James Rollins, known to millions of readers, has written bestselling thrillers that have been translated into more than forty languages. His books are noted for their originality and scientific authenticity; as well as for being rich in historical facts and in revealing secrets ranging from findings far beneath the earth’s surface to those deep within its seas.

His new thriller, The Demon Crown, describes the unearthing of a cache of bones preserved in amber and buried more than a century earlier. The scientists, led by Alexander Graham Bell, were safeguarding a wonder unlike any other: the secret of life after death. But the marrow of those bones contains a horror from the ancient past, one that has remained dormant but alive, and is now free to wreak havoc on the world. The Sigma Force, led by Commander Grayson Pierce, must solve a deadly mystery that began with the very origins of life on Earth. But the menace is spreading, growing and adapting, and will reconquer the world it once ruled. The novel both tells a compelling story and examines the greatest peril to the world’s future.

“The Demon Crown” details, among other things, that a comet wasn’t responsible for the death of the dinosaurs. Will you tell us about that?

I’ve always been a big Michael Creighton fan. One of the authors he researched when writing Jurassic Park talked about the role of insects in the demise of the dinosaurs. I must confess I’d never thought of insects as being capable of taking down those huge lumbering beasts. For a long time, I stowed that away in my idea box. After having read that Homeland Security is concerned that someone might attempt to weaponize insects, I decided it was time to write this novel.

It’s not at all far-fetched when you think about various current ecological concerns: pythons infesting the Everglades, and carp now swimming in the Great Lakes. Homeland Security is concerned someone might create environmental havoc by releasing certain flora or fauna that would be terribly difficult to combat. So, after reading about the role insects played in the extinction of the dinosaurs, I thought it would be interesting to pair up these two phenomena—insects and environmental havoc, and that became the crux of the novel.

All your novels, including this one, seem to deal with ‘what if’ scenarios.

Aside from looking for interesting ideas for plotlines, I’m always looking for interesting scientific possibilities—the ‘what if’ situations.  With all my Sigma Force novels, I’m playing with the edge of the future, looking at technology and where it might be headed. As a writer, I’m interested in how technological change might pose a threat or challenge our moral values, whether we’re talking about cloning or gene manipulation in unborn children. These have all become realities in our world. In a real sense, technology has caught up with my books. This presents me with moral and scientific quagmires I integrate when writing novels.

Speaking of technology and the future, are there actual threats to our national security such as those described in “The Demon Crown?”

Yes, there are.

Homeland Security is now investigating these threats and trying to find ways of thwarting them. Of course, these threats can come from many different directions—whether they be foreign invasive species accidentally carried into the U.S. on a ship or airplane; or the result of a nefarious plot. Right now, one of our biggest concerns is the possibility of something entering our country that would be capable of devastating our national breadbasket. How would we be able to stop a pest that’s been modified in such a way thus making it potentially impossible to eradicate? Some pest that would be able to adapt to our environment to the point where it overtakes our indigenous species and becomes supremely dominant.

Speaking of those possibilities, “The Demon Force” describes indestructible organisms. Tell us about Lazarus microbes and the secret of ‘life after death.’

I’ve read about scientists’ ability to move genes from one specie to another. There’s a specie of animal called tardigrades, which are water-dwelling microscopic animals. They’re virtually indestructible. They can survive high temperatures, high pressure, and radiation. They’re capable of entering into a state called cryptobiosis where they become almost indestructible. In May 2017, an issue of New Scientist described the astounding ability of Lazarus microbes to survive for hundreds of millions of years in salt crystals. Their lives are suspended in what’s called ‘a twilight zone between life and death.’

Various species can ‘borrow’ advantageous genetic codes from others, especially following viral or bacterial infections. So, there’s the distinct possibility that someone could take the advantages locked into the DNA of Lazarus microbes and tardigrades and transfer those properties into other species, thereby wreaking havoc on the environment.

Alexander Graham Bell and James Smithson play important roles in ‘The Demon Crown.’ Will you talk about them?

I’ve always loved putting historical facts in my novels. The Sigma Force has its base in the subterranean chambers of the Smithsonian Castle. The Smithsonian was essentially founded by James Smithson, a British chemist and geologist who never set foot in the U.S., yet left his fortune to this country

Smithson died and was buried in Italy. Alexander Graham Bell and his wife took a steamship to Italy and returned to the U.S. with Smithson’s bones, which are buried beneath the lobby of the Smithsonian Castle, near the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

We’ve talked about this before, but I’m again struck by the fact that your Sigma Force novels often predict scientific advances, so that even as you’re writing them, you must sometimes revise a manuscript because your predictions have come true. Tell us about that.

It takes a while to write a novel. Sometimes, science catches up with the novel as I’m writing it. I keep my finger on the pulse of new findings, so when a scientific article comes out that might alter the storyline, I have to go back and make revisions, even if a novel is ready to go to press.

What’s coming next from James Rollins?

I’ve written a number of short stories that have appeared in various publications. These are being collected and put into an anthology. I’m also writing a novella about the Tucker and Kane series that will appear in that anthology. I’m also about to start writing the first chapter of the next Sigma Force novel.

Congratulations on penning ‘The Demon Crown,’ a terrifying novel combining history, scientific concepts about the ‘dark matter of life,’ and high-octane action, guaranteed to keep readers awake late into the night.

Mark Rubinstein’s latest novel is ‘Mad Dog Vengeance.’

 

Harry Dolan graduated from Colgate University where he majored in philosophy and studied fiction writing. He’s the bestselling author of Bad Things Happen, Very Bad Men, and The Last Dead Girl.

The Man in the Crooked Hat features Jack Pellum, a Detroit detective who left the force after his wife was murdered in a random attack. The case has never been solved. Jack is working as a part-time private investigator, while continuing an obsessive hunt for the elusive person he believes murdered his wife: a man wearing a fedora. When a local writer’s cryptic suicide note suggests the man in the fedora actually exists, Jack picks up the thread and begins unraveling twenty years of secrets and unsolved crimes.

In ‘The Man in the Crooked Hat’, you include the killer’s perspective as well as that of Jack Pellum. What are the advantages of this kind of storytelling?

I think having scenes from the killer’s perspective makes for a richer villain because you see him in action. He’s not just doing things off-stage and in the shadows. The reader learns more about his point of view, his thoughts and feelings, it makes for a deeper and richer character in the story. I think the book is more interesting when the reader gets two opposing perspectives rather than just the protagonist’s point of view. In The Man in the Crooked Hat, I was able to include the killer’s background, which makes him more real and makes for a better villain.

Is ‘The Man in the Crooked Hat’ a character driven or plot driven novel?

The characters came first for me. The story is about an ex-cop who quit the force after his wife was murdered and is determined to find her killer. That character—determined to the point of obsession—came first, and of course, in a mystery or thriller, the plot is very important. I would say both Jack Pellum’s character and the plotline are of equal importance.

How would you classify “The Man in the Crooked Hat”—a mystery or thriller? Or both?

I’d characterize the book as a combination of mystery and thriller. There’s the enigma of how will Jack Pellum solve the mystery of who killed his wife and why it happened; and that’s coupled with the danger Pellum faces as he pursues the killer.

There are many plot twists in the novel. How do you divulge enough to keep the reader hooked, yet not spoil the suspense?

It’s a balancing act. I plot my books out in advance, so I know the major plot twists. I withhold certain elements of the plot and release them at just the right time to keep the suspense alive. It also helps to have a good editor, who can advise me what’s plausible and what’s not.

Tell us about your path to being a published author.

I wanted to be a writer since I was a teenager, but I took a convoluted path. I studied philosophy in college, and got a master’s degree in it from the University of North Carolina. I didn’t want to teach, but became an editor of an academic journal. I did that for about eight years. I finally left that job to try my hand at writing a novel. It took me close to three years to write my first book, which was never published. The second book, a mystery, was published ten years after I left my editing job to start writing.

Is there anything about your writing process that might surprise people?

I outline my novels in advance. I write slowly and edit as I go along, so when I get to the end of what might be called a first draft, it’s quite a polished manuscript that doesn’t require a great deal of editing. I’m not someone who can just sit down and start writing without knowing where the story is headed. I need to know, in advance, the arc of the novel.

If you could meet any fictional character in real life, who would it be?

It would be Lisbeth Salander from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

She’s so quirky and complicated, and she’s been through so much. I’d love to be able to have a conversation with her. Of course, I wouldn’t want to get on her bad side. [Laughter].

Will you complete this sentence: Writing novels has taught me___________.

Writing a novel is a long process, from writing the first word until the final draft. I sometimes wonder if I’m going to get to the end of the book. If I keep at it steadily, day-by-day, the pages add up, and I do finally finish it. So, writing novels has taught me perseverance and patience.

What’s coming next from Harry Dolan?

My next book is another standalone novel. It’s about an ex-soldier who’s a veteran of the Iraq War. He’s on the run from some very dangerous people.

Congratulations on writing ‘The Man with the Crooked Hat,’ a multi-layered, suspenseful mystery-thriller with nuanced characters guaranteed to propel the plot and hold any reader’s interest.

Mark Rubinstein’s latest novel is ‘Mad Dog Vengeance.’

 

We know him as John Sandford, but that’s his nom de plume. As journalist John Camp, he won the 1986 Pulitzer Prize for his

five-part series about an American farm family faced with an agricultural crisis.

John eventually channeled his writing talent to fiction, and by now, has penned ten novels featuring Virgil Flowers; and another series, the Prey novels, involving Lucas Davenport. He’s also written standalone fiction.

Deep Freeze, the tenth Virgil Flowers novel, begins in Trippton, Minnesota, where the body of a locally prominent woman has been dragged out of a nearly frozen river near a sewage treatment plant. All forensic signs indicate she had been dead before her corpse was dumped in the icy currents.

Virgil is called to investigate, and as he begins to dig into the past relationships of Gena Hemming—who was killed after a meeting of her 25^th high school reunion committee—Virgil begins uncovering secrets of various townspeople; and those secrets are cause for alarm.

“Deep Freeze” captures so well life in the small town of Trippton. Is life in this small town also emblematic of life in larger cities?

The thing is, in larger cities, if a murder happens, the police don’t necessarily have a tight fix on where it happened. But in a small town like Trippton, things are far more intimate. People living in a large city may not know their neighborhoods, and may not even know the people living next door.

 In “Deep Freeze,” Virgil Flowers receives quite a beating from a group of women. Was it difficult to construct that scene?

I didn’t know I was going to write that scene until I got to it. I enjoy Stephen King’s novels and have read his book On Writing. One of the things he’s said is that sometimes, when you’re writing a novel and things aren’t moving along, an author can plop in an action scene. That’s what happened with Deep Freeze. At that section of the book, Virgil is doing a great deal of detecting and there wasn’t very much action going on. I felt I needed a scene to juice things up a bit.  I really liked the idea of a group of tough women beating up a cop.

 In “Deep Freeze,” the murder occurs at the beginning of the book. The reader knows exactly who committed the crime. Talk to us about the technique of revealing the murderer at the outset rather than the reader not knowing the perpetrator’s identity.

When I decided to write Deep Freeze, I decided it would be a mystery. I make a distinction between mysteries and thrillers. In thrillers, you know who the bad guy is. The question is, will the good guy get to the bad guy before the bad guy gets to him? In a mystery, you don’t know who the bad guy is.

About three-quarters of the way through writing the book, I became dissatisfied with the mystery element of it, so I went back and revised it. There are still elements of a mystery, but the book is a thriller.

Generally, the idea of a thriller is there’s a continuing clash between the bad guy and the good guy. Although Virgil doesn’t know the identity of the perpetrator, the killer goes after him toward the end of the book.

 “Deep Freeze,” like so many of your novels, is filled with forensic and police procedural details. Tell us a bit about your research.

I was a newspaper reporter for twenty-five years and reported on a lot of crimes. I wound up talking to cops very frequently. To tell you the truth, it feels a little bit like I’m losing my grip on the procedural and forensic details. Everything has become so scientific, especially with the development of DNA. I mean, you can always get around things like fingerprints, but now there’s DNA evidence, and it seems like there are surveillance cameras everywhere.

In some cases, you can follow people along a street after they commit a crime. During this horrendous shooting spree in Las Vegas, I was watching videos of the massacre as it was happening. People recorded it on their cell phones. These technological advances make it more difficult for us writers to come up with plausible ideas for mysteries and thrillers. Years ago, cops were mystified about who committed a crime and how it was done. But now, the police can pick up every bit of DNA, and it’s gotten to the point where they need only a few molecules or a bit of hair to solve a crime. So now, the perpetrators have to be very clever to fool the cops. A criminal has to wear an environmental suit to be able to get away with a crime. [Laughter]

 You have many interests. Tell us a bit about all your activities in archeology, painting, photography, fishing, canoeing, skiing, and sailing, to name a few.

I’ve been learning to play the guitar for a few years. I’m now seventy-three, and I’ve gotten away from the mountain climbing and the heavy-duty stuff. I’m playing music, writing books, and playing with my dogs.

What kind of dogs?

I’ve got two sixty-pound Belgian Malinois. They want to run, and run, and run.

 Tell us something about your life that might surprise our readers.

Here’s the thing: I read about a lot of writers who’ve struggled and fought to succeed—people who have had a rough time in their lives. Of all the people I know, I probably had the happiest childhood. I had parents and grandparents who loved me and I loved them. My parents were really good people. I loved my brothers and sisters. We had really interesting lives. I’m very grateful for the life I’ve had.

When I think about trauma in my life, it’s only been there because I’ve looked for it. As a reporter, I covered many traumatic stories that have become part of my writing DNA, but those where things I sought out—crimes, murders, and disasters like plane crashes.

 What’s coming next from John Sandford?

I’m about two-thirds of the way finished with a Lucas Davenport book. I’ve also written the first chapter of the next Virgil Flowers book which is going to be quite interesting. It involves residents of a small town that’s dying, and these people are trying to figure out how to bring commerce back to the town. They device a way that’s very strange.

 

 

Congratulations on writing “Deep Freeze,” another suspenseful Virgil Flowers mystery-thriller with lots of action, forensic and police procedures, plenty of cop-humor, and an unforgettable cast of characters.

Mark Rubinstein’s mastery of the New York street scene is on keen display in the final installment of his “Mad Dog” trilogy, “Mad Dog Vengeance” (Thunder Lake Press, $12.99, 320 pages). Aptly titled, given that this luridly effective tale starts with a vengeance and never slows up.

Once again, physician (psychiatrist, actually) Rubinstein’s fictional doppelgänger, surgeon Roddy Dolan, finds himself embroiled in dirty dealings that threaten to destroy his career, as well as himself. You know what they say about making a deal with the devil, for which the New York mob proves an able stand-in as ironic counterpoint.

Dolan is forced to become everything he hates to save everything he loves. This must be the month for gritty morality tales, and Rubinstein attacks his with a skill and aplomb that blends a dash of Harlan Coben with a smidge of Linda Fairstein, seasoned with just enough Andrew Vachss. And that makes “Mad Dog Vengeance” a masterful modern-day crime tale, infused with both charm and depth.

— Jon Land (jonlandauthor@aol.com) has published many thrillers and lives in Providence.

 

 

“MAD DOG VENGEANCE sets the stakes high, raises them even higher, and surges to a spectacular, operatic finale.  Hard-boiled protagonists don’t get much better than Dr. Roddy Dolan, who can save your life—or blow you away.–Joseph Finder, New York Times bestselling author of The Switch

“MAD DOG VENGEANCE is Mark Rubinstein’s best thriller yet—a powerful tale that pulls the reader in, faster and deeper than swirling water in the roughest rapids. If you haven’t met Dr. Roddy Dolan before now, don’t dare to miss this pulse-pounding book—it’s a real winner.”–Linda Fairstein, New York Times bestselling author of the Alex Cooper series

“In MAD DOG VENGEANCE, Mark Rubinstein once again displays the skills and creativity that make him one of the thriller genre’s best writers. The story is a tension-filled adventure that exposes the reader to an array of emotions that shock, amaze, and frighten. What will a man do to protect those he loves, regardless of the price he might pay? Yes, it’s about vengeance, but it’s also about love, friendship, loyalty, morality, courage, and redemption.”–Joseph Badal, Amazon #1 bestselling Author of Dark Angel

“MAD DOG VENGEANCE is a master work of impossible choices and life-changing decisions. A scintillating pop culture mix of Good Fellas and Breaking Bad, Mark Rubinstein’s concluding chapter in his MAD DOG trilogy both talks the talk and walks the walk. Rubinstein never stops challenging his characters in a fashion akin to Harlan Coben and Lisa Gardner.”  –Jon Land, USA Today bestselling author of the Caitlin Strong series of thrillers

“MAD DOG VENGEANCE, the final installment in Mark Rubinstein’s Dr. Roddy “Mad Dog” Dolan’s trilogy, is a thriller in the truest sense of the genre. Expertly drawn characters drive a plot that will keep you up late. Plan on losing some sleep and emerge yourself into a novel written by a true pro. I loved it.” –Scott Pratt, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Joe Dillard series

“In his latest throat-gripping thriller, MAD DOG VENGEANCE, Mark Rubinstein proves his versatility at bringing to life a conflicted character at the cusp of an impossible choice. In scene after scene of action and suspense that draws to a razor sharpness by the end, the story reveals the true depths of the bonds that bind us all together…and what one man will do—and risk—both for vengeance and redemption. Simply a masterpiece of storytelling.” —James Rollins, New York Times bestselling author of The Seventh Plague  

“Don’t tell Dr. Roddy Dolan, the world’s most unlikely hitman, that there’s no such thing as an impossible choice. Rubinstein’s MAD DOG VENGEANCE is an excellent set-up matched only by its execution.”–Reed Farrel Coleman, New York Times bestselling author of What You Break

“Fans of The Sopranos will love this fast-paced thriller of Italian mafia versus Albanian gangsters versus an everyday guy who just wants to protect his family. Loved the explosive end!”–Lisa Gardner, New York Times bestselling author of Right Behind You and the D.D. Warren series

“MAD DOG VENGEANCE blasts out of the gate and never lets up. Yes, it’s an absolute thriller of a novel. But it’s also smart and humane with a great sense of place.”–C.J. Box, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Paradise Valley and Vicious Circle.

 “Mark Rubinstein is one of my favorite writers. Period.”–Simon Toyne – internationally bestselling author of The Sanctus Trilogy and Solomon Creed series. Host of the CBS crime show ‘Written in Blood’

 “Stuck in the middle between warring thugs, Army vet turned doctor, Roddy Dolan, is the perfect guide to the highs and lows of New York City. A moody, atmospheric tale about how buried secrets never stay buried long. And how a Faustian deal can lead a good man to do some very bad things. Think of a Sopranos crossover episode with Trapper John, MD. Great fun and exciting.”–Ace Atkins, New York Times bestselling author of The Fallen and Robert B. Parker’s Little White Lies.

“Mark Rubinstein is a superb storyteller. His novels tap into the deepest of human emotions.”–Raymond Khoury, bestselling author of the Sean Reilly series

 

Harlan Coben is known to millions of readers around the world. His first novel was published when he was twenty-six, and after two stand-alone thrillers, Play Dead in 1990 and Miracle Cure in 1991, he began writing the popular Myron Bolitar series. His 2001 standalone novel, Tell No One, was hugely popular. In 2006, Film director Guillaume Canet made the book into the French thriller, Ne le dis a personne. The movie was the top box office foreign-language film of the year in the U.S.; won the Lumiere (French Golden Globe) for best picture; and was nominated for nine Cesars (French Oscar), winning four awards.

Harlan Coben has gone on to write many more standalone novels. His books regularly appear on the New York Times bestseller list, and more than 70 million have been sold internationally. He was the first writer to receive the Edgar, Shamus, and Anthony Awards.

Don’t Let Go is told through the eyes of New Jersey Detective, Napoleon (Nap) Dumas, who has been mourning the death of his brother, Leo. His brother, along with Leo’s girlfriend, Diana, was killed years earlier by an oncoming train. At the same time, Maura, the love of Nap’s life, broke up with him and disappeared with no explanation. For fifteen years, Nap has been searching for Maura and the real reason for his brother’s death. As so often happen in Harlan Coben’s novels, events coalesce and an ominous scenario begins to unfold—one more sinister than Nap could ever have imagined.

 In an Author’s Note at the start of “Don’t Let Go,” you talk about a legend that circulated in your home town and inspired this novel. Tell us about it.

When I was a kid, there was a wooded area behind an elementary school where a lot of people went, and where teenagers went and did more than just play. There were barbed-wire fences and KEEP OUT signs. Rumor was that it was a Nike missile base with nuclear capabilities. I didn’t really buy into that rumor, but when I was older, I learned it was true. They eventually closed down the base, and I used that as part of the plotline in Don’t Let Go.

 Although Nap Dumas couldn’t be described as an “anti-hero,” he has some qualities that are a bit different from many of your protagonists. Will you talk about that?

Most of my protagonists are pretty happy, sociable people, trying to achieve the American dream. They’re usually married with a couple of kids. Nap is a darker character. I didn’t want him to be too dark or an anti-hero, but he’s much more of a loner. Usually, my guys are well-adjusted, but Nap is not. He’s haunted by some of the ghosts of his past, which he’s trying to exorcise in this book.

 And he’s not above doing something a bit illegal, is he?

[Laughter]. No, he’s not.

 I’ve read many of your books and can’t recall any you wrote in the first person, present tense as in the case of “Don’t Let Go.” Tell us about the different points of view in your storytelling.

I’ve done first person, third person…whatever tells the story best. There’s something about first person, present tense that makes it seem as though Nap is telling this story to a ghost—the ghost of his brother, Leo. It just worked. It felt ridiculously natural. Everyone seems to react enthusiastically to that voice and viewpoint. This is just the way Nap channeled through me. I let him tell his story, and it feels as though the reader is his dead brother, Leo. Also, I think the present tense lends an immediacy to the narrative.

 Many of your books have been characterized as “domestic thrillers.” What about this subgenre makes it so appealing?

The domestic element ensures that readers can identify with the story and the characters. People say, “Write what you know” which I don’t necessarily agree with, but the suburban, domestic situation is what I know very well. It may have something to do with the drive toward the American dream—the wish to have a house, two cars, two kids—and an idyllic life. I have a sort of romantic yet skewed vision of all that.

 The past plays a prominent role in “Don’t Let Go.” In fact, it’s integral to the story. Will you talk about characters’ backstories in your novels?

It’s the iceberg effect. I know a ton of stuff about a character that I don’t reveal. The hard part when I’m writing, is not to give too much backstory at one time. I drop backstory in on a need-to-know basis, a little bit at a time. First-time fiction writers sometimes write a compelling opening paragraph and then proceed to give page after page of backstory. The novel’s pacing is ruined.  Often, less is more. I feel I can do a great deal with dialogue—describing how a person talks, reacts, or feels, rather than writing pages of backstory.

 Is there anything about your writing process that might surprise our readers?

I don’t know if it’s a surprise, but I write much faster toward the end of a novel than at the beginning of the book. The last forty pages of Don’t Let Go were written in one sitting, and were barely rewritten. It’s because I knew how the book was going to end from the first day I began writing it. I get so excited toward the end, I end up writing in a frenzy.

 What do you read when you’re writing a novel?

At the beginning of my career, I might have been more careful. Now, I read anything because my writing voice is distinct, so whatever I read doesn’t interfere with what I’m doing. I’m not one of those writers who can’t read fiction while writing because frankly, I’m writing all the time. [Laughter].

 I understand Netflix subscribers will be able to tune in to something you’ve written.

Yes. Netflix is featuring something called Harlan Coben’s The Five. It was a series that originally aired in Britain, and Netflix is bringing it over for the American and Canadian audiences.

Also, a TV show called Safe is being filmed. It stars Michael C. Hall of Dexter fame and Amanda Abbington from Sherlock.

Another show on Netflix is No Second Chance, a six-part thriller based on my novel.

 What’s coming next from Harlan Coben?

I’m working on a new book, but I never talk about a work in progress. Even though I’m dying to tell people about it, I hold back because the only way I get satisfaction is by writing the book. It’s one of the pieces of writing advice I give to people: Don’t talk about your book until it’s done.

Congratulations on penning “Don’t Let Go,” a beautifully-crafted, multi-layered and powerful tale driven by grief, love, guilt, responsibility, searing emotions and everyday truths to which all readers can relate.