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Tuesday, July 31, 2012

The One Where My Impatience Pays Off—For You (With a Giveaway!)

I'm not a terribly patient person.  I wish I was.  It would come in handy with this whole motherhood thing and, really, this whole life thing.  Generally, my inability to wait gets me in trouble, either because I spend too much money on something I could have gotten for cheaper or I make a rash decision that would have turned out better if I'd thought about it a little or well, you get the point.  Occasionally, though, my impatience pays off.  For someone.  In this case, it's you.  Here's what happened:

I was visiting with a friend, who happens to be a huge Dan Wells fan.  When she asked me if I'd read the author's new book, I (very articulately) said, "Huh?"  Being the incredibly informed book blogger that I am, I somehow missed the news about Well's newest, The Hollow City.  After my friend gushed about how brilliant the novel is, I knew I needed to read it.  Being of a practical mind (Will someone tell my husband to stop laughing?), I checked for it at the library.  No dice.  Then, I thought of Tor/Forge, Wells' fabulous publisher, a company which also happens to send me review books on a regular basis.  Maybe, just maybe, they were winging a copy to me.  A few weeks went by and nothing happened.  Finally, after hearing more great reviews of the book, I snapped.  I couldn't wait another second.  So, I ordered it online.  A few hours later, the doorbell rang.  The UPS guy handed me—what else?—a brand, spankin' new copy of The Hollow City, courtesy of the publisher.  After bemoaning my own impatience (not for the first time, believe me), I rushed to the computer and tried to cancel my online order.  Again, no dice.  I probably could return the second book to the online store from which it came, but, frankly, I'm just too darn lazy.  So, I decided to give it away instead.

First, let me tell you about the book.  Then, I'll give you all the details on how to win your own copy.  The jacket copy goes a little something like this—
Dan Wells won instant acclaim for his three-novel debut about the adventures of John Wayne Cleaver, a heroic young man who is also a potential serial killer.  All who read the trilogy were struck by the distinctive, believable voice Wells created for John.  (This is true in my case.  Though I found the books disturbing, they were, without a doubt well written.  Click on the book titles to see my reviews:  I Am Not A Serial Killer; Mr. Monster; I Don't Want to Kill You)


Now Wells returns with another innovative thriller told in a very different, but equally unique voice; a voice that comes to us from the realms of madness.

Michael Shipman has paranoid schizophrenia; he suffers from hallucinations, delusions, and complex, horrific fantasies of persecution.  They are as real to him as your life is to you.  He is haunted by sounds and voices, stalked by faceless men, and endlessly pursued by something even deeper and darker—something he doesn't dare think about.

Soon the authorities are linking him to a string of gruesome serial killings, and naturally no one believes his protestations of innocence.  On his worst days, he doesn't believe them himself.  Hounded on every side, Michael contemplates a terrifying possibility: that some of the monsters he sees are real.

Who can you trust if you can't even trust yourself?  The Hollow City is a mesmerizing journey into madness, where the most frightening enemy of all is your own mind.

Intriguing, right?  I haven't read the book yet—I'm starting it today, in fact—so I can't tell you much about it except that it sounds really, really good.  If you've read it, what did you think?

I promised you giveaway details, so here you go:  You can win a brand new, hardcover copy of The Hollow City by Dan Wells.  All you have to do is leave a comment on this post telling me about your favorite psychological thriller (supernatural or otherwise), be it a book or a movie (or both!).  If you do not have a public blog that you check regularly, please leave your email address as part of your comment.  The giveaway is open to readers with U.S. and Canadian addresses and will close on August 15.  That's it.  Unless, of course, you want to spread the word about the giveaway or chat up my blog in the social media venue of your choice.  Because I give extra entries for that.  I'll give you a breakdown of how that works here in a second—please tell me, in the comments section, which you did (no need for a bunch of separate entries) and I'll reward you accordingly :) Good luck!

- Follow my blog via GFC or other method (though I prefer GFC): (+1)
- Follow me on Twitter (@bbbforme): (+1)
- Become a fan on Facebook (you can click on the badge in the left sidebar): (+1)
- Blog, Tweet, or post on Facebook about this contest (+1 per method of word-spreading)

Oh, and don't forget to enter the other giveaway I've got going on right now.  I don't have too many entrants at the moment, so the odds of winning are very, very good!

22 comments:

  1. When we speak of psychology and thrillers, the first one that comes to mind would be "Silence of the Lambs". A true classic. But if you want the one that left me scared for weeks? "American Psycho". That one while I would never watch it again or probably recommend it to anyone, it was twisted. For a moment while watching it, it makes you think, "Could this be someone I could become?". Then when you start seeing heads in freezers, you really really hope not. By the end of the movie, you know you could never be that sick, but you worry if anyone else around you seems normal, but underneath that mask is a trail of blood following them. And that is what a good thriller does. Even a sick twisted one like "American Psycho".

    ReplyDelete
  2. Just FYI, I tweeted, google+, facebook posted, and followed you on Twitter. I want this book.

    ReplyDelete
  3. What an exciting post. I LOVE Dan Wells also, his I am not a Serial Killer trilogy was fantastic. I just finished Hollow City, a total mess with your head but I won't tell you what I think other than I wasn't a fan like the trilogy, can't wait for your review.

    I work daily on my patience also but having a 5 year old totally makes me have more than I ever did, lol.

    Enjoy it.

    psychological thriller is my very favourite, Silence of the Lambs both book and movie and The Manufactured Identity by Heath Sommer are favourites of mine.

    No entry, just responding :-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Me! Meeeee! I retweeted, blogged, posted my blog to G+, and facebooked, and I follow you on twitter, here, and facebook.

    Also, I totally deserve to win. I do. Seriously.

    ReplyDelete
  5. The thriller that for me was one of the best was se7en largely because of the great performance by Kevin Spacey.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh the movie Se7en was amazing, yes, great choice.

      Delete
    2. Also my email is phansenp at gmail dot com

      Delete
  6. My favorite was Kiss The Girls!

    lag110 at mchsi dot com

    ReplyDelete
  7. I really like Dexter, then I saw the comment above, and the Alex Cross novels are a good choice too -- Kiss the girls was awesome. I'm a GFC follower...Twitter too...

    ReplyDelete
  8. I've only read a few so far, but I've really enjoyed the Lincoln Rhymes thrillers. I was just thinking today I should try to download one since I can't get my LDS books yet.

    Um, I follow your blog, twitter, like your FB page and just generally like you a lot. Plus I've never won a giveaway from you.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Before y'all butter me up too much, I should remind you that I choose winners using random.org. That means, I put everyone's name in a list, then have the website choose a random number on the list. I make the process as fair and random as I can.

    Thanks for telling me how much you love me, though. It's making me smile :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. I also would vote for Kiss the Girls (book), or Mr. Brooks (movie). And I really do love Dan Wells' books!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I haven't read as many psychological thrillers as I would probably have liked to, but I think my favorite so far is the Hannibal Lecter series. Among those, I'd say Hannibal itself is probably my favorite.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thanks for all the recommendations, guys! Keep them coming.

    I'm not a huge James Patterson fan, but it looks like I need to give KISS THE GIRLS a try. And, you know, I've seen Silence of the Lambs (which scared the crap out of me, BTW), but I've never read any of the Hannibal Lechter books. I need to. As for the movie Se7en—I saw it in college and man, talk about disturbing. Yikes!

    Oh, and I'm about halfway through THE HOLLOW CITY now. I'm really enjoying it, even more than the John Cleaver series. I found the Cleaver books much, much more unsettling than this one. So, we'll see what my verdict is in the end ...

    ReplyDelete
  13. Honestly the last thriller I remember reading and really enjoying was Dan Wells' first book: I Am Not a Serial Killer. It's still one of my favorites.

    I have: followed you on Twitter, like the FB page, tweeted the contest, FB posted the contest and blogged about it (davidesmalehill.blogspot.com/)

    ReplyDelete
  14. I love any Alex Cross novels. Also, Room by Emily Donoghue was good!

    I follow your blog and like you on Facebook. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  15. OK so I would love to win this book. I just watched a thriller called "Dream House" with Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz (sp?) it was very suspenseful.

    I retweeted and will put it on facebook also. (:

    ReplyDelete
  16. Great Book. One of the fastest page turners I've ever read. Unreliable narrators usually infuriate me but this is truly something else.

    Borrowed it from a friend but am willing to fight for a physical copy.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I love Dan Well's John Cleaver series. fantastic book.

    Jklinephd at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  18. Shirley Jackson's "The House Next Door" is a psychological one with a twist.
    Please enter me in your draw.
    Jan

    janet_kerr(at)msn.com

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hi Susan,

    I follow you w/ GFC, Twitter, & FB. I also tweeted. :)

    I loved Dan's I Am Not a Serial Killer series, so I'm excited for Hollow City.

    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Hiya! I think my favorite current thriller-ish-like book is Unwind... but maybe it isn't a thriller, its probably more dystopian... eh. Its good no matter how you look at it.

    I am a follower on GFC and Facebook. :)

    ReplyDelete

Comments make me feel special, so go crazy! Just keep it clean and civil. Feel free to speak your mind (I always do), but be aware that I will delete any offensive comments.

P.S.: Don't panic if your comment doesn't show up right away. I have to approve each one before it posts to prevent spam. It's annoying, but it works!

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End of Story by A.J. Finn

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