"Thriller master Frederick Forsyth returns from retirement to resume his brilliant career as one of the best writers in the business. The Afghan is a superb post-9/11 thriller, set in a brave, new - and very scary - world." -Crime Fiction Dossier
"Gayle Lynds's The Last Spymaster is an entertaining novel in the grand tradition of the Cold War thriller, filled with rich characters, sharp action and fascinating details ripped from the world of espionage. If you pine for the books of Ludlum or LeCarre, you should be reading Lynds. She matches those greats blow for blow." -Crime Fiction Dossier
"James Rollins's Black Order is the action-adventure spectacular of the summer season -- and it's not on the big screen, it's in your local bookstore. By turns exciting, interesting, smart and inventive, this is one of the most thought-provoking and entertaining thrillers I've read in a long time." -Crime Fiction Dossier
"M.J. Rose combines eroticism and thrills together in one story better than anybody else in the business. The Delilah Complex is a saucy and seductive treat." -Crime Fiction Dossier
"Gischler's best book since Gun Monkeys is a sinfully-delicious orgy of violence, thrills and dark humor. Nobody does comic noir like this guy. Nobody." -Crime Fiction Dossier
"Smart and sassy advice from a former Playboy Playmate about one of life's greatest mysteries: the agonizing miracle of pregnancy and birth." -Crime Fiction Dossier*
*I do occasionally read something besides mysteries, you know.
"Stephen White's Kill Me tackles provocative ethical questions within the framework of a tense and suspenseful thriller. A highly original and entertaining book!" -Crime Fiction Dossier
"Combining humor and suspense together in a mystery novel is no easy feat, and few writers can accomplish it with the skill of Lee Goldberg. The Man With the Iron-On Badge is an affectionate ode to the classic Private Eye novel, told with wit and grit, and a touch of panache." -Crime Fiction Dossier
"Adam Fawer's debut novel is a fast-paced and intriguing thriller that explores the possibilities of probabilities with a science-flavored plot that delivers plenty of action. This guy is going places -- you can count on it!" -Crime Fiction Dossier
"Reminiscent of the brilliant work of George Pelecanos, Out of Cabrini is a compelling story of cops on the job and criminal life in the inner city. Dave Case writes with the authenticity that only a veteran cop can bring to the page. This is one of the year's outstanding debuts." -Crime Fiction Dossier
"The Hard Way is the best book yet from one of today's top thriller writers. Put a pot of coffee on before you start reading it, 'cause this one's going to keep you up all night." -Crime Fiction Dossier
The publishing industry is consumed with blurbs, those little quotes you see on the covers of books from Famous Authors, newspapers or magazines. I don't know to what they extent they influence consumers, but at least they look pretty on the jacket.
My reviews get blurbed fairly often, but that seems like such a roundabout way of doing it. Why not, I asked myself, just give the blurb directly and cut out the middle man?
Thus, the creation of the Crime Fiction Dossier Blurb Machine (patent pending). Every couple days, or whenever I can get the machine fired up, I'll be offering a blurb for a mystery or thriller novel.
If you're an author, publicist or publisher and you'd like to use one of these blurbs, please feel free to do so. The concept is slightly tongue-in-cheek, but the blurbs are sincere.
David J. Montgomery writes about authors and books for several of the country's largest newspapers, including the Chicago Sun-Times, Washington Post, Philadelphia Inquirer and Boston Globe.
In the past, he has contributed to such publications as USA Today, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Kansas City Star, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel and National Review Online.
He lives in the Washington, DC suburbs with his wife and daughter.
