Most Popular Books by David Morrell

From New York Times bestselling author, David Morrell, comes a classic thriller that introduced the character of Rambo, one of the most iconic action heroes of the twentieth century. Called “the father of the modern action novel,” FIRST BLOOD changed the genre. Although the book and the film adaptation have similarities, they are very different, especially its unexpected ending and its greater intensity. If you’ve only experienced the film, you’re in for a surprise. Once they were soldiers. Rambo, the ragged kid whose presence in town is considered a threat. And Teasle, the Chief of Police of Madison, Kentucky. Both have been trained to kill: Rambo in Vietnam, Teasle in Korea. They learned different military tactics, different ways of death and survival in two different wars. Now, without warning, they are enemies in a civilian combat that becomes a chase through the woods and mountains and caves above the town. As we follow them, we understand that once a man has been trained as a killer, perhaps he is changed forever. Award-winning FIRST BLOOD was published in 1972, was translated into 26 languages, and has never been out of print. It was one of the first novels to deal with post-traumatic stress disorder. David’s novelizations for RAMBO (FIRST BLOOD PART II) and RAMBO III are available as e-books. They’re quite different from the films and include revealing introductions. See also David’s RAMBO AND ME: THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY. Critical reactions: “A fine novel. . . . When Johnny comes marching home this time, watch out.” —The New York Times Sunday Book Review “A first-rate thriller.” —Newsweek “One of the finest chase novels you will ever read.” —Minneapolis Tribune “A terrific thriller.” —Saturday Review “One hell of a hard, fast novel.” —John D. MacDonald

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.

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

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

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.

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).

"Like listening to a beloved brother. I found the acute observations and his narrative philosophy more valuable for the new writer than the contents of any 100 other texts."-Dean Koontz "The Successful Novelist is the vehicle you want if you plan to drive your way to successful fiction."-Joe R. Lansdale David Morrell, bestselling author of First Blood, The Brotherhood of the Rose and The Fifth Profession, distills more than fifty years of writing and publishing experience into this single masterwork of advice and instruction. Morrell covers: -Plot -Character -Research -Structure -Viewpoint -Description -Dialogue -Succeeding in publishing -And much more The Successful Novelist reveals the truth about writing, providing the perspective authors need to write successful fiction that sells.

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.

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.

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.

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

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 . . .

"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

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

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.

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.

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

Morrell recounts the powerful story of watching his 15-year-old son wage a heroic but doomed struggle with bone cancer--an unforgettable story of fierce love, impenetrable loss, and an unexpected, breathtaking encounter with the miraculous.

Architect Brad Denning is haunted by the memory of his brother. His last image of Petey is that of a skinny nine-year-old heading down the road on his bike. Twenty years later, a man approaches Brad, claiming to be his long lost brother. Brad is skeptical until the man reports a litany of childhood memories that only Petey could know. Brad is overjoyed and welcomes Petey to his family. But when Brad comes home from a disastrous camping trip to find his wife and son have been abducted, he becomes suspicious of Petey. His own brother couldn’t possibly want to hurt his family - or could he? In a desperate search for his family, Brad travels alone through America’s heartland until he finally discovers the terrible secret of what really happened to Petey all those years ago - and realizes the horrendous consequences facing his wife and son if he doesn’t find them in time.

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

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.

Steve Decker, after a lethally bungled covert operation, retires to New Mexico, where he discovers the possibility of a family life. When his old world intrudes, he must use all his skills to stay alive, to reconcile the forces in his life, and to find the truth about the woman he loves.

Collects stories written by best-selling thriller authors,11 women and 11 men partnered in male-female literary pairings, in anthology that includes contributions by such favorites as Sandra Brown, John Sandford and Eric Van Lustbader.

Warner''s highly successful backlist program for David Morrell (The Fifth Profession) continues with Last Reveille, a newly repackaged thriller classic. After Pancho Villa''s bloody 1916 raid on the New Mexico border, the U.S. Cavalry enlists the help of wilderness fighter Miles Calendar.

"A masterful work."--Associated Press 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. As De Quincey and Emily race to protect the queen, they uncover long-buried secrets and the heartbreaking past of a man whose lust for revenge has destroyed his soul. Based on actual attempts to assassinate Queen Victoria, Inspector of the Dead brilliantly merges historical fact with fiction, bringing a bloody chapter of Victorian England to vivid, pulse-pounding life.

The secret weapon developed by the man Cavanaugh is assigned to protect is like Kryptonite to the former Delta Force officer turned security guard--it multiplies the effects of adrenaline, a hormone associated with fear, so it incapacitates instead of energizing him. A lot of people want Daniel Prescott''s secret, but Cavanaugh, who''s felt the drug''s effects, wants his antidote. When Prescott disappears after causing the death of the Global Protective Services team charged with keeping him alive, Cavanaugh and his wife Jamie go after him in a high-speed chase that traps them between government agents and foreign operatives each racing to find the scientist first and kill him before he can use his formula on them. Despite Prescott''s double-dealing, and the bloody battle in a mountain redoubt that results in the deaths of his friends and colleagues, Cavanaugh knows the only way to banish the fear that may compromise his and Jamie''s own safety is to track the elusive scientist to his last refuge. In this propulsive thriller, Morrell turns the tables so often that it''s hard to separate the good guys from the bad ones, but that won''t keep readers addicted to violence, treachery, and high-tech weaponry from staying with it to the last surprising chapter. “Spectacular action backed by the author’s hands-on research . . . a horrifying climax . . . twists and turns . . . one of the best of the genre.”—Associated Press “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 “Impressive action . . . plenty of twists . . . most notable, though, is the advertised ‘tradecraft’—from clever ways to modify one’s ammo and armor to the very best method of taking out a car you’re chasing.”—Publishers Weekly “The story accelerates to warp speed, hurtles to a stunning climax. A wonderfully entertaining action adventure.”—Booklist

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

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

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

David Morrell isn’t only an acclaimed thriller author and the creator of Rambo in his novel First Blood. He’s also a former professor of American Studies who writes in-depth profiles about film and music legends. Frank Sinatra’s dramatic life sometimes upstaged his genius. Although he was the greatest interpretive singer of the recording era, some commentators emphasize his boozing, brawling, and womanizing rather than his brilliance as a performer, or else they take his brilliance for granted rather than attempt to explain it. In FRANK SINATRA: THE ARTIST AND HIS MUSIC, award-winning author David Morrell discusses the talent and determination that led Sinatra to progress from being a singing waiter to becoming the Chairman of the Board. Many Sinatra fans might be surprised to learn that this intensely autobiographical singer had a face that was permanently scarred from birth. They might also be surprised that, despite the legend that he was a “natural” singer, Sinatra took vocal lessons from a Metropolitan Opera singer. In his formative years, he invented a new way for singers to breathe and used this amazing technique to channel his self-described manic-depression into interpreting songs as they had never been done before. These are only some of the topics that David Morrell analyzes in his rare approach to this powerful singer’s craft. Based on more than forty years of listening and reading, Morrell provides an in-depth analysis of Sinatra’s musical career. After you read it, you might never listen to Sinatra or any other singer the same way again.

Intrigue and danger follow a man who is searching for his father''s grave in France.