Suspense Magazine May 2015

Suspense, Mystery, Horror and Thriller Fiction JUNE 2015 HOT DAYS COOL SUMMER READS PATRICK KENDRICK C. J. BOX From Across the Pond: NELSON DEMILLE WILLIAM SHAW A Look Inside INGRID THOFT’S & Meet Debut Authors “BRUTALITY” & CHRISTINE CARBO NELSON DEMILLE’S NEAL GRIFFIN “RADIANT ANGEL” SIMON GERVAIS “A THOUGHT-PROVOKING TALE THAT WILL SURELY STAND WITH THE YEAR’S BEST THRILLERS.” —DAVID BALDACCI A battle to the death— and only one will be left standing. “The Assassins hooks you on page one, pulls you into the story on page two, and doesn’t let you go until the very last paragraph. This is a classic last-man-standing story of deceit and betrayal with enough new twists and turns to keep you up way past your bedtime.” —NELSON DEMILLE “ A furiously wild ride from Maryland to Marrakesh to Baghdad with rich vibrant characters and a surprise twist that will hit you between the eyes. I loved it!” —CATHERINE COULTER “A master class in suspense, where plot twists abound and danger is always closer than you think!” —LISA GARDNER “The Assassins is another masterwork of international suspense from Gayle Lynds, which starts with a killer premise—six ex-Cold War assassins pitted against each other—and ends with a violent and stunning surprise.” —DOUGLAS PRESTON • gaylelynds.com • AVAILABLE WHEREVER BOOKS ARE SOLD. From the Editor Sometimes when I sit and write the “Letter from the CREDITS Editor,” it depends on my mood as to what comes out on John Raab President & Chairman the page. If I’m happy, I tend to write in a more humorous style. If I’m on edge, I will write something a bit more Shannon Raab serious to bring me back from the proverbial ledge. Creative Director However, if I’m a little angry, well…then all bets are off. This is one of those times. I’m not really sure beyond this Romaine Reeves one sentence what is going to come out next, so here we CFO go on a suspenseful journey… Amy Lignor Someone asked me for help with their book. I agreed Editor because, quite simply, I love to help people and want to set them on the right path. This wasn’t a work of fiction, but regardless of the genre there are some things that you need to make sure Jim Thomsen you have included in order to see a polished work. I spent a good amount of time reading Copy Editor through it, giving many different pointers and advice, only to recently find out that they didn’t take any of that advice and published the book on their own. Well…what do you know? The Contributors book has been out for over a month and they haven’t sold one single copy. I was shocked, Mark P. Sadler since the book was written not by an expert in the field, but by someone who thinks they know Susan Santangelo DJ Weaver their subject matter. CK Webb Mistake number one. This is to all authors out there currently thinking about doing this. Kiki Howell I ask them this question: “You are writing in a genre that is already inundated and plastered Kaye George with experts, big companies and huge industry names, so…why should I buy your book?” Weldon Burge Ashley Wintters The ones I have already asked this question of didn’t really have an answer to give me, and I Scott Pearson replied, “See? That is why you don’t sell anything.” Not to mention, I said that at the very least D.P. Lyle M.D. they will need to market themselves heavily before the book comes out, at least two to three Kathleen Heady hours a day, finding places where their target audience is talking about only that particular Stephen Brayton Brian Blocker subject matter. I said, “If you are not willing to put in the tough—at times, grueling—work of Andrew MacRae marketing, you won’t sell anything.” Val Conrad I don’t know how many times I have to say it, but just in case, I will say it yet again. Melissa Dalton Writing the book is the EASY part; marketing it and getting people excited to buy it is the Elliott Capon J.M. LeDuc TOUGH part. That is where you need to spend a lot of research. I think it’s great that Amazon Holly Price has given us a platform to publish our own books without the need of an agent or publisher; Kari Wainwright however, what we now have in the marketplace is a bunch of books that, well…frankly, stink. David Ingram I went through this person’s book and did a first edit. There was no way the book was close Jodi Hanson Susan May to being ready to publish. But instead of putting in the hours to make it right, they uploaded Jenny Hilborne the work, put their picture on their newly formed Author Page (wearing a look of composure Anthony J. Franze with an air of brilliance, of course), and assumed that was enough to sell it. Kristin Centorcelli Wake up, authors! If you don’t have beta readers (that means readers you don’t know and Jerry Zavada S.L. Menear will actually give you the brutal truth), or go through a professional edit job then, yes, your Leslie Borghini success rate will be very, very low. I want everyone who writes a book to be very successful so Mary Lignor they will keep on writing and producing thoughtful, entertaining, and incredible works for Julie Whiteley the public. This person already had a second and third Sara Guisti Jeff Ayers book in mind, but will probably quit because the first Elise Cooper book didn’t sell. This is not easy; writing is very hard work. Like the Customer Service and old saying goes: If it were easy, everyone would do it. Subscriptions: For 24/7 service, please use our website, Don’t take the easy path. That path leads to the dark side. www.suspensemagazine.com or write to: Taking the time to put the effort into making sure you SUSPENSE MAGAZINE at have covered all your bases, marketed your book before 26500 Agoura Road, #102-474 and after release, have beta readers on hand, and have Calabasas, CA 91302 Suspense Magazine does not share our had the work professionally edited, is the only path that magazine subscriber list with third-party will lead to eventual success. companies. John Raab CEO/Publisher Rates: $24.00 (Electronic Subscrip- Suspense Magazine ■ tion) per year. All foreign subscriptions must be payable in U.S. funds. “Reviews within this magazine are the opinions of the individual reviewers and are provided solely for the purpose of assisting readers in determining another's thoughts on the book under discussion and shall not be interpreted as professional advice or the opinion of any other than the individual reviewer. The following reviewers who may appear in this magazine are also individual clients of Suspense Publishing, an imprint of Suspense Magazine: Mark P. Sadler, Ashley Dawn (Wintters), DJ Weaver, CK Webb, Elliott Capon, J.M. LeDuc, S.L. Menear, Leslie Borghini, Susan Santangelo, and Amy Lignor.” SuspenseMagazine.com 1 CONTENTSUSPENSE MAGAZINE June 2015 / Vol. 065 International Thriller Writers: Reader’s Corner By Steve P. Vincent .........3 Excerpt: “Brutality” By Ingrid Thoft ....................................4 Forensic Files: Corpse Decay By D.P. Lyle ..............................8 Take a Journey With Debut Author Christine Carbo .................10 In the Garden By Jill Hand .........................................14 The Black Bird & the Chicago Kid By Thomas B. Sawyer. 18 The Face at the Window By Samuel Poots .............................20 Inside the Pages: Suspense Magazine Book Reviews ..................23 Suspense Magazine Movie Reviews ................................44 Featured Artist: Angeles Ruiz . 45 Ripped From the Headlines: Meet Debut Author Neal Griffin ..........49 Copy Editor’s Corner: Editor, Heal Thyself By Jim Thomsen ............52 Adds a Personal Touch: Meet Debut Author Simon Gervais ...........54 Across the Pond with William Shaw By Chris Simms ..................60 At the End of my Rope By Nancy Sweetland ............................62 Excerpt: “Radiant Angel” By Nelson DeMille ..........................69 Antiques and Curiosities By A.R. Alan ...............................73 INTERNATIONAL THRILLER WRITERS READER'SCorner Recommendations by Steve P. Vincent Press Photo Credit: Provided by Author Every time I finish writing a book, like I just have, I make a concerted effort to smash the ‘to read’ pile that has built up next to my bed and on my Kindle while I’ve been hard at work. Unfortunately, my attempts are usually for nothing, because I find another bunch of great books to read. Here are a few I’m looking forward to reading in the next few months. “AURORA: EDEN” Amanda Bridgeman, September 10: Not strictly a thriller, but definitely thrilling…in space! Amanda Bridgeman is a fellow Aussie writer who’s crafted a wonderful and chilling series centered on two great main characters and one particularly nasty villain. Her books are epic in size, scope, and impact. “MAKE ME” Lee Child, August 27: Take all my money, Mr. Child, and be quick about it! I tend to drift in and out of the Jack Reacher series, but when I lock on I’ll gorge two or three at once. Looking forward to the 20th lap on this circuit. It should be as nail-biting as ever. “WHAT LIES BEHIND” J.T. Ellison, May 26: Yeah, yeah, it’s already out. But I haven’t bought it or read it yet, so I’m listing it. The latest Samantha Owens thriller sounds like a cracking read, and it’ll find itself sneaking its way up the pile, I’m sure.

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