"The Shadow of the Wind" by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (@Zafonescrituras)

Not your typical thriller, granted.  But, hey, we're not your typical reviewer.

Holy cow, this novel will grip you and take you on a ride.  It's the kind of Gothic thriller that seeps into your bones, invades your dreams and haunts your every waking moment.  I don't know how she did it, but Lucia Graves, the English translator, somehow manages to make it feel like you're reading the original version in Spanish.  I lived in Spain for a couple of years, and this novel took me back with so many subtle little details.

Zafon bleeds magic into every page.  Even though there's really nothing that's not possible in the real and rational world, this almost feels like a paranormal thriller.  I love thrillers that grab me by the throat and pummel me.  This one wrapped me up in gauzy, silken strands and then whipped me around like a rag doll.  And yet, at the end, in spite of (or maybe because of) all the many tense and horror-filled moments, I felt gently deposited...safe, but shaken...back in my own bed.  Where I promptly revisited the world Zafon created in my dreams.

That's kind of what the novel feels like.  A beautiful, haunting and very realistic dream.

You see that I'm waxing poetic in an uncharacteristic way.  So, let me put it to you this way.  If you love thrillers, this will be an awesome departure from the norm for which you will want to kiss me square on the mouth.  If you're not a big fan of thrillers, this is one of those that you can brag about at your book club while STILL ENJOYING THE NOVEL!!

That's right!  All the literary clout you could hope for...stunning prose, razor-sharp characters (wait until you meet Fermin...he'll keep you in stitches), and a plot that will whack you upside the head with all the weight of a century old cathedral.  But at the same time, it's a page-turner.  It kept me up at night, trying to read just a few more pages before my eyelids sagged.

I'm telling you, read the stinkin' book!  You will be very happy that you did.

"Law of Attaction" by Allison Leotta (@AllisonLeotta)

This is not your typical thriller.  While it does have some truly gripping sequences that are quite suspenseful, it's the overall feel of the novel that's building tension.  You know that something's up.  You know it's coming.  You're just not sure exactly what.

This is Allison Leotta's debut novel, and at moments it shows.  The novel became immensely more compelling about halfway through.  But I gotta say, it was worth getting there.  Once it took off, I had a tough time putting it down.  You thriller lovers are perhaps not going to find as much adrenaline here as you're used to, but you will find some nice twists and turns and a building sense of "what's coming next" that'll keep you engaged.

Those that can take or leave the thriller genre will find quite a bit more here.  There are well-drawn and charismatic characters, including a convincingly green but well-meaning and good-hearted heroine.  Some very steamy sex...steamy enough to get me to loosen my collar (and make some other not-to-be-named romance authors step up their game).  Finally, a secondary family plot line that will tug at your heartstrings.

In short, Allison Leotta is an up-and-coming author to watch very closely.  I'm glad I read Law of Attraction and look forward to her next!

Interview with M.J. Rose (The Reincarnationist)

So, Thrillers Rock Twitter decided we really wanted to talk to M.J. Rose (author of The Reincarnationist series) and she graciously (or foolishly, depending on your outlook) agreed.  She had some fascinating things to say, and also told us that she's willing to give away a copy of The Hypnotist (3rd in The Reincarnationist series) to one of our lucky readers. #score!

Thrillers Rock Twitter:  Okay, tell us honestly...do you REALLY write every single day?  REALLY?? :)
 

M.J. Rose:  Nope. And I never said I did. 

There are stages for me in writing a book.

First stage – research. Up to 3 months. I don’t write pages at all – but I make a scrapbook for my characters and take notes and have fun getting them and their lives in my head.

Second stage – first draft.  6 months. I try to write 6 days a week at least 3 hours a day. I just make a mess and keep going. I usually mange three weeks like that and then flake off for 4 or 5 days in a row and have to force myself back.

Third stage – 3 months. Right before I give it to my agent – and I’m really fixing every single sentence and reorganizing and obsesSING. And I do write 6 or 7 days a week for at least 4 hours sometimes 6 or 7.  And then I have to force myself to take time off because I really am crazed with the book and so frustrated that I can’t get it right.

What are your favorite excuses...ahem...reasons for not writing?
 

Any excuse will do in stage 2.

Now, we've all heard the "what got you into writing" question.  I want to know, what nearly kept you out of writing?  Just about every writer has it...that moment where you could go either way.  What was yours?

Oh I gave up. For three years. I’d had it with my agent not being able to sell my first two novels despite all the rave rejections. I’d had it with the rave rejections. I just didn’t want to hate walking into bookstores anymore. So I quit and didn’t even look back for those three years. It was really very freeing in once sense.  Scary in another.

Again, we know the "what's your favorite character" thing.  Do you have a least favorite?  Or, even better, one that you love to hate?  Both?

If I don’t like a character I don’t read past the first 10 pages of the book.  I’m not very patient. Too many great books to read to bother with the others. 

We'd love hearing about what your inspirations are, but I think even more telling is where you choose to write.  Does it change, or do you have a writing cave?

I had to reach myself to write anywhere. A bunch of family medical issues forced me to learn to write in waiting rooms. My cave is inside the laptop.

 
Be totally straight with us...when you were deciding upon a genre, did future sales enter into the equation, or was it fully a passion of yours from the start?

I didn’t decide on a genre.  I wrote what I wanted to read. And what came out was a mishmash of genres. Still does. I don’t fit any genre well. And that’s why I still have a day job. I often wish I could write to the market but seem incapable.  

As far as the thrills you deliver in your novels, are you drawing at all from real life, or do you use up all the adrenaline in your stories and then cuddle up with a nice mug of hot cocoa afterward?

I’ve actually had some terrifying experiences and emotionally draw on them… held up at gunpoint… walked into a double shooting… caught in an explosion… but my life is thankfully dull 99.9% of the time.

Was there ever a novel you were writing where afterward you just thought, "Wow.  That was unexpected."?

Yes, all the time. Thank God. I don’t think I’d keep writing if I didn’t have those moments.

Okay, this one's for the budding authors out there.  If there were one thing that you wished you had known (or that someone had told you) "back then", what would it be?

I was so stubborn I wouldn’t have listened. HOPEFULLY THEY WON'T EITHER. YOU'VE GOT TO MAKE YOUR OWN MISTAKES.  (But in my case it would have been not to leave my first publisher after that second book and follow my editor to a new house.)

Finally, if there's something you could tell your readers that you know will never come up in another interview, NOW is the time!  Carte blanche!

Yes, I want to live in a Frank Lloyd Wright house and was left back in 7^th grade.

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We at Thriller Rock want to thank Ms. Rose again, both for writing some majorly kick-butt novels and also for letting us ask her off-beat questions!  For those that would like to participate in the give-away, please follow our blog and comment below (make SURE to leave either your email address or your Twitter handle so that we can get in touch with you).  The winner will be announced on Sunday Nov. 7th at 7 pm Pacific Standard Time!

"Trapped" by Jack Kilborn (@jakonrath)

I saved the scariest (and the goriest--fair warning, everyone) for last.  I figured in the week leading up to Halloween, we've got to go for the gusto, right?

And holy cow, Jack Kilborn (J.A. Konrath) does.  If you like going camping, I'm going to tell you this right now:  do not read this book if you want to be able to sleep out in the wilderness ever again.

So, for you thriller readers, I would say that this goes beyond thrills, beyond horror and into a new category all it's own.  Let's call it screaming night terrors.  Okay, I need something punchier, but you get the idea.  This novel is one of the few that I wanted to finish reading quickly in order to NO LONGER LIVE IN FEAR.  Finishing it is a little bit like the relief after having a dislocated shoulder snapped back in place.

Don't get me wrong.  It is a thrill ride and a half.  Just don't expect to be coddled at any point.

Now, for the rest of you who are probably thinking, "Okay, there is no chance whatsoever that I will read this book," let me tell you a trio of things.  One, it's Halloween.  If you're ever going to take a chance on horror, now is the time to do it.  Two, the gore here is very well done.  Sort of a gosh-I'm-embarrassed-I-liked-that-so-much kind of thing.  Like Pulp Fiction.  And third and lastly, this novel is $2.99 on Smashwords.  Yes, you read that right.  Three bucks.  So take the plunge.  Even if you don't like the water, you're not out much.

Now please excuse me while I go burn all my camping gear.

"iDrakula" by Bekka Black (@bekka_black)

That's right! More horror! (Hey, it's that time of year, what can I say?)

This week, we've got an fascinating take on an oldie but goody.  With iDrakula, Becca Black has pulled Bram Stoker's Dracula kicking and screaming into the 21st century.  Instead of letters back and forth, it's emails, text messages and websites sizzling across the pages.

And it works. Totally.  At 160 pages, this YA chiller will be a quick read for you or your teenager (or tweenager, or whatever), but it's such a great new spin on an old tale that it's completely worth it.  If you're a big fan of classic horror, you'll chuckle at the wonderfully innovative updating while still feeling the chill creeping down your spine at the horror of what you know is happening.  And, come on, you know you dig getting back to the vampire nitty-gritty, right? Much as the thought of vegetarian vamps may be comforting...it's just not that time of year.

And if you're not such a fan of horror, this is such a clever modernization that it's worth reading just for the new spin Black puts on it.  The format is engaging, and before you know it, you're halfway through the book.  There is an essential disconnect in our use of modern technology, and you can feel it increase the stakes (and yes, that pun was intended) as the horror mounts.  And again, if there's ever a time to branch into the rich (and creepy) world of horror, it's this time of year.  iDrakula will be as gentle and fun a way to do that as you can find.

So, pick up a copy.  In fact, do yourself one better.  It's a novel that uses modern methods of communication to tell a story.  So, use a modern method of downloading!  If you haven't tried out e-books yet, now's the perfect time.  iDrakula's available on Kindle through amazon.com and other e-book platforms through barnesandnoble.com.  Download the sucker (and that pun was intended, too)!

One final item, thriller fans!  I have 3 copies of iDrakula to give away!  If you would like to be entered, leave a comment (you MUST include either your Twitter handle or your email so I can get in touch with you).  The winners will be picked on Friday at 7pm Pacific Standard Time.

"Heart Shaped Box" by Joe Hill

It's October.  Time to get creepy.

First off, for you thriller fans, if you have anything that you want to get done over the course of the next few days, do not, I repeat DO NOT pick up this book.  Your life will be sucked down the creepy, compelling and just plain-ol'-awesome black hole of a book that Joe Hill has put together.  His writing's lean and mean and drags you on a ride that'll have you turning on the lights during the daytime.  Word.

Here's the thing:  Hill goes there.  And once he goes there, he doesn't retreat.  He's out on that ledge looking for a toehold to take you to the next insanely dangerous (but totally thrilling) place.  And the whole time, his story's so completely grounded that it doesn't feel like a story.  You're there.  You're seeing it.  And what you're seeing will scare the beejeebers out of you.  Oh yeah, and the gore.  Did I mention the gore?  #notmeantforaweakstomach

Now I know for you non-thriller types that telling you to take an even bigger leap to horror is asking a lot.  I get it.  But listen...Hill's writing something that goes beyond horror here.  His prose approaches poetry at times, without feeling all self-conscious.  Know what I mean?  The guy can craft a story and get your heart racing, but there's also a real sense of kindness underneath the horror.  The main character's going through this whole transformation that leaves us feeling like change is not only possible, but actually a good idea.

Oh, and one more thing to think about.  It's coming up on Halloween.  If now isn't the time to experiment with some horror, when is?

So, go out and buy a couple of nightlights, clear your schedule and pick up this book.  You may curse my name while skipping your daily hygienic routine in order to keep reading, but once done, you'll come back and thank me again and again.

"Postmortem" by Patricia Cornwell

Yeah, I know.  We normally go for books that are at least somewhat new-ish.  Not the first of a series of novels whose 18th installment is due out in November (the Kay Scarpetta Mysteries).  But, hey, it's us.  We're nothing if not unpredictable.  So, for you Patricia Cornwell fans out there that are like, "Dude, we KNOW already!"--Chill!  Just take this review as an aperitif for "Port Mortuary" which is due out at the end of next month.

For you thriller fans that haven't read this yet, I have only one thing to say to you.  What the freak!!??  Seriously, you have to read this one, like, yesterday.  A smart and twisted serial killer, plenty of chills and thrills, and an unerring sense of this-really-happened writing makes this a novel that I was truly bummed to have end.  There's a reason that this one spawned a 20 year series of novels that have won between them pretty much every award to ever be given to crime thrillers.

As for the rest of you "ho-hum, another thriller" types, here's what you have to look forward to.  This is a novel that will have you turning pages.  "Yeah, yeah...like every other thriller people try to foist on me, " you say?  Yes, but while turning those pages, the honesty of the writing will have you believing it really happened.  Seriously, I was doing some research for another novel and tried to look up the case from "Postmortem".

Plus, this is an awesome example of a woman writing in a typically men's genre, who has the chutzpah to use her own (obviously feminine) name, with a kick-butt female protagonist.  And she is KICK-BUTT!  And no demure and false self-modesty from this one.  She knows she's awesome! 

So, for you that love and follow this series, take this chance to go back and re-read the one that got you hooked before the next installment comes out.  As for everyone else--what are you waiting for? :)