Frederick Forsyth, author of The Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File, and The Dogs of War, died Monday, at the age of 86. Forsyth was the master of the geopolitical thriller populated with spies, mercenaries, and political extremists. He wrote 24 books, including 14 novels, and sold more than 75 million copies. He will be missed, but remembered.
Crime Writers' Association interview with Frederick Forsyth
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| Photo: Jan Cobb |
I got to know Andy better when he and Lynn were seated next to me at Larry Gandle's birthday party during Bouchercon in New Orleans in 2016. It was an exceptional evening -- the food, the celebration, and their conversation. We talked about life, writing, thrillers, and so much more. It was so fun and convivial. I felt like I knew Andy all my life. It was great to follow his and Lynn's travels and grandchildren on social media since then. And, of course, I read his latest books.
In memory of Andy, I will reread some of his books. My heart and sympathy go out to his family and many friends. May his memory be a blessing. He will be missed.
The Commonwealth Club of California
110 The Embarcadero
Toni Rembe Rock Auditorium
San Francisco, CA 94105
Gregg Hurwitz is a New York Times #1 internationally bestselling author of 24 thrillers, including the Orphan X series. His novels have won numerous literary awards and have been published in 33 languages. Hurwitz currently serves as the co-president of International Thriller Writers (ITW). Additionally, he’s written screenplays and television scripts for many of the major studios and networks, comics for AWA (including the critically acclaimed anthology NewThink), DC, and Marvel, and poetry. Currently, Hurwitz is actively working against polarization in politics and culture. To that end, he's penned op eds for The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, The Bulwark and others, and has produced several hundred commercials, which have received more than 100 million views on digital TV platforms. He also helped write the opening ceremony of the 2022 World Cup.
Kevin Compton is a co‐founder of Radar Partners in Palo Alto, CA, a private investment partnership focused on venture capital and multi-asset investing. Previously, Compton was a partner with Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, one of Silicon Valley’s most successful high technology venture capital firms for almost 20 years. Compton and his partners invested in many of the most powerful and high profile start‐ups over the past 30 years, including Google, Sun Microsystems, Intuit, Netscape and Amazon. The Forbes “Midas Touch” ranking of top investors has named Kevin as one of the top private investors in the world on numerous occasions, ranking him in the top 10 three times.
This program is in-person only. Please sign up by July 10 to ensure the program takes place.
https://www.commonwealthclub.org/events/2024-07-18/thrillers-tech-and-ethics-rapidly-changing-world
Best Hardcover: Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby (Flatiron Books)
Best First Novel: Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden (Ecco)
Best Original Paperback: What Lies Between Us by John Marrs (Thomas & Mercer)
Best Short Story: "Rent Due" by Alan Orloff in Mickey Finn 21st Century Noir (Down & Out Books)
Best Young Adult Novel: Throwaway Girls by Andrea Contos (Kids Can Press)
Best E-Book Original Novel: A Killing Game by Jeff Buick (Novel Words)
BEST HARDCOVER NOVEL
S.A. Cosby – BLACKTOP WASTELAND (Flatiron Books)
Joe Ide – HI FIVE (Mulholland Books)
Richard Osman – THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB (Penguin)
Ivy Pochoda – THESE WOMEN (Ecco)
Lisa Unger – CONFESSIONS ON THE 7:45 (Park Row)
BEST FIRST NOVEL
Jasmine Aimaq – THE OPIUM PRINCE (Soho Press)
Don Bentley – WITHOUT SANCTION (Berkley)
Kyle Perry – THE BLUFFS (Michael Joseph)
Francesca Serritella – GHOSTS OF HARVARD (Random House)
David Heska Wanbli Weiden – WINTER COUNTS (Ecco)
BEST ORIGINAL PAPERBACK NOVEL
Alyssa Cole – WHEN NO ONE IS WATCHING (William Morrow Paperbacks)
Layton Green – UNKNOWN 9: GENESIS (Reflector Entertainment)
John Marrs – WHAT LIES BETWEEN US (Thomas & Mercer)
Andrew Mayne – THE GIRL BENEATH THE SEA (Thomas & Mercer)
Benjamin Stevenson – EITHER SIDE OF MIDNIGHT (Penguin Random House Australia)
BEST SHORT STORY
Steve Hockensmith – “The Death and Carnage Boy” (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)
Laura Lippman – “Slow Burner” (Amazon Original Stories)
Alan Orloff – “Rent Due” (Down & Out Books)
Elaine Viets – “Dog Eat Dog” (Untreed Reads)
Andrew Welsh-Huggins – “The Mailman” (Down & Out Books)
BEST YOUNG ADULT NOVEL
Demetra Brodsky – LAST GIRLS (Tor Teen)
Andrea Contos – THROWAWAY GIRLS (Kids Can Press)
Kit Frick – I KILLED ZOE SPANOS (Margaret K. McElderry Books)
Lily Sparks – TEEN KILLERS CLUB (Crooked Lane Books)
Heather Young – THE DISTANT DEAD (William Morrow)
BEST E-BOOK ORIGINAL NOVEL
Sean Black – AVENUE OF THIEVES (Sean Black)
Jeff Buick – A KILLING GAME (Novel Words)
Diane Capri – FULL METAL JACK (AugustBooks)
Jake Needham – MONGKOK STATION (Half Penny)
Kirk Russell – NO HESITATION (Strawberry Creek)
The winners will be announced on Saturday, July 10, 2021 during Virtual ThrillerFest.
Hail to the Chief! The following is an updated list Presidential Crime Fiction list for President's Day. Hail to the Chief! We now have a 'real' president in office!
The following updated list featuring U.S. President in mysteries, thrillers, and crime fiction is so relevant today. The list is divided into categories, but I added more titles at the end under 'other' and a separate list of Abraham Lincoln Mysteries. Of course, there are many overlaps, so scroll through them all. This is not a definitive list, and I welcome any additions. Post your favorites in the comments section.
A big thriller on the list this year is The President is Missing by former President Bill Clinton with James Patterson. And, I really enjoy Hope Never Dies: An Obama Biden Mystery and Hope Rides Again by Andrew Shaffer. There's a sequel out.
Political Election and Thrillers
Rubicon by Lawrence Alexander
Saving Faith by David Baldacci
Political Suicide and Touched by the Dead by Robert Barnard
Capitol Conspiracy by William Bernhardt
Collateral Damage by Michael Bowen
Three Shirt Deal by Stephen J. Cannell
Executive Orders by Tom Clancy
Impaired Judgement by David Compton
Manchurian Candidate by Richard Condon
Term Limits; Protect and Defend by Vince Flynn
The Scandal Plan by Bill Folman
The Power Broker by Stephen W. Frey
Spook Country by William Gibson
Fast Track, Sleeping Dogs by Ed Gorman
The Fourth Perimeter by Tim Green
The People's Choice by Jeff Greenfield
Hazardous Duty by W.E.B. Griffin
The Pelican Brief by John Grisham
The Second Revolution by Gary Hansen
The President's Daughter and The White House Connection by Jack Higgins
The Enemy Within by Noel Hynd
First Daughter by Eric Lustbader
Drone Threat by Mike Maden
Executive Privilege by Philip Margolin
Presidents' Day by Seth Margolis
The Race, Protect and Defend, Balance of Power by Richard North Patterson
Politics Noir: Gary Phillips, Editor
Missing Member by Jo-Ann Power
Dark Horse by Ralph Reed
Dead Heat, The Last Jihad by Joel C. Rosenberg
Dead Watch by John Sandford
State of the Union by Brad Thor
Capital Crimes by Stuart Woods
Assassination Attempts
American Quartet by Warren Adler
Shall We Tell the President? by Jeffrey Archer
Sherlock Holmes in Dallas by Edmund Aubrey
The 14th Colony by Steve Berry
All American Girl by Meg Cabot (YA)
The President is Missing by Bill Clinton/James Patterson
Primary Target by Max Allan Collins
Campaign Train (Murder Rides the Campaign Train) by The Gordons
Glass Tiger by Joe Gores
The President's Assassin by Brian Haig
Potus by Greg Holden
Marine One by James W. Huston
11/22/63 by Stephen King
Murder at Monticello by Jane Langton
The Surrogate Assassin by Christopher Leppek
Gideon's March by J.J. Marric
The Kidnapping of the President by Charles Templeton
Pursuit by James Stewart Thayer
Primary Target by Marilyn Wallace
Watchdogs by John Weisman
Kidnappings
We are Holding the President Hostage by Warren Adler
The Camel Club, First Family by David Baldacci
Line of Succession by Brian Garfield
Madam President by Anne Holt
Oath of Office by Steven J. Kirsch
Presidential Deal by Les Standiford
The Kidnapping of the President by Charles Templeton
The Lions of Lucerne by Brad Thor
Presidential Disappearances
The President Vanishes by Anonymous (1934)
Missing! by Michael Avallone
The President is Missing by Bill Clinton & James Patterson
Mrs. Roosevelt's Confidante by Susan Elia MacNeal
The President's Plan is Missing by Robert J. Serling
The President Vanishes by Rex Stout
Fixing the Election
The Manchurian Candidate by Richard Condon
The 13th Directorate by Barry Chubin
Atropos by William DeAndrea
The Red President by Martin Gross
The Ceiling of Hell by Warren Murphy
The Trojan Hearse by Richard S. Prather
President Fu Manch by Sax Rohmer
The Big Fix by Roger L. Simon
Presidential Crisis
Seven Days in May by Fletcher Knebel and Charles W. Bailey II
Vanished; Night of Camp David by Fletcher Knebel
A Fine and Dangerous Season by Keith Raffel
The President as Detective
Speak Softly by Lawrence Alexander
Lincoln for the Defense by Warren Bull
Mr President, Private Eye, edited by Martin Greenberg & Francis M. Nevins
Bully by Mark Schorr
Hope Never Dies: An Obama Biden Mystery; Hope Rides Again by Andrew Shaffer
The JFK Plot
Too many to list, but...
Mongoose, RIP by William F. Buckley
Executive Action by Mark Lane, Donald Freed and Stephen Jaffe
The Tears of Autumn by Charles McCarry
Presidential Families
Loving Eleanor by Susan Wittig Albert
Exclusive by Sandra Brown
Deadly Aims by Ron L. Gerard
The First Lady by E.J. Gorman
First Daughter series by Susan Ford & Laura Hayden
The President's Daughter by Jack Higgins
The Devil's Bed by William Kent Krueger
Mrs. Roosevelt's Confidante by Susan Elia MacNeal
The First Lady Murders, edited by Nancy Pickard
Murder and the First Lady; Murder at the President's Door (and other novels) By Elliot Roosevelt
American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld
The Murder of Willie Lincoln by Brad Solomon
Murder in the White House (and other novels) by Margaret Truman
They've Shot the President's Daughter by Edward Stewart
Other
The Big Stick by Lawrence Alexander
The President's Mind, The 20th Day of January by Ted Allbeury
Absolute Power by David Baldacci
Father's Day by John Calvin Batchelor
Warriors by Ted Bell
The Kennedy Connection by Dick Belsky
Enslaved by Ron Burns
The Plan by Stephen J. Cannell
Killing Time by Caleb Carr
The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln by Stephen L. Carter
First Strike by Ben Coes
Ex Officio by Timothy Culver (Donald Westlake)
The Whole Truth by John Ehrlichman
The President's Vampire, Blood Bath by Christopher Farnsworth
FDR's Treasure, Lincoln's Hand by Joel Fox
The President's Henchman, The Next President by Joseph Flynn
Carter Beats the Devil by Glen David Gold
By Order of the President by W.E.B. Griffin
Squeeze Me by Carl Hiassen
Julie Hyzy's White House Chef series
Spin Doctor by M.C. Lewis
Die Like a Hero by Clyde Linsley
Jack 1939 by Francine Matthews
The Better Angels by Charles McCarry
The Inner Circle by Brad Meltzer
The First Patient by Michael Palmer
Treason at Hanford by Scott Parker
No Safe Place by Richard North Patterson
Keeping House by Tucker and Richard Phillips
The Only Thing to Fear by David Poyer
Acts of Mercy by Bill Pronzini and Barry Malzberg
Love, Lust, and Loyalty by Greg Sandora
White House Gardener series by Dorothy St. James
The President's Daugther by Mariah Stewart
Ghosts of War by Brad Taylor
Jailbird by Kurt Vonnegut
Put a Lid on It by Donald Westlake
President Lincoln's Spy by Steven Wilson
An Anthology
Mr President, Private Eye, edited by Martin H. Greenberg. Different historical presidents in the role of sleuth
Abraham Lincoln Mysteries
Abraham Lincoln: Detective by Allen Appel
A Night of Horrors: A Historical Thriller about the 24 Hours of Lincoln's Assassination by John C. Berry
The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln by Stephen L. Carter
Lincoln's Hand by Joel Fox
The Lincoln Letter by Gretchen Elassani and Phillip Grizzell
Lincoln's Diary by DL Fowler
Murder in the Lincoln White House, Murder in the Oval Library, Murder at the Capitol by C.M. Gleason
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith
The Assassin's Accomplice by Kate Clifford Larson
The Lincoln Letter by William Martin
The Lincoln Secret by John A. McKinsey
The First Assassin by John J. Miller
The Lincoln Conspiracy by Timothy L. O'Brien
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
The Murder of Willie Lincoln by Brad Solomon
The Cosgrove Report: Being the Private Inquiry of a Pinkerton Detective into the Death of President Lincoln by G.J.A. O'Toole
President Lincoln's Secret, President Lincoln's Spy by Steven Wilson
Want to know what the Presidents read? or in the case of the present President (nothing!), read Camille LeBlanc's areticle: American Presidents Can't Stop Reading Thrillers, Just Like Us: A Century of Crime Fiction Readers in the White House that appeared on CrimeReads a few years ago.
GREAT EXPECTATIONS
The most common question authors are asked about a new novel is: “Where did you get the idea?” At the beginning of my career, I used to answer, “At the Idea Store, of course.” But time mellows us, and I no longer try to be so sarcastic. Partly because I’m trying to be more courteous, but more importantly, I’m not sure it’s the most important question to ask.
I’d rather be asked about my expectations for the novel. What do I want it to be remembered for, if at all? What will its legacy will be? Where do I hope it will end up, in the scheme of all things “book”?
Much of that is unknowable when a book is first released. As an author, I’m still worried whether the plot and characters are well enough developed, whether the cover reinforces the book, and if I’ve smoothed out that passage on page 235. It’s only over time that the novel’s place in literature becomes clear.
I’ve had a little time to think about A BEND IN THE RIVER, and what I hope its legacy will be, so that’s what I’d like to share.
Emotional Involvement
BEND was clearly a departure for me. While I have written four historical thrillers, they’ve pretty much adhered to the craft of mystery and suspense, where plot is carefully constructed. We anguish about where to put the red herrings or what obstacles the protagonist will face. Take those tasks out of the equation, though, and different issues arise. Will the story have enough emotional clout? Will readers identify with the characters more deeply? Will readers still want to follow them, even though their journey is less defined?
Paradoxically, those questions freed me. One of my complaints is that I hate to write, but I love having written. This time I actually enjoyed the writing. Because I wasn’t as worried about the overall plot, I was able to concentrate on each incident and how it affected the two sisters. What were their fears when they confronted a new obstacle? What strengths did they bring to the problem? Were those qualities credible in terms of who they were? Did they succeed or fail? What did they learn or not learn? Most important, how could I show all of this rather than tell? For me the process was more natural and organic than writing a mystery. I could really focus on who they were. And when readers tell me they shed a tear here and there, I think to myself, “I got it right.”
Education
Two generations of Americans have grown up since the Vietnam War, and for most of them, Vietnam is just a cursory historical explanation squeezed in during the Cold War. Or a story told by a grandfather who was there or knew someone who was.
Essentially, the Vietnam war was a civil war that began before the US got involved. After the French left the country (they colonized Vietnam for decades) the US justified our involvement as a fight against Communism and the “Domino Theory.” But that wasn’t the motivation from the Vietnamese side. They wanted their country to be unified. The problem was that the North was Communist, and the South was bitterly anti-Communist.
Most of Western literature about Vietnam has, until recently, been written from the American point of view. Former soldiers and participants in the war have written some beautiful memoirs and books, even short stories. But until The Sympathizer, there wasn’t much written from the Vietnamese point of view. Recently, there’s been more, and I saw an opportunity to provide information and context for Westerners, even though I’m not Vietnamese. I wanted to offer a fictional account based on accurate research and facts. So you can imagine how delighted I was when one reviewer said, “It offers interesting nuance and added depth to a war we thought we knew but maybe did not entirely understand.”
Themes
Finally, I am drawn to stories about ordinary people in extraordinary times. It’s been the central premise of all my historical thrillers. In this context A Bend In the River joins the ranks. We are taught that in fiction there must be conflict on every page. Since I tend to go to extremes, a war or revolution becomes a vehicle through which many layers of conflict can be explored. Still, conflict is best illustrated by individual characters. Who becomes a hero? Who remains a coward? Why? What are the repercussions for them? Do the good guys win? I’m always eager to explore those themes, and I had the chance to do so in BEND.
Will I write more historical fiction? You can bet on it. I love doing the research, imagining the characters who might have lived through the period, and the freedom I felt when writing about them. Still, there are new stories to be told in my crime fiction series. Georgia Davis tells me she has an idea for her next outing, and Ellie Foreman just handed over her most of her investigations to her daughter, Rachel in Virtually Undetectable. So I’m torn. What to do next? If you have any ideas, I’m all ears.
***
Libby Fischer Hellmann left a career in broadcast news in Washington, DC and moved to Chicago 35 years ago, where she, naturally, began to write gritty crime fiction. Thirteen novels and twenty short stories later, she claims they’ll take her out of the Windy City feet first. She has been nominated for many awards in the mystery writing community and has even won a few. More at https://libbyhellmann.com
2020 ITW Thriller Awards 
As an historian, I have always been fascinated not just about what transpired in the past, but also on what remained and the influence that has had on the events that followed. As an intelligence officer, I had to work to understand those elements that remained, along with what had changed, and translate that into a usable product for our policymakers. At the same time, I have always had a love of literature. Fortunately, combining elements of all three allows me not only to enjoy the time I spend researching the stories--I spend much of my free time reading histories and mysteries--but also to pursue a dream of mine I have harbored since those bygone days in graduate school: to take my academic training and populate that world with living characters confronting historical challenges and dangers.
First bit more personal information (and I promise it will fit into the story). I’m a Cornell-trained zoologist who spent much of the past 25 years studying bats—especially vampire bats (their anatomy, behavior and evolution, mostly). The bulk of that research took place in Trinidad and Brazil as well as my home base at The American Museum of Natural History in NYC (where I’m a research associate in residence). It was in Brazil that I first visited the central plateau region that became the primary setting for my first novel, Hell’s Gate. I remember looking up at the spectacular cliffs and telling a friend and colleague Betsy Dumont, “Jeez, if it were 70 years ago and someone really wanted to hide something from the rest of the world, this would be the place to do it.” Years later, after teaming with my coauthor, J.R. Finch, (and with the guidance of my agent Gillian MacKenzie) we not only came up came up with “something to hide” (a declassified Nazi super weapon), but also an offbeat hero (zoologist and Army Captain R.J. MacCready) to investigate the nefarious Axis plot. Finally, Finch and I added the residents of the plateau cliffs to the mix—the last hundred individuals of a species of prehistoric vampire bat (Desmodus draculae). I knew that these fantastic creatures inhabited the region until fairly recent times and that sealed the deal. Of course we made our vampires a tiny bit larger—with raccoon-sized bodies, 10-foot wingspans and some rather unique predatory behavior. Hell’s Gate came out in June 2016 and we were simply thrilled at the response—many readers commenting on the real-life science in our novel (much of it explained further in an extensive afterward section).