That’s the title of my next novel, which will be published in summer 2008. It’s a thriller, and it’s the first book in a new series.
The Dirty Secrets Club features forensic psychiatrist Jo Beckett, a consultant for the San Francisco Police Department. She performs psychological autopsies in cases of equivocal death, determining whether someone’s demise was natural, accidental, suicide or homicide. And in this story, Jo is faced with a truckload of equivocal deaths - flaming, crashing, plunging deaths - when a series of A-list San Franciscans begin dying and taking other people along. The city is spooked. It’s nearing Halloween, a series of earthquakes has rattled the Bay Area, and now high profile folks are dying in weird ways. Jo has to figure out why somebody is turning murder-suicide into a grisly game, before the next high-flyer goes down and takes innocent bystanders with them.
This book is a departure for me, and I’ve had a great time writing it. (Aside from the panic, sleeplessness, and caffeine-induced hallucinations.) I hope you’ll enjoy it, and that you’ll like Jo. She’s a doctor, a rock climber, has a mordant sense of humor, and in this novel really has her back up against it.
And you’ve got it right - this novel is completely separate from the Evan Delaney series. And no, to my mind Evan’s story isn’t finished - and no, I’m not going to tell you what happens to her and Jesse, Jax, Tater and the others in the Delaney universe. As I’ve told readers before, when you write thrillers, your job involves keeping people in suspense.
The new novel will be published, to my great pleasure, in the UK by Hodder & Stoughton and in the US by Dutton. For American readers, this will be my first novel to hit bookstores. My other books - the entire Evan Delaney series - will be published by New American Library, one of Dutton’s fellow imprints at Penguin, shortly thereafter. So - family, friends, US readers: it’s all coming your way.
14 responses so far ↓
Stephen Jones // October 25, 2007 at 11:20 am
Meg! I read the entire Evan Delaney series while in Cancun last summer - and left the books in the condo for the next renters - and look forward to the summer 2008 release of your new book. Will it be available prior to June 3, 2008? That is when we leave again for our Cancun sojourn (15 days)….
Also, I am looking for a good “series” to take with me to Cancun this year - 4 or 5 books at the most - any suggestions?
Steve Jones, Ph.D.
Auburn, GA
Phil // October 25, 2007 at 1:51 pm
Congratulations Meg! It’s about time you began taking the US by storm
Are you going to be doing any book tours over here to promote The Dirty Secrets Club?
susan // October 25, 2007 at 2:18 pm
Oh wow. I am so looking forward to this, because–mostly by sheer luck–I won a contest at Meg’s blog last year and the prize was to have my name appear in this book as one of the characters.
Even without the guest shot it’s gonna be a blast to have a new Meg book to get lost in.
susan // October 25, 2007 at 2:34 pm
Psychological autopsy?
I have to admit I’ve never heard the term before (perhaps because I don’t watch CSI). I looked it up, and sure enough, it sounds like a great basis for a mystery thriller.
Ken // October 25, 2007 at 3:40 pm
Stephen, if you haven’t read the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child I would strongly suggest you do. There’re 10 or 11 books in the series.
Snart // October 25, 2007 at 5:30 pm
Hi, Susan. You do understand that the prize was two-sided, right? Your name for a character, but no idea who that character might be. Come on, you know Meg’s work. Don’t be surprised if you’re some sort of knife-wielding kindergarten teacher or a pyro-dentist. This IS Meg we’re talking about.
Meg // October 25, 2007 at 6:15 pm
Stephen, I second Ken’s suggestion about the Jack Reacher series. Or Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch series, starting with The Black Echo. Carl Hiaasen’s books aren’t a series, but if you want wacky tropical crime capers, he’s your guy. And thanks again for leaving Evan in Cancun.
Phil, I don’t have a schedule yet, but my family will kill me if I don’t do a US book tour.
Susan… hehe. (Evil laughing sound rings out.)
Don // October 25, 2007 at 7:15 pm
Stephen, try the Myron Bolitar series by Harlan Coben starting with Deal Breaker.
Darn Meg! I was looking forward to some more Evan capers but I guess I will grow to love Jo as well. I am a big fan of CSI so the premise intrigues me greatly. Cant you just post it on here for your real fans to read free of charge?
susan // October 25, 2007 at 10:57 pm
Yeah, Snart, it hasn’t escaped my notice that I could end up with an eyeball full of scalpel, but it’s just on paper.
Um, isn’t it?
In fact, Meg graciously asked my permission to…. wait, no spoilers here.
Werner // October 26, 2007 at 3:45 pm
Meg, I can’t wait until I see your novels gracing the best seller shelves at my local B&N.
Stephen, I’m kinda partial to Andrew Vachss - Burke series. There’s 17 of them.
prospectus // October 26, 2007 at 4:22 pm
Meg: “Jo is faced with a truckload of equivocal deaths - flaming, crashing, plunging deaths…This book is a departure for me”
Sounds like it!
Looking forward to reading it.
djpaterson // October 27, 2007 at 3:01 pm
Can’t wait to meet Jo, Meg.
Rich // October 27, 2007 at 3:26 pm
Stephen, If you haven’t read Nelson DeMilles John Corey series, (4 so far) I highly recommend it. Start with Plum Island, then The Lion’s Game, Night Fall and Wfinally, Wild Fire.
Another GREAT series character is Donald E. Westlake’s John Dortmunder. These are of the comic crime capers genre. Although Dortmunder is a “master planner” there are always flys in the ointment of each potential heist which makes for hilarious reading.
Steve Martini’s lawyer, Paul Madriani, is faced with numerous murders to solve in the whodunnit category and the best part is he plays fair in providing the reader with all the clues necessary to beat the narrator to the denoument.
Hope this helps.
Rich
What’s in Evan Delaney’s future? « lying for a living // December 15, 2007 at 5:02 pm
[...] my next book has a new heroine - but Evan’s not gone, not by a long shot. And at the risk of repeating myself: no, I can’t tell you what happens to Jesse, Jax, Tater and everybody in the Delaney [...]
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