Neil Turner's Blog, page 3
November 2, 2023
Happy November!
It’s a big literary birthday month (and this list is anything but exhaustive). Birthday greetings and remembrances to:
• Mark Twain
• Robert Louis Stevenson
• Mary Ann Evans (who wrote as George Eliot)
• C.S. Lewis
• Madeleine L’Engle
• Louisa May Alcott
• Lucy Maude Montgomery
• Kurt Vonnegut
• Margaret Atwood
• Colson Whitehead
• Bram Stoker
• Fyodor Dostoevsky
• Kazuo Ishiguro
• Martin Cruz Smith
• Jonathan Swift
As I read this list, it occurred to me that a great many readers likely cut their teeth on the great novels written by these fine authors. I know I did. Many are considered children’s books or coming of age stories, but I find them relevant and enjoyable at any age.
• Mark Twain
• Robert Louis Stevenson
• Mary Ann Evans (who wrote as George Eliot)
• C.S. Lewis
• Madeleine L’Engle
• Louisa May Alcott
• Lucy Maude Montgomery
• Kurt Vonnegut
• Margaret Atwood
• Colson Whitehead
• Bram Stoker
• Fyodor Dostoevsky
• Kazuo Ishiguro
• Martin Cruz Smith
• Jonathan Swift
As I read this list, it occurred to me that a great many readers likely cut their teeth on the great novels written by these fine authors. I know I did. Many are considered children’s books or coming of age stories, but I find them relevant and enjoyable at any age.
September 18, 2023
Tony is #1!!!
I woke up this morning to find Tony riding high in the Amazon book rankings. A House on Liberty Street is the Number One Best Seller in Conspiracy Thrillers and #2 in Legal Thrillers. Thank you to all the readers who have made Tony's success possible!
September 15, 2023
Keep an ear out for Tony….
Check this out from the Friday, September 8th edition of PUBLISHERS LUNCH:
Audio rights
“Neil Turner's A HOUSE ON LIBERTY STREET, PLANE IN THE LAKE, A CASE OF BETRAYAL, A TIME FOR RECKONING, SCARED SILENT, THE SECRETS SHE BURIED, NOWHERE TO HIDE, A LAW UNTO ITSELF, the first eight books in his Tony Valenti Thrillers series, to Arevik Torosyan at Tantor Media, in a nice deal, in a multi-book deal (world English).”
Pretty cool!
Audio rights
“Neil Turner's A HOUSE ON LIBERTY STREET, PLANE IN THE LAKE, A CASE OF BETRAYAL, A TIME FOR RECKONING, SCARED SILENT, THE SECRETS SHE BURIED, NOWHERE TO HIDE, A LAW UNTO ITSELF, the first eight books in his Tony Valenti Thrillers series, to Arevik Torosyan at Tantor Media, in a nice deal, in a multi-book deal (world English).”
Pretty cool!
September 8, 2023
A FREE book!
A House on Liberty Street, the first Tony Valenti Thriller, is available for FREE on Amazon until Tuesday evening (ebook version only). What a great opportunity to introduce new readers to the series! If there's anyone you know who enjoys thrillers, let them know. And, if you haven't yet read A House on Liberty Street, there's no better time to do so!
Check out these Five-star Reader Reviews!
“The characters have sparks of reality, stupidity and honor in Neil Turner's novels. This is a newish author to me and I'm gobsmacked by his talent. Entirely a joy to read.”
“I read every single one of these books in the Tony Valenti series. I could hardly stand to put them down. They are so good. The plot line is excellent, the characters, well thought out, and a little humor thrown in. I was actually sad when I read the sixth book. Keep on writing, Mr. Turner!”
"One of the best books I have read in a long time. I would put this author's writing style as being up there with Grisham and Baldacci. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the books in the series."
Check out these Five-star Reader Reviews!
“The characters have sparks of reality, stupidity and honor in Neil Turner's novels. This is a newish author to me and I'm gobsmacked by his talent. Entirely a joy to read.”
“I read every single one of these books in the Tony Valenti series. I could hardly stand to put them down. They are so good. The plot line is excellent, the characters, well thought out, and a little humor thrown in. I was actually sad when I read the sixth book. Keep on writing, Mr. Turner!”
"One of the best books I have read in a long time. I would put this author's writing style as being up there with Grisham and Baldacci. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the books in the series."
August 10, 2023
Book # 8!
The eighth Tony Valenti Thriller, A Law Unto Itself is well underway and I've hired editors to tidy up the mess I'm making of the manuscript as I draft it. I've also created a rather lame placeholder cover which will also be cleaned up by a pro. I didn't upload it here as getting the review cover later is quite a convoluted process, so the book shows up here without a cover image. Finally, I drafted a book description. Why tell you all of this? Because it allowed me to put the new novel into presale, so you can reserve your eBook copy of A Law Unto Itself today or add it to your "Want to Read" list!
Here's the set up:
Newly appointed sheriff Lisa Murphy’s official investigation into the murder of an inmate at a private prison has been stymied at every turn, and she suspects that members of her own force and the county prosecutor helped torpedo the effort. The prison is owned and operated by Buck Stevens, the kingpin of business and politics in LaSalle County—a man the sheriff has learned to distrust and fear. Sheriff Murphy steers the victim’s parents to Tony Valenti and his partners, hoping to leverage the machinery of a wrongful death lawsuit to get to the bottom of what really happened.
Tony’s team soon discovers a deep vein of corruption that pervades the county, poisoning everything and everyone it touches. Determined to expose the rot and bring the killers to justice, Tony and Sheriff Murphy soon find themselves battling a ruthless cabal engaged in a conspiracy sinister enough to kill for.
It’s a deadly cat and mouse game in which Tony doesn’t know who—if anyone—he can trust. Either justice will prevail or the body count will grow. Will Tony or one of his associates be the next victim?
Here's the set up:
Newly appointed sheriff Lisa Murphy’s official investigation into the murder of an inmate at a private prison has been stymied at every turn, and she suspects that members of her own force and the county prosecutor helped torpedo the effort. The prison is owned and operated by Buck Stevens, the kingpin of business and politics in LaSalle County—a man the sheriff has learned to distrust and fear. Sheriff Murphy steers the victim’s parents to Tony Valenti and his partners, hoping to leverage the machinery of a wrongful death lawsuit to get to the bottom of what really happened.
Tony’s team soon discovers a deep vein of corruption that pervades the county, poisoning everything and everyone it touches. Determined to expose the rot and bring the killers to justice, Tony and Sheriff Murphy soon find themselves battling a ruthless cabal engaged in a conspiracy sinister enough to kill for.
It’s a deadly cat and mouse game in which Tony doesn’t know who—if anyone—he can trust. Either justice will prevail or the body count will grow. Will Tony or one of his associates be the next victim?
July 28, 2023
Q & A
I've been answering a few questions in the Q & A section here this year. Have a look!
July 13, 2023
Thank you!
I’m humbled by the fact that each Tony Valenti Thriller
breaks new sales ground. Over a thousand people read Nowhere to Hide within the first two weeks of publication; small potatoes compared to the big names and publishing houses, but gratifying to a lowly independently published writer. This is due to my loyal readers and the kind reviews readers post on Goodreads, Amazon, and elsewhere. My sincere thanks to each and every one of you. Here’s a few 5-star reader reviews of Nowhere to Hide that put a big, goofy smile on my face:
“Great read! I love this series and it just seems to get better & better!!”
“This book is not about murder and mayhem, but it is full of suspense. I could not put this one down. Heartwarming and you want to step in and help. You are so pulled into this story you feel like you are right there with them. Excellent read.”
“Nowhere to Hide” by Neil Turner is the seventh book of The Tony Valenti Thrillers series and definitely did not disappoint. Turner did a fabulous job of creating a storyline full of mystery, intriguing characters, and was almost impossible to put down. If you love books full of action, adventure, and thrills, then this is a must read! You won’t be disappointed!”
“It’s 2:00 am... just finished “Nowhere to Hide”. Warning: this book is impossible to put down. It was well written with a plot that took many twists and turns that required a little head scratching on my end. The entire series is terrific and the characters are inspiring in times that few inspire.”
breaks new sales ground. Over a thousand people read Nowhere to Hide within the first two weeks of publication; small potatoes compared to the big names and publishing houses, but gratifying to a lowly independently published writer. This is due to my loyal readers and the kind reviews readers post on Goodreads, Amazon, and elsewhere. My sincere thanks to each and every one of you. Here’s a few 5-star reader reviews of Nowhere to Hide that put a big, goofy smile on my face:
“Great read! I love this series and it just seems to get better & better!!”
“This book is not about murder and mayhem, but it is full of suspense. I could not put this one down. Heartwarming and you want to step in and help. You are so pulled into this story you feel like you are right there with them. Excellent read.”
“Nowhere to Hide” by Neil Turner is the seventh book of The Tony Valenti Thrillers series and definitely did not disappoint. Turner did a fabulous job of creating a storyline full of mystery, intriguing characters, and was almost impossible to put down. If you love books full of action, adventure, and thrills, then this is a must read! You won’t be disappointed!”
“It’s 2:00 am... just finished “Nowhere to Hide”. Warning: this book is impossible to put down. It was well written with a plot that took many twists and turns that required a little head scratching on my end. The entire series is terrific and the characters are inspiring in times that few inspire.”
June 22, 2023
Get a FREE book!
My exclusive Reader's Club is the place to get the latest news and updates about the Tony Valenti Thrillers, have a peek behind the scenes, receive special offers, enter contests, win free books, and more. Wonder what's on in Deano the dog's mind? Want to explore a new author and/or book that I like? Got a question for me? You'll find it all in the Reader's Club. PLUS, members receive a free prequel novella that takes place immediately before the first Tony Valenti thriller, A House on Liberty Street.
Learn more https://www.neilturnerbooks.com/reade...
Learn more https://www.neilturnerbooks.com/reade...
June 8, 2023
A writing conundrum
My latest Tony Valenti Thriller, Nowhere to Hide, was featured last week by the good folks at Written Word Media, who publish a weekly list of hot new novels in their New-in-Books email. I contributed a blog post about the pros and cons of writing books in a series versus publishing standalone novels. Have a look:
https://www.newinbooks.com/the-story-...
https://www.newinbooks.com/the-story-...
May 31, 2023
An Appreciation of Jane Smiley
Jane Smiley is one of my favorite authors, for reasons that are likely obvious to any reader familiar with her work. She’s imaginative, witty, wildly creative in the topics she covers and extremely insightful, all of which make her books entertaining, thought-provoking, and often surprising in terms of the subject matter and her treatment of it. When it comes to craft, few writers working today have attained the mastery of structure, style, and language that makes her novels such satisfying reads. I once had the challenge of trying to choose a single Jane Smiley novel as my favorite, and honestly couldn’t do it. Her Pulitzer Prize winning A Thousand Acres is always in that discussion, of course, yet while I thought about her work, so many others came to mind. I’m a fan of A Thousand Acres, but several other books also caught my fancy when I read them, in no particular order: Duplicate Keys, Moo, Paradise Gate, Barn Blind, Horse Heaven, and Perestroika in Paris. Smiley writes across many genres, handling all with aplomb, which is one of the things I most admire about her work. She’s fearless in tackling subject matter and doesn’t appear to cramp her style by attempting to adhere to current trends, tastes, and opinion. If you’re partial to a writer who will surprise and delight you every time you open one of her books, I encourage you to sit down with a Jane Smiley novel (or more than one!)
