Newsletter Archive

In this Month’s Issue:

• VANISHED in Paperback August 3!
• Let's Talk Books!
• Thrillerfest and Harrogate: The Highlights
• In the News and On the Air
• Thanks, Congratulations, and a New Contest
• And Looking Ahead...

VANISHED in Paperback August 3!

The summer has flown by, and what seemed like a long wait back in May is already over. VANISHED, the first Nick Heller novel, hits stores in paperback (St. Martin's, $9.99) on Tuesday, August 3.

VANISHED, for those of you who haven't already read it, introduces "private spy" Nick Heller, a former Special Forces operative now working in Washington, DC. In VANISHED, Nick's case is personal, as he hunts for his brother, Roger, who disappeared from the streets of Georgetown. The answers lie buried deep within Nick's own past, and have important implications for his future career.

I'm hoping the paperback brings Nick to a whole new set of readers, but I couldn't be more pleased with the reception he's gotten so far. Library Journal called it "a great summer read," and the UK's Daily Mail called Nick Heller "a Bond for the 21^st century."

It was a great honor to have VANISHED nominated for the Thriller Award for Best Novel - and I was surprised and delighted to learn that VANISHED made a list of top thrillers, nominated by the listeners of National Public Radio. For the past month, NPR listeners have been voting for their Top 100, and VANISHED is part of a long list that includes such all-time classics as Frederick Forsyth's THE DAY OF THE JACKAL and Eric Ambler's JOURNEY INTO FEAR. It's great company to be in, and terrific encouragement for the first of what I hope will be a long-running series.

Let's Talk Books - Join Me at the Barnes & Noble Book Club

Although I won't be touring for the paperback publication of VANISHED, the nice people at Barnes & Noble have invited me to chat with readers online. I'll be visiting the Barnes & Noble Mystery Book Club on Monday, August 16, talking about mysteries and thrillers with moderator Becke Davis and anyone else who drops in. Look for the thread titled "Please welcome author JOSEPH FINDER," and leave your questions and comments in the thread!

Thrillerfest and Harrogate: The Highlights

No wonder I'm surprised that August 3 is just around the corner; July was a blur, in the best possible way.

It started with Thrillerfest, always one of the biggest and best meetings of the year, in New York City July 7­-10. As usual, the organizers put on a terrific event. Congratulations to Shane Gericke, Chairman of Thrillerfest V, to Kathleen Antrim, ITW's Vice President of National Events-Thrillerfest, and - always - to the incomparable Liz Berry, ITW's Executive Director (and wife of Steve).

Lisa Gardner's book THE NEIGHBOR won this year's Thriller Award for Best Novel; sure, I'd have liked to have won again, but Lisa is one of my favorite writers and a good friend, so I couldn't be happier (almost).

If you couldn't make it to New York, you can watch an excerpt from the panel on "How Do You Make Your Career a Thriller?," a discussion moderated by Jeff Ayers among Laura Caldwell, Stephen Coonts, Linda Fairstein, John Gilstrap, Chris Kuzneski and me. If you're really interested, you can order CDs, MP3s or DVDs of the entire meeting here. And it's not too early to mark your calendars for Thrillerfest VI, July 6­-9, 2011 at the Grand Hyatt in New York City.

Less than two weeks later, I was on my way to Yorkshire for the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, more familiarly known as Harrogate.

Americans abroad always feel a certain need to stand up for their country, but the conference organizers put me on the spot, scheduling me as the lone Yankee on a panel entitled "Britannia Rules the Page." It was up to me to defend the American crime writing tradition against a panel that included British author James Twining, Australian Michael Robotham, and Brazilian-born Chris Carter. The delightfully British N. J. Cooper moderated the conversation, further outnumbering me.

I admit that I started the discussion at a disadvantage; having left my Boston Red Sox regalia at home, I had to borrow a New York Yankees cap just to assert my American identity. Every minute I wore it hurt, though.

Whichever nationality dominates crime fiction, we all had to concede that the British lead the world in their willingness to wear their country’s flag.

James Twining and I had actually begun the discussion early that morning (both fairly hung over after a long night at the bar), in an interview for BBC Radio's "Today" program. You can listen to it here.

Thanks to Stuart MacBride, this year's Festival chair, and to Sharon Canavar and her fellow organizers of Harrogate for a wonderful time. More photos, courtesy of Shots UK editor Ali Karim, are up on my website.

In the News and On the Air

Truth is always stranger than fiction. Weeks after my first short story, "Neighbors" - about a married couple with serious suspicions about the new people next door - appeared in the anthology AGENTS OF TREACHERY, the U.S. government announced the discovery of a longstanding network of Russian spies, living and working as ordinary American citizens.

I discussed the case on "The Alyona Show," a talk show on RT America (formerly Russia Today), an all-digital Russian TV network aimed at the global market. Watch the interview.

Thanks, Congratulations, and a New Contest

Thanks again to everyone who participated in the Reader Survey. We’re still collating the information, which will be very useful to both my publishers and me, and I’m delighted to be making a large donation to Reach Out and Read (reachoutandread.org), the nonprofit organization that prepares America's youngest children to succeed in school by partnering with doctors to prescribe books and encourage families to read together. Congratulations to Lynn Curtis of Santa Ana, California, who won the iPod Nano!

And congratulations, too, to Marcia Pullin of Paradise, CA; Gaye McGill of Saint Peters, MO; and Manuel Lirio of Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, who all knew that the corporate retreat in POWER PLAY happens at a remote luxury lodge called the King Chinook Lodge.

This month starts a new contest, with another chance to win between now and the end of September. For a chance to win your own copy of The Cowl, the limited-edition comic created in conjunction with VANISHED — signed not only by me but by the artist, Benito Gallegas — be one of three people to answer this question via my website’s contact form: In VANISHED, Lauren receives a cryptic message from her missing husband Roger via a service that sends out emails to loved ones after you die. What is the name of the email service? Good luck!

And Looking Ahead...

Now I'm back at my desk for a while - or at least until October, when I'll be at Bouchercon, the World Mystery Convention. It happens October 14­-17 in San Francisco, California, and is the biggest event of the crime fiction year. If you're a serious mystery/thriller fan, Bouchercon is an experience you should have. Can't make San Francisco? I'm already planning to be at Love is Murder, February 4­-6, 2011, at the Hotel Intercontinental Chicago O'Hare.

In the meantime, though, check in with me on Facebook, Twitter (@joefinder) and MySpace, or through the main website - and enjoy the rest of the summer!

All the best,
Joe Finder

P.S. And please, spread the word by forwarding this newsletter to friends you think might be interested.