Monday, February 25, 2013

Review: The Panther

John Corey is not the only thing that draws me to the works of Nelson DeMille, but he's the biggest thing. Few characters in contemporary fiction are as engaging as the cocky, witty ex-NYPD detective. So I didn't need much motivation to pick up DeMille's latest novel and catch up with the unorthodox but highly effective lawman. In The Panther, DeMille sends Corey and FBI wife Kate Mayfield to Yemen as part of a task force to bring justice to the mastermind of the attack on the USS Cole. The result is a roller-coaster ride of a story that keeps you on edge almost to the last page. Readers who love smart thrillers filled with intrigue and humor won't be disappointed. Rating: 4/5.

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Show time

It's been nearly a year since a reader first suggested that I write a sequel to The Mine. She said, in so many words, that this is a story that must continue. Others echoed that sentiment in the months that followed. Some wanted answers to lingering questions. A few wanted to see more of their favorite characters.

So shortly after finishing The Journey, the unrelated second novel in the Northwest Passage time-travel series, I went to work on the book the readers wanted. Three months later, I am pleased to announce the release of that book. The Show, the sequel to The Mine, goes on sale today.

As noted several weeks ago in this blog, the two novels are joined at the hip. They share many of the same characters, settings, themes, and, oddly enough, time frames. The Show begins on December 7, 1941, the turning point of The Mine, and serves as both a prequel and a sequel to my debut novel. Each story is told from multiple points of view.

There are differences, however, and none are bigger than the protagonists. Whereas The Mine is the story of Joel Smith, a cocky, adventurous college senior who travels from 2000 to 1941, The Show is the story of his more humble, circumspect girlfriend, who navigates her way through three distinct eras in American history.

In the sequel, Grace Vandenberg, the orphaned daughter of missionaries, follows Joel into the twenty-first century but finds a future that looks an awful lot like the past -- her parents' past. She enters a mysterious time portal of her own and travels to 1918 and the world of the Great War, the Spanish flu, silent movies, and early prohibition.

The Show is available as a Kindle ebook on Amazon.com. Enjoy!

Friday, February 1, 2013

More gold for The Mine

As my daughter Amy made clear to me a year ago, The Mine is a romance novel. The relationship between Joel Smith and Grace Vandenberg is not only the heart and soul of that story but also the foundation of the Northwest Passage series. The Mine, however, is not only a romance. It is also, at least nominally, a work of science fiction. Yesterday, the Spacefreighters Lounge blog recognized both elements of the novel by naming it the Best Time-Travel Romance in its first-ever SFR Galaxy Awards. I am most grateful for the honor.