I know you're all anxiously awaiting the fourth Jonathan Stride novel, IN THE DARK, which arrives in bookstores on March 31. But I promised you a surprise, and here it is: I have a new novel in U.S. and Canadian stores today!
The catch? It's under a pseudonym. So head to your local bookstore and look for THE AGENCY by my alter-ego, Ally O'Brien.
THE AGENCY is something new and completely different for me. This book is nothing like my dark, intense suspense novels. It's light, sassy, and funny, with a female first-person narrator and an urban setting in London and New York. Think of it as Sex and the City meets The Devil Wears Prada. Really. No kidding.
The reaction to the book has been overwhelming. "Hilarious," says the Pioneer Press. "One fantastic novel," says Romantic Times. "A naughty, catty good time," says Kirkus Reviews. "A delicious read," says Publishers Weekly's Galley Talk. One bookseller got an early copy and wrote to me to say: "Haven't had that much fun reading a book in a long time."
Okay, I can't promise that if you love my Jonathan Stride books you'll also love THE AGENCY -- because they're so very different. But while you're waiting for IN THE DARK, this may give you a look at the other side of Brian Freeman.
How did THE AGENCY come to be? It's a joint project between me and my London agent, Ali Gunn. Ali has wanted to do a book set inside the publishing industry for years, and she approached me last year about making it happen. So we worked together to create a book with a wickedly funny heroine trying to survive on her own in the crazy book worlds of London and New York. If you don't laugh out loud, we haven't done our job.
So this is my Valentine present to all of you. Enjoy THE AGENCY, and don't worry, I'm back with dark, emotional suspense next month as Jonathan Stride returns in IN THE DARK.
Thanks for reading and tell your friends!