April 2010 Archives

THE BURYING PLACE has been in stores for a couple of weeks now (even longer in the UK), and I'm starting to hear from readers who quickly devoured the book. That's always the challenge -- you folks read them faster than I can write them!

As you finish the book, I hope those of you who are patrons of Amazon or bn.com will post your online reviews. Word of mouth makes all the difference in finding new fans. Just keep the twists and surprises a closely guarded secret!

Here are some of the very kind messages I've received in the last few days:

Thanks to all of you for your wonderful feedback. Do keep writing to me -- as you know, I always write back -- and if your friends are fans, tell them to drop me a note.

Remember, too, that my fans are my biggest allies in getting the word out! If you want some suggestions, check out my "How Can I Help?" page on my web site.

I've already received many wonderful messages from readers who couldn't wait to dive into my new book, THE BURYING PLACE. Thanks for all your kind words. As you finish reading the book, I hope you'll post your online reviews at places like Amazon, BN, book blogs, and reader web sites.

I also hope you'll encourage your friends to discover my books! One of the comments I hear regularly from new fans is: "Why haven't I heard about you before?" Even after five books, many readers still haven't found me yet. Writing is one of the last great "word of mouth" businesses, and authors build a fan base one at a time, person by person. So all of you who already know my books are my greatest allies in spreading the word.

Several Facebook fans have begun posting links to my web site (www.bfreemanbooks.com) or to the fabulous Star Tribune review of THE BURYING PLACE. That's a BIG help, and I hope that you will do me the favor of mentioning my books on Facebook and other sites you visit, sending messages to friends, talking to local booksellers and librarians, etc. That's how new people get to know my books, and it's especially important right now, when my latest book has its widest availability in stores and online.

If you want more ideas, I've got a special page on my web site with lots of other suggestions for ways to spread the word.

THANKS for reading and for all of your support!

If you're looking for signed copies of THE BURYING PLACE, you have lots of options.

You can order signed, personally inscribed copies for yourself or for gifts (remember, Mother's Day is around the corner!) by contacting the Once Upon a Crime bookstore in Minneapolis or O'Donoghue Books in Anoka, Minnesota. I'll be at Once Upon a Crime on Saturday and O'Donoghue next Tuesday, so you should have the copies delivered soon after my visits.

There are also several independent bookstores that have signed copies in stock right now: The Bookstore at Fitger's in Duluth (where I launched the book on Tuesday), M is for Mystery in California, Poisoned Pen in Arizona, and Bookin' It in Little Falls, Minnesota. All can do mail orders for you.

If you check my events page, you can also contact any of the stores I'll be visiting in the next few weeks in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Florida to pre-order signed, inscribed copies. Or, even better, you could come to the event and get the book signed personally!

With my fifth novel, THE BURYING PLACE, now available in U.S. bookstores, I thought you would enjoy some background on my choice of Duluth and its frozen landscape as the locale for the books.

I was recently interviewed by fellow mystery author J. Sydney Jones for his "Scene of the Crime" blog. Syd writes historical mysteries set in turn-of-the-last-century Vienna, so he's very familiar with the importance of place in our books. You can read the interview by clicking here.

Syd talks about Duluth in my books as America's answer to Swedish noir, and I think he's on to something there. There are geographical and cultural parallels between Minnesota and Sweden; in fact, Swedes call Minnesota "Swedishland" because of all the emigrants who made their way to the state. I've had readers draw comparisons between my books and those of Henning Mankell for the same reasons -- and that's a great honor, because I have huge respect for Mankell's work.

So can you find a little bit of the Swedish remoteness in Duluth? And a little bit of Kurt Wallander in Jonathan Stride? Judge for yourself!

For everyone who has been waiting for the U.S. release of my fifth novel, THE BURYING PLACE, the wait is over! The new book is available now in U.S. bookstores.

When this novel was released in the UK late last year, London's Daily Mail said in its review: "My discovery this year has been the Edgar-nominated crime writer Brian Freeman....Fleshed-out characters, high tension and terrifying twists put Freeman up there with Harlan Coben in the psychological crime stratosphere."

This book takes readers into the bleak, snow-swept terrain in the farmlands between Duluth and Grand Rapids. Here's the jacket copy that describes the action:

One cold night. Two shocking mysteries.

Each twist in the investigation takes Stride into an elaborate web of deceit and desire. But his biggest obstacles may be the very people he's trying to help. With everything at risk and time running out, Stride worries how far a desperate mother will go to rescue her baby - and how far a desperate cop will go to save herself.

I've been delighted with the reaction of early readers to this book. Here's what one reader just wrote to me: "I've read every one of your books and just finished The Burying Place. Actually, I couldn't put it down. The twists and turns of your books are incredible." That's what an author loves to hear. I know that the more books I write, the more readers will have their personal favorites -- but I try to bring something new with every novel, so that readers think each one is the best book yet.

THE BURYING PLACE may be the most shocking, intense book I've written to date. I hope you enjoy it -- and as always, write to me with your thoughts.