R.G. Belsky's Blog, page 7

KILLER NASHVILLE 2017

Thrilled to be named a Finalist for both the Silver Falchion Award for Best Thriller (Blonde Ice - the most recent Gil Malloy book) and the Claymore Award (for a new manuscript called The Hitler Legacy). Awards ceremony will be August 26 at the Killer Nashville awards banquet. I'll be there!

Fascinating book about covering Vietnam

My friend and fellow author Terry Irving has edited this remarkable book about a subject of great interest to me – TV coverage of the Vietnam War. The book is by legendary war cameraman Yasutsune “Tony” Hirashiki who (with the help of longtime ABC producer Irving) tells the story of his ten years on the frontlines in Vietnam. There are big on-air names you will recognize (Ted Koppel, Sam Donaldson) – but also many others who covered what became known as the first “television” war. Some of the stories are filled with drama and heroism; others are scary as they recount the constant danger that journalists were in covering this war; and there’s also plenty of light-hearted moments. Like how Yasutsune Hirashiki got the nickname “Tony” so the ABC reporter he was working with could warn him to get out of danger quickly (“Keep your head down, Tony!”) instead of taking time in a firefight to yell out his full name! As someone who was a military journalist in the Army back in the ‘60s (I wound up being an intelligence analyst instead when I got to Vietnam, but that’s a whole other story), I found “On the Frontlines of the Television War” particularly fascinating. And I recommend it as a great read for anyone about this tumultuous time in our history.

5-Star Reader Review

A new 5-Star reader review for BLONDE ICE on Goodreads....

"I received a copy for a honest review I absolutely loved this I could not put it down from page one I was hooked . A perfect book to me is one which makes you forget everything else around you. I loved the characters and plot of the story . I just wished I knew it was a part of a series I would have picked them up too I still loved this though." -Samantha Osborne

Available now for just $.99 on Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Blonde-Ice-Mal...

My interview with Meg Gardiner...

Meg Gardiner's new thriller UNSUB - inspired by the Zodiac Killer case - is not only a terrific read, but it has also been bought by CBS for a new TV series.

Meg talks to me in the new issue of The Big Thrill mag about writing the book; her previous careers as a lawyer and teaching in college; and even about being a three-time champion on Jeopardy.

As someone who's read a lot of serial killer novels (and written a few myself), I highly recommend UNSUB!
Read it

Publishers Marketplace Announcement

Here's the official announcement from PUBLISHERS MARKETPLACE about my new book...
R. G. Belsky's FORGET ME NOT, years after the case of a missing child has gone cold the reporter who made her name by covering the case gets a new lead and finds herself tangled in a web of dark secrets, to Pat Gussin at Oceanview, for publication in 2018, by Nalini Akolekar at Spencerhill Associates (World).

The Wrong Side of Goodbye by Michael Connelly - My GoodReads Review

Is there another mystery author around today as consistently excellent as Michael Connelly? Connelly has been putting out terrific best sellers for more than 20 years now, and THE WRONG SIDE OF GOODBYE shows he's still at the top of his game. It features his most popular (and my favorite) character Harry Bosch, who's no longer with the LAPD. But fear not - Bosch is still working cases as a sort of PI and also a part-timer with a smaller police department. He's trying to solve two cases here - looking for the heir of a dying rich man and also hunting for a serial rapist. Neither case is connected, but Connelly puts the two stories together seamlessly. And the good news at the end (no plot spoiler here) is that it looks like we still have future Bosch books to look forward to! - 5 STARS

My Interview with Scott Turow

I loved getting the opportunity to interview Scott Turow for the cover story of The Big Thrill this month. I've been a big Turow fan ever since his debut thriller Presumed Innocent became a publishing phenomenon 30 years ago. He talks about that, his new book Testimony and a lot of other fascinating stuff in the piece.http://www.thebigthrill.org/2017/05/b...

The Long Shadow of Raymond Chandler

I sure share a lot of these thoughts from writers interviewed in Strand Magazine...

https://strandmag.com/long-shadow-ray...

Latest on The Kennedy Connection price...

Update on my update: It now looks like the price for The Kennedy Connection on Kindle is back down to $1.99 again - at least for now! Not sure how long that will last.

https://www.amazon.com/Kennedy-Connec...
Again, this is the first Gil Malloy book - about a secret son of Lee Harvey Oswald and a series of murders in present-day New York City linked somehow to the JFK assassination. Here's a few more of my favorite quotes about it:

"The characters were so deftly drawn, and the story kept me turning the pages. Gil Malloy for President!" (Donald Bain, bestselling author of the MURDER SHE WROTE mystery series and the MARGARET TRUMAN CAPITAL CRIME series )
“R.G. Belsky's thought-provoking thriller, The Kennedy Connection, introduces us to a smart, witty, and human hero whose quest to find answers about two crimes — one famous, one all but unnoticed — is loaded with tension and full of unexpected twists and turns. I loved The Kennedy Connection, and can't wait for the next Gil Malloy novel.” (Jan Burke )
"If you like your heroes a bit flawed, your mysteries a bit untidy, and your dialog entirely hilarious, you’ll love R.G. Belsky’s The Kennedy Connection. In Gil Malloy, Belsky has created a character that you’ll want to spend time with. I’m already looking forward to the next Gil Malloy story.” (Matthew Klein, author of No Way Back )

Well, that was fun! My Kindle price cut....

The Kennedy Connection sold for a special price of just $1.99 on Kindle yesterday as part of a Kindle Daily Deal promotion -and it was definitely a fun ride for a day. Watched it shoot up the Amazon sales ranks - finishing in the Top 50 in some categories like historical thrillers, etc. Not bad for a book that came out three years ago. It's the first in the Gil Malloy series - and hopefully a lot of the people who bought it will enjoy getting to know Gil. Price is back to the regular $7.99 on Kindle now - but still worth it, people!