News from The Dead

Lots of exciting news in the world of THE DEAD MAN. The Brilliance Audio edition of THE DEAD MAN V1 -- which includes "Face of Evil," "Ring of Knives," and "Hell in Heaven" -- is now available for pre-order. What makes this especially cool is that "Ring of Knives" author James Daniels performs his own book while his brother Luke Daniels does the others. The Daniels Brothers are experienced audio book performers and we're lucky to have them bringing Matt Cahill and Mr. Dark to life...so-to-speak. The paperback edition of THE DEAD MAN V1 comes out in February.

Meanwhile, James Daniel's latest DEAD MAN tale, "The Beast Within," will be published in just a few weeks.

KILL THEM ALL -- 99 Cents for a Very Limited Time!!

Harry Shannon's KILL THEM ALL, the sixth book in the DEAD MAN series, is bargain priced at 99 cents for a very limited time. And if you visit the product page for the book, you'll find a terrific Q&A interview with the author. Here's an excerpt:

Q: You've written a lot of horror books, including Clan, The Hungry and the Lionsgate movie and novel Dead and Gone. How is the horror in The Dead Man different from what you have done before? 
HS: That's an interesting question. For me, horror is not a genre so much as an emotion, so it can be expressed in any number of ways. I generally gravitate towards dry humor coupled with a serious exploration of existential themes--literally the meaning of life, death and those fragile emotional attachments we form along the way. With my entry Kill Them All, I wanted to use the horror as a metaphor for moral corruption. I immediately saw Matt as the classic American hero, an archetypal loner wandering into and out of a troubled desert town, standing up to evil on behalf of the weak and downtrodden. I often set novels in Nevada, but to answer your question, this one has the feeling of a graphic novel, and though it's contemporary it is far more of a classic western than anything else I've ever done. It tempts me to try my hand at a period piece. 
Q: This is the first time you've written in someone else's "universe." What was it like writing characters you didn't create? 
HS: To be honest, it wasn't easy at first. I'm not used to having to discipline my muse to that degree. Lee Goldberg and William Rabkin were very patient with me, red-lining and sending back a couple of drafts, pointing out where I'd gotten something wrong about Matt's personality or background. The tone had to be just right, and my goofiness had to be reigned in a bit. Kill Them All ended up far, far better as result of their patience. I'll have to prepare and outline more carefully the next time I do a project like this. But once the boundaries were nailed down properly, it just started flowing out. I'm proud of i>Kill Them All. It has substance to it, and was lots of fun to write. 

The Dead Man Rises

Amazon launched their 47North imprint today by offering the first five Dead Man books for just 99 cents. You can also find out the story behind how the books are written on the Amazon Kindle Post.  As of now, the first book in the series, Face of Evil, is a runaway Kindle bestseller, ranked #220. Help us crack the top 100 and buy a copy today!

The Dead Man is Coming Next Week!

The big relaunch of THE DEAD MAN series, and the kick-off of Amazon's new 47North imprint,  is coming on Oct 24 and we can't wait!

In the meantime, you can already pre-order Harry Shannon's November title KILL THEM ALL, James Daniels December book THE BEAST WTIHIN, and the DEAD MAN VOL 1-3 compilation.

Publishers Weekly on The Dead Man leading the 47North Slate

Publisher's Weekly today reported on Amazon launching their new imprint with THE DEAD MAN...

Amazon has added another genre to its publishing stable, with the launch of 47North, a science fiction/fantasy/horror imprint that will publish original and previously published works from new and established authors as well as out-of-print books. “We are especially happy to have a diverse list at launch, and look forward to publishing across a wide range of subgenres,” said Victoria Griffith, publisher of Amazon Publishing’s west coast group. 47North has signed 15 titles at launch with its first title coming from Lee Goldberg and William Rabkin, the authors of Successful Television Writing and who have written and/or produced scores of highly successful network television series, including Diagnosis Murder, Spenser: For Hire, and Baywatch. Their digital-first novel, Face of Evil, will be published this month; four more installments will also be published in October, with a new adventure following each month thereafter. A print compilation of the first three novels will publish in January 2012.

 

Amazon Launches 47North with THE DEAD MAN

Today, Amazon announced the launch of their new sf/fantasy/horror imprint 47North...and one of the premiere titles is THE DEAD MAN series. Our kick-off is coming in just a couple of weeks...in a very big way...and we can't wait!

More Word from the Dead

Ron Hogan at Reader's Entertainment has written a great background piece on THE DEAD MAN series and our new deal with Amazon. Here's an excerpt:

“Ultimately, we are the ones responsible for maintaining the consistency of the franchise and turning in great books to Thomas & Mercer,” Goldberg explains; each book is commissioned on a work-for-hire basis, with the authors receiving an advance and splitting royalties with the series’ creators. Although Thomas & Mercer will be paying a lower royalty rate than the 70 percent Goldberg and Rabkin earned while self-publishing, the deal is still “much better than what we would get from a traditional publishing contract,” he says. “In addition, we are going to move a lot more units than we would thanks to Amazon’s marketing and promotional savvy on their own platform.” 

That’s welcome news for Goldberg, who attributes much of the “great” sales for Face of Evil to a guest post he wrote for Amazon’s Kindle blog in which he described how the series was connected to his love of classic “men’s adventure” novels that flourished when the paperback market was in its heyday. “The other books [in the series] were doing fine, but not spectacularly well,” he admits. “Nowhere near what we saw as their potential, based on the amazing critical response and reader reviews we’ve been getting.” 

When Amazon’s audiobook division, Brilliance Audio, began negotiating at the beginning of the summer with Goldberg and Rabkin about audio versions of the series, Thomas & Mercer quickly became involved as well. “They instantly understood what we were hoping to accomplish with the series,” Goldberg says. “They saw the potential in it and, like us, were frustrated that it hadn’t been tapped yet.”

The Dead Man Reborn

We are thrilled to announce that Amazon's Thomas & Mercer imprint has picked up THE DEAD MAN series in a unique and exclusive 12-book digital & print deal ... with an option for more. But that's not all. Brilliance Audio will be also be rolling out their own editions of the books.

The five books that we've already published -- FACE OF EVIL, RING OF KNIVES, HELL IN HEAVEN, THE DEAD WOMAN, and THE BLOOD MESA -- will be re-released in the days leading up to Halloween ... so keep your eyes peeled for great offers.

The sixth book in the series will be released in November and will be followed each month by another new adventure in the continuing saga of Matt Cahill, a man resurrected from the dead to battle evil among us that only he can see.

Amazon will also be releasing three-book compilations of THE DEAD MAN series in trade paperback (as well as in specially priced digital editions). The release dates of the first compilation, and the Brilliance Audio editions, have not been determined yet ... but we’re hoping they'll be ready for Christmas.

Lee Goldberg and William Rabkin will continue to run the series, which they're writing with a terrific group of action, horror, mystery, SF and western authors, like James Daniels, David McAfee, James Reasoner, Harry Shannon, Joel Goldman, Mel Odom, Jude Hardin, Lisa Klink, Mark Ellis, Matthew Mayo, Joe Nassise, Bill Crider, Marcus Pelegrimas, Matt Witten, Marcus Pelegrimas, Burl Barer, and Phoef Sutton.

And we couldn't have hoped for a better partner than Amazon’s Thomas & Mercer. We just returned from meeting with the Thomas & Mercer team (including editors Terry Goodman and Andy Bartlett) in Seattle and was blown away by their creativity, enthusiasm, and eagerness to see THE DEAD MAN reach its full potential. They get exactly what we are trying to do with this series.

And what is that, you ask?

We want to capture the spirit of the “men’s action adventure” paperbacks of the 70s and 80s – short, tightly-written books full of hard-boiled heroes, outrageously sexy women, wild adventure, and gleefully over-the-top plots – and reboot the genre for a new generation that maximizes the potential of the Kindle.

And with Thomas & Mercer behind us, we don't see how we can fail.

CLAN Kindle Nation Daily Book of the Day Today

Harry Shannon here, author of The Dead Man: Kill Them All. My horror thriller CLAN is Kindle Nation Book of the Day Today. Read all about it here...

http://kindlenationdaily.com/2011/09/kindle-nation-bargain-book-alert-harry-shannons-clan-is-our-ebook-of-the-day-at-just-2-99-with-4-9-stars-on-18-reviews-and-heres-a-free-sample/

The Dead Man is Alive and Well

We appreciate all the emails asking about the status of the September release in the THE DEAD MAN series. This month's book, and possibly next month's as well, have been temporarily delayed. But don't worry, THE DEAD MAN is alive and well (pun very much intended)...and many more adventures are coming from a dozen terrific writers. The brief suspension in the publishing schedule is related to some really exciting DEAD MAN news that we wish we could reveal now....but we can't. But trust us, it's big..

"The Greatest TV Show That's Not On the AIr"

We got a terrific review from Exploitation Retrospect for THE DEAD MAN: FACE OF EVIL. They say, in part:

If you're anything like me – a card-carrying HorrorDad^TM who fits in his reading time between pre-school drop-off/pick-up, meals, swim lessons, exercising, grocery store trips and the like – FACE OF EVIL (and the other Dead Man books I'll be reviewing soon) gets my highest recommendation. The book is short and fast-paced, but never feels rushed, and you'll find yourself looking for any excuse to bang out the next chapter. And, like an adaptation of the greatest tv show that's not on the air, the end will leave you wanting more. NOW! 

CLAN released!

Harry Shannon here, author of  #6 in the series, The Dead Man: Kill Them All!

My new one is out, a horror/thriller called CLAN. It is $3.99 on Kindle.

They have been among us for thousands of years. One mysterious gene they carry lies dormant—until they change. Joe Case is an ex-cop searching for the man who humiliated his sister. Kelly McCammon is a Hollywood executive running from the Russian mob. Destiny leads them to tiny Salt Lick, Nevada…A town under siege.

"CLAN is a thriller with a genuine bite. Once Harry Shannon gets his claws in you he will not let go! Highly recommended."
—Jonathan Maberry, New York Times Bestselling author of Patient Zero and Dust & Decay

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005IDKXDI/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_dp_SfNuob0Z436WN

DEAD MAN #5: BLOOD MESA Will Give you a Bookgasm

The good folks over at Bookgasm really enjoyed The Blood Mesa. They say, in part:

These DEAD MAN books are coming out as fast as possible, never allowing the readers to catch a breath. And that is a good thing. Especially with the fifth entry, THE BLOOD MESA, which goes from 0 to 60 really quick.
[...]Author James Reasoner never lets up with the action or tense moments. There is plenty of ax-swinging to go around, and again, more of the Mr. Dark mythos of the series in full effect, showing that Dark has been around a lot longer than believed. Reasoner really lets loose with the gore and throws in a human sacrifice to cap things off.This is actually the shortest so far for the DEAD MAN series, but readers will not feel cheated since once the action kicks in, it does not stop until the last page. “Bring on book six!” is all I can say. 

Don't Wet Yourself

Tomb it May Concern nearly wet himself reading THE DEAD MAN: RING OF KNIVES.

 These books WILL kick you in the ass and make you sit gingerly on the edge of your seat before punching you in the gut with awesome bursts of horror!  [...] Well, it sucks to be Matt, this we know, but damn!  He ends up in an Institution of Fleshy Dissolution completely by accident, but fate deals the cards and the Dead Man will play them through.  He gets tortured, he battles evil. He kicks a ton of ass. There is horror. There is action. There is tension.  I wet my pants.  I...wait, I didn't wet my pants, thankfully I was on the toilet when I read the part that has Matt laying the boots to nuts on a cloddish foe.

Sinister Urge has discovered THE DEAD MAN and likes what they've found.

They’re fast-paced action stories with some genuinely creepy horror elements in equal measure. There’s also enough (dark) humor to keep things from getting too depressing. They’re quick reads, but at only $2.99 each, they’re good value for money. I’m looking forward to getting caught up on the series, and then reading each new one as it comes out.

A Bloody Good Read

THE DEAD MAN #5: THE BLOOD MESA by James Reasoner was released today and is already garnering rave reviews throughout the blogosphere. Permission to Kill says:

This month’s instalment in The Dead Man series is The Blood Mesa by James Reasoner and a bloody good read it is too – with the emphasis on the word ‘blood’ – but you knew that from the title, didn’t you? [...]The joy comes from, not only a story that delivers what it promises, but told at such pace that it will leave most readers breathless. This story is the literary equivalent to a drag strip race, with the title page being the starting line, and the first paragraph being the green light. From its opening, the story keeps accelerating until its brutal climax. That truly is its strength – it’s rapid fire pace and its unflinching brutality (which you’ve got to expect from a series featuring an axe wielding hero).

Post-Modern Pulps also enjoyed the exhilarating pace and non-stop action.

The story riffs off of some creepy western themes, with a hefty dose of cannibalism, whacko/zombie-movie mania, and did I mention there's a few sticks of dynamite thrown in for good measure? The Blood Mesa [is] another excellent yarn from the Texan author - it is highly recommended.

And our friends at Wag the Fox are onboard for the fun, too.

 If you ever read Scott Smith's The Ruins, or watched the film adaptation as I did, then you might be familiar with the idea of a supernatural force inflicting itself on a group of isolated students on an ancient archeological site. There was a lot of drawn out suspense with that film, as I recall, gradually building the tension until they finally decided to make a break for it. Reasoner doesn't mince around with any of that and goes straight for the jugular, ramping up the danger almost immediately, plunging Matt, the professors, and students, in a blood-soaked rampage that echoes the kind of tragedy that may have befallen the Anasazi. While you aren't too worried about Matt making it out alive, he's got several freaked out college types about to be plunged into his world--and not all of them are making it out alive. [...] I really got a kick out of this one and I think it holds up very well with the rest of the series.

If you haven't read the DEAD MAN series yet, this is the perfect time to start!

Five Stars for THE DEAD MAN

There's a short review of DEAD MAN: FACE OF EVIL in the June issue of Crimespree Magazine. 

THE DEAD MAN: FACE OF EVIL by Lee Goldberg & William Rabkin is the first in a series of novellas that harken back to the days of serials. Different authors will be writing different chapters in this battle of good and evil with Matthew Cahill at the heart of it all. An accident leaves Cahill able to see a shadow world normal people can't, and now he's driven to save us all. Damn good fun. 

And Futures Mystery Anthology Magazine gave five stars to James Reasoner's THE DEAD MAN: THE BLOOD MESA.  They say, in part:

If you like horror with a dash of suspense then you should read the DEAD MAN series. They are not only fun but addictive [...]This series is a delightful journey in good versus evil. There is a mixture of fantasy, horror, with a sprinkle of suspense. All of the books in the series are great and THE BLOOD MESA is no exception. As Mr. Reasoner takes on the journey with Matt, we are thrown around with evil. We experience the pains Matt feels.[...] We can see the sores, feel heat, and feel pain as Matt does! The BLOOD MESA is excellent as are all the books in the DEAD MAN series. On a scale of 1 to 5, I give it a 5!

Writing THE BLOOD MESA

When Lee Goldberg asked me to be part of the Dead Man series that he and William Rabkin created, I didn’t hesitate to say yes.  For one thing, I’ve been an admirer of their writing for a long time, since well before I knew them, and I was excited about the opportunity to work with them.

For another, I thought they had come up with an intriguing concept and a great protagonist in Matt Cahill, the man who should have died but didn’t and now wanders the world battling against evils that only he can see.  This is a perfect set-up for a series, because the writers can take Matt almost anywhere they want to and tell a wide variety of stories.

And I was excited as well by the chance to tackle a different sort of yarn from what I usually write.  Even though I started out as a mystery writer and had sold more than a million words of mystery fiction before I wrote much of anything else, there’s no doubt that I’ve been best known for most of my career as an author of historical fiction, using settings and time periods ranging from biblical times to the Vietnam War.  But the Dead Man series is set firmly in our own time, even though THE BLOOD MESA has some historical background to it, and it’s nice to get back to something contemporary.

Not only that, but it has strong elements of horror and the supernatural, and for the most part this is unexplored territory for me in my work.  True, I’ve done a few Westerns that had mild supernatural elements (often of the Scooby-Doo variety!), but THE BLOOD MESA is the first real horror novel I’ve written, even though I’ve been a reader and fan of horror for many, many years.

But most important of all for me, writing THE BLOOD MESA was fun, just as I thought it would be.  I had an absolutely great time with it, for all those reasons I’ve talked about, and I hope the readers can tell how much I enjoyed it.  If they can, then chances are that they’ll be entertained by it as well.

Post-Modern DEAD WOMAN

The gang at Post-Modern Pulps digs David McAfee's THE DEAD WOMAN. They say, in part:

There is also more conflict with Mr. Dark, the ancient and demonic entity who torments Matt on his adventures.  We are given glimpses of more layers beneath other layers; the plots of the DEAD MAN stories continue to shed light on something much more elaborate, perhaps even epic, taking place with Matt caught in the middle having far more questions than answers.

The DEAD MAN series has gone on for some months now, with several more books on the way, and it is in no danger of growing stale.  In fact, with each new author comes a new perspective, a new lens through which we are viewing this twisted world.

Coming in two weeks... James Reasoner's THE BLOOD MESA!

News from THE DEAD MAN

The cover for THE DEAD MAN #6: KILL THEM ALL by Harry Shannon has just come in from Carl Graves and we think it's one of the best yet. The book comes out in August.


David McAfee's THE DEAD WOMAN keeps getting kudos. Paul D. Brazill writes "The fourth  adventure in  Lee Goldberg and William Rabkin's exciting  cliff-hanger horror /thriller serial, The Dead Man,  is another beaut" and Futures Mystery Magazine raves "THE DEAD MAN THE DEAD WOMAN excites, is suspenseful and keeps the reader on their toes!  If you like suspense with some horror, you will love this series.  Think Koontz, King and you have it!  Great series and THE DEAD MAN THE DEAD WOMAN does not disappoint! 

Emmy-award winning writer/producer Phoef Sutton has joined the ranks of DEAD MAN writers and his notion for his upcoming novel is, as you might expect, refreshingly original and darkly funny. We can't wait to read it!

Advance reading copies of James Reasoner's THE DEAD MAN #5: THE BLOOD MESA has just gone out to reviewers and bloggers. The book will be published in early July.

Man Eating Bookworm Devours THE DEAD WOMAN

The Man Eating Bookworm thinks David McAfee's THE DEAD WOMAN is one of the best in the series so far...

This series just gets better and better with each new instalment in Matt Cahill's ongoing hunt for Mr. Dark and the reasons behind his macabre abilities.This is a terrific little book. It's well written, tight and meets with my one requirement for an excellent Dead Man book. A little axe swinging action! [...] I've said before but it's worth repeating. This is a great series. If you haven't jumped onboard yet, you're missing out.

The Tainted DEAD MAN

The Tainted Archive takes an up-close look at THE DEAD MAN series today and interviews co-creator Lee Goldberg about it's evolution. Here's an excerpt:

there have been four titles thus far, with the fifth on the way and more beyond that. In my review of the first book in the series, Face of Evil I commented on the humour which provided ligh relief in what is essentially a very dark series.

"We firmly believe that humor humanizes and reveals characters, especially in extraordinary situations, and allows us to relate to them on a much more personal level. There's humor even in some of the darkest moments in our lives. And where we find that humor, and why we do, says a lot about who we are. We've kind of strayed a bit from the humor in the first book and we'd like to see us get back to that. But that said, we're really enjoying the unique take that each novelist is bringing to their story in the series. It's made it a lot of fun for us...and we're discovering new things about Matt Cahill and his world along the way." Lee Goldberg.

And staying true to the projects origins as a TV script Lee and Bill decided to recruit world class writers from the mystery, western, horror, science fiction and suspense genres to write books from their original outlines. For just as with a TV series a team of writers usually work from a series of outlines, then so too would the writers contributing to the Dead Man series - this allows for an overall structure to be maintained while each new writer brings something new to the series.

Permission to Read

The folks at Permission to Kill think that David McAfee's THE DEAD WOMAN brings some new depth to the DEAD MAN series. They say, in part:

This entry doesn’t have the sly humour or cynicism of the Lee Goldberg and William Rabkin penned entries, nor does it have the spine-tingling style of James Daniels Ring of Knives. Instead it is more intriguing, and reveals a fraction more of ‘The Dead Man’ mythos. It also sets up a plot deviation that could bring quite a bit of fun in future entries … by fun, I of course, mean blood-stained mayhem! [...]this book is a core book – possibly more important than the second and third stories – as it really delves into what it means to be ‘The Dead Man’ or ‘The Dead Woman’ as the case may be. And as such this insight should prove essential in the ongoing adventures of Cahill.

"Running Cold" and "The Mick Callahan Novels" Kindle Books of the Day!

Harry Shannon here, author of The Dead Man: Kill them All!

We have a very nice Kindle Nation feature today on both "Running Cold" and "The Mick Callahan Novels" at discount Kindle prices. Thought I'd pass it along, hope you will too...

http://kindlenationdaily.com/2011/06/kindle-ebook-of-the-day-harry-shannons-running-cold-the-latest-in-the-popular-mick-callahan-mystery-series-4-9-stars-from-21-reviews-and-just-2-99-on-kindle-read-this-free-sample-and-yo

DEAD WOMAN wins praise

The Dead Man #3: The Dead Woman by David McAfee is off to a fine start, winning raves across the blogosphere. Right What You Know appreciated the "subtle mysterious feel to this book [that] left me wanting more," while Jaime Anastasiow dubbed it "one of my favorite installments...[I] couldn't put the Kindle down."  Gelati's Scoop declared  that they are "hooked on this series; no two are the same, and they appear with regularity. My kind of stuff: a fun steady character, different backdrops and situations, and great action. What more can a reader ask for? [...] You don’t have to be a fan of horror to enjoy this, just a fan of fun." 

David McAfee on writing THE DEAD WOMAN

This was a new experience for me. When Lee Goldberg emailed me and asked if I would like to do a story in a series he and William Rabkin had created called THE DEAD MAN, I accepted because it sounded like a great opportunity to help spread my work around, but I had my doubts I could pull it off. Not because I doubted my chops, but because I wasn’t sure I could write a story in what was, essentially, someone else’s universe. Matt Cahill already had a well-defined personality and back story in place, and they would dictate his reactions and thoughts. Usually, I let the characters do that while I discover who they are. Since Matt already existed, it presented a set of challenges I’d never faced before, and I just wasn’t sure I could operate within those confines. Still, I figured I’d give it a shot. I sent Lee a very basic synopsis of the story idea I had for the series. He emailed me back and gave me the green light, and off I went.

It turned out to be the most fun I’ve had writing in years.

Matt Cahill is an extremely interesting character to write, and it is partially because those guidelines have already been established that I was able to write with such freedom. I didn’t have to worry about establishing character, and instead I stuck him where I wanted and ran with it. The result of this is a novella I am extremely proud of. That’s not to say I couldn’t have done better - I always read over my work and find things I could tweak - but I’m pleased with the end result. I hope the readers will enjoy it, too.

My son was born just before I began writing THE DEAD WOMAN, and for a while it was rough finding the time to spend on the project. It helped that Lee did not establish a deadline. I kinda did that on my own when I told him I would have a draft to him by Tax Day. As the date got closer and my son let us sleep less and less, I started to worry. There were some days I didn’t get to write anything at all. Fortunately I made it by the deadline. Barely.

THE DEAD WOMAN also marks the first time I’ve ever worked with a real copy editor. Up ‘till now it’s just been me and whatever my friends could catch. I have to say that was fun. I can see why it would get less fun over time, because it requires you to go back and revisit areas of the book you thought were done, but for a first timer like me, it was a blast.

And that’s how I would describe my experience writing the book and THE DEAD MAN series in general: A Blast. I had a lot of fun. Hopefully it shows in the writing.

Thank you, Lee, for the great opportunity. May this series last for decades!

DEAD MAN #4: THE DEAD WOMAN now available!

David McAfee's THE DEAD WOMAN, the fourth book in the DEAD MAN series, is out today as an ebook on the Kindle, the Nook , and on Smashwords, as well  as in a trade paperback edition.

The widely acclaimed DEAD MAN series is about Matthew Cahill, an ordinary man leading a simple life...until a shocking accident changes everything. Now he can see a nightmarish netherworld of unspeakable evil and horrific violence that nobody else does...

For Cahill, each day is a journey into a dark world he knows nothing about...a quest for the answers to who he is and what he has become...and a fight to save us, and his soul, from the clutches of pure evil.

He thought he was alone with his torment, but in a small town in Tennessee, terrorized by a vicious serial killer, Matt meets a woman sees what he does…and together they must confront a horrific and immortal terror that thrives on death.

David McAfee is the author of the Kindle bestseller 33 A.D., a bloody thrill-ride through biblical Jerusalem that pits Jesus Christ against vampire assassins. So naturally we thought he'd be perfect fit for THE DEAD MAN series.

THE DEAD MAN books have been getting some fantastic reviews...here's just a sampling:

The story races by at a brisk rate of knots, each twist and turn, and shift in time providing another revelation [...] I was enjoying it so much, I didn't want it to end. --Permission to Kill Blog 

THE DEAD MAN FACE of EVIL reminds me of Stephen King and Dean Koontz.[...]a fascinating horror story that leaves you wanting more, more, more!  --Futures Mystery Anthology Magazine 

Hell in Heaven is a direct spiritual descendant of the sorts of awesome pulp action adventure tales that the greats like Robert E. Howard loved to write.  --Post-Modern Pulps

I've not seen a writing tandem like this since the glory days of Richard Sapir and Warren Murphy --Bookgasm

Hell in Heaven is the best so far in an already splendid series and is super rush of a read with plenty of sharp twists and turns and some truly smashing lines. --Paul D. Brazill

This series has kept me rapt from the first page [...]these authors are the Jamaican sprint team doing the 4x100m relay, each stage just gets better and better. --Right What You No

Isn't it time you started reading THE DEAD MAN series?

Buy THE WALK for 99 cents this week...and get THE DEAD MAN for free!

It was two years ago today that, at Joe Konrath's urging, I began my "Kindle Experiment" by making my out-of-print book THE WALK available as an ebook. I've sold close to 20,000 copies of THE WALK since then...and to celebrate, I am pricing the book at just 99 cents for the next week.
 
And as a special gift, if you email me proof of purchase of THE WALK at lee AT leegoldberg.com, I will email you, in return, a free copy of THE DEAD MAN #1: FACE OF EVIL.

That's two books for just 99 cents. You can't beat that!

Criminal-E: Harry Shannon interview: Running Cold

Harry here, have a new interview up with the UK's Allan Guthrie at Criminal-E.

Criminal-E: Harry Shannon interview: Running Cold:

"Running Cold by Harry Shannon £2.10/$2.99 Amazon UK , Amazon US Stoker-nominated author Harry Shannon has written four Mick Callahan mysteries..."

Heavenly Praise for HELL

THE DEAD MAN #3: HELL IN HEAVEN lived up Bookgasm's high expectations:

THE DEAD MAN series has become one of my favorite things to look forward to on a monthly basis. On top of that, they are lean and mean reading material, and the third book, HELL IN HEAVEN, amps up the mean aspect. For fans who have been wondering where the ax has been, it’s back in a big, bloody way. 

And the Journey of a Bookseller blog almost found much to like in this new tale:

One thing about these stories, once you start one, you won't move until you've finished it.  They are fast paced, nasty reads that are best during daylight hours.  And I sure enjoy reading them.

Coming next week: THE DEAD MAN #4: THE DEAD WOMAN.

 

More Kudos for HELL IN HEAVEN

Paul D. Brazill thinks HELL IN HEAVEN is the best yet in the series. He said, in part:

Hell in Heaven is the best so far in an already splendid series and is super rush of a read with plenty of sharp twists and turns and some truly smashing lines.

Gelati's Scoop liked it a lot, too. He says...

I am a sucker for a good sense of humor and sense of irony. This story has it pouring out of its skin like an Italian guy that has had way too much garlic in his last meal. Do I know much about that, the garlic stuff maybe, being able to write like these legends, no. You have read my posts so you know the score on that. The characters and the universe they have created here is nothing short of original, fun, scary, and totally laughable. The combination makes for a read that is quick, insightful, engaging and thumb numbing. 

And the Man-Eating Bookworm gobbled up HELL IN  HEAVEN with delight:

In my review of THE DEAD MAN: RING OF KNIVES I had one concern, the absence of Cahill's trusty axe. Though the story was exceptional, full of action and suspense, I couldn't help but remiss the lack of axe swinging fun. Well, all I can say is...THE AXE IS BACK!
If you haven't read THE DEAD MAN books you are certainly missing out on some terrific reads. If you've read the first two and haven't got around to book three yet, stop your procrastinating and download this sucker. You'll be glad that you did.

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We'd love to get your review, too. So what are you waiting for? Grab one of the DEAD MAN books today!

Pulp Serenade Grills Goldberg

Our friends at Pulp Serenade, who have been so kind to our books, have an extensive interview with DEAD MAN co-creator Lee Goldberg. Here's an excerpt regarding THE DEAD MAN:

PS: What do you think are the qualities that make a good action hero, and how did you try to work them into Matt Cahill's character?

LG: Vulnerability, humor, a clear point-of-view, understandable goals, and something personal at stake in what is happening around him.

What brings out all of those aspects of his character are stories with strong conflicts and obstacles that challenge our hero in ways that make him test his own abilities, confront his fears and limitations, and question his own judgment. We really wanted Matt to be an everyman, a regular guy, someone who genuinely cares about people, feels pain, and experiences self-doubt and fear. But we also wanted him to embody the classic traits of the western hero…a personal sense of honor, rugged determination, uncommon courage, and a loner’s wanderlust… combined with a very un-Western sentimental humanity, a sadness and longing for connection that makes him sympathetic and relatable. He’s The Man with No Name combined with Dr. Richard Kimble in TV’s The Fugitive. He’s a working class, decent guy who finds himself in an extraordinary situation who wants nothing more than to just go home and lead a normal, quiet, unremarkable life again.

HELL IN HEAVEN Gets Heavenly Reviews

We're thrilled with the reviews that are coming in for Dead Man #3 Hell in Heaven. This one from Post-Modern Pulps was especially flattering, since they really seem to get what we are trying to do with the series and with this book. They say, in part:

THE DEAD MAN #3: Hell in Heaven is a direct spiritual descendant of the sorts of awesome pulp action adventure tales that the greats like Robert E. Howard loved to write. Its got magic, its got evil, its got murder, its got beautiful women and grotesque violent freaks out for our hero's blood. It's even got axe-fighting and law-giving and a general tone of complete badassery.

[...]By tapping into the sort of stories written by Howard and Leiber that I feel defined the 30's Sword & Sorcery pulps, and a generation later the post-modern pulps of such writers as Gardner Fox and Karl Wagner, Hell in Heaven further cements THE DEAD MAN series as a crossroads of pulp action, a storyline open and flexible enough to accommodate any niches or sub-genres. This means that as each new author comes in to write the next volume in the series, they have the artistic license to approach the story from the angle they find the most comfortable, ensuring a lot of variety and quality in these stories for a long time to come. 

We are flattered and humbled. We feel the same way about this review from Right What You Know, which says, in part:

This series has kept me rapt from the first page, quite an accomplishment considering that the authors have been running a baton relay of writing. Fortunately these authors are the Jamaican sprint team doing the 4x100m relay, each stage just gets better and better

We hope you'll like Dead Man #3 Hell In Heaven as much as they did!

Two Raves for HELL IN HEAVEN

DEAD MAN #3 HELL IN HEAVEN is just out...and already the reviews are coming in. Our friends at Permission to Kill liked this one a lot. They say, in part:

Those who have read the first two installments of The Dead Man series, myself included, have been waiting for Matt to start wielding the axe. The axe has already established itself as a symbol for The Dead Man character – look at the logotype on the book cover above – and as such, it’s time for it to take centre stage. And here, Matt starts chopping, not just wood, but at some of the things that go bump in the night. However, despite his affinity for the axe, initially he is not as confident as you might think. Matt is still pretty much human – an everyman – so his first foray into the world of fighting the forces of darkness with his preferred weapon, certainly cannot be compared to the fluid, muscular hacking displayed by Conan the Barbarian (although Conan is named-checked a few times in the story).

Hell in Heaven, once again is a brisk entry in the series, and I am pleased to report that the story didn’t go anywhere that I predicted. After the first two installments, in my head, I thought I had figured out the formula and the pattern the series would take, but this sort of threw me (which is good!) If the series keeps presenting stories as deliciously unpredictable as this (but obviously within the boundaries already established), then I can see myself continuing to read and enjoy The Dead Man’s adventures.

Randy Johnson also gave it a rave on his blog. He wrote, in part:

Lee Goldberg and William Rabkin have crafted an interesting series here, combining elements of the old men’s adventure novels from the seventies with a touch of horror. It’s working well..

We appreciate the great reviews! And don't forget, the first book in the series, Face Of Evil, is only 99 cents for a limited time...

DEAD MAN #3: HELL IN HEAVEN is Out

The third book in the DEAD MAN series, HELL IN HEAVEN, is now available on the Kindle, as a trade paperback, and on the Nook.  Here's the story...

Matthew Cahill was an ordinary man leading a simple life until a shocking accident changed everything. Now he can see a nightmarish netherworld that nobody else does. Now each day is a journey into a dark world he knows nothing about, a quest for the answers to who he is and what he has become...and a fight to save us, and his soul, from the clutches of pure evil.

HELL IN HEAVEN

The sign on the exit reads "Heaven." What better place could there be for a dead man to visit? But when Matt takes the ramp, he finds a banner welcoming him by name to a tiny town seemingly left behind by the 21st century... and waiting for him to rescue it. But when he agrees to save Heaven's citizens from a coming terror, he discovers that evil has more faces than he could ever imagine - and good is far more complicated than he ever dreamed.

BONUS MATERIAL

* the first two chapters of THE DEAD MAN #4: THE DEAD WOMAN by David McAfee

* The first chapter of JUDGMENT, the first book in the JURY SERIES, by Lee Goldberg.

Blood and Guts

DEAD MAN author Joel Goldman does a TV interview about his writing process...and his approach to violence in his novels. You can see it here.

THE DEAD MAN Goes Down

Blogger Jaime Anastasiow has given the upcoming Dead Man #3: Hell in Heaven a rave review...

This is book #3 in the series and I loved it just as much as the first two. The main character, Matt Cahill, is finally fully realizing that he is dead and he's taking on the role of saving the world quite well. In fact, he glories in the power a little bit in this installment and the result of that is endearing and funny. I love this character because he never seems to realize quite how good he is, and watching him struggle in an effort to do the right thing makes for great entertainment. How these authors created such a likable, out to save the world, good-natured character who also happens to be going down on women, whether in remembrances of things past, or in the present, in almost every book I'll never know. It does make it interesting and I'll admit it's done well. It's smoothly weaved in without mushy or overly sexual scenes. What can I say, these boys know how to write!  

Hell in Heaven comes out May 4...

Such a Deal

The Dead Man series is featured today on Kindle Nation...because we've priced Face of Evil  at a mere 99 cents for a limited time...as a gateway drug for Ring of Knives and the Hell In Heaven (which comes out in a few days).

Western Roots of THE DEAD MAN

DEAD MAN co-creator Lee Goldberg was interviewed by the Tainted Archive, a blog that often talks about westerns, and discussed Matt Cahill's cowboy roots.

"The Dead Man" is about Matt Cahill, an ordinary guy who, after a terrible accident, is able to see evil and a supernatural world that other people don't. Now he's wandering the country trying to find the answers to who he is, and what he supposed to do, while the same time stopping evil before it strikes and helping people trouble. It's a simple format...but offers the opportunity for a wide range of stories. In many ways it's a modern-day western, which may be why so many western writers have been attracted to the project. 

Bill Crider, James Reasoner, Matthew P. Mayo and Mel Odom are just some of the western veterans writing "Dead Man" books for us. And although I've never written a western novel myself (unless you count "Mr. Monk in Trouble"),  I'm a huge Western fan and have devoured the works of Frederick Manfred, Richard Wheeler, Elmer Kelton, A.B. Guthrie, Homer Hatten, H.A. DeRosso, Ed Gorman, Larry McMurtry, William Hopson, Harry Whittington and Frank Bonham, to name a few. That love of westerns is reflected in "The Dead Man," right down to the name of our hero -- "Matt" is from Matt Dillon and "Cahill" is from "Cahill: US Marshal."

Where We're At

The adventures of THE DEAD MAN are coming in now, fast and furious.

THE DEAD MAN #3 HELL IN HEAVEN by Lee Goldberg & William Rabkin is coming on May 4 and David McAfee's DEAD MAN #4 THE DEAD WOMAN is set for June. THE BLOOD MESA by James Reasoner, FIRE AND ICE by Jude Hardin, LUST FOR BLOOD by Harry Shannon, CRUCIBLE OF FIRE by Mel Odom, DEAD AND SOBER by Burl Barer are just some of the books that will roll out over the next few months...so you aren't going to be lacking for horror and action this summer.

Banging on All Cylinders

The Mighty Blowhole is mighty pleased with DEAD MAN #2 RING OF KNIVES. He says, in part:

Apparently this action/horror series is going to be handled by a series of guest authors after having been created by Lee Goldberg and William Rabkin. [...] But if they all handle it as well as James Daniels has, then I'm all for it, because so far this story's still banging on all cylinders. This time it's a bit of a Shock Corridor scenario mixed with the series' supernatural-Fugitive-like storyline as back-from-the-dead hero Matt Cahill gets caught in a run-down, out-of-control mental hospital. [...] Fast-moving and well-written novella continuing what's turning out to be a very good series. 

Read it soon...because book #3 in the series, HELL IN HEAVEN, is coming in May!

More Kudos for Cahill

The Book'em Benj-o blog liked RING OF KNIVES by James Daniels. They say, in part:

another frightening outing for our hero come back to life. Daniels does a very good job tying his story to the foundational story of the series creators. One thing that I miss is the attachment to his grandfather’s axe which gets only a cursory mention at the beginning of the story. Otherwise, if you like action, adventure, horror, blood, and gore, you’re destined for one of your favorite stories. 

And the first DEAD MAN tale, FACE OF EVIL, earned a rave from the Paper Knife blog in Hungary.  Thanks to Google translate, we were able to muddle through. Here's a translated n excerpt:

The Face of Evil is crazy fun reading. An almost perfect combination of a certain b-genres, a non-stop action and the bloody horror [...]  sometimes funny, sometimes chilling, sometimes deeply human. Total professional.

 Remember, Face of Evil is priced at just 99 cents...but that super-low price ends in just a few weeks!