Chris Holm's Blog, page 9

List-o-mania

List season is upon us. Today, I bring you news of four. Take cover, 'cause here come the bullets:Steph Post, author of A TREE BORN CROOKED and the forthcoming LIGHTWOOD, offered up Steph's Magnificent, Spectacular, Unparalleled List of the Most Amazing and Astonishing Books of 2016, which featured RED RIGHT HAND in the category of Best Thriller.Rob Hart, author of the Ash McKenna books, gave RED RIGHT HAND an honorable mention in his Best Books of 2016 list for LitReactor.RED RIGHT HAND also earned a nod from Kirkus' J. Kingston Pierce, in the category of Second Books That Justified My Original Faith in Their Authors.And finally, Kristopher Zgorski of BOLO Books invited the authors who made his Top Reads of 2016 list—which included the likes of Megan Abbott, Gregg Hurwitz, Iain Reid, Hank Phillippi Ryan, and yours truly—to share a 2016 release they thought worth highlighting. The result is a fascinating collection of fiction and nonfiction, genre and literary releases.Thanks to Steph, Rob, J. Kingston, and Kristopher! Apologies to Phoenix for stealing (and corrupting) their title.

Poets of the Tabloid Murder Redux

Recently, I had the pleasure of chatting with Steven Nester of PRX's Poets of the Tabloid Murder about all things RED RIGHT HAND. That interview is now streaming if you'd like to check it out. And if you missed my last appearance on Steven's show, in which we talked about THE KILLING KIND, you can listen to that here.

RED RIGHT HAND a BOLO Books Top Read!

BOLO Book's Top Reads of 2016 is a stellar list. Four of his selections were among my favorite books of the year. Four others, I've been dying to read. One wasn't even on my radar, but sounds right up my alley. One is the latest entry in a series I keep meaning to check out. And one, to my delight, is RED RIGHT HAND.

If you're looking to buy gifts for the crime-fic fans in your life, give Kristopher's full post a read. It's chock full of great books by talented authors. I'm honored to be counted among them.

Hendricks in the Austin Chronicle

Today, the Austin Chronicle's Wayne Allen Brenner highlighted THE KILLING KIND and RED RIGHT HAND alongside fellow Mulholland author Joe Ide's IQ in his feature about thrillers that'd make killer presents. To say I'm honored is an understatement—and the fact that Brenner's piece crackles with style and wit makes his praise doubly satisfying. Thanks, Wayne. Glad you dug 'em.

Appearance: Letterpress Books, 11/26

This Saturday, 11/26, is Small Business Saturday. Conceived as something of an antidote to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, it's intended to encourage holiday shoppers to buy local.

Personally, I think it's a terrific idea... which is why you'll find me at Letterpress Books in Portland's Northgate Plaza this Saturday from 12PM to 3PM.

This isn't a big, formal reading or anything. I'll just be hanging out, chatting, and signing books. Know someone who'd like a personalized copy of THE KILLING KIND or RED RIGHT HAND this holiday season? Swing on by! And if that someone is you, I promise I won't judge...

RED RIGHT HAND a Daily Express Best!

I'm chuffed (yes, chuffed) to report that the UK's Daily Express named RED RIGHT HAND a Best New Thriller! Here's a taste of what they had to say:

"RED RIGHT HAND is an explosive, fast-paced follow-up to THE KILLING KIND... With strong characters and a complex plotline, RED RIGHT HAND has the essence of a great action movie. Ultimately, Holm has done exactly what a good writer should do: he makes you desperate to know what’s coming next."

I confess, I didn't expect to find myself in a British tabloid today, much less that I'd be so happy about it. Oh, and don't take the fact that they also championed the Brexit as evidence my book is terrible; I'm pretty sure that wasn't their Arts Editor's doing.

Lovereading Reviews RED RIGHT HAND!

Author, editor, and critic Maxim Jakubowski was kind enough to take a peek at the UK edition of RED RIGHT HAND for Lovereading, and had this to say (click through to read the rest):

"Fast-paced, full of twists that ingeniously come together for a thunderous finale, this is commercial thriller writing at its best and grand entertainment."

He also featured it in this roundup of his favorite recent reads. Many thanks, Maxim! I'm so glad you enjoyed it.

San Francisco Book Review on RED RIGHT HAND

Today, the San Francisco Book Review took a look at RED RIGHT HAND... and awarded it five stars! Here's a taste of what they had to say:

"A very enjoyable read. I would highly recommend it to anyone who likes a taut and complex plot line and characters to whom they can relate... Star Count: 5/5"

Given that the book takes place almost entirely in San Francisco, I'm elated that they enjoyed it. Speaking of, SFBR, I'm sorry I blew up your bridge; thanks for not holding it against me.

Massive RED RIGHT HAND Discount!

This is not a drill, people. For a very limited time, RED RIGHT HAND's ebook is on sale for only $2.99! That's $11 off, and $23 cheaper than the hardcover list price!

RED RIGHT HAND is the followup to my Anthony Award winning thriller, THE KILLING KIND. It garnered starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Library Journal, and Barnes & Noble called it one of the best thrillers of September. If you've been thinking about downloading it, now's your chance. And if you've been holding off because you haven't read THE KILLING KIND yet, you can download 'em both for under $11... provided you act fast.

RED RIGHT HAND ($2.99) Kindle / Kobo / iBooks / Nook
THE KILLING KIND ($7.99) Kindle / Kobo / iBooks / Nook

Virality

Today, I'm at Literary Hub, talking about the dark side of viral fame. I find virality fascinating. It's one of the stranger consequences of spending so much of our lives online.

Too often, writers concoct excuses to avoid incorporating technology into their stories. Think of all the times you've seen someone's cell phone signal drop out in a horror movie, and you'll know precisely what I mean. One of my goals when I sat down to write RED RIGHT HAND was to incorporate the technology we rely upon in interesting ways. That's why a viral video is essential to the story, and why the thrilling climax of the story hinges on—

You know what? On second thought, I'll let you discover what it hinges on for yourself. In the meantime, click through to read my Lit Hub piece.

Oh, and if you'd like to see an example of a horror movie that uses technology (and its failings) brilliantly, check out Hush on Netflix. But maybe don't watch it alone.