Mysterious

We had a fun tag-team signing today at M is for Mystery in San Mateo.  I paired up with Joanne Fluke, author of the cozy-bakery series set in Minnesota, who brought delicious creampuffs to the store to help promote her latest, Cream Puff Murder.  Joanne grew up in Minnesota and moved to California years ago.  I grew up in California and moved to Minnesota years ago.  What's wrong with this picture?

This was the first (and maybe only?) official signing I've done for THE AGENCY.  It's a bit of a challenge touring as a male author with a female pseudonym.  And then I had to face the issue:  How do I sign the books?  As Brian?  As Ally?  So I've ended up signing as AOB, with the O as a little heart sign.  I may be getting too into chick lit...

Readers have been encouraging me to do another Ally O'Brien book, and never fear, Ali and I are listening.  I'm working on plot ideas for a second book this month.  But don't worry -- psychological suspense will always be first in my heart.

So, Oprah, I have to ask...

...did you happen to read that copy of the March 2 issue of PEOPLE you were waving around on the show?  How about those book reviews, huh?  See anything you might like to read?  Pass along a copy to Tom and Katie, too...hey, Tom's IN the book, you know...

People Who Need PEOPLE

You never know when to expect good news.  We had heard that PEOPLE magazine would be running a review of THE AGENCY two weeks ago, and we were disappointed when it wasn't in there.  Ditto the following week -- at which point we concluded that we had probably missed the opportunity for one reason or another.

But wait!  Marcia got PEOPLE from the mailbox yesterday and flipped to the Books section (that's what we do these days) -- and lo and behold, there was that unmistakable bright blue cover.  The magazine gave the book 3 1/2 stars out of 4 and called it "entertaining...witty...a delight."  Great news.

Rihanna is on the cover.  She may not want to remember this particular issue, but we'll be buying several copies.

M is for Mystery: Saturday, February 28

Just a quick note to let you know that I will be visiting the M is for Mystery bookstore in San Mateo next Saturday, February 28 at 2:00 pm. If you'll be in the area, please stop by and say hello. Or if you have friends and family in the Bay Area who enjoy mysteries, feel free to let them know about the event.

Although my fourth novel, IN THE DARK, doesn't arrive in stores until March 31, we will be raffling off two free copies of the UK edition of the book at the event!

You can also purchase signed copies of my pseudonymous book THE AGENCY or any of my earlier novels, IMMORAL, STRIPPED, and STALKED.

M is for Mystery does mail orders, so you can also contact the store and arrange for personalized signed copies of any of my books. This includes pre-ordering signed copies of IN THE DARK! You can contact M is for Mystery at info@mformystery.com or 888-405-8077. The store is located at 86 East Third Avenue in downtown San Mateo.

The event on Saturday promises to be a lot of fun, as I'll be joining cozy-bakery mystery writer Joanne Fluke. Not to be outdone by Joanne's shameless use of delicious recipes to promote her books and events, I'll be bringing my grandmother's super-secret recipe for cherry pie. Hope to see you there!

Harrowing and Heartrending

Publishers Weekly checked in recently with the first major review of IN THE DARK, the fourth Jonathan Stride novel, which arrives in U.S. stores on March 31.  PW gives the book a starred review – their highest honor – and says this:

“Edgar-finalist Freeman's fourth thriller to feature Duluth Minn police lieutenant Jonathan Stride (after Stalked) may be his most ambitious—and accomplished—work to date. As the title suggests, even those involved in the closest relationships can be kept in the dark about a loved one's past. When a woman shows up in town and informs Stride that she's writing a book about the 30-year-old mystery surrounding the murder of the older sister of the girl who grew up to become Stride's spouse, he's forced to re-examine the validity of his bond with not only his late wife, Cindy, who died of cancer five years earlier, but also that involving his current love interest, a former Vegas cop turned PI, Serena Dial. Powered by darkly poetic atmospherics and deep character development (especially Stride, whose understated intensity, dignity and resilience are emblematic of the Twin Ports area itself), this harrowing and heartrending novel will leave readers guessing until the very last pages.”

Gotta love that.

THE AGENCY by Ally O'Brien: In Stores Now

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!

Stay Tuned

As you settle down to watch the Super Bowl, I wanted to give you early notice that I will have a new book in U.S. stores on Tuesday, February 3.  This is a bonus book, so I guess you might call it a Valentine gift to readers a couple months before the next Stride book, IN THE DARK, arrives on March 31.

Don't look for Brian Freeman in the byline, though.  This book is being published under a pseudonym.  Check back on Tuesday morning for all the details!  And get ready for something completely different...