From the Editor

Heather Graham on THE ISLAND

Robert Dugoni debuts with THE JURY MASTER

Amy J. Fetzer has the PERFECT WEAPON

Jonathan Kellerman is way GONE

Other New Exciting Hardcovers

Jacey Ford and her DEAD HEAT

DELIVER US FROM EVELYN says Chris Well

Shirl Henke Riffs on SNEAK AND RESCUE

Jay MacLarty and his LIVE WIRE

Other New Paperback Originals

BOOKBITCH Reveals Her Guilty Pleasures

Bloody Good Time at Left Coast Crime

ITW's First Short List of Thriller Awards

Calling all Winners, Present and Future!

Quick Links to
Featured Authors

Cara Black

Michael A. Black

Bookbitch.com

Ken Bruen

Robert Dugoni

Amy J. Fetzer

Jacey Ford

Heather Graham

Shirl Henke

David Hewson

Alesia Holliday

Jonathan Kellerman

Jay MacLarty

Bob Mayer

Pat Mullan

Thomas Perry

Kathy Reichs

J.D. Rhoades

John Ringo

Debra Webb

Chris Well

John Morgan Wilson

From the Editor

Given the slew of outsider films that won the Oscars recently and the fact that March is small press month, we celebrate independent media. Without publishers such as Akashic Books, SoHo Press and others, we wouldn't have the provocative works and fresh talents that are featured herein.

Leprechauns must have shaped this issue, too. Irish crime-fiction sensation and ITW member Ken Bruen has a new book while his cohorts shine a light on Dublin. Charlie Stella, Gary Phillips, Duane Swierczynski and others unveil new stories in a chilling Celtic noir anthology, highlighted below.

We continue to bring news of exciting releases from our top thriller and suspense authors, whose names are highlighted at the right. Every month, this list grows longer, thanks largely to you fans and readers.

In fact, ITW enjoyed a significant presence for the first time ever at the infamous Left Coast Crime-which is one of the largest crime fiction conventions around. Held March 16-19, the gathering of fans and authors took place outside of the United States (another first) in chilly, hilly Bristol, England.

That bloody good time is described by Peter Guttridge, who recounts how some of ITW's brightest held forth on five different thriller panels. About the only thing Guttridge doesn't say is that his own book, CAST ADRIFT, won LCC's Lefty award for best humorous crime novel of 2005. Buy him a pint!

One of LCC's most talked about panels is detailed by Pat Mullan, who lives in County Galway. Also at LCC, James Rollins announced the nominees for the first-ever Thriller Awards, a list assembled by an international panel of judges. (That list includes independent films.) We're also honored to publish an essay by Stacy Alesi, founder of Bookbitch.com, who harbors a yen for thrillers, too.

These stories appear at the end of this issue, which like your back fence is the site of so much community news. After all, we wouldn't want to interrupt the feast of author interviews and juicy new reads we've placed before you. And that's no blarney!

---Kathleen Sharp, Editor-In-Chief

Heather Graham on THE ISLAND

With over 100 books to her credit, Heather Graham is a proven writer. Indeed, her latest work, THE ISLAND, just landed on the New York Times Hard Cover Best Seller List.

In it, Graham says she tried to combine "the beauty and wonder of Southern Florida" with her love of boating. She also based her story on a real event. "A wealthy older couple had decided to take their boat to an island where many other boaters traveled for the summer," Graham explains. "There, they met a young man who grew marijuana. The couple helped him with food and in return, he repaired their boat. But after everyone else left the island, he killed the couple."

Graham moved the island to a fictional spot off the coast of Florida. "And the book's yacht club is similar to the one I frequent with my family," she adds.

In the ISLAND, Beth Anderson works at a yacht club. One weekend, she travels with her brother, Ben, his daughter and her friend, to the island on which a couple has disappeared. While strolling along the sand, Beth and the girls find a skull. When strangers approach, Beth hides the skull. But when she returns to retrieve it, the skull is gone. She begins to wonder what exactly happened to the elderly couple that never returned from the island. When Keith Henson pops up, Beth grows suspicious.

Graham, who got her start in the theater, paints vivid pictures with her words. Even better, she weaves an exciting read that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

---Cynthia Lea Clark

Robert Dugoni debuts with THE JURY MASTER

Robert Dugoni's first novel is a legal thriller that examines the life of attorney David Sloane, a man who manipulates juries as easily as he forms words. But when Sloane receives a strange package, he summons all of his powers of persuasion just to stay alive.

In real life, Dugoni is an attorney who in 1996 co-authored a nonfiction book about a brain-damaged worker. One day, he came up with the idea for the JURY MASTER as he watched a lawyer in court deliver his closing argument. "I found myself captivated by the way in which the attorney held the courtroom's attention, just by using his voice," he explains. "I began thinking: 'What if an attorney did not have the power of persuasion? What if he could actually get each juror to reach the conclusion that he wanted?' What kind of moral dilemma would that pose for an attorney who had a conscience?"

The story recalls early Grisham works with a political twist. "I'm not a very political person," Dugoni admits. "But I have an active imagination." One of the book's story lines involves a White House confidant who's found dead in a park. "When Vincent Foster died, I wondered what might have happened if his death wasn't a suicide? What would happen if someone pursued that question?"

Because of questions like those, Dugoni's characters have a believable edge. The Seattle-based author expects to bring back his fictional attorney in another book. The case of David Sloane will therefore remain open.

---Jeff Ayers

Amy J. Fetzer has the PERFECT WEAPON

Stay alive. That's all Dr. Sydney Hale can think of as, in one moment, her life becomes terrifying. Hale is a scientist whose secret government lab has been breached, whose co-workers have been murdered and who becomes the government's top suspect. Someone will do anything to pry loose her knowledge and, alone, she'll never survive. But when she runs into another keeper of classified information, Marine Jack Wilson, she figures she's just found THE PERFECT WEAPON.

Wilson knows a government cover-up when he sees one and wants to learn what the "pert little Einstein" knows. But Hale doesn't trust him enough to spill her guts, and danger dogs her every step. The tension mounts, along with the couple's carnal lust, and it all ends in one masterful cliff-hanger.

Fetzer's experience as the daughter, wife and mother of U.S. Marines shows in this thriller. So too does her sensibility as a working woman who cooks, cleans and gardens-just like her readers. Fetzer has written some two dozen books and won several awards, but don't think it's been easy.

"I could wallpaper a bathroom with my rejection slips," she brags. "But the hard part of this job is to continue selling books. Sometimes, my idea of a great story doesn't blend with the ideas of my editors, so it can be frustrating. But if you can't take the rejection," she adds, "this isn't the business for you."

Jonathan Kellerman is way GONE

Alex Delaware is back in Kellerman's thirtieth book and twenty-first adventure featuring the child psychologist and his buddy, homicide detective Milo Sturgis. It starts when Alex gives the court a psychological evaluation of aspiring actress Michaela Brand, who, with her boyfriend, faked her own kidnapping and rape to further her thespian career. The case is eventually thrown out-

and then the young woman is brutally murdered.

Milo is assigned the case and brings in Alex to consult. As the two dig into the crime, they find that other aspiring actors have disappeared under similar circumstances. In Los Angeles, would-be actors are as common as smog but Alex wonders if these cases might have some connection. The only obvious tie-in is the PlayHouse, a loosely-run studio hosted by a dope-smoking, middle-aged woman from a wealthy family. But then she disappears, along with the boyfriend of dead Michaela.

GONE is an excellent addition to one of the most consistently satisfying series in the psychological thriller genre. As usual, the relationship between Alex and Milo lies at the heart of the book and Los Angeles appears as a brooding, almost exotic presence. Where else could a tale of disappearing movie stars be set? With his lush prose, Kellerman takes us on a journey through Hollywood's bitter dreams and dashed aspirations.

---Mark Terry

Other New Exciting Hardcovers

MURDER IN MONTMARTE by Cara Black
Sixth in a series of Parisian-based novels, Black continues painting chilling books about immigrants trying to live in Paris-a growing, topical concern. Her PI Aimee Leduc doesn't think that her girlhood friend, now a cop, has shot her partner, as accused. She takes to the seedy alleys of Montemarte to find the truth, finding a group of Corsican separatists bent on achieving their political goals. She uses the landscape to explore deeper theme. "(A) consistently engaging series..." --Booklist

FREEZE ME, TENDER by Michael A. Black
Ten years ago the king of rock and roll, Colton Purcell, was cryogenically frozen after a premature death. Or was he? Now, reporter Harry Bauer tries to answer that question in Las Vegas, where the truth is as elusive as Lady Luck. Bauer is also searching for his own redemption, and his journey crosses paths with mob guys, hit men, and people from Colton's mysterious past. And if Bauer lives long enough, he might actually discover who's really inside that frozen tomb.
"Part caper, part whodunit, part thriller, I think this is Black's best work to date...and should be on everybody's must read list." --Jon Jordan of Crime Spree Magazine

THE DRAMATIST by Ken Bruen
In the fourth entry in Bruen's award-winning Jack Taylor series, Jack is off the booze, pills, and powder - mainly because his dealer's in jail. When that dealer calls him to Dublin and asks a favor in the sordid Mountjoy Prison, Jack wants to tell him to take a flying leap. But he can't because the dealer's sister is dead. The guards have called it "death by misadventure,"  but the dealer knows that can't be true and begs Jack to see what he can find out.  Never one to give in to bad feelings or common sense, Jack agrees although he can't possibly foresee the shocking, deadly consequences he will set in motion. "Signature Irish noir, dark as it gets." --Monsters and Critics

THE LIZARD'S BITE by David Hewson
Uriel Arcangelo is the night man at an Italian foundry, who can not tame his own fiery monsters. His secret will kill his family on this small island and call in Nic Costa, Leo Falcone and the Roman investigators. It looks like a case of domestic violence. But as the summer heat sets in, the investigations grate against a local force that is more interested in tidy solutions than awful truths and the island's spell casts a wider net.

DON'T LOOK DOWN by Bob Mayer (et al)
Director Lucy Armstrong agrees to step in for a recently deceased film director on the final days of shooting a movie, and she must deal with egomaniacal actors, a stunt director who's also her ex-husband, and a Green Beret adviser, who's been hired by her star. Captain J.T Wilder thought being the military consultant for a movie star would be easy but he didn't count on Armstrong or the CIA. Of the two, the CIA is going to be less of a problem. But then it becomes apparent that someone is taking the shoot-'em-up scenario too literally. "It's all in good fun. Readers will be happy to get a bit damp." --Publishers Weekly.

NIGHTLIFE by Thomas Perry
Serial Killer Charlene Buckner is a chameleon, adopting a different identity after each kill. Hot on her trail is homicide detective Sergeant Catherine Hobbes, who reluctantly teams up with arrogant private eye Joe Pitt. The story travels from Portland, Ore., to San Francisco and Las Vegas while Hobbes fights her own identity issues and chases a killer who's intent on adding to her horrific body count. "(C)onfounding readers' expectations with fascinating characters, this is Perry at his best!" --Publisher's Weekly.

GOOD DAY IN HELL by J.D. Rhoades
In his second book, Rhoades delivers another well-crafted thriller with bounty hunter Jack Keller. This time Keller's Gulf War nightmares are on simmer, thanks to a new girlfriend, Marie Jones. But before you can say "commitment," Keller starts chasing a serial killer and her equally deranged partner. The story races with action as told from the points of view of both the hunters and the hunted. Rhoades also deftly portrays two emotionally damaged protagonists who are struggling with their own Southern demons. It's redneck noir, without the corn. "Fast-paced and rich in regional color..." --Publishers Weekly.

KILDAR by John Ringo
In this techno-thriller, Mike Harmon (the hero of the prequel Ghost) buys a farm in Georgia, where he develops an almost feudal relationship with the Keldara tribe. As warlord, he organizes them into a militia to defend the valley against Chechen raiders. He learns their ways but finds that they have secrets of their own. "As in his military science fiction, Ringo explores the moral complexities the warrior faces, giving fair warning that the road to hell is easy." --Publisher's Weekly

RHAPSODY IN BLOOD by John Morgan Wilson
In this, the seventh novel featuring disgraced reporter Benjamin Justice, Wilson takes us to a desert resort. A film is being shot about a movie star's death fifty years earlier-and about the black handyman charged with the crime. The pace quickens when a Hollywood columnist with explosive new information about the case is murdered, placing Justice at the center of the action. "The fresh setting does much to reinvigorate...the series (that) has received three Lambda Literary Awards." --Publishers Weekly.

Jacey Ford and her DEAD HEAT

Jacey Ford was once a financial analyst in the insurance and high-tech industries and she weaves her experience into her novels. She tried to escape the corporate world, in fact, by writing her way out of it. She sold her first work in six months and since then, has sold about a dozen more, including several romantic comedies under the pseudonym Beverly Brandt.

DEAD HEAT is the latest book in Ford's continuing series, In it, three former FBI agents are not only beautiful, they're partners in a security company. Aimee, Daphne and Raine have averted crimes before. But in their latest suspenseful assignment, they uncover a plot against America's top CEOs and must stop the fatal plan. Along the way, Daphne finds an ally in a new lover, who could break more than just her heart.

One of Ford's earlier books, the comedy Room Service written as Beverly Brandt, was optioned for the big screen by Emmett/Furla Films. DEAD HEAT, however, is different in tone, although it too has strong female characters.

DELIVER US FROM EVELYN says Chris Well

With the publication of his second thriller, Chris Well feels like a real novelist and so he should. DELIVER US FROM EVELYN has rapid-fire plot, witty humor, and zany allusions. The book revisits detectives Tom Griggs and Charlie Pasch as they search for the husband of a heartless media mogul, Evelyn Blake. But as the tale unfolds, it's clear that most people would rather have Evelyn be missing.

With subplots layered like pasta in lasagna, Well paints fine settings, slathers on dialogue, and allows the action to play out before cutting to the next scene, then repeating. Although this book is a stand-alone, readers of his first will recognize some names, says Well.

"Most of the characters in DELIVER US FROM EVELYN are new criminals and other sinners getting into trouble,"he explains. "But when the cops show up, they happen to be the guys from the first book. The story is as easy to pick up as an episode of Law & Order."

Well's first book Forgiving Solomon Long, was named one of the Top Ten Christian Novels of 2005 by Library Journal. He's since signed a five-book contract with Harvest House Publishers-not a predictable path for a guy who's dreamt of writing comic books.

In between books, Well toils as a journalist who edits two magazines, contributes to another, and writes regularly for The ITW Newsletter, among other publications. He's an active blogger at chriswellnovelist.blogspot.com.

---Tony L. Hines

Shirl Henke Riffs on SNEAK AND RESCUE

Award-winning author Shirl Henke has written a funny book. Samantha "Sam" Ballanger is hired to rescue a rich woman's nephew from a cult. But Matt turns out to be working undercover to bust a Russian mob. In SNEAK AND RESCUE, Sam is part Lucy Lawless, part Lucille Ball. "A madcap adventure..." --Romance Junkies

ITW: Why did you switch from writing political thrillers?

SH: I had published 26 historical novels under my own name before I turned to thrillers, written as Alexa Hunt. I've also published romantic suspense. But this manuscript had a lighter tone and was more of an action/comedy. Fortunately, it fit in with the new Bombshell series by Silhouette.

ITW: What's the hardest thing about writing series vs. stand-alones?

SH: The category books are much shorter and contain more romantic elements. In a thriller, the pace can't let up. But in a category book, the romance provides a little respite. I don't build a sense of terror in my genre books as I do in my thrillers, where military coups and nuclear war drive my plots. So, length, diction, and pacing differentiate the two types of books.

ITW: You play up the chemistry between Sam and her man. Who's your daddy?

SH: My husband bears a striking resemblance to Sean Connery, albeit in mid-life decline. When Jim the hunk bookmark craze was big and my husband Jim was younger, he posed for a portrait that was intended to be a joke-gift for me. The photographer took a sexy shot of him with his shirt torn open and I turned it into a bookmark for my novels. We made 75,000 copies each of four "Jim-marks." My husband received so much fan mail, he become insufferable. But those bookmarks became collectibles.

Jay MacLarty and his LIVE WIRE

In his third book, Jay MacLarty features professional courier Simon Leonidovich, who delivers packages anywhere in the world. In LIVE WIRE, Simon is hired by the State Department to take some documents to North Korea. Simon wonders why the briefcase can't be delivered through diplomatic channels, but accepts the mysterious assignment.

Unfortunately for Simon, the CIA director is engineering a scandal to force the U.S. President out of office, and Simon is completely expendable. While making a delivery in Pyongyang, all hell breaks loose; Simon narrowly avoids death. Now, he must escape from North Korea, avoid a psychopathic assassin, and untangle the mess in which he's landed. The plot is intricate, fast-moving and overall, a whole lot of fun.

Author MacLarty is a colorful character himself. In the past, he's owned several restaurants, a wall-papering firm, and a software company. He once worked on the presidential campaign of independent John Anderson and has gambled professionally. "I played the ponies for a couple years and very successfully," he says. "It was the most interesting thing I ever did."

MacLarty is completing his fourth Simon Leonidovich novel, and plans to move to Europe soon. "I want to live in places as opposed to just visiting it. I've got a long list of places I want to go," he says. With any luck, MacLarty will take Simon along, too.

---Mark Terry

Other New Paperback Originals

BLONDES HAVE MORE FELONS by Alesia Holliday
Big-city attorney December Vaughan sets up shop in a small Florida town to take on the drug company that killed a client's wife. She encounters a kleptomaniac who wants her to work pro bono, an Armani-clad bullfighter, a poker-champ who bakes cookies, and a PI so hot, he makes her rethink her "No Bad Boys" Rule. But she never suspected that she might wind up laughing to death-literally. "This chilling thriller is... enthralling." -- Midwest Book Review.

DUBLIN NOIR Edited by Ken Bruen with stories by Reed Farrel Coleman, Jim Fusilli, Pat Mullan, James O. Born, Peter Spiegleman, Olen Steinhauer and other ITW members. The Irish are fascinated by how they appear to the world, but how do they look from the outside, at closing hour, on the edge of this urban spot? Here's several views, depicted by some of the very best of today's crime writers. This crackling collection includes short stories written by those from England, Ireland, Europe, Canada and America. "The challenge we posed," says Bruen," was simple. Show us our Dublin, and show it noir." With all its black humor, arse-licking cops and hot Irish blood, it's hard to put down this contemporary jewel.

BONES: BURIED DEEP by Kathy Reichs et al
Dr. Tempe stops her work at the Jeffersonian Institute after Special Agent Seeley Booth, stalled on a Chicago mob family case, calls her with a bizarre discovery: a bag of skeletal remains-and a chilling note-left on the steps of a building. Tempe determines that the bones are from different corpses, suggesting the handiwork of a serial killer. As Booth's Mafia case heats up with violent twists and gruesome discoveries, Tempe realizes that she must unravel the truth behind the bones if she wants to remain alive.  "(Tempe is) the lab lady most likely to dethrone Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scapetta." --USA Today.

VOWS OF SILENCE by Debra Webb
Four women are friends bound by a deadly secret: one of them is a killer. Or so they think. Ten years later, when one of the women is murdered and a midnight caller begins stalking the remaining three, it's time for them to uncover the shocking truth that was hidden by their vow of silence. "(A) page-turning, gripping suspense" --Romantic Times

BOOKBITCH Reveals Her Guilty Pleasures

I cut my teeth on Nancy Drew, grew up with Agatha Christie, and flirted with the three Peters-Blatty, Straub, and Benchley.. But as a grown woman, I now need richer and (dare I say it?) more exciting fare. Like thrillers.

I'm the founder of BookBitch.com, which started in 1998 as a way for me to keep track of the books I had read. It's grown bigger than I ever dreamed and is now a hot forum for what's new in books. We have a staff of six and receive nearly 15,000 hits a month.

I love thrillers and my fascination with them started in the 1970s with authors such as Frederick Forsythe, Ira Levin, and Sidney Sheldon. They rocked me with their fast-paced tales of intrigue and kick-ass endings and I couldn't turn their pages fast enough.

I've never looked back. I now read about 300 books a year from all genres. In a good week, I'll rip through one book a day. Yet somehow I still recall scenes from The Boys from Brazil and The Other Side of Midnight.

It seems that the rest of the world is coming around, too. Today's bestseller lists are peppered with thrillers and the authors even have their own club-International Thriller Writers, Inc. When I heard about your exciting new organization, I hooked up with the founding members to offer a monthly giveaway of autographed thrillers. Go to BookBitch.com and sign up.

My biggest thrill comes from finding new authors and promoting their books through contests, reviews, and (of course) my big, red-lipped mouth. Yet, I still can't turn the pages of a good thriller fast enough.

---Stacy Alesi

Bloody Good Time at Left Coast Crime

This annual convention for fans and authors of mystery and thriller books was rife with books, bards and booze. On Thursday, March 16, about 400 authors and fans convened in Bristol, located on the left coast of the United Kingdom, to begin this annual rite.

Some 125 authors showed up, too, most of them mystery writers, although the thriller genre was well represented. ITW sponsored five panels and they really cooked. Allan Guthrie, M.J. Rose, Louise Ure and David Skibbins talked about "Odds Jobs and Unusual Occupations" in thrillers.

Christine Goff and Michael Newton tried to answer the question of "When Do Mysteries Become Thrillers?" Aileen Baron, Tony Broadbent, David Hewson and James Twining had much to say about "Thrillers & History."

On Friday, March 17, ITW launched its first UK cocktail party, which was hosted by Mira Books and packed with thirsty revelers. On Saturday eve, the gala awards dinner arrived, with Lee Child as its hilarious toastmaster. Who knew that thriller writers could do stand-up comedy?

The most embarrassing event might have been the last panel, "Stump the Experts." Our group-Gayle Lynds, Barry Eisler, and myself among others-had to find out who killed a rich man in the locked study of his creepy old house. I don't mean to be rude BUT we ITW authors are rubbish when it comes to solving cozy mysteries. We couldn't even crack this case.

Much better was "Tracking Down a Story: Reporters in Thrillers." The panel was a mix of Yanks and Brits, such as Jan Burke, Caroline Carver, Denise Hamilton and (again) yours truly. Carver was talking when suddenly a fire alarm rang out, stopping her in mid-sentence. Twenty minutes later, the alarm was shut off and Carver smoothly completed her sentence. Now that's an expert and pro!

---Peter Guttridge

LCC Panel: Covert Specialists as Thrilling Authors

One of LCC's most talked about panels was ITW's "In from the Cold: The Spy Thriller Today". It consisted of ITW members David Morrell, Gayle Lynds (both co-presidents), Barry Eisler and yours truly, Pat Mullan.
 
The Saturday (March 18) panel attracted about 100 people, who listened to their favorite authors speak. Morrell opened by passionately explaining ITW's mission-to bring thrillers in from the cold and to recognize, warm and assist their authors.  The moderator was charismatic Ali Karim-scientist, writer, assistant editor at Shots Magazine (UK), and a man of encyclopedic knowledge of thrillers. He guided the panellists through a wide-ranging discussion, from the post-Berlin Wall era to the aftermath of 9/11. "Who are the new bad guys today?" he asked. "Where are the new threats coming from?" And most importantly: "Is the world safer today?"

Each of us spoke from our personal, diverse experiences. Acclaimed author Morrell shared his thoughts based on his former job as a special operations man. The pioneering Lynds called on her days inside a government think tank, where she had top-secret security clearance. The articulate Eisler spoke about how his time as a CIA agent informs his novels. And I alluded to my stint in the U.S. Army and my years in the murky world of international banking.

Perhaps the most surprising thing about the panel was summed up by an attendee, who said: "That panel really held my interest. No one turned the promotion of their book into a dominant topic."

---Pat Mullan

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ITW's First Short List of Thriller Awards

On Friday March 17th, ITW announced the nominees for the new International Thriller Awards, after a long and thoughtful selection process.

As stipulated by ITW bylaws, no one on the board of directors was eligible to compete, nor did I, as chair of the awards committee. Each of the four judging committees included men and women, authors and reviewers, and residents of as many countries as possible, including the U.S. Operating under a code of silence and isolated from any undue interference, the committees reviewed more than 300 book titles and scores of screenplays.

After months of deliberations, the committees nominated the following works for The Thrillers. Congratulations to all!

BEST NOVEL
PANIC by Jeff Abbott (Dutton)
CONSENT TO KILL by Vince Flynn (Atria)
VELOCITY by Dean Koontz (Bantam)
THE PATRIOTS CLUB by Christopher Reich (Delacorte Press)
CITIZEN VINCE by Jess Walter (Regan Books)

BEST FIRST NOVEL
IMPROBABLE by Adam Fawer (William Morrow)
THE COLOR OF LAW by Mark Gimenez (Doubleday)
COLD GRANITE by Stuart MacBride (St. Martin's Minotaur)
PAINKILLER by Will Staeger (William Morrow)
BENEATH A PANAMANIAN MOON by David Terrenoire (Thomas Dunne Books)

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL
SLEEPER CELL by Jeffrey Anderson (Berkley)
PRIDE RUNS DEEP by R. Cameron Cooke (Jove)
UPSIDE DOWN by John Ramsey Miller (Dell)
THE DYING HOUR by Rick Mofina (Pinnacle Books)
EXIT STRATEGY by Michael Wiecek (Jove)

BEST SCREENPLAY
MATCH POINT, screenplay by Woody Allen
SYRIANA, based on the book by Robert Baer, written by Stephen Gaghan
CACHE (Hidden), screenplay by Michael Haneke
OLDBOY, screenplay by Jo-yun Hwang, Chun-hyeong Lim, Joon-hyung Lim, and Chan-wook Park; story by Garon Tsuchiya
MUNICH, screenplay by Tony Kushner and Eric Roth; based on the book by George Jonas

---James Rollins

Calling all Winners, Present and Future!

Want to win a treasure chest of excellent thrillers, each one autographed by the author? All you have to do is join our growing family here at the Thriller Readers Newsletter. As the newsletter's circulation has grown so too has the number of giveaways from ITW authors. If you already subscribe, don't sign up again. You're automatically in the pool! The winner will be chosen by a randomized computer drawing and announced in our next newsletter. Go to the Thriller Readers Newsletter webpage. And good luck!

The winner of last month's contest is Patrice Luneski of Littleton, Colorado.  Congratulations, Patrice!

The new autographed thrillers that will be awarded next month are: MURDER IN MONTMARTE by Cara Black; BONES BURIED DEEP by Kathy Reichs;THE JURY MASTER by Robert Dugoni; PERFECT WEAPON by Amy J. Fetzer DEAD HEAT by Jacey Ford; THE ISLAND by Heather Graham; SNEAK AND RESCUE by Shirl Henke; THE HUNT CLUB by John Lescroart; BARK M FOR MURDER by J.A. Jance (et al); and DELIVER US FROM EVELYN by Chris Well.