than alcohol.”
― Joseph Finder

tags: humor

3 people liked it

Polls

This morning, I added Power Play by Joseph Finder to my to-read list. Is this a book you would consider reading and discussing if it were a group read for Books and Chocolate?

Yes, it sounds good

10 votes, 83.3%

No, it's not my cup of tea

2 votes, 16.7%

I've already read it

0 votes, 0.0%

Other (please comment)

0 votes, 0.0%

12 total votes

8 comments

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Topics Mentioning This Author

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Novel Ladies: Group Reads for May 2009	94	60	May 26, 2009 10:29am
Novel Ladies: Christie's Reading Log	7	15	Jun 01, 2009 12:15pm
Novel Ladies: What Are You Currently Reading In May?	175	37	Jun 04, 2009 09:25pm
Novel Ladies: Linda's Reading Log	6	20	Jun 07, 2009 02:33pm
Novel Ladies: I Just Finished...Do You Recommend It?	930	78	Jun 27, 2009 08:47am
Novel Ladies: Another fun way to get to know each other...	158	58	Jun 28, 2009 09:56pm
Challenge: 50 Books: Revzonian's Reading Challenge 2009	31	166	Sep 07, 2009 07:27am

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Joseph Finder

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