THRILLERS

A thriller by its very definition, is not a feel-good book (or movie) but an experience which is laden with suspense and can cover all sorts of topics such as espionage, crime or mystery i.e. it’s a suspenseful adventure story.

Thrillers popped up more and more from the early 1900’s and probably the most famous one of that era was The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan which set the standard for innocent framed men on the run. An earlier novel with a theme of an innocent protagonist that might not spring to mind as a thriller is The Count of Monte Cristo (1844).

Hitchcock’s very early films such as The Lodger (Jack the Ripper) and The Man Who Knew Too Much were the forerunners of his suspense-thrillers which advanced during the 50’s to movies such as Strangers on a Train.

During the 70’s and 80’s movies such as Play Misty for Me and Deliverance and the so-different Blow Out expanded the genre.

In the 1990’s and onwards spy thrillers in particular became much more technical e.g. Tom Clancy’s novels such as The Hunt for Red October and Patriot Games along with Robert Ludlum’s books about Jason Bourne.

In the 2000’s now we have novels and movies and TV series based on a variety of thriller subgenres:

 Conspiracy thrillers (Da Vinci Code)
 Crime thrillers (Silence of the Lambs)
 Erotic thrillers (Basic Instinct)
 Political thrillers (Day of the Jackal)
 Psychological thrillers (Misery)
 Spy thrillers (Casino Royale)
 Supernatural thrillers (Flatliners)
 Techno thrillers (Jurassic Park)

Recently one of the more successful thriller writers has been Stieg Larsson (Girl with a Dragon Tattoo etc). Interesting that this a little controversy about who did most of the writing of his more recent novels. All adds to the mystique.

The main elements of a good thriller are:

 The protagonists face death, either their own or someone else’s
 The main plotline is a mystery begging to be solved
 The characters are often dragged into conflict and situations that they don’t normally meet (although the spy subgenre of course has a bunch of well-equipped protagonists and antagonists).

Below I’ve laid out some thrillers I’ve read recently that I enjoyed. Sometimes that does not include well known writers since I love finding new writers who satisfy me with their writing. I like MEAT to my thrillers, not necessarily just the promise of it. I won’t describe the plot lines, but I’d suggest you try some of the following books:

A Bodyguard of Lies by Donna del Oro
Upcoming books by new author Liese Sherwood Fabre
The Geneva Convention by Martin Bodenham
Lost in the Bayou by Cornell de Ville (Young Adult)
Bait by Karen Robards
I Can See You by Karen Rose
Face of a Killer by Robin Burcell
Gone by Lisa Gardner
The Killing Floor by Lee Child

I tend to get hold of a writer and read them dry. The above books are only a very little sample of what I read. I read a large quantity of books called romantic suspense which are, in actuality, thrillers; likewise I love detective fiction and police procedurals which are often more thriller than the genre they are purported to be. I guess it’s all down to that old word: marketing.

NEXT WEEK I’ll move on to police procedurals.

WOO HOO! Discounted books, people

This week ONLY, Smashwords are discounting by 25% (!!!) a HUGE number of books. If you read traditional Regencies, here are the links to a couple of mine.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/127113


and


https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/118549

READ AND ENJOY. 25% off in this day and age is not to be sneezed at.

MUSA BLOG HOP - LOST IN THE BAYOU & THE SECOND SON

LOST IN THE BAYOU is published by Musa Publishing. At the risk of sounding over the top, I have to say that this YA novel is AHMAZING. Mean it. I don't read a lot of YA, but the premise of this book hooked me. Just look at the reviews on its Amazon page. Cornell deVille holds the reader until the last page.

Robin and Andy's parents have disappeared - probably in a plane crash. Child Services contact their Uncle Conrad, their only relative, to come and look after them. Uncle Conrad is something else. He has a hook for a hand and he wants them dead so he can take over the family assets. He's also crazy. He relates every circumstance in his life to episodes of The Lone Ranger.

To a background of sixties music, deVille draws out the tension from Robin's point of view; her imagination runs riot and so does the reader's. The novel contains gruesomeness, pathos and fear.

When the kids escape to the Bayou, the terror ratchets up. Well, alligators, a weird tribe hiding in the swamps...I defy any reader from 9-16 to put this book down once they've started it. Oh, and many a reader well past that age.

You can look at it here:

http://www.amazon.com/Lost-in-the-Bayou-ebook.dp/B006H49LL2

It's a mere $3.99 to download.

While you're at it, don't forget to have a look at The Second Son, my Regency under the Clio historical brand from Musa. Find it here:

http://www.musapublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8&products_id=98


It got a stunning 5 star review on Amazon.

This link will take you to the site of the blog hop where you can have a look at a number of Musa's books - all genres.

http://mnusapublishingbloghops.blogspot.com/2012/i-love-musa-books-hop.html


NOW, sweeties, if you respond to this blog post with something REALLY UNUSUAL, you'll win a free download of THE SECOND SON. See further down this site for details of the story. By unusual comments, I am looking for something different - not the usual old "nice cover" or whatever. Say something about Lost in the Bayou or about The Second Son, but say something new.

Mr. Monfort's Marriage

A couple of people have asked for the book cover of MMM. I've had a bit of trouble uploading it. Here's hoping it works this time because it's a great cover.

Okay, finally worked. Here you are Cynthia and Anna!

BLOGGING AT ANNIE SEATON'S RE MMM

What is MMM you say? Why, it's Mr. Monfort's Marriage, of course. My latest Regency Historical from Musa Publishing. And Annie is my editor so of course I watched my p's and q's on her blogsite.

Matthew Monfort is a middle class businessman. I don't do Regency rakes. The writing world is full of them. Okay, sure, there's nobody like a rake for making the heart go pitty-pat. But I like my heroes to be just that--heroes. Not known for what they are worth or their lineage, but known for what they've achieved. And Matthew Monfort has achieved much. He's also just achieved a wife, much to his annoyance. A wife from the Upper Ten Thousand, the useless strata of society that makes him grind his teeth. His father landed him in this fix. Uh huh. Verity is sweet...and intelligent...and kind...and tough...but she needn't think she's going to win him over. No.

Got a lot to learn, hasn't he?

Here's the link to Annie's blogsite:

http://annieseaton.blogspot.com.au/p/friday-friends.html

INTERVIEW AT FAR REVIEWS

Here is a link to my interview today with Fallen Angel Reviews:



It is mainly about my New Zealand set romantic suspense LETHAL REFUGE but also has a few searching professional questions.

Sometimes when you're interviewed you really have to stop and think, don't you? Why do I do such-and-such? Looks like I'm the only writer in the world who likes peace to write in. Everyone else comes up with such imaginative musical backgrounds along with having incense burning etc. etc. Me - I love silence. (Anti-social). http://www.fallenangelreviews.com/Interviews/2012/January-LindaL-VonnieHughes.htm

AND THE WINNER IS...

Actually, it's 'the winners are.' Some of the blogposts in reply to my post about Lethal Refuge were as outstanding as I asked for. Thank you people! Well done.

I couldn't decide between Imelda and Jo Duncan so you both get a copy of LETHAL REFUGE. Imelda sucked up beautifully and Jo's post was downright interesting. Good on you, ladies.

Contact me and I'll post your copies out to you.

Interview at KMN Books

Hop on over to http://www.kmnbooks.blogspot.com/

I'm being interviewed there about LETHAL REFUGE by Karen. Thank you Karen!

FREE ROMANTIC SUSPENSE - LETHAL REFUGE

There's a free copy of my paperback going begging. LETHAL REFUGE, partially romantic suspense and partially police procedural has just been released by the Wild Rose Press.

I'm looking for the best comments posted on this blogsite about either New Zealand, where the novel is set, or about why they read in the romantic suspense genre. No ordinary stuff. Give me something unusual, unpredictable or even outrageous.

Make sure you leave your email addresses.

LETHAL REFUGE

LETHAL REFUGE, my paperback just out from The Wild Rose Press

　

I was born in New Zealand and spent most of my life there, although our family now lives in Australia. The two main differences between Australia and New Zealand are the weather (warmer over most of Australia if you discount Tasmania which is very blue/green like New Zealand because it’s wet and often cold), and the fact that NZ has 4 million people and B-I-G Australia has 21 million residents. Yup. Australia is vast. It is the sixth largest country in the world and has a whole continent to itself. It’s not the sort of place where you get in your car and zip over to Auntie Flo’s. If you hear an Australian say, "It’s just down the road," you know they lie. Sure, it’s just down the road, but the road is a 2,000 kilometer dust-encrusted two-lane bitumen highway straddling two states, millions of curious kangaroos, hundreds of racing emus trying to beat your car, some wild camels, a million gumtrees, several townships and a couple of rivers if you’re lucky. Nor is it the place to get lost in the bush, since much of the bushland looks the same. You can go around in circles forever.

When they say, "It’s just down the road" in New Zealand, they mean it’s down a one-lane bitumen highway that goes for ten kilometers then switches to a gravel road that finishes at Jessop’s farm with 1,000 sheep dotting the peaceful hillsides. And at the back of that farm is bushland, tight, green and impenetrable. In the winter it drips with damp and in the summer the cacophony of cicadas screams in your ears.

But I digress. They say ‘write what you know’ and because I know more about the NZ Police than I do the Australian system, I based LETHAL REFUGE on the NZ system. But I took liberties with the truth. Of course I did. It’s fiction, for heaven’s sake. But think of the British Police and you’ve got a handle on the NZ Police Service which was originally based on the British system.

In LETHAL REFUGE, Célie Francis, a prickly young woman, self-reliant to the point of being irritating, witnesses the aftermath of a murder and is stalked by the murderer. When she is placed in the witness protection program, she can no longer be self-sufficient. She is at the mercy of a bunch of people who want to help her, for God’s sake. And then there’s Brand Turner, the police psychologist with a vulnerable intellect as high as the sky who has an annoying habit of demanding trust from the relocatees. When the murderer seems to track their every move, Célie finally realizes she can’t do stuff on her own any more.

Here’s a link to my Amazon page where you can find it:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Vonnie+Hughes&x=18&y=20

Sydney Bristow clashes with Atticus Finch Downunder. Who can you trust if you can’t trust your own mother? Through the clammy fog, Celie Francis hears the chilling message. "I know who you are, Celie. I know where you live." And in the terrifying aftermath she reconnects with her dysfunctional family in ways she had never imagined.
　
I have attached two pictures to show just how impenetrable the New Zealand bushland can be. The house is Brand’s next door neighbor’s place. Steve and his wife don’t miss much and Brand’s low profile gets shot to hell by Célie’s behavior. The other picture shows the type of area that Célie stumbled around in, right on nightfall. Creepy, huh?
If you have any more questions or would just like to say hi, email me on
In the meantime, have a great day!
　

　vonniehughes@gmail.com