The Blackmail Club is a cerebral, physical and sexy five-course gourmet meal of mystery. Sit back and fasten your seat-belt, relax, and be entertained while you try to fit together the final pieces before you turn the final pages.
The Book has been self-published via Telemachus Press and is available as eBook and Paperback (~368 pages / Released in February 2012).
About the Book
Washington, D.C., is a town full of powerful people hiding ugly secrets. The blackmailer, a renaissance man, keeps his promise: pay me, I'll return the juicy evidence I have against you, and you'll never hear from me again. Jack McCall, a former operative for the U.S. intelligence community and now a private investigator hunts this wily and diabolical madman.
His victims, having paid and not been further extorted, are reticent to admit ever having been blackmailed. McCall's efforts to solve the case are assisted by Nora Burke, his sexy assistant who also helps Jack recover from the loss of his wife, and Max Logan, a retired detective of Irish-Scottish parentage. Chock full of colorful characters from the worlds of politics, art, and the media.
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| Click on the Book to Read an Excerpt @ Amazon |
Reviews (Excerpts)
- " I found The Black Mail Club by David Bishop to be a very well written murder mystery that had me guessing to the very end. [...] The story culminates in an ending I never saw coming and has me excited to read the next book by this author! " - Addicted 2 Books (Amazon)
- "David Bishop's 'The Blackmail Club' is hard to put down from the very beginning. I had intended to savor it, but I couldn't resist staying up until the wee hours to finish the book. The action and pace are grand. The characters are real, but their short falls and personal lives don't distract from the matters at hand... namely a deadly blackmailer and a bunch of thugs running a-muck. Bishop masterfully weaves a high energy tale with lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing. " - MysteryGal (Amazon)
- "The Blackmail Club is my first David Bishop novel, but it will not be my last. The texture of the writing is reminiscent of Sam Spade, clear, concise, and always twisting and turning forward. It kept me on my Kindle too long many mornings. " - Philip A. Davis
Author Interview with David Bishop
David Bishop: I began writing fiction (mysteries/thrillers/suspense) full time in 2002. Prior to that time, I worked for over twenty years as a valuation expert. As such I was retained by owners of non-publicly traded businesses, professional practices, and intangible assets to determine the market value of their holdings.
From the mid-1990s until 2002 I wrote dozens of technical financial articles for legal, financial, and valuation journals regarding the determination of value of these types of assets. I also worked as an expert witness in civil trials in which valuation of business interests were relevant. In 2001, I co-authored a nonfiction book published by Wiley (later released in Russian and Chinese) on how to determine the market value of privately-owned companies to be merged into or acquired by publicly-traded companies. During those years, I also wrote training programs on the valuation of business interests for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Management Center Europe, The Australian/New Zealand Brokers Association, and the Panamanian government among others.
In 2002, I began writing fiction full time, but did not aggressively pursue publishing until late 2010. I waited for two primary reasons. First, I wanted to complete several books so I did not come across as a one-book wonder. Second, I wanted to further study and practice the craft of writing fiction as well as study the publishing and literary agency businesses (using the industry and company research and analysis skills I had developed in my prior career). In 2010, I sought the validation that comes through having a traditional publisher select my work as worthy of being published. I entered into a publishing contract with a boutique sized traditional publisher. I knew from the first reading of that agreement that it was totally weighted in favor of the publisher and, therefore, terrible for the author. Still, I wanted that validation. The contract called for the publishing of my first novel in the spring of 2012.
After that, I immediately began a search for a quality publisher that would not demand unreasonable control over my novels. I found a work-for-hire publisher with whom I was (and remain) comfortable and proceeded to self-publish three mysteries in the last quarter of 2011. In the first quarter of 2012, the traditional publisher finally brought to market the one mystery they were to publish. In early March, I brought The Blackmail Club, a Jack McCall Mystery to market; the fourth through my work-for-hire publisher. My sixth mystery will be added in June 2012, with a seventh projected for August of this year.
While James Patterson is not spending his nights troubled by my competition, the indie market has been kind in its response to my novels. It has now been seven months since my first mystery was released in both eBook and print editions and in total I have sold (not free giveaways) over 10,000 novels. Seven months is a short time to build a large loyal reader base, but that effort is advancing quite nicely. I have received emails of praise from over 60 readers.
I love to write fiction and intend to continue to do so.
David, tell us about your Book The Blackmail Club
The Blackmail Club, a Jack McCall Mystery, is a 368 page mystery. Jack hunts for a renaissance blackmailer who keeps his word. When his victims pay the extortion, the blackmailer keeps his promise and returns the damning evidence he holds over them and never demands further payment. This blackmailer has developed a devious plan which regularly identifies marks from among the people of wealth and position in Washington, D.C. Each victim is extorted only once, thus each who has paid has every reason to remain silent. The members of his exclusive club are victims who don’t know each other, yet share the bond of having paid the blackmailer. After only ninety days on the market, The Blackmail Club already has 11 reader reviews on Amazon. Ten are 5-star and the other is a 4-star.
When has The Blackmail Club been released?
February 28, 2012
Which genre?
Mystery / Thriller [Hard-Boiled]
Is this the first book you have published?
No, I released earlier...
The Beholder, a Maddie Richards Mystery is a 358 page mystery. The Beholder is a serial killer. Maddie Richards is a divorced female homicide detective in Phoenix, Arizona, who must track him down while struggling to raise her ten-year-old son with the help of her life-in mother. Maddie secretly wishes she could handle her family and love life as efficiently as she handles murders. Released in October, 2011.
Who Murdered Garson Talmadge, a Matt Kile Mystery is a 265 page mystery. Garson Talmadge is a former illegal weapons merchant who retired to Long Beach, California, and married Clarice, a woman half his age. Garson is murdered and his young wife is arrested. Matt Kile, a former homicide detective, is asked by Clarice Talmadge to work as the investigator for her defense attorney. Matt quickly finds that the suspects range from Clarice herself, to her husband’s former weapons partners in France and the Middle East. Matt travels to France and is harassed by our FBI and the French national police; both are involved in tracking past illegal weapons transactions. Released in November, 2011.
The Woman is a 330 page suspense story. Linda Darby is an ordinary woman living a quiet life as a day trader in a small beach town along the Oregon Coast. Linda soon finds herself embroiled in a world she didn’t know existed outside books and movies. Her best friend is murdered and she is being hunted. In her quest for justice and survival she learns that some people deserve to die, and that she is not one of those people. Released in November, 2011.
In the aggregate my novels, all released within the past seven months, have 97 reader reviews of which 85 are either five-or-four stars. These ratings confirm my books are being very well received by readers of mysteries, thrillers, and suspense stories.
Where did you (self)-publish? How did the publish process work for you?
I used Telemachus Press, LLC., as a work-for-hire publisher for my self-published books. I have found them efficient, reliable, and ethical. The books are available in both eBook and Print editions.
Are you working on a new Book Project?
Yes. The Original Alibi, a Matt Kile Mystery, will be out in June 2012. In August 2012, I will release Money & Murder, a Matt Kile Mystery short story. In the first half of 2013, Empty Promises, a Maddie Richards Mystery will be released. Additional mysteries will follow these next three.
Where can readers buy the book?
All the above books are available on Amazon and all other prominent online bookstores. However, from time to time some of the titles in eBook format are not available other than at Amazon due to my participation in the Amazon KDP Select promotional program which grants Amazon an exclusive right to sell the eBooks online. My print books are available in all the primary online stores. Signed print books are available through my website.
Thank you so much for the Interview, David. Good Luck with your future book projects.
Links to the Author and the Book
Link to David Bishop's Website
Connect with David Bishop via Twitter @davidbishop7
Link to the Book The Blackmail Club with Excerpt on Amazon
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