# 99 cent summer sale-- Raymond Benson thrillers !



## RaymondBenson (Aug 1, 2009)

Hello Kindle readers--

I am Raymond Benson, author of over 20 published books and official author of the James Bond series between 1996-2002 (commissioned by Ian Fleming's family). Since 2002, I've been writing my own thrillers, some of which are now available in the Kindle Store on Amazon. I hope you don't mind me introducing my books to you here in this post. (The product details are not quite on the Amazon listings yet, as they were just uploaded... but you can find reviews and more descriptions on the regular print-book pages for these titles.)

First up is THE UNION TRILOGY, an anthology of some of my 007 work. In this package you get three complete novels and a short story at a bargain price. The novels are HIGH TIME TO KILL (originally published 1999), DOUBLESHOT (2000), and NEVER DREAM OF DYING (2001), and the short story BLAST FROM THE PAST, originally published in the January 1997 of Playboy Magazine.



Next up is my series of "rock 'n' roll thrillers"-- the Spike Berenger Rock 'n' Roll Hits. So far there are two complete novels (A HARD DAY'S DEATH and DARK SIDE OF THE MORGUE) and a short story (ON THE THRESHOLD OF A DEATH). Spike Berenger runs a rock 'n' roll security outfit and also acts as private investigator in the dangerous world of the music business (lol)... the books are full of humor, music references, cameos by real rock stars, thrills and chills, and of course, sex, drugs & rock 'n' roll. All are available at bargain prices.







Next is a stand-alone thriller with a female protagonist, SWEETIE'S DIAMONDS, which is a chase across America in the style of a Quentin Tarantino movie. It won "Best Thriller of 2006" at the Love is Murder Conference for Authors and Readers, held annually in Chicago.



Finally, there's my non-fiction biography of the band JETHRO TULL, with discussion and anlyses of each album by this legendary group through the years.



I'll have more coming in the coming weeks. Feel free to check out my website for more info about me and my work. www.raymondbenson.com

Cheers and happy reading!

Raymond


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## CS (Nov 3, 2008)

I'm sorry to hijack this thread, but *you're* David Michaels?!?!

I love the Splinter Cell books! (Particularly the first two.)

I'll definitely be sampling your other novels. 

Edit: If you don't mind me asking, did another "David Michaels" write the 3rd and 4th Splinter Cell books? They just seem...different somehow.


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## Lynn McNamee (Jan 8, 2009)

CS said:


> I'm sorry to hijack this thread, but *you're* David Michaels?!?!
> 
> I love the Splinter Cell books! (Particularly the first two.)
> 
> ...


I'm so confused. Who is David Michaels? And, why would you think a guy named Raymond Benson is him?

@ Mr. Benson

Is Threshold short story?

I purchased "Sweetie's Diamonds" and got a sample of another. Thanks!


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## CS (Nov 3, 2008)

RedAdept said:


> I'm so confused. Who is David Michaels? And, why would you think a guy named Raymond Benson is him?


Hahahaha. Sorry about that. Just so Mr. Benson doesn't think I'm stalking him, I should probably clarify. 

This was written in the description for the 007 collection:

*Using the pseudonym "David Michaels," Raymond is also the author of the New York Times best-selling books Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell and its sequel Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell-Operation Barracuda.*

There ya go.


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## Lynn McNamee (Jan 8, 2009)

Okay, now I am even MORE confused. I thought Tom Clancy wrote _Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell_??

Has Tom Clancy passed away or something?

Yeah, I can be a bit 'out of the loop'.


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## CS (Nov 3, 2008)

RedAdept said:


> Okay, now I am even MORE confused. I thought Tom Clancy wrote _Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell_??
> 
> Has Tom Clancy passed away or something?
> 
> Yeah, I can be a bit 'out of the loop'.


It was one of those weird "title" things they sometimes do: "Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell - by David Michaels"

Edit: Here are the first two Splinter Cell books since we're talking about them so much. (I'm still waiting to find out if he actually wrote the 3rd and 4th, because they're not listed on his website and the writing style seemed different in those - to me, anyway.)


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## Lynn McNamee (Jan 8, 2009)

Wow!  Thanks for clearing that up. I had no idea it had been done that way. I'm not a big Clancy fan having only read 2 of his books, so I never really noticed that.


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## RaymondBenson (Aug 1, 2009)

The David Michaels thing...  yes, I wrote the first two books in the TOM CLANCY'S SPLINTER CELL series.  A different "David Michaels" wrote books 3 and 4... and yet a third "David Michaels" wrote GHOST RECON and ENDWAR.  The publisher and Clancy's people wanted an in-house pseudonym for all the books that are spin-offs of Clancy's video games (which are in his name only... he had nothing to do with their creation).  So, yeah, I was hired to write the first two books and then I went on to other stuff.  Must be nice to have a cottage industry with one's name on it.    

Raymond


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## CS (Nov 3, 2008)

RaymondBenson said:


> The David Michaels thing... yes, I wrote the first two books in the TOM CLANCY'S SPLINTER CELL series. A different "David Michaels" wrote books 3 and 4... and yet a third "David Michaels" wrote GHOST RECON and ENDWAR. The publisher and Clancy's people wanted an in-house pseudonym for all the books that are spin-offs of Clancy's video games (which are in his name only... he had nothing to do with their creation). So, yeah, I was hired to write the first two books and then I went on to other stuff. Must be nice to have a cottage industry with one's name on it.
> 
> Raymond


Raymond, with all due respect to the second "David Michaels" (who I thought was one person until today), I was wondering why the 3rd and 4th Splinter Cell books dropped so drastically in quality compared to the first two, which you wrote and I absolutely loved. It was jarring to me at the time. I thought "you" had somehow lost your direction with the 3rd and 4th books. The first two were so good, and then the series went downhill. I'm glad this riddle has finally been solved. Now that I know who "David Michaels" really is (and isn't), I'll be sure to keep tabs on your work. Thanks for letting us know!

P.S. If you don't mind me asking, how come you didn't write the 3rd and 4th Splinter Cell books? Did they conflict with other projects you were working on at the time?


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## RaymondBenson (Aug 1, 2009)

CS--
Thank you for your kind words.  I was hired to do two books, and at the time I thought that was going to be it.  I went on to other stuff, and then they continued...  I'm not sure I would have done more at the time, it's hard to say in hindsight.  I recently did the novelization of METAL GEAR SOLID, and its sequel METAL GEAR SOLID 2--SONS OF LIBERTY will be out in November.

Raymond


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## askenase13 (Mar 1, 2009)

I read the Union trilogy Bond books and enjoyed them very much (I posted a review on Amazon).  First, they are NOT really a trilogy in the sense of a continuing story.  They are three stand alone books.  Second, I though the villainous organization was a little pedestrian- evil for hire NOT taking over the world.  Also, the main villian Le Gerant, hardly appeared at all.

Nonetheless, they are enjoyable action reads.  For me, any Bond novel should play like a movie in my head (NOT a negative), and these books made fine "movies" for me.  

I liked the third book the best as the romance (!) really made it more interesting.

I will read the Splinter Cell books, as I have always enjoyed the Clancy and the Clancy-spinoff books.


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## sandypeach (Oct 28, 2008)

Are there plans for getting the rest of your James Bond books (Die Another Day, The Facts of Death, The Man with the Red Tattoo, The World Is Not Enough, Tomorrow Never Dies and Zero Minus Ten) available in Kindle format?

Paul


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## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

This, is too cool. I loved your Bond Series and was very upset when there was an author change.


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## RaymondBenson (Aug 1, 2009)

Sandypeach--

A second Bond anthology called CHOICE OF WEAPONS will come out in spring 2010, and it will contain ZERO MINUS TEN, THE FACTS OF DEATH, and THE MAN WITH THE RED TATTOO, along with two short stories (LIVE AT FIVE, MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DOOM).  The movie novelizations will most likely never be re-published, as most tie-in novels of this type only come out in conjuction with the respective film and then disappear.  I imagine the anthology will also be available on Kindle.

Raymond


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## CS (Nov 3, 2008)

I finished reading Sweetie's Diamonds a couple of nights back and I loved it. I recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone who enjoys a good story and interesting characters. Thanks for putting it on the Kindle!


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## Lynn McNamee (Jan 8, 2009)

CS said:


> I finished reading Sweetie's Diamonds a couple of nights back and I loved it. I recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone who enjoys a good story and interesting characters. Thanks for putting it on the Kindle!


CS: Do you read as much as I do?


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## crca56 (Dec 20, 2008)

raymond, i just purchased sweetie's diamonds and the three spike berenger books. is the order you have them listed the correct reading order? thanks, carolyn


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## RaymondBenson (Aug 1, 2009)

Carolyn-- Thank you!  The two Spike Berenger books -- "A Hard Day's Death" is first, followed by "Dark Side of the Morgue".  It doesn't matter where the short story ("On the Threshold of a Death") comes in... but I prefer it to be in the middle.    "Sweetie's Diamonds" is a stand-alone.  

Best,
Raymond


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## RaymondBenson (Aug 1, 2009)

Hi everyone--

Two more of my original titles have been added to Amazon's Kindle Store at bargain prices...

"FACE BLIND" is a thriller with a female protagonist who suffers from a real neurological condition called "prosopagnosia" or "face blindness"--in other words, she can't recognize faces.  This is a twisting tale of suspense that I describe as "WAIT UNTIL DARK" meets "MEMENTO".  

"EVIL HOURS" is a family drama *about* a murder that happened in the past... it's not really a thriller or a mystery, more of a novel-novel with mysterious elements.  There's a female protagonist and it takes place in a small West Texas town.  I describe this "LARRY McMURTRY meets DAVID LYNCH" or "THE LAST PICTURE SHOW meets TWIN PEAKS".  

Both novels were once optioned by Hollywood, but of course were never made.  

I tried to create links to Amazon using this site's Link-Maker, but it didn't work... no results show up (although they worked when I posted my previous titles here).  At any rate, you can search for my name in the Kindle Store and the books will come up.

For anyone looking for my James Bond anthology THE UNION TRILOGY, it was taken down because apparently the publisher didn't have the electronic rights (oops!).  But the Ian Fleming estate will soon have these titles available individually.  

Cheers,

Raymond Benson
www.raymondbenson.com


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## CS (Nov 3, 2008)

Here you go, Raymond:



















Both sound great! I went ahead and got samples.


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## RaymondBenson (Aug 1, 2009)

Thanks, CS!  For some reason the Link-Maker didn't work for me.  

Raymond


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## RaymondBenson (Aug 1, 2009)

Hi folks--  Just lowered the prices on my five original suspense thrillers in the Kindle Store to $1.99!  

"A HARD DAY'S DEATH"-- the first book featuring rock 'n' roll detective Spike Berenger
"DARK SIDE OF THE MORGUE"-- the second book featuring rock 'n' roll detective Spike Berenger
"SWEETIE'S DIAMONDS"-- award-winning stand-alone chase-thriller with a female protagonist, Tarantino style
"EVIL HOURS"-- novel about a mystery with a female protagonist--it's "The Last Picture Show" meets "Blue Velvet"
"FACE BLIND"-- thriller with a female protagonist who can't recognize faces-- it's "Wait Until Dark" meets "Memento"

Hope you'll check 'em out...

Best,
Raymond Benson
www.raymondbenson.com


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## RaymondBenson (Aug 1, 2009)

Hello readers!

Just a quick message to let you know that several of my original thriller titles for the Amazon Kindle have price reductions, and there are some new short story titles as well--i.e, "The Plagiarist" (a Twilight Zone style time travel story in which a guy goes back in time to write the best-sellers before the real authors get to them), and "Thumbs Down" (a comic thriller in which a playwright gets revenge on the critic that blasted his latest play).

I understand from the Ian Fleming Estate that my James Bond titles will be coming to Kindle very soon! 

Please check out my stuff at http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=raymond+benson

Happy reading!

Raymond Benson
www.raymondbenson.com


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

The Plagiarist -- That. Is. Awesome!


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## Steph H (Oct 28, 2008)

The Plagiarist sounds fun, I just one-clicked on it.  And turns out I'd bought Sweetie's Diamonds several months ago (thought the title looked familiar), though I haven't yet read it. I should bump it up on the read-it list...


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## Frank Zubek (Apr 27, 2010)

Welcome to the boards Raymond! I enjoyed the Bond works.


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## RaymondBenson (Aug 1, 2009)

Hello friends and readers (hopefully those two groups are not exclusive!)--

I'm pleased to announce that my supernatural thriller, TORMENT, is now available for only $2.99 at Amazon. Torment

From the vault! Due to be published in Europe, the English edition of my supernatural thriller, TORMENT, is now available as an exclusive 
e-book for all formats!

TORMENT is a unique story of voodoo, murder, love, and obsession. Rick Shepherd is an ordinary guy from the mid-west who is both "cursed" and "protected" by separate voodoo spells. Captivated by a mysterious woman he met on a Jamaican beach, Rick's torturous journey is one of redemption; but it is also full of danger and excitement as one horrific thing happens after another. To find the love of his life, he must undergo unimaginable TORMENT.



Many thanks for looking...!

Raymond Benson
http://www.raymondbenson.com


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Raymond,

Welcome to KindleBoards and congratulations on your book!

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## Lee Moan (Apr 27, 2010)

Hi Raymond. Your book sounds like just my cup of tea. Added to my wishlist.

Wish you every success with it.


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## RaymondBenson (Aug 1, 2009)

Hi friends--

Last month I told you about TORMENT, my supernatural thriller about voodoo, love, and obsession.

Now available for Kindle is ARTIFACT OF EVIL. From the vault, it's a unique suspense thriller that blends real-world modern-day crime, historical figures, and fantasy. Rusty "Red" River is a freelance forensics consultant who resides in West Texas. When his ranch hand's newborn son is abducted from the hospital's maternity ward and found dead hours later, River resolves to bring the perpetrators to justice. There is one peculiar clue: the child's head is marked with the Arabic equivalent to the letter "L." River and his ex, a Jewish historian, team up to help solve the mystery. Together they uncover a bizarre plot that stretches from war-torn Iraq to Israel, then to Mexico, Texas, and finally the Chicago area. What they don't know is that a mysterious, prehistoric relic is in the possession of the killers--a talisman that has been passed down through the centuries. What exactly is the artifact of evil?

http://www.amazon.com/Artifact-of-Evil-ebook/dp/B0050OJ3F4/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1305404246&sr=8-5

It's only $2.99! I hope you'll give it a try.

(How do I insert the cover image? Can anyone tell me?)

Best, 
Raymond Benson
www.raymondbenson.com


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## Steverino (Jan 5, 2011)

I'm up for a thriller with an ancient artifact.  Sample downloaded.  Congrats on the book!


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## RaymondBenson (Aug 1, 2009)

"Benson is a top class thriller craftsman..." -- LEE CHILD

"One of the best thriller writers in the business..." -- DAVID MORRELL

All my original thrillers are on sale for 99 cents through July 4:

TORMENT: a supernatural thriller involving love, obsession, and voodoo

ARTIFACT OF EVIL: a thriller that combines modern day crime, historical figures, and fantasy

SWEETIE'S DIAMONDS: a Tarantino-esque chase across America with a female protagonist

A HARD DAY'S DEATH: the first Spike Berenger "rock 'n' roll hit," a mystery with sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll

DARK SIDE OF THE MORGUE: nominated for Shamus Award for Best Paperback Original P.I. Novel of 2009, 2nd Spike Berenger "rock 'n' roll hit"

FACE BLIND: a thriller about a woman who can't recognize faces... "Wait Until Dark" meets "Memento"

EVIL HOURS: a novel about a family dealing with a murder... "The Last Picture Show" meets "Blue Velvet"

All in the Kindle store at http://tinyurl.com/3m9zz9f

Cheers,

Raymond Benson
http://www.raymondbenson.com 
Author of 25+ published books

_--- edit... new post merged with original thread. please remember, only one thread per book. please bookmark this thread so you can find it again and please read our Forum Decorum._


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## RaymondBenson (Aug 1, 2009)

Hi everyone!

Announcing a new e-book anthology: "The Rock 'n' Roll Detective's Greatest Hits" contains 2 novels ("A Hard Day's Death" & Shamus award nominee "Dark Side of the Morgue") plus a short story ("On the Threshold of a Death"). Thrills, chills, humor, sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005A98AU8 (Kindle) or http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/71193 (other formats) at a low yo yo price!

The rest of my original works back catalog are still on sale for 99 cents each. I've also had word from the Ian Fleming Estate that my James Bond novels will hopefully be available as e-books later this year.

Cheers,

Raymond Benson
http://www.raymondbenson.com
http://theblackstiletto.net

(still trying to figure out how to add an image... can anyone help?)


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