Best Selling Books by David Morrell

One war waged against one man: RAMBO First came the man: a young wanderer in a fatigue coat and long hair. Then came the legend, as John Rambo sprang from the pages of FIRST BLOOD to take his place on the world''s cultural landscape. This remarkable novel pits a young, disillusioned and ragged Vietnam veteran against a small-town cop who has no idea whom he is dealing with - or how far Rambo will take him into a life-and-death struggle through the woods, hills and caves of rural Kentucky. From best-selling author David Morrell, this is the critically acclaimed thriller that launched the cultural phenomenon, Rambo. If you know Rambo only from the films, be prepared to be amazed.

The exciting final installment in THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE ROSE trilogy David Morrell’s international thrillers have no equal. Among his classic novels, THE LEAGUE OF NIGHT AND FOG stands as one of his most exciting, ambitious, and brilliant works. Here is a novel that literally spans the globe, bringing together two generations of men and women bound by one murderous legacy. From the Vatican to the Swiss Alps, from Australia to the heartland of America, the master operatives of the Brotherhood of the Rose and the Fraternity of the Stone join forces to solve a violent mystery. Why have ten old men been abducted from around the world? As Saul and Drew investigate, they encounter a terrifying cycle of revenge that began in World War II and now forces sons to pay for their fathers’ darkest sins. This special edition e-book contains a Brotherhood of the Rose short story, “The Abelard Sanction,” that completes the saga. “Splendid, state-of-the-art . . . action/adventure . . . Morrell’s forte is action, and there is plenty of that here.” —Washington Post Book World “A wildly Ludlumesque thriller . . . an exciting and entertaining adventure.” —Publishers Weekly “An ambitious, violent, and enthralling novel that has everything. . . . Recommended.” —Library Journal “Terrific action scenes” —Cleveland Plain Dealer “A master of suspense" —Michael Connelly “Morrell, an absolute master of the thriller, plays by his own rules and leaves you dazzled.” —Dean Koontz

From the bestselling author of the classic espionage saga, The Brotherhood of the Rose, comes a high-action spy novel about deception and the meaning of loyalty. . . . When a bureaucratic mistake allows a terrorist attack to occur, CIA operative Steve Decker leaves the spy world in disgust. Seeking a new life, he moves to picturesque Santa Fe, New Mexico, and for the first time allows himself to think about something other than global intrigue and violence. He even lowers his guard sufficiently to commit himself to a relationship, but after his lover’s house explodes and she is seen escaping with an unknown man, Steve discovers that she has a mysterious past and that she knows he once worked for the CIA. Did she love him, or was she only using him as a bodyguard? Drawn back into the world of deceit and treachery, Steve will stop at nothing in his desperate cross-country quest to find his lover and learn the truth. “David Morrell is a master of suspense. He wields it like a stiletto—knows just where to stick it and how to turn it. If you’re reading Morrell, you’re sitting on the edge of your seat.” Michael Connelly “Expect the unexpected…Romance, sex, violence, deception, intrigue, and characters who are bigger than life…A step above the rest of the suspense genre.” Denver Rocky Mountain News “Fast and furious action…This powerhouse thriller achieves a runaway victory on the basis of sheer storytelling excitement.” Publishers Weekly “Looking for an explosive action thriller? Or a literary novel with emotional depth and perfect prose? David Morrell’s latest will satisfy both tastes and then some.” Associated Press “A bullet of a read…A romantic thriller that examines violence, honor, and love.”Los Angeles Features Syndicate

"Something is on the prowl in the forests and foothills outside the small Wyoming town of Potter''s Field, something that mutilates but does not feed, that kills indiscriminately and without reason, at night, by moonlight. As the body count mounts, police chief Nathan Slaughter and the town''s medical examiner try to find out who or what is doing the killing....Morrell embeds compelling human drama in a taut, hell-for-leather plot consisting of equal parts police procedural, medical detective story, biological horror story, disaster novel and Gothic thriller. Beneath its multi-genre surface, The Totem engages broader sociological issues....A thriller of rare ambition and achievement, as thought-provoking as it is exciting and scary." Washington Post Book World

Since 1889, mysterious lights have appeared outside Rostov, a remote Texas town. Ranchers believed them to be the campfires of rustlers, but campfires don’t rise and fall, merge, and change colors. In World War I, the locals believed that the lights came from German forces massing on the Mexican border. In the Second World War, the US military built an airfield there and used planes to try to discover the secret of the lights. In 1980, the entire town set out on a “Ghost Light Hunt.” For more than a century, each attempt to get close to the lights met with horrifying results. Now police officer Dan Page follows the trail of his missing wife from New Mexico to Texas and discovers that she and hundreds of spectators have become enraptured by the lights. After a crazed gunman fires obsessively into the crowd, the stage is set for more death. To save his wife, Page must confront the mystery of the lights. His desperate search reveals a government conspiracy that dates back to World War II. The abandoned airfield is more than what it seems. So is a nearby observatory, with a purpose even more mysterious and lethal than the lights themselves. Drawing his inspiration from the real-life Marfa lights, critically acclaimed Morrell packs The Shimmer with his trademark blend of action and terror.

Brad Denning is a successful architect living a perfect life in Denver with his loving wife and son. Or so it would be, if not for the haunting memory of his brother Petey who disappeared while under Brad''s supervision when they were kids. Now, a man claiming to be his sibling has mysteriously appeared and Brad is eager to take him in, despite the man''s haggard appearance and reluctance to reveal anything about his past. "Petey" is a welcome addition to the family, until a camping trip goes terribly wrong and Brad returns home to find that his devoted wife and son have been abducted. Certain that Petey -- or whoever he may be -- is responsible for the horrible crime, Brad sets out to recover his family. Travelling alone through America''s heartland, it''s a race against time as Brad struggles to get to his family before the terrible secret of what really happened long ago destroys everything he cares about.

From the New York Times bestselling author of the classic espionage novel, The Brotherhood of the Rose . . . He calls himself Cavanaugh. No first name, and even “Cavanaugh” isn’t his actual last name. He’s a protector. His hatred of bullies compelled him to enlist in Special Forces. Now as a civilian, he operates Global Protective Services, the world’s finest security company. His goal: to keep predators from their prey. Following Cavanaugh’s missions in The Protector and The Naked Edge, Rambo-creator David Morrell presents three short stories that explore the psychology of a warrior compelled to risk his life for strangers. “Most people muddle through their lives,” Cavanaugh tells a client. “All I can do is hope that if I keep them from dying a while longer, maybe they’ll find a way to justify remaining alive.” In “Blue Murder,” Cavanaugh matches wits with an assassin determined to kill a bestselling female novelist. In “The Controller,” Cavanaugh and his wife, Jamie, confront the dilemma of how to protect a billionaire who refuses to take advice. In “The Attitude Adjuster,” they discover that the Internet can be as dangerous an enemy as a stalker. This collection includes an introduction in which Morrell describes his training as a protective agent. “The best thriller writer of this or any generation.”—Providence Journal “David Morrell has written more good thrillers than just about anyone else alive.”—Chicago Sun-Times “Everything [Morrell] writes has a you-are-there quality, and that, coupled with his ability to propel characters through a scene, makes reading him like attending a private screening.”—Washington Post Book World

Few experts in American literature have written as insightfully and brilliantly as did Philip Young, renowned Hemingway critic and scholar at large. His unique work bursts with a joy in the humanities, with a sensibility, a humor, and a style that communicate to academics and general readers alike. Although Young died in 1991, he survives in his remarkable prose. American Fiction, American Myth features nineteen groundbreaking essays in which Young masterfully reveals the &"so what?&" that he insisted all literary studies ought to have. In the first section, he demonstrates his fascination with such American myths as Pocahontas and Rip Van Winkle, reaching powerful conclusions about America and its people. In the second section, he becomes &"Our Hemingway Man,&" explaining his germinal and still provocative theory that Hemingway''s severe wounding in World War I so traumatized the novelist that his fiction was to a great degree unwitting self-psychoanalysis. Young''s book on Hemingway was the first of its kind, but Young was more than a one-author critic, as his essays demonstrate in the third section, exploring such diverse topics as Hawthorne''s secret love, the Lost Generation that was never lost, F. Scott Fitzgerald&’s debt to T. S. Eliot, and the relationship between American fiction and American life. What Hemingway once said about himself can be equally applied to Young: &"I am a very serious but not a solemn writer.&" The reader comes away from these essays dazzled by the power of Young''s observations and the grace with which he expresses them.

From bestselling thriller author David Morrell comes a brooding Thomas De Quincey short story about the coldest of deaths and their heartbreaking aftermath. Thomas De Quincey -- the central character of Morrell''s acclaimed Victorian mysteries, Murder as a Fine Art and Inspector of the Dead -- was one of the most notorious and brilliant literary personalities of the 1800s. His infamous Confessions of an English Opium-Eater made history as the first book about drug dependency. He invented the word "subconscious" and anticipated Freud''s psychoanalytic theories by more than a half century. His blood-soaked essays and stories influenced Edgar Allan Poe, who in turn inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to create Sherlock Holmes. But at the core of his literary success lies a terrible tragedy. In this special-edition novella, based on real-life events, Morrell shares De Quincey''s story of a horrific snowstorm in which a mother and father died and their six children were trapped in the mountains of England''s Lake District. Even more gripping is what happened after. This is the true tale of how Thomas De Quincey became the Opium-Eater, brought to life by award-winning storyteller David Morrell. An afterword contains numerous photographs of the dramatic locations in the story.

After creating Rambo in his debut novel, First Blood, David Morrell wrote his most intense novel, Testament. Its publisher called it “almost unbearably involving.” Hunted by a powerful enemy, a man and his family flee their home and civilization. This thriller classic influenced many later thriller authors. It is not for the faint of heart. This special e-book edition has been newly revised and updated. David Morrell is the critically acclaimed author of the classic espionage trilogy, The Brotherhood of the Rose, The Fraternity of the Stone, and The League of Night and Fog. An Edgar, Anthony, and Macavity nominee, he received three Bram Stoker awards from the Horror Writers Association as well as the lifetime-achievement Thriller Master Award from the International Thriller Writers organization. “A grim and gripping novel of implacable evil and the pursuit of survival.” —Publishers Weekly “Terrors as insistent as a scream in a still night.” —Sunday Telegraph “Fear oozes out between the lines.” —Minneapolis Tribune

Acclaimed author David Morrell (First Blood, Creepers) is praised for his riveting short fiction as much as he is for his best-selling thrillers. His stories appeared in many Year’s Best anthologies and received prestigious awards. In his second collection, Morrell leads you through an adrenaline-charged NightScape of serial killers, third world revolutionaries, a policeman stalking a murderous cult, a son obsessed by his cryogenically frozen father, a psychology professor forced to suffer intense confinement, and a doctor combating an epidemic that he fears will destroy the world. Complete with autobiographical introductions in which Morrell links the stories to painful incidents in his life, NightScape includes a mini-novel, “Rio Grande Gothic,” set in Morrell’s home of picturesque Santa Fe, New Mexico, where mysterious shoes appear day-after-day in the middle of a road. Soon it becomes shockingly evident that the shoes are the aftermath of ritual murders. Morrell received the 2009 ThrillerMaster Award from the International Thriller Writers organization. “Morrell, an absolute master of the thriller, plays by his own rules and leaves you dazzled.” —Dean Koontz, New York Times bestselling author of Odd Thomas. “David Morrell is, to me, the finest thriller writer living today, bar none.” —Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author of The Jefferson Key

From the bestselling author of First Blood comes a spectacular thriller, in which a former Navy SEAL and a Japanese samurai master are bound together in a terrifying past that never happened.

David Morrell has been a successful novelist for more than forty years, an eternity when many literary careers end after twenty years. His debut novel FIRST BLOOD introduced the character of Rambo, an international icon that became the basis for a blockbuster movie franchise. His classic espionage novel THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE ROSE was the basis for the only television miniseries to be broadcast after a Super Bowl. An Edgar, Anthony, and Macavity nominee, David received three Bram Stoker awards and the prestigious thriller master award from International Thriller Writers, among other honors. During his numerous decades in the publishing world, David has seen vast changes, and yet the principles of effective fiction writing remain the same. Using a conversational tone that will make you think he is actually speaking to you, he describes every facet of writing fiction, including the all-important “Why do you want to do something this insane?” His chapters about description and dialogue will instantly improve your writing. His discussions about the business of writing and the world of Hollywood will give you a rare insider’s look behind closed doors. His advice about how to get published and about self-publishing will help you chart your course. But The Successful Novelist is more than a how-to book. It will teach you about yourself as well as about your writing. It will help you find your own unique voice and subject matter, the essential elements of a long, successful career. Praise for THE SUCCESSFUL NOVELIST “This is the best guidebook to both writing and the business of writing that I’ve ever read.” —Peter Straub, New York Times bestselling author of Ghost Story “I found the acute observations and [David Morrell’s] narrative philosophy more valuable for the new writer than the contents of any 100 other texts.” —Dean Koontz, New York Times bestselling author of Innocence “If this book had been available when I started writing, I could have saved myself some miles, some heartache, and a lot of typewriter ribbons. The Successful Novelist is the vehicle you want if you plan to drive your way to successful fiction.” —Joe R. Lansdale, New York Times bestselling author of Edge of Dark Water “David Morrell’s not just a fine writer; he’s also a great and generous teacher. This book’s a keeper.” —Lawrence Block, New York Times bestselling author of A Walk among the Tombstones “David Morrell isn’t just one of the best thriller writers out there; he’s one of the finest writers alive today. A preeminent novelist as well as storyteller.” —Providence Journal

Amid thousands of Christmas tourists in snowy Santa Fe, a terrifying hunt is in progress. Wounded and on the run, spy Paul Kagan frantically seeks a haven for himself and a precious bundle he conceals under his coat. The bundle is a baby with the power to change the world. The pursuers are three ruthless enemies who will stop at nothing to get their hands on the child. When Kagan takes shelter in what seems to be a deserted home, he discovers an abandoned woman and her young son. As death lurks outside the house, these three unlikely allies prepare for a siege that will change their lives forever and perhaps the lives of millions of others. In The Spy Who Came for Christmas, David Morrell retells the Christmas story against a background of espionage and action. Dramatizing the strength of the holiday spirit, he again shows the inventiveness that prompted the International Thriller Writers organization to give him its prestigious ThrillerMaster award.

In 1969, while David Morrell was writing First Blood, the novel in which Rambo was created, he also wrote his doctoral dissertation about acclaimed author, John Barth. In it, Morrell analyses Barth’s early fiction, using interviews with Barth, his agent, and his editors as well as several of Barth’s unpublished essays and letters to tell what Morrell calls “the story behind the stories, a biography of Barth’s fiction.” Over the years, scholars have found John Barth: An Introduction invaluable for its lengthy biographical sections, which Barth himself approved. Fans of Morrell’s fiction will find this book enlightening in terms of what Barth taught him about writing. CRITICAL REACTION “David Morrell’s not just a fine writer; he’s also a great and generous teacher.” —New York Times bestselling author Lawrence Block “Morrell has written an interesting and informative book which reads occasionally like a biography. His prose is eminently clear and straightforward. His book has something for everyone. There is no doubt that it will become a necessity for serious students of Barth, and that, coincidentally, it is a genuinely interesting book.” —Journal of Modern Literature “Morrell’s study tells the story of Barth’s storytelling, how he got his ideas, and then how the publishers and reviewers dealt with them. He includes detailed biographical information [and] writes with great economy and clarity.” —Modern Fiction Studies “Morrell gives the reader the benefit of his familiarity with Barth and his manuscripts to plot the career of each work, from plans and, in some cases, research through revision, publisher-agent reactions, sales, and post-publication revisions. The whole enterprise is carried off with appealing confidence and informality that add up to an eminently readable book.” —World Literature Today

They were orphans, Chris and Saul -- raised in a Philadelphia school for boys, bonded by friendship, and devoted to a mysterious man called Eliot. He visited them and brought them candy. He treated them like sons. He trained them to be assassins. Now he is trying desperately to have them killed. From the master of high action comes a classic espionage thriller that changed the way spy novels were written, the first to combine the British tradition of authentic espionage tradecraft with the American tradition of non-stop action. He visited them in the orphanage. He brought them candy and taught them to love him as a father. He trained them to be assassins. Now he is trying desperately to have them killed. Spanning the globe and decades of CIA history, THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE ROSE is a thriller of fierce loyalty and violent betrayal, of murders planned and coolly executed, of revenge bitterly, urgently desired. “David Morrell is a master of suspense. He wields it like a stiletto—know just where to stick it and how to turn it. If you’re reading Morrell, you’re sitting on the edge of your seat.” —Michael Connelly “Imagine a suspense thriller as riveting as The Thirty-Nine Steps or Rogue Male, featuring heroes the equal of Adam Hall’s Quiller, and crackling with more action than The Road Warrior, Dirty Harry, and The Seven Samurai. Sounds too good to be true? Then just read David Morrell’s THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE ROSE.”—Washington Post Book World “Fast-paced, intelligent, exciting and hard-hitting.” —Nelson DeMille, New York Times bestselling author of The Panther “David Morrell is, to me, the finest thriller writer living today.” —Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author of The Columbus Affair

David Morrell isn’t only an acclaimed thriller author and the creator of Rambo. He’s also a former professor of American Studies who writes in-depth profiles about film and music legends who changed our culture. Few film actors had the lasting popularity of John Wayne, especially in westerns. During his lifetime, Wayne was a top-ten box office star for twenty-four years. Three decades after his death, a 2012 Harris poll continued to place him among the top 5 most-liked film actors. In this comprehensive essay, award-winner David Morrell analyzes Wayne’s career in westerns and explores his fascinating personality, including his Latin studies in high school and his skills as a chess player. Even Wayne’s most knowledgeable fans will be surprised by this insightful study. Morrell’s fascination with Wayne motivated him to use this iconic actor as the inspiration for the main character of a historical novel LAST REVEILLE, which dramatizes America’s 1916 invasion of Mexico, supposedly to pursue the Mexican bandit, Pancho Villa, but actually to practice military exercises for America’s entry into World War I. Critical reaction: “John Wayne: the name still conjures political reaction and cinematic fascination. In this excellent e-essay, author David Morrell (First Blood) presents a thorough and evenhanded consideration of Wayne and his Westerns, from THE BIG TRAIL (1930) to THE SHOOTIST (1976). He’s precise about the narrative problems in THE SEARCHERS, insightful regarding the remarkable emotional range Wayne demonstrates in THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE, and mystified at the meaning critics find in RIO BRAVO. While also examining Wayne’s drinking (16 martinis before a Thanksgiving dinner), smoking (five packs a day on THE ALAMO) and expertise as a chess player, Morrell allows us to appreciate and understand how Wayne, ‘an undeniable phenomenon,’ helped create that unique film category: John Wayne Westerns.” —Tom Clagett, ROUNDUP MAGAZINE (WESTERN WRITERS OF AMERICA) David Morrell is the award-winning author of First Blood, the novel in which Rambo was created. A former professor of American literature at the University of Iowa, he has written numerous New York Times bestsellers, including the classic Brotherhood of the Rose spy trilogy. The main character in Morrell’s western novel, Last Reveille, was inspired by Wayne’s career. “David Morrell is, to me, the finest thriller writer living today, bar none.” —Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author of The Columbus Affair “Morrell, an absolute master of the thriller, plays by his on rules and leaves you dazzled.” —Dean Koontz, New York Times bestselling author of 77 Shadow Street

From the American heartland to the edge of Hell, David Morrell (bestselling author of such classics as First Blood and The Brotherhood of the Rose) has consistently redefined the modern thriller. Now he turns to a darker side of suspense in a powerful collection of tales, many of them award winners. Prefaced by revealing autobiographical introductions, they delve into the weird, uncanny terrors that lurk just beneath the comforting surfaces of daily life. Fear of loss, fear of pain, fear of madness, fear of being trapped, fear of the unspeakable horrors that fester deep within the soul. . . . No matter who or where you are, fear is always with you, always ready to attack from behind the masks of thoughts and dreams. In this career-spanning examination of his life and the fears we all share, let David Morrell tell you a story . . . “For These and All My Sins” —a motorist in need of help finds himself in a town where everyone is disfigured . . . and discovers too late the terrifying reason they became that way . . . “The Beautiful Uncut Hair of Graves”—Both your parents die suddenly. Going through their legal papers, you find adoption records, dated at your birthday . . . but every official document has vanished, along with your biological mother . . . “Orange Is for Anguish, Blue for Insanity”—Beneath the placid, beautiful landscapes of a master artist’s paintings are levels of meaning that hide deep layers of pain . . . and unearthly nightmares . . . “Dead Image”—You know that that Hollywood stars think fame is more important than life itself . . . but you don’t realize the half of it . . . (There’s a lot of James Dean in this story.) “The Shrine”—Parents grieving for their dead children find a hidden place that offers lost hope . . . or eternal madness . . .

Experience a heart-pumping and thrilling tale of suspense! Originally published in THRILLER (2006), edited by #1 New York Times bestselling author James Patterson. In this exciting Thriller Short, New York Times bestselling writer David Morrell revisits Saul, a character from his wildly popular thriller Brotherhood of the Rose. An unexplained attack on Saul’s village motivates him to reenter the fray. It’s also what motivated Morrell to revisit a character he’d thought long gone. But what would a Brotherhood story be without the Abelard sanction? Don’t miss any of these exciting Thriller Shorts: James Penney’s New Identity by Lee Child Operation Northwoods by James Grippando Epitaph by J. A. Konrath The Face in the Window by Heather Graham Kowalski’s in Love by James Rollins The Hunt for Dmitri by Gayle Lynds Disfigured by Michael Palmer and Daniel Palmer The Abelard Sanction by David Morrell Falling by Chris Mooney Success of a Mission by Dennis Lynds The Portal by John Lescroart and M. J. Rose The Double Dealer by David Liss Dirty Weather by Gregg Hurwitz Spirit Walker by David Dun At the Drop of a Hat by Denise Hamilton The Other Side of the Mirror by Eric Van Lustbader Man Catch by Christopher Rice Goodnight, Sweet Mother by Alex Kava Sacrificial Lion by Grant Blackwood Interlude at Duane’s by F. Paul Wilson The Powder Monkey by Ted Bell Surviving Toronto by M. Diane Vogt Assassins by Christopher Reich The Athens Solution by Brad Thor Diplomatic Constraints by Raelynn Hillhouse Kill Zone by Robert Liparulo The Devils’ Due by Steve Berry The Tuesday Club by Katherine Neville Gone Fishing by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

CREEPERS, David Morrell''s gripping joyride of a thriller, depicts every harrowing second in eight hours of relentless terror. A New York Times bestseller, it received the prestigious Stoker Award from the Horror Writers Association. On a cold October night, five people gather in a run-down motel on the New Jersey shore and begin preparations to break in to the Paragon Hotel. Built in the glory days of Asbury Park by a reclusive millionaire, the magnificent structure—which foreshadowed the beauties of art-deco architecture—is now boarded up and marked for demolition. The five people are "creepers," the slang term for urban explorers: city archeologists with a passion for investigating abandoned buildings and their dying secrets. On this evening, they are joined by a reporter who wants to profile them—anonymously, as this is a highly illegal activity—for a New York Times article. Frank Balenger isn''t looking for just a story, however. And after the group enters the rat-infested tunnel leading to the hotel, it becomes clear that he will get much more than he bargained for. Danger, terror, and death await the creepers in a place ravaged by time and redolent of evil. The darkest secrets live in places you’re not supposed to be. “Chilling.” —Stephen King, New York Times bestselling author of Doctor Sleep “Crack this novel, and it’s like an alien abduction of your brain—forget resuming your normal life until it’s finished. This will be a classic.”—Douglas Preston, New York Times bestselling co-author (with Lincoln Child) of White Fire “With its nonstop cascade of ingeniously contrived dangers and assaults, culminating in an apocalyptic finale, Creepers provides the essence of all thrillers, an intense emotional effect that will leave readers drained.”—Washington Post

Award-winning author David Morrell created the character of Rambo in his 1972 novel, First Blood, which has been called “the father of the modern action novel.” Rambo went on to become one of the five most recognized thriller icons, along with Sherlock Holmes, Tarzan, James Bond, and Harry Potter. In this in-depth essay, for the first time Morrell tells the full story about how the novel and Rambo were created. Among his new revelations, Morrell discusses how Audie Murphy, America’s most-decorated soldier of WWII, was the model for Rambo. Morrrell also describes how the riots and anti-war demonstrations of the late 1960s had a considerable impact on his novel. In addition to write First Blood, David Morrell is the acclaimed author of numerous New York Times bestsellers that include the classic spy trilogy The Brotherhood of the Rose, The Fraternity of the Stone, and The League of Night and Fog. An Edgar, Anthony, and Macavity nominee, Morrell is a recipient of three Bram Stoker awards as well as the International Thriller Writers’ prestigious lifetime Thriller Master award. “David Morrell is, to me, the finest thriller writer living today, bar none.” —Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author of The Columbus Affair “David Morrell is a master of suspense.” —Michael Connelly, New York Times bestselling author of The Lincoln Lawyer “Morrell, an absolute master of the thriller, plays by his on rules and leaves you dazzled.” —Dean Koontz, New York Times bestselling author of 77 Shadow Street

Give me my brother, or I’ll give you your fiancée’s dismembered corpse… In this short story from the thrilling anthology MatchUp, bestselling authors Gayle Lynds and David Morrell—along with their popular series characters Liz Sansborough and Rambo—team up for the first time ever.

From the bestselling author of the classic Brotherhood of the Rose espionage saga comes a high-action thriller about the meaning of friendship and the naked edge between love and hate. He calls himself Cavanaugh. No first name, and even “Cavanaugh” isn’t his actual last name. He’s a protector. Once he had a boyhood best friend. They played in the woods near their homes, pretending to be soldiers surviving behind enemy lines. Grownup, they belonged to Delta Force and later worked for the world’s best security company. Now their lives have taken drastically different paths, pitting them against each other, forcing them to play their boyhood game again, this time to learn who dies. The survival of a great city hangs in the balance as two friends-turned-enemies hunt each other and discover that there’s a line between predators and prey, a line that’s called The Naked Edge. This e-book version of The Naked Edge contains numerous photographs of the classic knives described in the novel. These include the legendary knife that Warner Bros designed for Alan Ladd’s 1952 film about Jim Bowie, The Iron Mistress. Another of the many photographs depicts the most expensive knife in the world: a solid-gold replica of King Tut’s dagger. Praise for David Morrell “David Morrell is, to me, the finest thriller writer living today, bar none.” —Steve Berry New York Times bestselling author of The King’s Deception “David Morrell is a master of suspense. He wields it like a stiletto—knows just where to stick it and how to turn it.” —Michael Connelly, New York Times bestselling author of The Gods of Guilt “Morrell, an absolute master of the thriller, plays by his own rules and leaves you dazzled.” —Dean Koontz, New York Times bestselling author of Innocence

The notorious Opium-Eater returns in the sensational climax to David Morrell''s acclaimed Victorian mystery trilogy. 1855. The railway has irrevocably altered English society, effectively changing geography and fueling the industrial revolution by shortening distances between cities: a whole day''s journey can now be covered in a matter of hours. People marvel at their new freedom. But train travel brings new dangers as well, with England''s first death by train recorded on the very first day of railway operations in 1830. Twenty-five years later, England''s first train murder occurs, paralyzing London with the unthinkable when a gentleman is stabbed to death in a safely locked first-class passenger compartment. In the next compartment, the brilliant opium-eater Thomas De Quincey and his quick-witted daughter, Emily, discover the homicide in a most gruesome manner. Key witnesses and also resourceful sleuths, they join forces with their allies in Scotland Yard, Detective Ryan and his partner-in-training, Becker, to pursue the killer back into the fogbound streets of London, where other baffling murders occur. Ultimately, De Quincey must confront two ruthless adversaries: this terrifying enemy, and his own opium addiction which endangers his life and his tormented soul. Ruler of the Night is a riveting blend of fact and fiction which, like master storyteller David Morrell''s previous De Quincey novels, "evokes Victorian London with such finesse that you''ll hear the hooves clattering on cobblestones, the racket of dustmen, and the shrill calls of vendors" (Entertainment Weekly).

From acclaimed action author David Morrell comes a short thriller based on bizarre actual events. On a blistering desert landscape in World War II, two armies face each other. One belongs to the legendary French Foreign Legion, but the other belongs to the French Foreign Legion also, one side working for the Allies, the other for the Germans. In this vivid historical recreation of one of the strangest battles in modern warfare, a terrible twist of Fate compels comrades-in-arms, who trained together, ate together, and slept in the same barracks, to become mortal enemies. David Morrell is the prize-winning author of First Blood, the novel in which Rambo was created. His numerous New York Times bestsellers include the classic espionage novel, The Brotherhood of the Rose, the basis for the only television miniseries to be broadcast after a Super Bowl. An Edgar, Anthony, and Macavity nominee, Morrell is a recipient of the International Thriller Writers’ prestigious Thriller Master award. “Nobody does this kind of thing better than David Morrell.” —Lee Child, New York Times bestselling author of The Affair “A titan among thriller writers.” —Joseph Finder, New York Times bestselling author of Buried Secrets

LEGENDARY THRILLER WRITER DAVID MORRELL TRANSPORTS READERS TO THE FOGBOUND STREETS OF LONDON, WHERE A KILLER PLOTS TO ASSASSINATE QUEEN VICTORIA. The year is 1855. The Crimean War is raging. The incompetence of British commanders causes the fall of the English government. The Empire teeters. Amid this crisis comes opium-eater Thomas De Quincey, one of the most notorious and brilliant personalities of Victorian England. Along with his irrepressible daughter, Emily, and their Scotland Yard companions, Ryan and Becker, De Quincey finds himself confronted by an adversary who threatens the heart of the nation. This killer targets members of the upper echelons of British society, leaving with each corpse the name of someone who previously attempted to kill Queen Victoria. The evidence indicates that the ultimate victim will be Victoria herself.

David Morrell isn’t only an acclaimed thriller author. He’s also a former professor of American Studies who writes in-depth profiles about film and music legends. Few movie stars made as great an impact as Marilyn Monroe. Although she died in 1962, a half century later she remains vivid in popular culture, even to those who have never seen her films. Two of the men she married—Joe DiMaggio and Arthur Miller—themselves made a powerful cultural impact. In this moving essay, bestselling author David Morrell analyses Monroe’s poignant life, which had more significance than any movie in which she appeared. Even her most knowledgeable fans will find something new in this in-depth homage to a star whose luster outshone her films.

A brilliant historical mystery series begins: in gaslit Victorian London, writer Thomas De Quincey must become a detective to clear his own name. Thomas De Quincey, infamous for his memoir Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, is the major suspect in a series of ferocious mass murders identical to ones that terrorized London forty-three years earlier. The blueprint for the killings seems to be De Quincey''s essay On Murder Considered as One of the Fine Arts. Desperate to clear his name but crippled by opium addiction, De Quincey is aided by his devoted daughter Emily and a pair of determined Scotland Yard detectives. In Murder as a Fine Art, David Morrell plucks De Quincey, Victorian London, and the Ratcliffe Highway murders from history. Fogbound streets become a battleground between a literary star and a brilliant murderer, whose lives are linked by secrets long buried but never forgotten.

In 1916, Mexican bandit Pancho Villa raided the southwestern border town of Columbus. Three hundred American soldiers fought four hundred attackers in a battle that ended with one of the last cavalry charges in U.S. history. Outraged, Congress ordered the U.S. Army to invade Mexico in pursuit of Villa. For the first time, trucks and airplanes accompanied U. S. cavalry into combat, practicing for America’s entry into World War I. Influenced by Sam Peckinpah, Rambo-creator David Morrell dramatizes this epic era in American history through the eyes of a civilian scout old enough to have been in the Civil War, the Indian wars, Cuba, and the Philippines. Knowing that his ways are finished, he teaches a young recruit about the past, at a cost he never expected to pay. For this special 35th anniversary e-book edition, the author revised the original text. "David Morrell’s LAST REVEILLE is back in a newly revised—even better—version than when it first appeared in 1977. Featuring two of Morrell’s greatest characters, the green kid Prentice and the John Wayne-like Miles Calendar, LAST REVEILLE is an exciting, well-researched account of ‘Black Jack’ Pershing’s 1916 expedition after Pancho Villa. It’s a cinematic, end-of-the-west epic, but also a gripping, moving character study told by a true master.” —Johnny D. Boggs, four-time Spur Award winning author of NORTHFIELD, former president of Western Writers of America “Seldom has action been so breathlessly described . . . Rousing and moving . . . an exciting novel in hard, crackling prose.” —Houston Chronicle “The action has a glory about it.” —Kirkus

One of the great literary mysteries of the twentieth century concerns J. D. Salinger. In the mid-1960s, the revered creator of The Catcher in the Rye suddenly stopped publishing and withdrew from public life. In David Morrell’s haunting “The Architecture of Snow,” an author similar to Salinger submits a manuscript after a four-decade absence. Why has he abruptly resurfaced? What caused his long-ago disappearance? When editor Tom Neal embarks on a search to a remote New England town, he uncovers the disturbing truth behind a tragic mystery that changes his life in unimaginable ways. David Morrell is the critically acclaimed author of First Blood, The Brotherhood of the Rose, and many other bestselling novels. An Edgar, Anthony, and Macavity nominee, he is a recipient of three Bram Stoker awards from the Horror Writers Association as well as the Thriller Master Award from the International Thriller Writers organization. His writing book, The Successful Novelist, discusses what he has learned in his four decades as an author. “Morrell, an absolute master, plays by his own rules and leaves you dazzled.” —Dean Koontz, New York Times bestselling author of 77 Shadow Street “David Morrell is, to me, the finest thriller writer living today, bar none.” —Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author of The Jefferson Key “Everything [David Morrell] writes has a you-are-there quality and that, coupled with his ability to propel characters through a scene, makes reading him like attending a private screening.” —Washington Post

The most riveting reads in history meet today''s biggest thriller writers in Thrillers: 100 Must-Reads.Edited by David Morrell and Hank Wagner, Thrillers: 100 Must-Reads examines 100 seminal works of suspense through essays contributed by such esteemed modern thriller writers as: David Baldacci, Steve Berry, Sandra Brown, Lee Child, Jeffery Deaver, Tess Gerritsen, Heather Graham, John Lescroart, Gayle Lynds, Katherine Neville, Michael Palmer, James Rollins, R. L. Stine, and many more.Thrillers: 100 Must-Reads features 100 works - from Beowulf to The Bourne Identity, Dracula to Deliverance, Heart of Darkness to The Hunt for Red October - deemed must-reads by the International Thriller Writers organization.Much more than an anthology, Thrillers: 100 Must-Reads goes deep inside the most notable thrillers published over the centuries. Through lively, spirited, and thoughtful essays that examine each work''s significance, impact, and influence, Thrillers: 100 Must-Reads provides both historical and personal perspective on those spellbinding works that have kept readers on the edge of their seats for centuries.

Reporter Tess Drake discovers a mysterious altar in the apartment of a friend whose charred body was discovered in a nearby park. The meaning of that altar propels Tess on a furious hunt for the truth about what happened to her friend, a labyrinth of intrigue and danger that leads to the highest levels of power as well as to the depths of a secret cave in Spain. Less From the master of high action comes a novel of deception and intrigue that paved the way for the history-based religious thrillers of Dan Brown, Steve Berry, and James Rollins. In 1244, at the infamous fortress of Montségur in southwestern France, Christian Inquisitors massacred the last vestige of a heresy known as Mithraism, once the dominant religion of the Roman Empire. But was the heresy in fact destroyed? In today’s New York City, reporter Tess Drake discovers a mysterious altar in the apartment of a friend whose charred body was discovered in a nearby park. The altar (a version of it exists in the British Museum) depicts a man astride a bull, plunging a knife into its neck while a dog, a scorpion, and a snake drink the blood. The meaning of that altar propels Tess on a furious hunt for the truth about what happened to her friend, a labyrinth of intrigue and danger that leads to the highest levels of power as well as to the depths of a secret cave in Spain. This special e-version of THE COVENANT OF THE FLAME has a revised text and an introduction in which David Morrell describes the unusual personal events that prompted him to write this novel. “A mega-thriller by any standard” —Associated Press “David Morrell is, to me, the finest thriller writer living today, bar none.” —Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author of The Jefferson Key “A master storyteller” —James Rollins, New York Times bestselling author of The Devil Colony

In this tense, timely thriller, an interrogator finds himself in a remote bunker and an even more remote region of the human soul as he confronts the most hardened enemy he has ever faced and the most difficult choice he has ever been forced to make. “The Interrogator” asks the question: Are there moral limits to the way information should be obtained to defend one’s country? From acclaimed thriller author David Morrell comes this tense, timely tale about counter-terrorism. An interrogator finds himself in a remote bunker and in an even more remote region of the human soul as he confronts the most hardened enemy he has ever faced and the most difficult choice he has ever been forced to make. This e-story includes an introduction in which David Morrell, author of the classic spy thriller, THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE ROSE, discusses his espionage training. “Fast-paced, intelligent, exciting and hard-hitting.” —Nelson DeMille, New York Times bestselling author of The Lion “Nobody does this better than David Morrell.” —Lee Child, New York Times bestselling author of The Affair “The father of the modern action novel.” —Vince Flynn, New York Times bestselling author of Kill Shot David Morrell is the author of First Blood, the award-winning novel in which Rambo was created. His numerous New York Times bestsellers include the classic spy trilogy The Brotherhood of the Rose (the basis for the only television mini-series to premier after a Super Bowl), The Fraternity of the Stone, and The League of Night and Fog. An Edgar, Anthony, and Macavity nominee, Morrell is the recipient of three Bram Stoker awards and the prestigious Thriller Master award from the International Thriller Writers organization.

In the bestselling novels of suspense master David Morrell, fear is the main subject. But Morrell himself had never known genuine terror until he watched his 15-year-old son wage a heroic but doomed struggle with cancer. This is one father’s powerful and unforgettable story of fierce love, impenetrable loss, and an unexpected, breathtaking encounter with the miraculous. Ultimately, Fireflies is a tribute to the undying human spirit that has already given new hope to enthralled and grateful readers around the world. David wrote this account for himself, but to his surprise, his candid portrait of grief turned out to help other people in grief or else the friends of those in grief. His discussions about panic attacks as well as the “could have, should have” syndrome and the stress within marriages after a child’s death are some of the reasons that David was asked to deliver several keynote speeches to national conferences of The Compassionate Friends, the world’s largest grief organization—for the parents, siblings, grandparents, and friends of children who have died. “I found myself almost speechless….It left me feeling shaken, uplifted, and terribly moved.” —Stephen King, New York Times bestselling author of Doctor Sleep “A powerful experience I shall remember for a long, long time. Thank you, Mr. Morrell, for sharing so much love so electrifyingly.” —Robert Ludlum, New York Times bestselling author of The Bourne Identity “I was enormously impressed….One of the most poignant and passionate religious quests you will ever read….Don’t miss this story of how good people respond to bad things.” —Father Andrew M. Greeley, New York Times bestselling author of Angel Light “A story that should have meaning and truth for every parent.” —Los Angeles Daily News “A heartbreaking and inspiring account of devotion in the face of death.” —Detroit Free Press

Drew MacLane is a star agent in Scalpel, an organization named for its purpose: precise surgical removal. Assassination. Then MacLane decides to stop killing. He withdraws and retreats to a monastery, where for six years he lives the life of a hermit. But then someone tracks him down, leaving a trail of bodies. Someone who knows all about him - and will stop at nothing to destroy him. Less From acclaimed Thriller Master, David Morrell, comes a classic espionage tale that changed the genre, paving the way for the historical/religious thrillers of Dan Brown, Steve Berry, and James Rollins. In a remote monastery in Vermont, a mysterious man has spent six years alone in a cell, doing penance for unnamed sins that he committed for his government. His only human contact is the hand that delivers his spartan meals through a slot in his door. He allows himself only one small pleasure, the companionship of a mouse. When the mouse dies, nibbling bread, a terrible suspicion makes him finally leave his sanctuary and confront the ruthless enemies that he prayed he had left behind. Beginning with the Crusades and the origin of the word “assassin,” THE FRATERNITY OF THE STONE was the first novel to deal with Opus Dei, the Vatican’s civilian intelligence community. If you like to read about ancient conspiracies that threaten the modern world, this is where the genre began.

The most dangerous man in the world is back. David Morrell’s First Blood introduced Rambo, who joined the ranks of Sherlock Holmes, Tarzan, James Bond, and Harry Potter as an international thriller icon. In this further adventure, Rambo is in exile far from home in Thailand, vowing to renounce violence and war. When his country calls him once again, he refuses to accept. But then he learns that his former commanding officer, Colonel Trautman, the only man he trusts, has been captured by the Soviets on the Afghan border during a mission that Rambo rejected. For Rambo, it’s a call to arms—and a mission back into hell. This novelization and the film have many differences. Read the story that the film could have had, along with David Morrell’s in-depth introduction about Rambo and the book’s background. David Morrell is the award-winning author of First Blood, the novel in which Rambo was created His numerous other bestsellers include the classic spy trilogy: The Brotherhood of the Rose, the Fraternity of the Stone, and The League of Night and Fog. An Edgar, Anthony, and Macavity nominee, he is a recipient of three prestigious Stoker awards as well as the lifetime-achievement Thriller Master Award from the International Thriller Writers organization. “David Morrell is, to me, the finest thriller writer living today, bar none.” —Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author of The Columbus Affair “Morrell, an absolute master of the thriller, plays by his own rules and leaves you dazzled.” —Dean Koontz, New York Times bestselling author of 77 Shadow Street “The father of the modern action novel.” —Vince Flynn, New York Times bestselling author of Kill Shot

A war photographer embarks on an obsessive search for a beautiful woman pictured in an old photograph, a woman he believes will relieve his harrowing experiences but who brings her own terrors