A BANNER DAY

It is with GREAT pleasure, and EVEN GREATER excitement that I celebrate today the launch of my very, very good friend Phil Hawley's debut novel STIGMA.

I've read STIGMA and it's fantastic. Great characters, great plot, and the beginning of a great career.

I'm heading out today to get my copy. What about you??

An Unexpect Gift

A friend stopped by this morning and gave me a copy of THE DARK TOWER: THE GUNSLINGER BORN #1 from Marvel Comics. I was surprised and thrilled! I had forgot it was coming out this week.

The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King is one of my all time favorite stories. Written over decades, King created the backbone that basically supports nearly all (if not all) the other stories he has written. And what a rich and beautiful backbone it is. I came on late. I think THE GUNSLINGER was out probably 10 or 15 years by then, but once I caught up, I eagerly anticipated the release of each new volume. And when the series finally ended, I was both satisfied and left wonting.

But now, King - working as Creative Director - is working with Robin Ruth, Peter David, Jae Lee, Richard Isanove and Marvel Comics to bring new Gunslinger stories out in graphic novel form.

And oh...my...God...the illustrations are beautiful. And thanks to my friend Greg, I have my own copy. The problem is I don't know whether to read it or put it in a plastic sack and hide it in my closet!

KISS HER GOODBYE

Today is a big day for my good friend, Robert Gregory Browne. It's PUB DAY! As of this morning, his novel KISS HER GOODBYE is available at fine bookstores everywhere.

Can't get to a store? They you can get your copy HERE. I've read it already. It's a great book that will keep you up late unwilling to stop reading. Come on, you know you want a copy!

CONTEST RESULTS...AND NOT JUST A WINNER

Yes, we have a winner! But what we also have a is a great list of suggestions for some great reads. First the winner, then the list...


Congratulations to:

spyscribbler!!

Spyscrib...please email me your address to brett@brettbattles.com and I'll get it out to you. I won't be able to send it out until next week as I'll be at Left Coast Crime through the weekend.

I think this contest was very successful! (I promise to have another...probably late March.) Here's the list of Spy Fiction we came up with in the order they came in:

THE QUIET AMERICAN Graham Greene.
A story of love, lust, jealousy and misguided patriotism set in the turbulent world of 1950s Vietnam.

THE HUMAN FACTOR Graham Greene
Maurice Castle must decide what he needs to do to save his family, and then whether he can pay that price.
Offered up by Stephen D. Rogers

THE TAILOR OF PANAMA John Le Carre
Harry Pendel is an unassuming tailor in Panama, who is working as informant to the British government. What his people don't know is that Harry has an agenda all his own.
Offered up by Stacey

THE SCORPIO ILLUSION Robert Ludlum
An ex-naval intelligence officer is brought out of retirement to stop the world's most dangerous terrorist - who happens to be one smokin' hot lady.
Offered up by Jeff Shelby

SPOOKER Dean Ing
An innocent DEA agent becomes the target of an ex-KGB mother and son team who now make their living hunting fellow spies.
Offered up by Steve

A COFFIN FOR DIMITRIOS [aka The Mask of Dimitrios] Eric Ambler
Is in novel terms an existential espionage novel, focusing on why society requires ‘enforcers’ like Dimitrios to make the world revolve.
Offered up by Ali

THE CLEANER Brett Battles
Berlin is again a city of that will send chills down your spine.
All right, Steve G...I know you're just trying to suck up to get an ARC

THE MATARESE COUNTDOWN Another Robert Ludlum
Substitute super-agent for retired Navy officer and Russian counterpart for world's most dangerous terrorist and we've got the same blurb.
This one from Mary

EYE OF THE NEEDLE Ken Follett
The allies have the Germans convinced they plan to invade Calais. Only one spy knows the truth, and the only person preventing him from getting that knowledge to the Nazis is Lucy Rose, a woman caring for her crippled husband on a lonely island.
Offered up by Mindy

THE BRIDGE OF SIGHS Olen Steinhauer
In 1948, in a small, unnamed Eastern European country, homicide detective Emil Brod has been assigned his first case in the People's Militia, and his colleagues think he's a spy.
Offered up by Daniel Hatadi

GORKY PARK Martin Cruz Smith
Three dead bodies buried in the snow add the crooked members of the KGB, the FBI, and the NYPD and have fun.
Offered up by Nikki

PATRIOT GAMES Tom Clancy
From Great Britain to the US, danger follows CIA agent, Jack Ryan, and his family, landing them in the midst of international terrorism.
Offered up by Angela/SciFiChick

THE MESSENGER Daniel Silva. Around the globe action involving the world art community, Israeli Mossad, The Pope and the U.S. President.
Offered up by Traveler

THE FAITHFUL SPY Alex Berenson
This book has a depth to it which includes an historical context of the World War 1 aftermath throught World War 11 and contains international intrigue with exceptional characters.
Offered up by Alissa

THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE ROSE David Morrell
Spanning the globe this book features a novel of fierce loyalty, violent betrayal and revenge.
Offered up by Ellie

THE PERFECT ASSASSIN Ward Larsen
A lethal organization combined with a partnership with a killer in a high stakes struggle for the Middle East Power.
Offered up by Sharon

TEARS OF AUTUMN Charles McCarry
A unique approach to the Kennedy assassination which contains more information about the Vietnam connection.
Offered up by Pearl

THE MARK OF THE ASSASSIN Daniel Silva
An inside look at the life of a CIA Agent whose quest leads him to a secret organization rife with corruption.
Offered up by Joelle

DOCTOR NO Ian Fleming
Poor James Bond, after recovering from a bizarre shoe poisoning, his rest trip to Jamaica has him fighting off a mechanical dragon and a half German-half Chinese supervillian with only his close personal friend, Honeychile Rider, to lend a hand.
Offered up by Angie

LESS THAN A SHADOW David Chacko
A prominent journalist is murdered in Istanbul escalating into high drama involving the Turkish Mafia,a lethal hidden secret and a terrible threat about to change the Middle East forever.
Offered up by Principessa

LEGENDS Robert Littell
A man tries to sort out his past identies to find out the truth of who he is and, er ... not die.
Offered up by Spyscribbler (fyi...would have taken any of the Rain books, too)

THE EIGER SANCTION Trevanian.
I can't believe nobody's mentioned this one yet. It's a brilliant piece of writing that's almost a send-up of the espionage genre--but also bloody, action-packed, sadistic, and clever as fuck.
Offered up by Duane Swierczynski (BTW...if you haven't read Duane's books - THE WHEELMAN or THE BLONDE - you are really missing something! Just finish THE WHEELMAN last night and read THE BLONDE over the holidays. Loved them!!)

MRS. POLLIFAX ON THE CHINA STATION Dorthy Gilman
Senior citizen spy outsmarts the Chinese government.
Offered up by Sandra Seamans (and, of course, cozy spy thrillers count)

STORMBREAKER Anthony Horowitz
After discovering his recently murdered uncle was really a spy, 14 year-old Alex Rider is recruited by MI6 to take over his uncle's mission and infiltrate a prep school.
Offered up the ineligible Rob Gregory Browne