William F. Brown

Action Adventure Thrillers

Murder Mystery

The new Bob Burke Action-Adventure Series 3-Book Boxed Set is now on Sale on Kindle

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Yesterday I released a 3-book boxed set of my Bob Burke Action-Adventure Series. Now, you can get the whole saga, all three books in one edition, and at a 33 percent discount from the normal Kindle prices. Together, they have a 4.6 Star rating and 482 Five-Star reviews. The box set contains Burke’s War, Burke’s Gamble, and Burke’s Revenge.

Think the American Sniper meets The Godfather and Bob Lee Swagger takes on Islamic terrorists from Isis. Mild-mannered and slight of build, this telecommunications company executive is often dismissed as the “phone guy.” But Bob Burke is a former Army Ranger and Delta Force commander, who spent four tours in Iraq and the rugged mountains of Afghanistan, and he is one of the most lethal forces of nature the US government ever produced.

In Burke’s War, he sees a murder taking place, and he isn’t the kind of guy to leave something like that alone, despite corrupt cops, Mafia hit men, a psycho doctor, and a vindictive ex-wife who is trying to take his business away.

In Burke’s Gamble, when one of his men is thrown off the fifth floor of an Atlantic City casino run by the mob, payback’s going to be a hoot!

And in Burke’s Revenge, when a home-grown ISIS cell strikes the Special Operations leadership and command structure inside Fort Bragg itself, in Delta’s own Fayetteville North Carolina backyard, it’s time to strike back.

Check It Out Here!

“The Undertaker” thriller novel is now on a Kindle $0.99 Countdown Sale

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The Undertaker, my first suspense thriller novel is now on a Kindle Countdown $0.99 sale.

thriller novelPete Talbott is a harried Boston computer wonk still grieving over the death of his wife when he finds himself at the wrong end of Gino Parini’s .45 reading his own obituary torn from the morning newspaper. Talbott figures it is all a big mistake, until Parini shows him his wife’s obituary too. That is a mystery which Pete Talbott can’t leave well-enough alone in this murder mystery conspiracy thriller. Someone with a scalpel and embalming table is planting bodies under other people’s names. It doesn’t take Pete long to learn that the only things that thrive in dark places on a steady diet of b… s… are good mushrooms and really bad government. The hunt for who is behind it and why leads Pete to Sandy Kasmarek, a Thriller Novelkick-ass art gallery attendant on Chicago’s stylish North Michigan Avenue, whose late and unlamented husband is also one of them. With a photographer’s eye, the quick feet of a black belt, and fingers that can hot-wire a car in seconds, she has the skill set you wouldn’t expect from a good Chicago catholic-school girl. Coupled with Pete in this political action adventure thriller, they soon find themselves embroiled in government corruption, organized crime, and an FBI undercover shell game that includes enough action, romance, thrills, and stark terror that even the Undertaker soon finds himself in trouble. From a funeral home in Indiana, to car chases on the Dan Ryan Expressway, a bloody townhouse in Boston’s Back Bay, snipers in New York’s Washington Square, the cramped lower bunk on an AMTRAK train, they find themselves knee-deep in sleazy lawyers, corrupt County sheriffs, the FBI, and Mafia hit men. The Undertaker is a non-stop, cross-country suspense thriller, because if Pete and Sandy can’t stop him, they know they will be next on the Undertaker’s list.

“Kane” by Steve Gannon – Book Review –

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“Kane” – This police procedural novel is a very good blend of a police manhunt for a smart, vicious serial killer, who is every bit as nasty as Thomas Harris’s Francis Dolarhyde and Hannibal Lecter. That is juxtaposed by the extensive backstory of Kane, the LA Detective who is out to get him, and Kane’s family. Good suspense, and a good, reasonably unpredictable ending. I would also note that the cop part of the story is told in the 1st person, which adds a nice immediacy to the telling. Like virtually all police detective stories these days, the main protagonist must battle the idiots and politicos up the chain of command as much as he does with the perp.

KaneIf I have a quibble, it is that this has become terribly cliched, and the author paints quite a few of Kane’s LAPD supervisors as being too stupid, too incompetent, and too disruptive to be believable. In Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch books, he also has enemies up the chain, but they are more subtle and devious, which adds to the challenges and the drama. I grew up with Chicago cops, and stupid just isn’t credible, even in LA. A second quibble is that if anything, the story spends a bit too much time on the backstory of the cop and his wife and kids. It’s well done and adds to the climax, but I would prefer more dogged, tough, nit-picking police work to break the case leading up to it. That said, Kane is a good book and a good read.

William F. Brown currently has eight international suspense novels of his own on Kindle, including the recent and popular Burke’s War and Burke’s Gamble the first two books in his Bob Burke series. You can read other reviews in the book review section on my website.

Michael Connelly’s The Crossing – Book Review

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Book Review – This is a very good Harry Bosch novel by Michael Connelly. You don’t need to know anything else. Connelly is the best in the business. The stories are always about watching Harry Bosch slowly pick at the threads of a mystery, one thread at a time until he has the case solved and the bad guys in jail. In this one, he is actually sharing screen time with Mickey Haller, his half-brother defense lawyer, who is hte main protagonist of five of his own books in the second series by Michael Connelly. Those Mickey Haller books are every bit as good, but I personally prefer Harry Bosch. He is a dark, plodding vulnerability about Harry that is hard not to like.

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“The Crossing” refers to Harry Bosch going to work for the criminal defense, which violates every Blue Line cop rule and earns him the enmity of the other LAPD homicide detectives, at least until he makes his case. I love Harry Bosch, but Connelly has created a slight character/ plot / chronology problem for himself. As those of us know who read all of the books, Harry Bosch was a tunnel rat in Vietnam, I think, in nineteen sixty-eight. Even if he went in when he was 18 or 19, he’s now in his upper 60s and getting a little long in the tooth for the action scenes, much less having an eighteen-year-old daughter. I thought Clint Eastwood was a little old for the part in Bloodwork, but now he’d probably work just fine in The Crossing.

Bill Brown is the author of eight mystery and suspense novels currently for sale on Kindle — Burke’s Gamble,” “Burke’s War,’ ‘The Undertaker,’ ‘Amongst My Enemies,’ ‘Thursday at Noon,’ “Aim True, My Brothers,’ ‘Winner Lose All,’ and ‘Cold War Trilogy.’ Enjoy! You can find other reviews under the book review tab on my website.

“Burke’s Gamble” Book #2 in the Bob Burke Thriller Novel Series

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“Burke’s Gamble” – It is the ‘American Sniper’ meets ‘The Godfather,’ Round #2, or Bob Lee Swagger takes on the New York City mob. In last year’s best selling “Burke’s War,” Bob Burke witnessed a woman being murdered, and ends up butting heads with the Chicago Mob. In “Burke’s Gamble,” this year’s action adventure thriller, one of his old friends is thrown out a fifth story window in an Atlantic City casino run by New York City’s infamous Genovese and Lucchese mob families.

Burke's Gamble 375 x 600Someone’s going to answer, and ‘the telephone guy’s’ payback is going to be a hoot! This time, it will not be a simple ‘Gumbah’ hunt with sniper rifles in a Chicago Forest preserve. The target is a Mafia Don holed up in the penthouse of a large hotel casino complex in Atlantic City, backed up by a dozen of his own gunmen plus, an elite team of foreign Special Operations mercenaries brought in to take down Bob Burke and his men. In addition to own Delta Force sergeants, Bob calls on two baby-faced computer Geeks, a three-star Army General, a Chicago police detective, a female Air Force Captain, Bob’s new wife, a Russian computer programmer, and one of the world’s best pickpockets on an overnight.’ pass from Cook County Jail. From stealth helicopters to luxury yachts, and bodies in 55-gallon oil drums, the action is non-stop. This time, Bob and his ’s Merry Band of Rascals aren’t going to out shoot them, they’re going to take the Mob’s money, all of it!

Order your copy now and have it delivered by Kindle on May 1.

If you like a good best seller thriller novel, put this fast-moving Bob Burke series Delta Force thriller into your Cart. It is another war and military best seller novel from the author of “Burke’s War,’ ‘The Undertaker,’ ‘Amongst My Enemies,’ ‘Thursday at Noon,’ “Aim True, My Brothers,’ ‘Winner Lose All,’ and ‘Cold War Trilogy.’ Enjoy!

Book Review – Dress Her in Indigo – John D. McDonald

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A book review by Bill Brown of John D McDonald’s Travis McGee mystery story,  “Dress Her in Indigo.”   I think I discovered John D. MacDonald’s Travis McGee thriller novels when I was a senior in high school and devoured all 21 at least once. Travis McGee is the prototypical knight errant and John D MacDonald is the master of weaving a slow, easily told Florida mystery. At the time, they were breaths

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of fresh, exciting air from one of the prolific giants in the mystery-suspense field with over 78 books to his credit. His lead character, Travis McGee is an errant knight with a deep concern for the environment and a sense of fairness. He can’t abide brutality or wrongs that need righting, and he usually figures out a way to fix them. Unfortunately, MacDonald died in 1986. While the Travis McGee mystery series remained available in paperback, Amazon wasn’t able to bring out Kindle editions until earlier this year. Regrettably, they are prices at $9.99, which is a bit high. The stories remain good reads, but after a steady diet of Michael Connelly, Lee Child, Daniel Silva, David Baldacci, Dennis Lehane, Vince Flynn, and others, I found Dress Her in Indigo a bit dated and slow. In his day, he took the craft to a new level, but a lot of new writers have now passed him by. Still, without the Travis McGee mystery series, there would be no Jack Reacher; and John D. McDonald is always worth a read.”

William F. Brown is the author of 5 thriller novels with over 300 Five-Star Reviews: The Undertaker, Amongst My Enemies, Thursday at Noon, Winner Take All, and now Aim True, My Brothers. They are all available on Kindle and now on Audible Audio Books. You can read about his books and find more book review at billbrownwritesnovels.wordpress.com

Book Review of Robert Tannenbaum’s “Tragic”

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Book Review of Robert Tannenbaum’s “Tragic” by William F Brown. I used to love this series and read all of Tannenbaum’s excellent thriller novels and bought the new book as soon as it came out. Robert K. Tannenbaum has published 25 novels, perhaps a dozen of which feature crime busting New York City DA Butch Karp, his quirky, feisty, Italian wife Marlene Ciampi, their savant daughter, and there twin sons. The best of them were a fast-moving combination of detective story and courtroom drama, and they were all New York City. Invariably, Karp drove the story, taking the lead against one nasty bunch

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of bad guys after another, with his family providing fire support. True, the novels got a bit bloated and under edited in recent years; but book after book they were great reads as long as Tannenbaum stuck to the basic formula of great characters, lots of action, a nasty crime, and enough twists and turns to serve as a plot. It isn’t that “Tragic” doesn’t have some of that, it just doesn’t have enough of it. The family seems to take an extended vacation. And for some reason he has decided that “On the Waterfront” meets “MacBeth” can pass for a plot. I don’t mind the “On the Waterfront” part nearly as much as I mind the inexplicable allusions to “MacBeth,” complete with three witches standing around a fire. All of the good suspense writers seem to go through dry patches, and “Tragic” could well be one of them. That would be ‘tragic,’ but we loyal readers will continue to stick with the brand, hoping the Golden touch returns in the next one ─ up to a point.

William F. Brown is the author of 5 suspense novels with over 300 Five-Star Reviews: The Undertaker, Amongst My Enemies, Thursday at Noon, Winner Take All, and now Aim True, My Brothers. They are all available on Kindle and now on Audible Audio Books. You can read this review and others at billbrownwritesnovels.wordpress.com

The Hunter and The Outfit, Richard Stark’s Thriller Novels

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The Hunter and The Outfit were written by Donald E. Westlake, who was one of the most amazing and perhaps least known American writers of the 20th Century. As unbelievable as it sounds, he was the author of over 100 thriller novels, screenplays, and short story collections written under 14 pen names, both male and female, and his books have been made into 24 movies prior to his death six years ago. I suspect all the pen names are one reason for his relative anonymity compared to dozens of less talented writers with far fewer writing credits. I’m sure he cried all the way to the bank. That said, Westlake was best known for two utterly different series of crime novels. One is the thirteen

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‘Dortmunder’ novels — comic capers by a gang of dimwitted and always unlucky crooks. The best of these, and the best of his movies, are “The Hot Rock” and “The Bank Shot.” Read the books or rent the movie. You’ll die laughing. On the other hand, his second series is the 26 ‘Parker’ novels written under the name Richard Stark. ‘Stark’ is also a pretty good description of the lead character, the stories, and the writing. They are well beyond noir. Parker is a brutal, remorseless killer and the stories about him, such as “The Hunter,” the first of them, and “The Outfit,” the third, usually deal with violent crime and revenge. Parker doesn’t believe in ‘proportional response.’ When crossed, he kills everyone in sight and “lets God sort it out;” or he would if he believed in anything except money, which he doesn’t. Unlike Dortmunder, who has many redeeming character traits and is impossible to dislike, Parker has none, zero. No character arc, no quirky habits, no funny sidekick. He is a loner and a humorless killing machine. Some people refer to Parker as the prototypical ‘anti-hero’, but even they must have at least one redeeming, sympathetic character trait, and Parker has none. Hence, my dilemma. I loved Westlake’s other books; and then I read “The Outfit,” and I hated it. However, all the literary critics and Hollywood-types love the Parker character, the dramatic plots, and the technical stuff, so I figured I must be a dolt and missed something. To give it another chance, I read “The Hunter.” Same result. I didn’t like it either. The best comparisons I can draw are to some of the early 87th Precinct hriller novels by Ed McBain or a couple of less-successful Elmore Leonard novels, but maybe I just don’t ‘get’ it. Read them yourself and see what you think.

William F. Brown is the author of 5 suspense novels with over 300 Five-Star Reviews: The Undertaker, Amongst My Enemies, Thursday at Noon, Winner Take All, and now Aim True, My Brothers available on Kindle and Audible Audio Books. You can read about them at billbrownwritesnovels.wordpress.com

Silence of the Lambs – From Novel to Screenplay to Movie

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The suspense thriller Silence of the Lambs — whether you look at the novel written by Thomas Harris in 1988, the working screenplay and storybook by Ted Tally from 1990, the resulting movie directed by Jonathan Demme in 1991, or the magical performances of its lead actors, all of those pieces come together to make “Silence of the Lambs,” the movie, an American suspense thriller classic. While most of fans simply enjoy watching it, it is interesting to see where the genius came from. Very few novels ever make good screenplays, and I feel the

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better the book the harder it is. A novel is largely about what people think, while a movie is about what they do. Reading thru this novel and screenplay, 95% of the screenplay comes from the novel, to Harris’ credit; but Talley left large chunks of the novel out of the screenplay and Demme left chunks of the screenplay on the cutting room floor, because a gesture or a quick camera shot can convey many pages of text. The trick, is to show all that thinking and back story through action, motion, gestures, and inflection. I have adapted three of my own suspense thriller movels into screenplays, keeping it tight is easier said than done. In this case, a 352 page hardback novel was adapted into a 120 page screenplay, and an even tighter, superbly edited movie of only 118 minutes. The screenplay and movie stay very true to the plot and characters which Harris wrote. However, both Tally and Deme made a number of small, but very magical additions. The best is the final scene at a small Caribbean airport where Lecter watches his nemesis, Dr. Chilton arrive, while Lecter is on the phone congratulating Clarice Starling for graduating from the FBI Academy. As Lecter hangs up and begins following Chilton up the street, we all know what he plans to have for dinner. The novel ends with Lecter writing Starling a congratulatory note which tells her he will not come after her, because the world is a better place with her in it. Tally’s screenplay has the airport scene with Chilton and Lecter saying these things to Starling over the phone, but the scene is at night. When Demme films Silence of the Lambs,  he has the scene in broad daylight so we can see the nervous panic on Chilton and the glint of coming revenge in Lecter’s eyes. That stroke of brilliance gives the movie viewer one more chill up his spine before the final credits. When you read the working screenplay while watching the movie, you can see many, many more examples where Tally tightened and added to the novel, and where Demme made further cuts and added some wonderful touches. You can see more of Demme’s Silence of the Lambs brilliance in the story boards he sketched to show the feel he wanted in certain scenes. While praising Harris, Tally, and Demme for their genius, it is impossible to ignore what Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn, and Ted Levine brought to their characters. In his introductory scene, Hopkins is able to scare the hell out of us by just standing still and looking out through the bars of his cell, absolutely deadpan, while Foster uses accent, mannerisms, and phrasing to create a memorable character of a backwoods country girl. One could cite dozens of other examples in the writing, directing, and acting; but in the end, what makes it a great suspense thriller, one of the very best ever made is that all of those pieces came together in 118 minutes of film. I would also cite “Day Of the Jackal,” in 1971, “The Eagle Has Landed,” in 1975, and “Eye of the Needle,” in 1978 as excellent adaptations of very good thriller novels. The resulting films have stood the test of time, which proves that a great suspense thriller can be made without a single ‘blue screen,’ computer-generated special effect, or other gimmick. Imagine that!

William F. Brown is the author of 5 suspense thriller novels with over 300 Five-Star Reviews: The Undertaker, Amongst My Enemies, Thursday at Noon, Winner Take All, and now Aim True, My Brothers. They are all available on Kindle and now on Audible Audio Books. You read about them at billbrownwritesnovels.wordpress.com

Book Review – “First To Kill” by Peterson – Action Adventure

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“First to Kill” is the first book in what is now a four book series of action adventure thriller novels from Andrew Peterson featuring the lead character, Nathan McBride. He is a cerebral CIA Special Ops contractor and ex-Marine sniper who is still healing from an earlier mission that went badly wrong. McBride gets called out to help the FBI track down the grandson of a retired FBI director who has gone missing on an undercover assignment

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to penetrate a radical white supremacist, arms smuggling group. Series books are very much in vogue these days. I usually dislike them, because I feel they all-too-often cheat the reader. To me, a story should be distinct and complete from cover to cover and not simply a teaser to get the reader to buy yet another book. I don’t know how the next three books in this action adventure series will work out, but First to Kill is a crackling good action-adventure story. Peterson does a very good job on the two main criteria to achieve that ─ he has created a unique, compelling main character, and an excellent, twisting and turning story line. In Nathan McBride, we have a thoughtful, quiet, and very lethal ex-Marine who thinks before he acts. Four a change ─ unlike Mitch Rapp, Scot Horvath, or a long list of others ─ the bullets don’t bounce off this guy, or anyone else in the story. They get hit, they bleed, and the often die. First to Kill isn’t just another action adventure shoot-em up, it is good well-crafted fiction. I will read more of these, and so should you ─ great for the beach, pool, or long airplane ride.

William F. Brown is the author of 5 action adventure thriller novels of his own, with over 300 Five-Star Reviews: The Undertaker, Amongst My Enemies, Thursday at Noon, Winner Take All, and now Aim True, My Brothers. They are all available on Kindle and now on Audible Audio Books. You read about them at billbrownwritesnovels.wordpress.com

 

Book Review – “Deadly Stillwater” suspense fiction by Roger Stelljes

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Deadly Stillwater is the third book of what is currently a five-book series of police, action-adventure suspense fiction set in St. Paul, Minnesota. No doubt, there will be more to come. Although series books are very much in vogue these days; I usually dislike them, because they all-too-often cheat the reader. I feel a story should be distinct and complete from cover to cover and not simply a teaser to get the reader to buy yet another book. By and large, Roger Stelljes’ excellent suspense fiction featuring

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‘Mac’ McRyan and a cast of quirky St. Paul homicide detectives don’t do that. They are self-contained stories and you really don’t need to read them in sequence. While they are nominally cop stories, like Deadly Stillwater, Roger Stelljes they are much more action-adventure than police procedurals and fun reads. Think Mitch Rapp with a badge, shooting first and asking questions later. Because this series is set in the Twin Cities of Minnesota, they will always draw comparison to John Sandford’s highly successful “Prey” thriller novels. I think Stelljes’ books like “Deadly Stillwater” have considerably more action and running around (the characters are always running or racing somewhere), while Sandford’s have better suspense and character development, but both series are good reads. Roger Stelljes’ books are on Kindle, and you can frequently find them in the Kindle Countdown Sales. Pick one up, like “Deadly Stillwater.” They are great for the beach or a long airplane ride.

William F. Brown is the author of 5 suspense fiction novels with over 300 Five-Star Reviews: The Undertaker, Amongst My Enemies, Thursday at Noon, Winner Take All, and now Aim True, My Brothers. They are all available on Kindle and now on Audible Audio Books. You read about them and my other book reviews at my web site  Billbrownwritesnovels.wordpress.com