Mason Cross's Blog, page 16
February 15, 2016
Meeting Richard and Judy
It's the featured week for The Samaritan in Richard and Judy's Book Club this week, which means it gets top shelf promotion in WHSmith and seems to be on special offer for half price in some branches.
As my former boss and new head honcho of Uber Glasgow Chris Yiu reports, it looks like they're flying off the shelves...
You can still read Richard and Judy's reviews in full on the Book Club blog, check out their Q&A with me or read a free sample of the book.
It seems like ages since I recorded the interview, but I thought it would be good to record for posterity what it's like getting to meet Richard and Judy to talk about your book.
After arriving in London, I met Angela and Virginia from Orion for coffee before the interview. While I attempted to suppress my nerves, we chatted about the interview and lots of other things: the cover for Winterlong, the pronunciation of Eurydice (I had only recently discovered it's you-RID-uh-see, not you're-a-dice), and the fact Angela had passed by a guy dressed as an Imperial Stormtrooper at the railway station (guess what movie was coming out that day).
At the appointed time, we reported to reception at the upmarket hotel in Covent Garden where Richard and Judy were recording the podcasts, and I was ushered into a room to record some of the pre-interview material. This involved a short reading from The Samaritan, and talking briefly about how I write.
Laura Barnett arrived for her session after me - I had met her at a Hachette event a few months before and loved her novel The Versions of Us , so it was nice that we both made the list. I'm Facebook friends with Ruth Ware too, and although we didn't get a chance to see each other on the day, it was great to see In a Dark, Dark Wood on there too.
A helper came to tell us that Richard and Judy were ready and led me through to the room where they were recording. It was a strange but wonderful experience, like stepping inside a television. They were both lovely. When Richard kicked off his introduction, I was reminded why they've been a fixture of British TV and radio for so long. I kind of wish he could introduce me at all my events.
They asked me about the novel, about why we're drawn to violent crime stories, about how I came up with my pseudonym. I also learned that the hands are always set to ten past ten in wristwatch adverts. You can't unsee this once you're aware of it.
And then, before I knew it, we were done. We snapped a few pictures with me sitting on the couch with R&J (throughout which I couldn't stop thinking I am on the couch with Richard and Judy) and then it was downstairs to the bar to catch up with my editor Jemima and lots of the Orion team who had come along to celebrate. Judi Dench was there too. Although not part of our party, regrettably.
To say it was an insanely cool experience would be an understatement; it's the kind of wildly unrealistic ambition you dream about as an aspiring author. Since then, it's been wonderful to hear from new readers and to see the book alongside the other book club selections in pride of place in branches of WHSmith the length and breadth of the UK.
To quote Ferris Bueller, I highly recommend it.
As my former boss and new head honcho of Uber Glasgow Chris Yiu reports, it looks like they're flying off the shelves...
Someone's popular at @EDI_Airport @WHSmith this morning @MasonCrossBooks #TheSamaritan #RandJBC pic.twitter.com/UNwl1lXHjz— Chris Yiu (@clry2) February 15, 2016It also means my Richard and Judy podcast is live, so you can now head over there to listen to my interview with R&J. There's a new post from me there on the inspiration behind the book.
You can still read Richard and Judy's reviews in full on the Book Club blog, check out their Q&A with me or read a free sample of the book.
It seems like ages since I recorded the interview, but I thought it would be good to record for posterity what it's like getting to meet Richard and Judy to talk about your book.
After arriving in London, I met Angela and Virginia from Orion for coffee before the interview. While I attempted to suppress my nerves, we chatted about the interview and lots of other things: the cover for Winterlong, the pronunciation of Eurydice (I had only recently discovered it's you-RID-uh-see, not you're-a-dice), and the fact Angela had passed by a guy dressed as an Imperial Stormtrooper at the railway station (guess what movie was coming out that day).
At the appointed time, we reported to reception at the upmarket hotel in Covent Garden where Richard and Judy were recording the podcasts, and I was ushered into a room to record some of the pre-interview material. This involved a short reading from The Samaritan, and talking briefly about how I write.
Laura Barnett arrived for her session after me - I had met her at a Hachette event a few months before and loved her novel The Versions of Us , so it was nice that we both made the list. I'm Facebook friends with Ruth Ware too, and although we didn't get a chance to see each other on the day, it was great to see In a Dark, Dark Wood on there too.
A helper came to tell us that Richard and Judy were ready and led me through to the room where they were recording. It was a strange but wonderful experience, like stepping inside a television. They were both lovely. When Richard kicked off his introduction, I was reminded why they've been a fixture of British TV and radio for so long. I kind of wish he could introduce me at all my events.
They asked me about the novel, about why we're drawn to violent crime stories, about how I came up with my pseudonym. I also learned that the hands are always set to ten past ten in wristwatch adverts. You can't unsee this once you're aware of it.
And then, before I knew it, we were done. We snapped a few pictures with me sitting on the couch with R&J (throughout which I couldn't stop thinking I am on the couch with Richard and Judy) and then it was downstairs to the bar to catch up with my editor Jemima and lots of the Orion team who had come along to celebrate. Judi Dench was there too. Although not part of our party, regrettably.
To say it was an insanely cool experience would be an understatement; it's the kind of wildly unrealistic ambition you dream about as an aspiring author. Since then, it's been wonderful to hear from new readers and to see the book alongside the other book club selections in pride of place in branches of WHSmith the length and breadth of the UK.
To quote Ferris Bueller, I highly recommend it.
February 10, 2016
Goodreads giveaway - win a signed copy of The Killing Season
Do you like free books? Me too.
If you'd like to win a signed UK paperback copy of the first Carter Blake novel, all you have to do is click to enter at the link below before midnight on February 18.
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Goodreads Book Giveaway
The Killing Season by Mason Cross Giveaway ends February 18, 2016.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter Giveaway
Open to UK, US, Australia and Canada - please see t&cs for full details.
If you'd like to win a signed UK paperback copy of the first Carter Blake novel, all you have to do is click to enter at the link below before midnight on February 18.
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Goodreads Book Giveaway
The Killing Season by Mason Cross Giveaway ends February 18, 2016. See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter Giveaway
Open to UK, US, Australia and Canada - please see t&cs for full details.
February 3, 2016
Reviews and upcoming events
I've updated the events page at the website with some new dates:
Blantyre Library - 15 February, 2:00pmWaterstones Kirkcaldy - 26 February, 7:30pmAye Write festival - 12 March, 7:30pm
I'm really looking forward to all of these, especially Aye Write, where I'm on the bill with Mark Leggatt and Douglas Lindsay chatting about setting our thrillers internationally. Go here for more details on all of these - the Aye Write event is ticketed but the other two are completely free.
Elsewhere, Darren Brooks has posted a wide-ranging interview with me together with a really excellent, insightful dissection of the first two books over at his blog, titled 'A Ghost to Catch Ghosts'. I particularly enjoyed his likening of the series to anthology television shows - I hadn't really considered this, but it's a good point, and will hold true for Winterlong :
The anthology approach to the series works well, too. Like that practised by TV shows such as True Detective and Fargo – whose subsequent series tell new stories with new characters whilst retaining the parent title – it is an ideal device by which to gradually chip away at the hidden biography of Blake. Dropping the character into new cases with different investigatory teams is perfect for a man with secrets to maintain, in that he does not develop ongoing professional relationships and so avoids the familiarity common to conventional serial fiction, particularly the team ethic inherent to the police procedural. In adopting this anthologised style, it is ensured that Carter Blake – both the character and the history his chosen name is designed to disguise – lives on. For now.
I was really pleased to get a double-page spread in the Glasgow Evening Times about the Richard and Judy selection (apologies for my crappy camerawork - the full story is online here).
And hot on the heels of the US publication of The Samaritan, a great American notice from Raven's Reviews:
“Carter Blake” manages to remain mysterious. Precious and few are the clues that Blake drops, and little is told about the man at all. This doesn’t stop him from being a combination of James Bond and Jason Bourne, with maybe a pinch of the Punisher thrown in for seasoning.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, I love all of those characters, but it's the first time the Punisher has been mentioned. Makes sense, as I was reading Garth Ennis's superlative Punisher MAX around the time I was writing Killing Season. Funnily enough, that was basically a crime anthology series that revolved around one character.
Finally, I've just sent out my first update to the mailing list to mark the UK paperback and US hardcover publication of The Samaritan. If you want to be kept in the loop with occasional updates on when each new book is coming out, all you have to do is sign up right here - I promise not to spam you:
#mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; } /* Add your own MailChimp form style overrides in your site stylesheet or in this style block. We recommend moving this block and the preceding CSS link to the HEAD of your HTML file. */ Sign up for the Mason Cross mailing list* indicates required Email Address * First Name Last Name
That's it for now - I'll be posting about a new Goodreads giveaway next week, so watch this space!
Blantyre Library - 15 February, 2:00pmWaterstones Kirkcaldy - 26 February, 7:30pmAye Write festival - 12 March, 7:30pm
I'm really looking forward to all of these, especially Aye Write, where I'm on the bill with Mark Leggatt and Douglas Lindsay chatting about setting our thrillers internationally. Go here for more details on all of these - the Aye Write event is ticketed but the other two are completely free.
Elsewhere, Darren Brooks has posted a wide-ranging interview with me together with a really excellent, insightful dissection of the first two books over at his blog, titled 'A Ghost to Catch Ghosts'. I particularly enjoyed his likening of the series to anthology television shows - I hadn't really considered this, but it's a good point, and will hold true for Winterlong :
The anthology approach to the series works well, too. Like that practised by TV shows such as True Detective and Fargo – whose subsequent series tell new stories with new characters whilst retaining the parent title – it is an ideal device by which to gradually chip away at the hidden biography of Blake. Dropping the character into new cases with different investigatory teams is perfect for a man with secrets to maintain, in that he does not develop ongoing professional relationships and so avoids the familiarity common to conventional serial fiction, particularly the team ethic inherent to the police procedural. In adopting this anthologised style, it is ensured that Carter Blake – both the character and the history his chosen name is designed to disguise – lives on. For now.
I was really pleased to get a double-page spread in the Glasgow Evening Times about the Richard and Judy selection (apologies for my crappy camerawork - the full story is online here).
And hot on the heels of the US publication of The Samaritan, a great American notice from Raven's Reviews:
“Carter Blake” manages to remain mysterious. Precious and few are the clues that Blake drops, and little is told about the man at all. This doesn’t stop him from being a combination of James Bond and Jason Bourne, with maybe a pinch of the Punisher thrown in for seasoning.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, I love all of those characters, but it's the first time the Punisher has been mentioned. Makes sense, as I was reading Garth Ennis's superlative Punisher MAX around the time I was writing Killing Season. Funnily enough, that was basically a crime anthology series that revolved around one character.
Finally, I've just sent out my first update to the mailing list to mark the UK paperback and US hardcover publication of The Samaritan. If you want to be kept in the loop with occasional updates on when each new book is coming out, all you have to do is sign up right here - I promise not to spam you:
#mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; } /* Add your own MailChimp form style overrides in your site stylesheet or in this style block. We recommend moving this block and the preceding CSS link to the HEAD of your HTML file. */ Sign up for the Mason Cross mailing list* indicates required Email Address * First Name Last Name
That's it for now - I'll be posting about a new Goodreads giveaway next week, so watch this space!
February 1, 2016
American publication day - The Samaritan
The Samaritan is finally released in America today, published by Pegasus Books.
The cover is quite different from the UK version this time around, but it's great. I received a box full of author copies last week and, although pictures don't do it justice, the hardcover is a thing of beauty.
I had lots of great emails and messages from American readers about The Killing Season, so I can't wait to see how people react to the new book. It's already had great US reviews in Publishers Weekly and Kirkus .
Email me, Tweet me, Facebook me or just comment here at the blog to let me know what you think about Carter Blake's latest case.
You can order The Samaritan now from all good bookshops:
Hardcover
Amazon
Barnes & Nobleebook
Kindle
Nook
iBook
KoboAudio
Audible
The cover is quite different from the UK version this time around, but it's great. I received a box full of author copies last week and, although pictures don't do it justice, the hardcover is a thing of beauty.
I had lots of great emails and messages from American readers about The Killing Season, so I can't wait to see how people react to the new book. It's already had great US reviews in Publishers Weekly and Kirkus .
Email me, Tweet me, Facebook me or just comment here at the blog to let me know what you think about Carter Blake's latest case.
You can order The Samaritan now from all good bookshops:
Hardcover
Amazon
Barnes & Nobleebook
Kindle
Nook
iBook
KoboAudio
Audible
January 16, 2016
Winterlong - cover reveal
I'm so pleased that I can finally unveil the cover for Carter Blake book 3: Winterlong
Another amazing job from the people at Orion. I think this may be my favourite cover yet. The colours and image and tagline really give you a great sense of the book.
Publication date is still a moveable feast this far out, but according to Amazon it's currently 5th May in the UK. You can pre-order in the usual places and it'll be delivered to your letterbox, Kindle or audio device as soon as it comes out.
You can read a sneak preview of chapter one at the back of the Samaritan paperback. It's one of the scenes I've written that I'm most proud of. It functions as an almost self-contained story, but one which I hope will make you want to read more.
If you're a blogger and would like to review Winterlong, you can request an advance copy right now on Netgalley.
Here's the blurb:
It's been five years since Carter Blake parted ways with top-secret government operation Winterlong.
They brokered a deal at the time: he'd keep quiet about what they were doing, and in return he'd be left alone.
But news that one of Blake's old allies, a man who agreed the same deal, is dead means only one thing - something has changed and Winterlong is coming for him.
Emma Faraday, newly appointed head of the secret unit, is determined to tie up loose ends. And Blake is a very loose end. He's been evading them for years, but finally they've picked up his trace. Blake may be the best there is at tracking down people who don't want to be found, but Winterlong taught him everything he knows. If there's anyone who can find him - and kill him - it's them.
It's time for Carter Blake to up his game.
High-stakes action, blistering tension and a deadly game of cat and mouse, Winterlong is the must-read new thriller from Mason Cross.
***
UK pre-order in hardback, trade paperback, ebook or audiobook from:
Waterstones
Amazon
WHSmith
Another amazing job from the people at Orion. I think this may be my favourite cover yet. The colours and image and tagline really give you a great sense of the book.
Publication date is still a moveable feast this far out, but according to Amazon it's currently 5th May in the UK. You can pre-order in the usual places and it'll be delivered to your letterbox, Kindle or audio device as soon as it comes out.
You can read a sneak preview of chapter one at the back of the Samaritan paperback. It's one of the scenes I've written that I'm most proud of. It functions as an almost self-contained story, but one which I hope will make you want to read more.
If you're a blogger and would like to review Winterlong, you can request an advance copy right now on Netgalley.
Here's the blurb:
It's been five years since Carter Blake parted ways with top-secret government operation Winterlong.
They brokered a deal at the time: he'd keep quiet about what they were doing, and in return he'd be left alone.
But news that one of Blake's old allies, a man who agreed the same deal, is dead means only one thing - something has changed and Winterlong is coming for him.
Emma Faraday, newly appointed head of the secret unit, is determined to tie up loose ends. And Blake is a very loose end. He's been evading them for years, but finally they've picked up his trace. Blake may be the best there is at tracking down people who don't want to be found, but Winterlong taught him everything he knows. If there's anyone who can find him - and kill him - it's them.
It's time for Carter Blake to up his game.
High-stakes action, blistering tension and a deadly game of cat and mouse, Winterlong is the must-read new thriller from Mason Cross.
***
UK pre-order in hardback, trade paperback, ebook or audiobook from:
Waterstones
Amazon
WHSmith
January 12, 2016
Top tens and articles and the continuing coolness of seeing one's book in a shop
Hello, hope 2016 has been treating you nicely so far!
I'm taking a short break from writing Carter Blake book 4 and listening to David Bowie songs to do a quick blog update.
Things have been pretty busy over the past couple of weeks with The Samaritan paperback coming out. Of course, on publication day I made sure to head out to bookshops and supermarkets to see the book on shelves, particularly as part of the Richard & Judy Book Club in WHSmith...
..
I still love seeing my book in a real bookshop. I think some of the Smiths staff may have assumed I was a mystery shopper when I was busily taking pictures of their shelves.
Anyway, to coincide with publication, I've been asked to do some interviews and articles in various places. If you're interested, click on the links to check 'em out:
Susan Lobban interviews me for eReader1 as the featured author for January, grilling me on my inspirations, my typical writing day, how I deal with writers' block, advice for aspiring writers and lots of other things.
A couple of 'Top 10' blogs for two great booksellers - Foyles asked me for my top 10 locations to set an action thriller, while over at the Waterstones blog they have my top 10 thriller heroes and heroines.
Tartan Noir maestro Michael J. Malone kindly hosts me on his MJM Ink blog to give my top 5 tips on being a writer. There are 5, as the title suggests, but if you're in a rush it can all be boiled down to "write stuff", really.
Scottish Book Trust includes Winterlong in its 27 Scottish novels to look forward to in 2016. It's not really a Scottish book if we're being strict, being set in Siberia, Seattle, Kandahar, Minnesota and New York, but I'll gladly accept a place on any list that includes Chris Brookmyre, James Oswald, Irvine Welsh and Helen Fitzgerald.
And that's about it for now. I'm hoping to announce some events soon, but in the meantime, I've updated the buy page on my website to make sure you can get Richard & Judy Book Club selection The Samaritan (I'll never get tired of saying that) and The Killing Season in all formats.
If you've already bought them, a million thank yous, and please tell a friend!
I'm taking a short break from writing Carter Blake book 4 and listening to David Bowie songs to do a quick blog update.
Things have been pretty busy over the past couple of weeks with The Samaritan paperback coming out. Of course, on publication day I made sure to head out to bookshops and supermarkets to see the book on shelves, particularly as part of the Richard & Judy Book Club in WHSmith...
..
I still love seeing my book in a real bookshop. I think some of the Smiths staff may have assumed I was a mystery shopper when I was busily taking pictures of their shelves.
Anyway, to coincide with publication, I've been asked to do some interviews and articles in various places. If you're interested, click on the links to check 'em out:
Susan Lobban interviews me for eReader1 as the featured author for January, grilling me on my inspirations, my typical writing day, how I deal with writers' block, advice for aspiring writers and lots of other things.
A couple of 'Top 10' blogs for two great booksellers - Foyles asked me for my top 10 locations to set an action thriller, while over at the Waterstones blog they have my top 10 thriller heroes and heroines.
Tartan Noir maestro Michael J. Malone kindly hosts me on his MJM Ink blog to give my top 5 tips on being a writer. There are 5, as the title suggests, but if you're in a rush it can all be boiled down to "write stuff", really.
Scottish Book Trust includes Winterlong in its 27 Scottish novels to look forward to in 2016. It's not really a Scottish book if we're being strict, being set in Siberia, Seattle, Kandahar, Minnesota and New York, but I'll gladly accept a place on any list that includes Chris Brookmyre, James Oswald, Irvine Welsh and Helen Fitzgerald.
And that's about it for now. I'm hoping to announce some events soon, but in the meantime, I've updated the buy page on my website to make sure you can get Richard & Judy Book Club selection The Samaritan (I'll never get tired of saying that) and The Killing Season in all formats.
If you've already bought them, a million thank yous, and please tell a friend!
December 30, 2015
Paperback day... and a BIG announcement
The Samaritan is out in UK paperback at all good bookshops today.
But you'll see it particularly well-displayed if you go into any branch of WHSmith, because...
Yep.
I'm delighted to be able to announce (at last) that The Samaritan has been selected for the Richard and Judy Spring 2016 Book Club. This is a massive deal, and it's really a dream come true for my book to get this kind of recognition.
Head over to the Smiths blog to check out the other great-sounding novels on the list, and you'll also find a preview chapter from The Samaritan, Richard & Judy's excellent review of the book, some book club questions, and a Q&A with yours truly.
You can buy the book from today at all good bookshops, online and off, but if you buy from WHSmith you'll get the special edition with exclusive bonus content.
The Richard and Judy book club is a fantastic way to reach new readers, and I'm honoured to be chosen as one of only eight from hundreds of submitted books. I can't wait to see what people make of The Samaritan and Carter Blake.
If you like the book, I'd love to hear from you - you can tweet me, drop me an email, like my Facebook page, or just comment here at the blog. And if you want to find out when the next book is coming up, sign up for my mailing list.
That's enough from me - happy 2016 and happy reading!
You can buy The Samaritan now from:
Paperback
WHSmithWaterstonesAmazon
ebook
KindleKobo
iBook
AudioAudible
Go to masoncross.net to find out publication dates for the United States and foreign territories.
But you'll see it particularly well-displayed if you go into any branch of WHSmith, because...
Yep.
I'm delighted to be able to announce (at last) that The Samaritan has been selected for the Richard and Judy Spring 2016 Book Club. This is a massive deal, and it's really a dream come true for my book to get this kind of recognition.
Head over to the Smiths blog to check out the other great-sounding novels on the list, and you'll also find a preview chapter from The Samaritan, Richard & Judy's excellent review of the book, some book club questions, and a Q&A with yours truly.
You can buy the book from today at all good bookshops, online and off, but if you buy from WHSmith you'll get the special edition with exclusive bonus content.
The Richard and Judy book club is a fantastic way to reach new readers, and I'm honoured to be chosen as one of only eight from hundreds of submitted books. I can't wait to see what people make of The Samaritan and Carter Blake.
If you like the book, I'd love to hear from you - you can tweet me, drop me an email, like my Facebook page, or just comment here at the blog. And if you want to find out when the next book is coming up, sign up for my mailing list.
That's enough from me - happy 2016 and happy reading!
You can buy The Samaritan now from:
Paperback
WHSmithWaterstonesAmazon
ebook
KindleKobo
iBook
AudioAudible
Go to masoncross.net to find out publication dates for the United States and foreign territories.
Settings and Samaritans
The Samaritan is out in mass-market paperback tomorrow, available to buy at all good bookshops. To get you in the mood, here's a piece I wrote in the summer for the Bloody Scotland blog on the inspiration for the book.
Settings and Samaritans Bloody Scotland blog, 2nd July 2015
One of the questions I get asked all the time is, “Is it difficult to write American thrillers when you live in the UK?” Just to be awkward, my answer tends to be yes and no.Yes, it can be a challenge, because it inevitably involves a little more research to write about another country than about your immediate surroundings. But also no, because all fiction involves creating the writer’s own world, where you make the rules, put words in the mouths of the characters and choose the settings. We’re making all this stuff up anyway, so why does it matter where it’s set?To me, there are three things that really matter in a story: people, situations, and what-ifs.There aren’t a whole lot of similarities between Glasgow, Scotland and Los Angeles, California. Obviously the climates are freakishly similar and both cities are filled with astoundingly beautiful people – aside from that, not much. But one thing the two metropolises do have in common is geographic. They’re both built in a depression: Glasgow fills the Clyde Valley, LA sprawls across the Los Angeles Basin. It means you can escape the urban sprawl for a while and look down on it to get some perspective. A useful thing to be able to do in both cities.Where I live, you can get into the car and be above the city in minutes, on the quiet country roads in the elevated green belt south of the city. I’ve always loved that view. You can look down on the buildings and the streetlights and the million unique stories and have a contemplative Harry Bosch moment.One spring night a couple of years ago, I was driving on one of those roads. I wasn’t having a deep Harry Bosch moment, I was having a returning-from-Sainsbury’s moment. About halfway home, I crested a hill and saw the city spread out before me. And this time, I saw something else.A car, stopped by the side of the road. As I got closer I realised the car had broken down. Almost simultaneously, I saw another vehicle parked just around the corner. In my headlights I saw a woman watching, arms clutched around herself for warmth as a man crouched down by the front tyre, in the process of changing a flat.I was glad somebody had already stopped for the stranded driver: a Good Samaritan. It would be no fun to be stuck out here waiting for the AA.I passed by them and continued on my way, but I’d already started to think. I thought about what a strange, in-between place it was: dark, lonely and isolated, but in view of a city and suburbs home to more than a million people. I thought about how quickly it can get lonely when you leave the city. I thought about how lucky it was that somebody had been passing the stranded driver and been willing to help. And then I wondered what would have happened if the Good Samaritan wasn’t so good.All of a sudden, I had an idea for a book, and I knew it would work in Los Angeles as well as it would work on a back road south of Glasgow.Because when you get down to it, what country a thriller is set in isn’t the important thing. What’s important is people, situations, what-ifs. Like you, stranded on a dark, lonely road, forced to accept help from the first stranger who stops.What if he’s a Bad Samaritan?
Settings and Samaritans Bloody Scotland blog, 2nd July 2015
One of the questions I get asked all the time is, “Is it difficult to write American thrillers when you live in the UK?” Just to be awkward, my answer tends to be yes and no.Yes, it can be a challenge, because it inevitably involves a little more research to write about another country than about your immediate surroundings. But also no, because all fiction involves creating the writer’s own world, where you make the rules, put words in the mouths of the characters and choose the settings. We’re making all this stuff up anyway, so why does it matter where it’s set?To me, there are three things that really matter in a story: people, situations, and what-ifs.There aren’t a whole lot of similarities between Glasgow, Scotland and Los Angeles, California. Obviously the climates are freakishly similar and both cities are filled with astoundingly beautiful people – aside from that, not much. But one thing the two metropolises do have in common is geographic. They’re both built in a depression: Glasgow fills the Clyde Valley, LA sprawls across the Los Angeles Basin. It means you can escape the urban sprawl for a while and look down on it to get some perspective. A useful thing to be able to do in both cities.Where I live, you can get into the car and be above the city in minutes, on the quiet country roads in the elevated green belt south of the city. I’ve always loved that view. You can look down on the buildings and the streetlights and the million unique stories and have a contemplative Harry Bosch moment.One spring night a couple of years ago, I was driving on one of those roads. I wasn’t having a deep Harry Bosch moment, I was having a returning-from-Sainsbury’s moment. About halfway home, I crested a hill and saw the city spread out before me. And this time, I saw something else.A car, stopped by the side of the road. As I got closer I realised the car had broken down. Almost simultaneously, I saw another vehicle parked just around the corner. In my headlights I saw a woman watching, arms clutched around herself for warmth as a man crouched down by the front tyre, in the process of changing a flat.I was glad somebody had already stopped for the stranded driver: a Good Samaritan. It would be no fun to be stuck out here waiting for the AA.I passed by them and continued on my way, but I’d already started to think. I thought about what a strange, in-between place it was: dark, lonely and isolated, but in view of a city and suburbs home to more than a million people. I thought about how quickly it can get lonely when you leave the city. I thought about how lucky it was that somebody had been passing the stranded driver and been willing to help. And then I wondered what would have happened if the Good Samaritan wasn’t so good.All of a sudden, I had an idea for a book, and I knew it would work in Los Angeles as well as it would work on a back road south of Glasgow.Because when you get down to it, what country a thriller is set in isn’t the important thing. What’s important is people, situations, what-ifs. Like you, stranded on a dark, lonely road, forced to accept help from the first stranger who stops.What if he’s a Bad Samaritan?
December 23, 2015
The Samaritan - first American reviews
The first couple of American reviews are in for The Samaritan, and I'm delighted that they're both great write-ups:
"Fans of Jeffery Deaver—that other thrill-master who can’t resist piling on the climactic twists even as the lights are coming up and you’re looking for your umbrella—should be enthralled." - Kirkus
"even jaded genre readers will be absorbed by Cross’s second thriller featuring manhunter Carter Blake" - Publishers Weekly
The Samaritan is published in the US by Pegasus Books on February 1st, 2016, and you can pre-order the US hardcover or ebook right now:
AmazonBarnes & NobleIndiebound
December 22, 2015
Una Fuga Sospetta - foreign editions galore
The Killing Season has just been published in Italy by Fanucci under the title Una Fuga Sospetta (A Fleeing Suspect), which is the sixth language it's been translated into. If you speak Italian, you can buy it here.
Now that a few of the foreign language editions have come out, I thought it would be fun to look at how the cover and title changes in different territories. You can find buy links for all of these on the new foreign editions page on my website.
Der Rushhour Killer (The Rush Hour Killer) - Goldmann, Germany
Het Jach Seizoen (The Hunting Season) - Luitingh Sijthoff, Holland
Av Mevsimi (Hunting Season) - Panama, Turkey
Sezona Umorov (Season Murders) - Ucila, Slovenia
Сезонът на убийствата (Season Killings) - Obsidian, BulgariaAnd finally - not a foreign language, but just for the sake of completeness, here's the slightly different American cover:
Pegasus, USAIt's really cool to see how the book is adapted to different languages and markets, and I can't wait to see some more soon. If they're half as good as the cover for the forthcoming German publication of The Samaritan (or Blood Instinct - awesome title), I'll be a very happy international author indeed.
