Martin Roy Hill's Blog, page 8

High Level Conspiracies Abound in Meltzer's "Fate"

Wes Holloway is a former presidential aide who survived an assassination attempt that left him horribly scarred and a fellow aide dead. For nearly ten years, Wes has carried the guilt that his mistake was responsible for putting his dead colleague, Ron Boyle, in the presidential limousine the day a madman named Nico tried to kill the president. When Wes accidentally discovers Boyle is actually alive, he becomes embroiled in a deadly race to discover the truth about the assassination attempt and the high level conspiracy behind it. The odds for survival build against Wes when Nico escapes from the prison asylum in which he's incarcerated and sets out to wreak God's vengeance on both him and Boyle.
With well more than 100 chapters, this is a long novel. Despite this, author Brad Meltzer manages to maintain the tension with each page. Twists and turns fall like raindrops as Wes closes in on the facts about the conspiracy until he discovers the final, unthinkably shocking truth. 
In addition to being a thumb-sucking thriller, Meltzer's The Book of Fate is a detailed look at the inside workings of a presidential administration and its aftermath, and how the pull of power can twist and corrupt even those with the best intentions.

Morrell's Last Reveille a Study of Soldiers Old and Young

David Morrell is best known as a thriller writer, but the author of First Blood, the original Rambo story, often tries on different hats. His novel, Shimmer, for instance, was science fiction, while his latest book, Murder as a Fine Art, is a Victorian murder mystery. In Last Reveille, Morrell again goes off the beaten track. This book is less a thriller than a war story, and less a war story than a character study
The book takes place in 1916 during the Punitive Expedition, the American army force led by Gen. John "Black Jack" Pershing and sent to hunt down and capture Pancho Villa after his deadly raid on Columbus, NM. It is the story of two soldiers — one an aging veteran of fighting from the Civil War to the Philippine Insurrection, the other a young boot still wet behind the ears — and the relationship that develops between the two as they endure Pershing's march through the harsh Mexican desert.
Morrell lost his father in WWII and he admits that growing up fatherless has had a thematic impact on his writing. Many of his novels involve the relations between an older man and a younger one. First Blood, for instance, pitted a middle-age Korean War veteran — the sheriff — against the 20-something Vietnam War veteran, Rambo. By the end of the book, the conflict between the two takes on the feeling of a father-son estrangement.
In Reveille, the aging vet agrees to take the younger soldier under his wing and teach him soldiering. The older man's name — Miles Calendar — symbolizes the length of his years, while the younger man's name, Prentice, is a play on the word "apprentice." Both men are orphans and, like the sheriff in First Blood, Calendar regrets never having a son. 
Like many father-son relationships, the bond between Calendar and Prentice is at times rocky. The young man is innocent and inexperienced, while Calendar has been hardened by a life of violence and survival. In between firefights with the Mexican army and Villa’s raiders, the relationship between the two men grows and falters, and grows again. But when young Prentice realizes he's becoming more like hardened Calendar than he would like to be, he begins to rebel.
Morrell explains in his author's forward that while researching the Punitive Expedition he studied dozens of ancient sepia tone photographs. That inspired him to try and duplicate the action captured in those pictures by writing very short scenes in the book. At first this technique is jarring, but it does move the story along briskly, and by the dramatic ending of the book you won't even notice it. 

Empty Places on sale for 99 cents!

Mark your calendars!
The Kindle version of my latest mystery thriller Empty Places will available this week at a discounted price of only 99 cents. 
The 3-day Amazon Countdown promotion runs from May 15 to May 17 and offers a savings of $3. 
Empty Places, which was named Thriller of the Month by e-thriller.com in March, tells the story of a war weary journalist who seeks redemption by solving the murder of his ex-wife, a woman he still loves.
The year is 1987. America is clawing its way out of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Washington pursues illegal and unpopular wars in Central America. In the wealthy desert playground of Palm Springs, storefronts that once catered to the rich sit empty and shuttered. Crowds of bored rich teenagers in designer clothing entertain themselves with expensive cars and cheap drugs, while those less fortunate haunt darkened street corners, offering themselves for sale.
This is the country to which war correspondent Peter Brandt returns. Physically and mentally scarred by the horrors he's covered, Peter comes home to bury his ex-wife, TV reporter Robin Anderson, only to discover she had been brutally murdered. With the local police unwilling to investigate her death, Peter sets out with retired cop Matt Banyon to expose Robin's killer. They uncover a shadowy world of anti-communists, drug smugglers, and corrupt politicians, and lay bare old wounds - including Peter's deep guilt over his failed marriage. In a final, cliff-hanging struggle, Peter faces his own fears--and death in a dark and empty place.
Midwest Book Review called Empty Places "... an exceptional thriller ... readers are compelled to keep reading, drawn into a constantly-evolving story line."
Book Viral's reviewer said, "A powerful and memorable thriller, Empty Places will certainly be well received by fans of the genre and bodes well for the next novel from Martin Roy Hill. Highly recommended!"
Australian thriller author Liam Saville described Empty Places as "crime writing at its best."
Grab your copy of Empty Places at Amazon.

A Subtle but Powerful Horror Tale

Author Richard Matheson was an amazingly prolific author and screenwriter best known, perhaps, for his novel I Am Legend which was the basis of multiple movies and is considered the granddaddy of the zombie genre. While I enjoyed Legend so much that I read it twice, I think Shadow On the Sun was even better.
In the late 1800s, an uneasy truce has been achieved between the western town of Picture City and nearby Apaches. The peace was the achievement of Indian agent Billjohn Finley despite hostility from the U.S. Cavalry and a representative of the Indian Bureau. What should have been a cause of celebration, however, suddenly threatens to reignite the war between the Apaches and the settlers when the horribly mutilated bodies of two white men are discovered. The deaths are initially blamed on Apache raiders, but when a stranger shows up in town wearing the clothing of one of the victims, Finley begins to suspect the stranger. But as he investigates, the Indian agent starts to wonder if the stranger is even human.
Matheson builds suspense slowly as the truth about the stranger is revealed. An author who frequent crossed genres between horror and westerns, Matheson creates a vivid sense of place with his description of the Old West environments. The horror is built into the suspense rather than vivid descriptions of violence.
This short book was published in 1994 and never got the attention Matheson’s other work, such as Legend and The Incredible Shrinking Man. That’s too bad because Shadow on the Sun is a subtle but powerful book both as a western and a horror novel. 

A Sneak Preview of MRH's Next Book, 'Eden'

Final edits on my latest book, Eden, have been completed and now it heads into the production stage. Eden is a new writing experience for me. Rather than a mystery or thriller, Eden is a science fiction novella about a group of American soldiers in Iraq who stumble onto an ancient secret. The book also includes two previously published short stories, one speculative fiction, the other an alternative history. Both are sub-genres of science fiction.
Want a sneak peak at their plots? Read on!
A sandstorm uncovers a long buried secret in the Iraqi desert, an ancient Sumerian temple dating back at least 6,000 years to the beginning of civilization. An American army patrol sent to investigate the ruins is trapped inside the temple’s eroded walls, first by an insurgent ambush then by another, even more powerful sandstorm. When an enemy mortar shell blasts an opening into a hidden burial chamber, Captain Adam Cadman and his soldiers take refuge deep in the ruins. What they find hidden inside threatens to destroy every belief about the beginnings of mankind—as well as modern civilization as we know it. 
Following Eden is the speculative short story, "The Last President," originally published in the Off the KUF Anthology, Vol. 2:
In the not too distant future, the American government has been completely privatized. The U.S. Congress and even the president have abdicated their powers to the Corporate Congress, run by the most powerful business interests in the land. When Sgt. Frank Wengler – an officer with LawPro, the current holder of the town’s law enforcement contract – is ordered to evict an old man from corporate housing, he learns more than he ever wanted to know about The Long Coup and The Last President of the United States.
Eden ends with the short story "Hitler Is Coming," originally published in the February 2014 issue of Alt Hist: The Magazine of Historical Fiction and Alternative History:
What would the United States be like if the Nazis had won the World War II? In this story, OSS veteran and now police investigator Paul Klee is temporarily assigned to the post-war American SS to stop a plot to kill a victorious Adolf Hitler on his first visit to the U.S. From fascist cabbies and corrupt Party gauleiters, Klee wends his way through an America most Americans today never knew once existed.
Eden should be out by fall 2014. Stay tune for updates!

A Must Have Book for Every Writer

Seumas Gallacher is a man with a split personality. First he’s the author of a successful thriller series featuring hard-fighting former SAS operator Jack Calder. In a personality reversal, he also writes a humorous writing blog in the character of a rambling Scotsman with an almost indecipherable Scottish brogue. I’ve become a fan of both personalities. In Self-Publishing Steps to Successful Sales, Gallacher combines both personalities, producing a serious discussion on the benefits of social media to independent authors that is punctuated with a light wit.
Gallacher doesn’t get into the weeds about the writing life or writing style. His point here is that it’s not enough to just write a book, you’ve got to get it noticed by readers and, more importantly, readers who buy books. A former international banker now living in Abu Dhabi, Gallacher approaches book selling using the same elements he used as a businessman — a business plan, business, marketing, and promotional campaigns, and a budget.
Most importantly, Gallacher shows how to get your book in front of readers by using the tools afforded by Amazon’s KDP publishing platform, and Internet social media like Twitter, Facebook, websites, and blogs. Despite using these tools virtually every day for the past three years to promote my own books, I felt like a neophyte while reading Gallacher’s book.
Whether you’re a novice writer or a publishing pro, Self-Publishing Steps to Successful Sales should be in your library.

Child's "The Third Gate" Starts Slow but Builds Excitement

Okay, I admit it. I am a sucker for an archeology thriller. Among the writers in that genre, Lincoln Child is considered one of the best researchers in the field. In The Third Gate, Child proves his admirers correct.
Jeremy Logan is a history professor with an unusual sideline. He is a self-described “enigmaologist,” a person who investigates the unusual. Logan is recruited by an old acquaintance to investigate strange happenings on an archaeological dig in the Sudan. This is no ordinary dig in the desert. It’s taking place in secret in a hellish Sudanese swamp called the Sudd. Somewhere beneath the stinking muck, famed archaeologist Porter Stone believes he will find the tomb of King Narmer, the first Egyptian pharaoh. The problem is a number of strange events have occurred at the dig site. And, of course, the tomb has a curse. Hence, Jeremy Logan is called in.
However, this not an Indiana Jones thriller, or a horror story like The Mummy. The Third Gate starts off slow and gradually builds up excitement until its deadly climax. In between is an absorbing narrative of ancient history and curses, near death experiences, and a slowly evolving mystery about who really is entombed in Narmer’s grave. A reader’s patience will be well rewarded.

Cussler's "Corsair" a Fast-Paced Thriller

I haven’t had the opportunity to read a Clive Cussler book since the nonfiction Sea Hunters books. I’d forgotten what a fun ride they offer. In Corsair, written with Jack Du Brule, an aircraft carrying the U.S. Secretary of State disappears somewhere in the Libyan desert on the eve of a major Middle East peace conference. When the plane is found, the secretary’s body is missing. It soon becomes apparent the diplomat’s plane was waylaid in flight, the secretary removed, and the aircraft purposefully crashed into a desert mountain with the remaining crew onboard.
Discovering how all this was done, and where the secretary was taken to, is the job given to Captain Juan Cabrillo and the crew of the Oregon. Cabrillo is a retired CIA operative and his vessel, though appearing to be a broken down rust bucket of a freighter, is actually a high tech warship in disguise, a la the Q ships of WWI. 
The ensuing adventure is part Indiana Jones, part James Bond, and part Master and Commander. There is hardly a moment of rest in these pages. Corsair is definitely a fast paced and enjoyable thumb-sucking, page-turning adventure thriller.

Meet the Characters from "Empty Places"

[image error] Characters make a novel. You can have the greatest plot and
twists, but if the characters are weak or lack verisimilitude, the reader won’t
stick with the book.

In my latest mystery thriller, EMPTY PLACES, the plot is
pushed forward by the characters and the secrets that motivate them.  Though the story is seen through the eyes of
the protagonist and narrator, Peter Brandt,  characters both large and small provide the
stimulus for action.

So who are characters in EMPTY PLACES, and what motivates
them? Let’s take a look.

Peter Brandt: A
war correspondent for an American news service, Peter has seen up close the
horrors of war. He carries with him the scars of armed conflict, both physical
and emotional. When he returns the United States to bury his former wife — whom
he still loves but won't admit it to himself — even older scars are splayed
open. Enduring deep seated guilt over the break up of his marriage, as well as
the wartime death of a young mother he couldn’t save, Peter is pushed forward
by his need to find redemption.

Matt Banyon: Matt
Banyon is Peter's best friend. A bear of a man, Matt is a retired cop who, upon
realizing Robin Anderson had no family left to bury her, calls for Peter to
return to the States. Peter was never sure why he returned home but, as he
says, "If Matt says I should go, I go." But Matt has ghosts of his
own, and his own sense of guilt could lead to tragedy.

Robin Anderson:
TV reporter Robin Anderson had been married to Peter, but as her career grew
the two seemed to drift apart. Desperate to find a new TV job in a bigger
market, Robin makes questionable decisions and takes unnecessary chances. By
doing so, she signs her own death warrant.

Laurie Hall:
Laurie Hall is a reporter with the local daily newspaper and a friend of Robin
Anderson. Beautiful, sexy, and rich, she seeks to help Peter discover Robin's
murderer. But Laurie has a secret, too — a secret that could get Peter killed.

Carlos Timmerman:
Carlos Timmerman is a rich and politically powerful Cuban exile. A survivor of
the disastrous Bay of Pigs attack on Castro's Cuba, he now uses his money to
support guerilla fighters in Nicaragua. At least, that's what the papers say.
And Peter knows the press is rarely correct.

Miles Hampton:
Miles Hampton is a local Sheriff’s captain in charge of the nearby Indio
substation, but he has bigger ambitions than being a cop. A candidate for
Congress, Hampton is too busy rubbing elbows with the political elite to
investigate Robin Anderson’s murder. Worse, he and Matt Banyan have history
together — bad history.

B.D. “Bulldog”
Jefferson: A retired Marine, Palm Springs Police detective B.D. Jefferson’s
dislike of journalists is only slightly less than his dislike of the Viet Cong
he fought in Vietnam. On the surface, that could be the reason he seems intent
on blocking Peter and Matt in their investigation. Or is he taking orders from
somewhere other than police headquarters?

EMPTY PLACES can be found in print and Kindle versions at Amazon.com, and in print at Barnes & Noble.

 

"Private Gentleman" Presents an Elegant Study of Character

Written by the late British author Martin Booth, this novel was published in 1990 under the original title, A Very Private Gentleman. The title was changed to The American when the book was reissued following the debut of the movie by that name. 
The name change, however, is just about the only thing that links the book and the movie, though the latter was inspired by the former. The film is an action thriller with lots of violence. The novel is a carefully crafted character study of an aging man trying to explain his not too saintly life.
This very private gentleman is known to the people of the small Italian mountain village where he lives only as Signor Farfala (Italian for butterfly) because he paints intricate portraits of the butterflies that live in the mountains. We never learn his real name, but we do learn his true profession—he designs handcrafted guns for international assassins. Over the decades, he boasts, his weapons have changed history, for better or worst, with a simple squeeze of a trigger. 
Despite the pride he takes in his job, Farfala knows it is time for him to retire. He has grown fond of the Italian village where he lives, and can see himself settling down there for good. He also has a comely young student and part-time prostitute, Clara, who is in love with him.
Farfala accepts a job to make a rifle for an unknown client, his last assignment before retiring. But his plans for retirement become threatened when a "shadow dweller" appears in the village and begins stalking him. The novel ends with a brilliant twist and the only shoot-out in the whole book.
If you are looking for an action thriller, this is not the book for you. If you are looking for an elegantly written and engaging study of a man trying to justify his place on earth, you'll find this book as enjoyable as I did.