Tuesday, December 01, 2015

Collusion, The Belfast Series by Stuart Neville, Now Available at a Special Price

Omnimystery News is always searching for newly discounted mystery, suspense, thriller and crime novels for our readers to enjoy.

Today, we're pleased to present the following title, now available at a special price courtesy of the publisher, Soho Crime …

Collusion by Stuart Neville

Collusion by Stuart Neville

The Belfast Series (2nd in series)

Publisher: Soho Crime

Price: $3.64 (as of 12/01/2015 at 4:00 PM ET).

Collusion by Stuart Neville, Amazon Kindle format

A merciless assassin stalks Belfast and Detective Inspector Jack Lennon has been assigned to the case. As Lennon unravels a far-reaching conspiracy involving collusion among Loyalists, IRA members, and law enforcement, he discovers that his estranged former lover and their daughter are in the killer's cross-hairs.

To catch the assassin and save the only family he has, Lennon blurs the line between friend and enemy by teaming up with an enigmatic killer named Fegan.

Collusion by Stuart Neville

A complete list of today's featured titles can be found on the Discounted MystereBooks page on Omnimystery News.

Important Note: Price(s) verified as of the date and time shown. Price(s) are subject to change at any time. Please confirm the price of the book before purchasing it.

Give Up the Ghost by Juliet Blackwell, New on the Mystery Bookshelf during December 2015

New on the Mystery Bookshelf during December 2015 …

Give Up the Ghost by Juliet Blackwell

Give Up the Ghost by Juliet Blackwell, A Melanie Turner, Haunted Home Renovation Mystery (6th in series)

Publisher: NAL

Give Up the Ghost by Juliet Blackwell, Amazon Kindle format

San Francisco contractor and ghost whisperer Mel Turner must solve a murder mystery at a haunted mansion in the Pacific Heights …

San Francisco millionaire Andrew Flynt wants to sell his Victorian mansion, but ghostly music, the squeaking of a long-disappeared weathervane, and an angry ghost keep running off potential buyers. After a famous psychic is called in, she informs the Flynts that their multi-million-dollar renovations to "update" the home have left its resident ghost extremely agitated. So contractor Mel Turner is engaged to track down and replace some of the original features of the house.

But when the beautiful psychic is found stabbed, it appears someone had a very human motive for murder. Now Mel must use her ghost whispering gift to uncover the secrets of the haunted house on the hill, and her sleuthing skills to catch a killer.

Give Up the Ghost by Juliet Blackwell

To see more new paperback titles scheduled to be published this month, visit The Mystery Bookshelf for December 2015. For new hardcover mysteries, visit New Mysteries where for a list of December 2015 mysteries, novels of suspense, and thrillers is provided.

Redemption Street, A Moe Prager Mystery by Reed Farrel Coleman, Now Available at a Special Price

Omnimystery News is always searching for newly discounted mystery, suspense, thriller and crime novels for our readers to enjoy.

Today, we're pleased to present the following title, now available at a special price courtesy of the publisher, Tyrus Books …

Redemption Street by Reed Farrel Coleman

Redemption Street by Reed Farrel Coleman

A Moe Prager Mystery (2nd in series)

Publisher: Tyrus Books

Price: $2.52 (as of 12/01/2015 at 3:00 PM ET).

Redemption Street by Reed Farrel Coleman, Amazon Kindle format

Still possessed of his vintage police savvy, and perhaps the only Jewish licensed PI in the five boroughs, Moe Prager wonders if he's really meant to be a merchant and not a cop. It's 1981, and he's lured into the mystery of a 1966 hotel fire — one that killed seventeen people, including his first love — by a long-grieving brother and Moe's own restless determination to set things right.

Moe finds himself trudging through his childhood summer vacation stomping grounds, the now-decaying Catskill resort scene. The borscht belt's near-forgotten landscape of scarred lives, ambitious politicians, and corrupt cops is the minefield Moe must brave to find the truth. Was the fire really sparked by a negligent smoker or was it murder? Will the long dead keep their secrets or divulge their stories? And will what Moe uncovers lead him down another blind alley or into the bright light of Redemption Street?

Redemption Street by Reed Farrel Coleman

A complete list of today's featured titles can be found on the Discounted MystereBooks page on Omnimystery News.

Important Note: Price(s) verified as of the date and time shown. Price(s) are subject to change at any time. Please confirm the price of the book before purchasing it.

Fatal Complications by John Benedict, New in Bookstores during December 2015

Today's featured new hardcover mystery, suspense, or thriller title scheduled to be published during December 2015 is …

Fatal Complications by John Benedict

Fatal Complications by John Benedict, A Medical Thriller

Publisher: Oceanview Publishing

Fatal Complications by John Benedict, Amazon Kindle format

When a colleague's patient suffers a bizarre reaction in the operating room, Luke Daulton, a newly minted anesthesiologist, volunteers to help. Despite the surgical team's best efforts, the patient succumbs to a rare anesthetic complication. Luke becomes perplexed, even suspicious, over their inability to save the woman. Is it possible that the diagnosis was wrong? Or, worse yet, was the diagnosis faked? Luke even wonders if his boss Dr. Katz is involved.

Too busy with the rigors of new job and his pending fatherhood, Luke is forced to put his suspicions on hold. When his wife Kim faces a C-section, his fears are reignited. Could there be a murderer — or murderers — operating in his hospital? Could his wife's obstetrician be involved? When the C-section goes horribly wrong, Luke must launch into action to save his wife and baby and expose a conspiracy he's uncovered in his hospital.

Fatal Complications by John Benedict

For a list of more new hardcover titles to be published this month, visit our New Mysteries page for December 2015. For new paperback mysteries, visit The Mystery Bookshelf where a selection of December 2015 mysteries, novels of suspense, and thrillers are shelved.

Welcome Back, Jack, A Jack LeClere Thriller by Liam Sweeny, Now Available at a Special Price

Omnimystery News is always searching for newly discounted mystery, suspense, thriller and crime novels for our readers to enjoy.

Today, we're pleased to present the following title, now available at a special price courtesy of the publisher, Down & Out Books …

Welcome Back, Jack by Liam Sweeny

Welcome Back, Jack by Liam Sweeny

A Jack LeClere Thriller (1st in series)

Publisher: Down & Out Books

Price: 99¢ (as of 12/01/2015 at 2:00 PM ET).

Welcome Back, Jack by Liam Sweeny, Amazon Kindle format

When Jack was six years old, his parents were brutally slain by a serial killer. The police later found drifter Clyde Colsen driving a stolen car, his clothes soaked in blood. He was tried, convicted and executed. Jack grew up knowing the police got their man.

Now a decorated homicide detective in New Rhodes, Jack arrives at the third crime scene of the "South End Killer" murders and finds his name. He will soon find out something else: thirty years ago, they got the wrong guy. And now the right guy's come back to pay Jack and New Rhodes his bloody respects.

As Jack struggles to stay on the case, his cat-and-mouse game with the killer makes him wonder if he's the cat or the mouse. His family and everyone in his life is fair game. As the killer escalates and threatens the entire city, Jack has a question he must answer in his desperation: can he stop the monster without becoming one?

Welcome Back, Jack by Liam Sweeny

See 20 crime novels and anthologies published by Down & Out Books for 99¢ each on Kindle.

A complete list of today's featured titles can be found on the Discounted MystereBooks page on Omnimystery News.

Important Note: Price(s) verified as of the date and time shown. Price(s) are subject to change at any time. Please confirm the price of the book before purchasing it.

Here Today, Gone Tamale by Rebecca Adler, New on the Mystery Bookshelf during December 2015

New on the Mystery Bookshelf during December 2015 …

Here Today, Gone Tamale by Rebecca Adler

Here Today, Gone Tamale by Rebecca Adler, A Josie Callahan, Taste of Texas Mystery (1st in series)

Publisher: Berkley

Here Today, Gone Tamale by Rebecca Adler, Amazon Kindle format

Reporter turned Tex-Mex waitress Josie Callahan is about to go from serving queso to solving cases …

After losing her newspaper job in Austin and having her former fiancé unfriend her on Facebook, Josie Callahan scoops up her Chihuahua, Lenny, and slinks back to Broken Boot, Texas. Maybe working as head waitress at Milagro — her aunt and uncle's Tex-Mex restaurant — isn't exactly living the dream, but it is a fresh start.

And business is booming as tourists pour into Broken Boot for its famous Wild West Festival. But when a local jewelry designer is found strangled outside Milagro after a tamale-making party, Josie's reporter instincts kick in. As suspects pile up and alibis crack faster than taco shells, Josie needs to wrap up this case tighter than her tía's tortillas — before another victim calls for the check …

Here Today, Gone Tamale by Rebecca Adler

To see more new paperback titles scheduled to be published this month, visit The Mystery Bookshelf for December 2015. For new hardcover mysteries, visit New Mysteries where for a list of December 2015 mysteries, novels of suspense, and thrillers is provided.

Murder in Retribution, A New Scotland Yard Mystery by Anne Cleeland, Now Available at a Special Price

Omnimystery News is always searching for newly discounted mystery, suspense, thriller and crime novels for our readers to enjoy.

Today, we're pleased to present the following title, now available at a special price courtesy of the publisher, Kensington …

Murder in Retribution by Anne Cleeland

Murder in Retribution by Anne Cleeland

A New Scotland Yard Mystery (2nd in series)

Publisher: Kensington

Price: $2.39 (as of 12/01/2015 at 1:00 PM ET).

Murder in Retribution by Anne Cleeland, Amazon Kindle format

Two of Scotland Yard's most gifted detectives navigate the darkest corners of London to solve a series of murders that will blur every line between right and wrong …

Chief Inspector Michael Sinclair, Lord Acton, and rookie detective Kathleen Doyle ruffle more than a few feathers at CID Headquarters when their relationship comes to light. But office politics quickly become trivial amid a rash of underworld murders. As the body count climbs, Doyle uncovers a vicious war over lucrative turf between the Russian mafia and an Irish terrorist group. But their acts of revenge are almost too much for Scotland Yard to keep up with — and when Acton seems unusually troubled by the crimes, Doyle wonders what sparked the conflict in the first place.

Perhaps there's nothing more to it than under-the-table business dealings gone awry. Or perhaps a single act of vigilante justice ignited a brutal battle. As Doyle and Acton fight not to become the next victims, they'll find that the truth may be best left unspoken, and retribution may be best left to fate …

Murder in Retribution by Anne Cleeland

A complete list of today's featured titles can be found on the Discounted MystereBooks page on Omnimystery News.

Important Note: Price(s) verified as of the date and time shown. Price(s) are subject to change at any time. Please confirm the price of the book before purchasing it.

Dying in Detroit, A Bright & Fletcher Mystery by Jonathan Watkins, New This Week from Carina Press

Carina Press is a digital-first imprint from Harlequin, publishing books in an interesting and diverse selection of genres including contemporary romance, steampunk, gay/lesbian fiction, science-fiction, fantasy, and — but of course — mystery and suspense.

We've selected one of their recently published titles to feature here today …

Dying in Detroit by Jonathan Watkins

Dying in Detroit by Jonathan Watkins

A Bright & Fletcher Mystery (2nd in series)

Publisher: Carina Press

Price: $3.99 (as of 12/01/2015 at 12:30 PM ET).

Dying in Detroit by Jonathan Watkins, Amazon Kindle format

Issabella Bright has had it with bailing her handsome-but-unpredictable boyfriend-slash-partner out of the drunk tank, with him messing up their court schedule and with his buttinsky female best friend. But Darren's latest story is no flustered excuse — the glad-handing stranger who blew into his office is none other than Mister Unreliable himself: Issabella's long-absent father.

And the only thing he's brought with him is trouble.

No sooner does Howard Bright appear than a psychopath begins waging a campaign of terror aimed directly at Darren — and Issabella. Stalking the stalker to discover his motive — never mind his identity — could very well mean lights out for Bright & Fletcher. But Darren will put his safety, reputation and personal fortune on the line if it means protecting Issabella.

Dying in Detroit by Jonathan Watkins

See also the first book in this series, Motor City Shakedown, for $3.99 on Kindle.

Visit our New Indie MystereBooks page on Omnimystery News for a complete list of titles featured today.

Important Note: Price(s) verified as of the date and time shown. Price(s) are subject to change at any time. Please confirm the price of the book before purchasing it.

An Excerpt from The Conscience by Martin Schulman

Omnimystery News: An Excerpt courtesy of Martin Schulman

We are delighted to welcome Diane Schulman to Omnimystery News today. Diane's husband, Martin Schulman, recently passed away and while he was a profilic author, he wrote only one novel, The Conscience (November 2014 trade paperback). We are pleased to introduce you to it with an excerpt, the prologue and first two chapters.

— ♦ —

Prologue

If there is one thing that cannot be seen or touched, yet, is so powerful that it rules one's life, determining what direction it will go in, what road it will travel on, what choices will be made along the way …
  If there is one thing that sets the sail on a course of deliverance or lost in the seas of worthlessness, tossed about by the ever changing winds of despair …
  If there is one thing that holds fast and true, never wavering, deceiving or betraying, or luring one astray, that cannot be stolen, that shines with the brilliance of highest truth …
  It is the Conscience.

Chapter 1

The late afternoon sun peeked through the twenty-foot high skylight, casting a bright beam of dusty haze, as it found its way downward, onto the old mahogany scratched table near the center of the otherwise shaded room.
  An ornate balance scale, replete with bronze curved arms reaching out of a delicately sculptured stem, rising from the carefully inscribed base, rested near the center of the table. Off to both sides of the scale there were several colored piles of a sandy grain like substance, almost as if small rocks had been crushed first into pebbles, then into smaller chips and after much more effort, into tiny particles that almost, but not quite, hinted at an attempt to be powder.
  One of the piles was a deep reddish brown, another a grayish tone with hints of blue speckling, as if the pile needed further mixing before the disparate colors in it would blend into an agreeable hue.
  The table itself looked heavy, dark and old, as if built when the human labor of hand carving was a lifetime's dedication of pride and effort. It's edges, ribbed with several rows of curved and modeled grooves and indents culminated at each corner in finely carved catlike faces, while the legs reached down from inside and under the corners, curving first out then gently sloping inward, slowly thinning, until out again at their bases, in the shape of four firmly planted claws.
  Hunched over the table, sitting in a straight high backed cane and mahogany chair, was the figure of a careful and attentive man in his fifties, wearing a striped blue and gray long sleeve cotton shirt covered partly by an open saddle leather vest that hung loosely at his sides. His dark brown trousers and laced leather shoes were barely visible under the shade of the heavy table, but the sunlight highlighted his short gray hair and mustache. He pulled a small metallic tool from his vest pocket and leaning to his right used it to press the gray blue pile into submission, crushing it, grinding it downward onto the table, listening to the brittle particles crack into finer, smaller, tiny grains. He kept doing this until the gray and blue colors slowly gave up their differences and blended into a soft bluish-gray tone as if one color had now been made from two. Then, with slow measured movement, he used a flat wooden palette knife to scoop some of the reddish brown powder up onto the left side of the scale, carefully centering it on the round metal platform. With the same care, he repeated his efforts on the right platform with a smaller amount of the bluish gray powder, carefully watching the balance of the scale as he gradually kept adding to the right platform until both sides reached perfect balance.
  Then, he reached inside the vest and removed two envelopes from a shirt pocket placing one on the table and holding the other widely open under the edge of the left circular platform, as he scooped the reddish brown powder into it, before sealing the envelope and placing it on the table. Picking up the other envelope he repeated this process with the right platform then sighed with satisfaction as both envelopes now lay side by side, filled and sealed tightly on the table before him.
  Cam looked down at his left shirt cuff, then raising it slightly with his right hand, glanced at his watch. It was just after 4 p.m.
  Good he thought. It was time to to wash the powder that always stuck under his fingernails and itched and gnawed at the inside crevices of his palms. Then he would have a warm cup of tea before leaving for home, a routine he had followed for years, ever since forensic analysis had become such a demanding part of his job as Art Authenticator.
  He slipped the two envelops inside his vest and into his shirt pocket as he pushed the wooden chair back and feeling a soft cushy nudge against his right trouser leg, looked down to find Miss Lion, the tiny kitten that had adopted him a few weeks ago and had ever since developed a habit of totally ignoring him all day, each day, as if he didn't exist at all until quitting time, when she would creep silently under the table and mustering up almost eight hours of stored affection, somehow managed to express it all at once in a slow yawn-like stretching pose she would assume over the front of his right shoe.
  He bent over to give Miss Lion a gentle pet on the head before standing up and checking his shirt pocket to make sure the envelopes had not fallen out.
  As he pressed his hand against the pocket, something seemed strange. He had done this a thousand times before yet, this time, something felt different. At first, it didn't register in his mind as the long ingrained routine of doing something the same way every day and expecting and getting the same results greatly overpowered any sensitivity to the reality of the moment. Yet, his finger tips felt warmer than they should.
  He moved back, startled, looking at his hand as he held it closer to his face. Nothing seemed wrong. He touched the pocket again. It felt warmer now, ever growing warmer, faster, reaching hot until he couldn't hold his hand there for even a scant second, the intense heat forcing him to pull it away quickly.
  In another second the shirt pocket was feeling hot against his chest. In another second, it flashed into flames, burning into the vest. He tried to take the vest off hoping to pull the shirt away from his body, but now the flames were licking at his sleeves, his shoulder, his collar.
  The searing heat was drying up his skin, taking every ounce of moisture out of his pores, tearing every shred of strength from him as he tried desperately to free himself from what was quickly becoming a raging crackling inferno engulfing him on all sides.
  
Chapter 2

The early morning sun shone brightly through the gentle swaying branches of spring shade maples that lined both sides of wide pebble sidewalks, as it streaked across the road, glistening off pavement to find stark reflections in the rear windshields of perpendicular parked cars, pickup trucks and the occasional shiny metallic chimney of a new John Deere, each in its own white lined space, each at its own meter, as if to give attention and purpose to the long rows of two and three story flat roofed, red and beige brick and gray stone buildings that lined both sides of Lincoln Drive, the main thoroughfare in the small quaint town of Fairmont, Nevada, just a three hour drive south of Lake Tahoe.
  The street sprawled gradually into the distance, past a dark-haired figure in a white full length apron, intently turning long handled clicking crank that opened a royal blue duck canvas awning with the script letters Fairmont Bakery gracing its center. Just beyond that, it crossed the intersection of Center Street where the angled corner facade of the First National Bank of Fairmont proudly rested on marble steps leading to its one-inch thick shiny reflective glass doors, surrounded on both sides by massive round columns that rose to support a carefully sculpted stone frieze with white layers of white wood molding joined by the proud finial at its triangular peak.
  Beyond that, the one-mile stretch of downtown shops and storefronts, each identified by its own colorful design either carefully etched in its window or proudly displayed on a sign above it, had the weathered but sincerely personal feel of last century rural America with its hopes and aspirations during a time when manual labor and crafty artisanship were the admired values of life.
  Past there, a spinning red and white striped pole announced the local barber shop on the left being guarded confidently by a sleeping German shepherd with its nose to the sidewalk who would raise his eyes from time to time at the sound of familiar footsteps from the occasional passersby.
  The high eight inch curbs separating the sidewalks from the road, had a reminiscent formal look that spoke of an earlier time, when the difficult act of crossing a then dirt street, between horses, buckboards and cattle drives, meant that reaching the sidewalk and actually ascending onto it in one piece, brought a well earned sense of accomplishment, pride and self-respect.
  There were eateries, quaint establishments for women, a county sheriff's office between the craft shop and the computer store while directly across the street an entire block of neatly trimmed lawns and bench lined sidewalks framed the step raised impressive and foreboding presence of Fairmont's county courthouse. The building appeared old, yet architecturally efficient, sound and well-maintained and since this was a fairly calm and somewhat respectable town, most of its business would be the filing and keeping of records, issuing licenses, recording deeds and assessing the legality of all kinds of transactions between the people of Fairmont.
  The town had virtually little crime to speak of and the residents prided themselves in how well everybody got along with each other.
  The full stretch of Lincoln Drive reached a dead end at the intersection of da Vinci Road, which formed the perpendicular top of a letter T. Here, a two hundred and fifty-foot-wide marbled walkway bordered on each side of its one-hundred-foot depth by three-foot-high and one-foot-wide marble walls adorned by curved benches with small neatly trimmed trees between them leading the way to several landings atop marble steps, ascending to a roman styled stone and marble building, its columns rising two stories high. Its huge twelve-foot-high doorways in the front, bespoke of a sense of importance and dignity. This was the jewel of Fairmont, its pride and joy, a formidable, impressive icon of cultural learning, standing proudly with grace and grandeur, at the head of its main thoroughfare.
  It had been bequeathed to the town almost a century ago upon the death of Alvin Smithminder, who had been born here, then left to make his fortune in the railroads, but never forgot how much his childhood meant to him.
  Under the massive facade of the Fairmont Gallery of Fine Art the ornately inscribed, high glass doors opened to reveal a huge marbled hallway. On each side two carved statues framed a fresco portal designating the entryway to a unique exhibit. Going straight back between the two portals, the hallway opened into a larger, central portal where a simple black sign etched with white letters that said "The Gallery of the Masters" hung on chains below the formidable Greco-Roman frieze that crowned the wide entryway to the museum's featured exhibit. In the middle of the entryway, a black marble stand provided the base for a large glass encased black sign with movable white lettering designating a map of all the museum's services, rooms, exhibits and offices.
  In front of it, two aluminum three-foot-high stanchions rested on firm round bases. From hooks near the top of each, were parallel rows of velvet cover chains, hanging freely, yet authoritatively linking to the semi round marble and glass ticket booth just inside the museum's doorway. A black rubber grooved mat covered the floor between the parallel chains, clearly marking the way for visitor's entry.

— ♦ —

This is the first novel by Martin Schulman who was known as the Father of Karmic Astrology with more than 50 books published in English and foreign editions worldwide and sales eclipsing over hundreds of thousands of copies sold. The Conscience, a mystery novel encompassing themes of karma and redemption, was Martin's fulfillment of a lifetime work empowering audiences of all kinds to enrich their lives with the lessons from this story. Unfortunately, he passed from this earth plane recently. Martin's wife Diane, with the help of his daughter, Penny Schulman Toren, and son-in-law, Jeff Toren, are now fulfilling his vision with the publication of his final book.

— ♦ —

The Conscience by Martin Schulman

The Conscience by Martin Schulman

A Novel of Suspense

Publisher: CreateSpace

Amazon.com Print/Kindle Format(s)

Jack is on vacation from his job as Internet Web Marshal. He has come to a small museum to see a special exhibit of paintings on loan from The Hague in The Netherlands. No sooner does he meet a woman viewing a 17th century masterpiece, when all hell breaks loose. The museum's ceiling is falling and Jack becomes embroiled in the most dangerous and baffling case of a mysterious murder.

Without any weapon or clue to go on, we soon find out that nothing is at it seems, as Jack gets drawn into a mystifying web of intrigue that spans two continents and three centuries, unexpectedly leading him into the beautiful eyes of Sophia who brings him to a deep transformational experience he wasn't prepared for.

This fast-paced mystery action thriller gives us a glimpse into what happens when a billionaire's drastic decision causes 5,200-mile shock waves that set the paths of the cleverest evil genius and the unsuspecting lives of innocents on a collision course. All are bound together by Johannas Vermeer's Dutch Master Painting, "Girl with a Pearl Earring" and are forced to face the enormous inimitable power of the Conscience.

The Conscience by Martin Schulman

A Conversation with Borgen Producer Camilla Hammerich

Omnimystery News: Author Interview with Camilla Hammerich

We are delighted to welcome television producer Camilla Hammerich to Omnimystery News today.

Camilla was the Executive Producer of the Danish political thriller Borgen over its three year series run, and has now written a book titled The Borgen Experience (Arrow Films; October 2015 trade paperback). She shares with us some of the background to the book and what life was like on the set of the series.

— ♦ —

Omnimystery News: Borgen ended its series run in early 2013. Why did you decide to write this book now?

Camilla Hammerich
Photo provided courtesy of
Camilla Hammerich; Photo credit Anne Mie Dreves.

Camilla Hammerich: There were two reasons. One was professional the other was personal. When we completed the last episode of Borgen I was close to a burnout. And yet I was of course thrilled that the series had gained so much attention in Denmark as well as abroad. It took six very intense years to create Borgen, during which we made 30 hours of fiction, which is the content of almost 20 feature films. Our task was to fulfil our promise of creating a series that would tackle a seemingly elitist topic such as coalition politics and at the same time gain as many viewers as a fifth of the population. Moreover, as always with Danish broadcaster DR's fiction we had to inspire debate, and yet avoid political favouritism. For six years I had been in charge of a team of almost 500 people. I needed to do something completely different with my time for a while. I needed to do something, which did not involve myriads of others.

At the time, Borgen had become internationally known, and journalists from all over the world visited us. They asked us about the secret behind the success of Danish TV drama. How could a country the size of Denmark with 6 million inhabitants produce series like The Killing and Borgen in a peculiar language — and travel to all the continents of the world? So I thought that if I wrote a book about the creation of Borgen from the series' beginning to its completion then maybe I could explain how we create TV fiction in Denmark and thereby hope to reveal part of this so-called secret behind its current success. For me personally, writing the book was a way to deal with the pressure of the process. It has served as a kind of therapy for me. My hope is that the book will inspire others who work with creative processes.

OMN: Will fans of the series be surprised by any particular revelations in the book?

CH: Readers may be surprised at the sheer magnitude of building a universe for an ambitious drama series like this from scratch. Would you believe that we spent more than a year identifying and distilling the premise, the DNA, of the series, which is the one sentence, we built everything else around? It sounded: "Is it possible to maintain power and stay true to yourself?" A simple task can take ages. We had one guy spend four weeks in visual effects putting leaves on naked trees at the estate, where Birgitte Nyborg and her family takes a summer vacation. This was for a pan of 20 seconds! Many difficult challenges present themselves constantly when creating a drama series! How does one navigate, when the studio-ceiling falls down during a shoot? Or when a star shows up on set with a broken leg, like Pilou Asbæk did, when playing Kasper in episode 18, because he had played football on AstroTurf in boxing shoes on the weekend? Also, I believe it may surprise readers how difficult it can be for a producer, when a series is nominated for major awards such as Prix Italia or the BAFTA. When the initial euphoria pass, the problems line up, because nobody, and I mean nobody, wants to miss an opportunity of this kind to promote their careers. In a situation like this the producer needs to make tough choices about who can attend and who cannot attend the event.

OMN: What was it like going from being a producer to writing a book? Are there any skills that transferred from one to the other?

CH: There is a big difference between the work of a producer and that of writer. At first, I didn't think it would be difficult to change into my new role. I just felt like the company of my computer and I enjoyed the silence of my office. I had had it with people and decision-making. I took pleasure in the fact that nobody expected anything from me. Three months later, it got kind of lonely. At the time, I actually felt that I had written my way through the experience, but of course I was far from. Now it became challenging. I missed having company and my colleagues to counterpart ideas and thoughts. I became well aware that I had a long way to go. Luckily, I allied myself with an editor with whom I could meet a couple of times a month and who could get me feedback. Otherwise I would have gone crazy. Oftentimes I was annoyed with the notes, I got, which always sounded "rewrite, rewrite, rewrite". Which is what I usually tell writers all the time. This was a taste of my own medicine, haha. The writing process has given me an enormous respect for both scriptwriters and novelists. I hope that it will make me a better producer in the future, because it gave me a deeper understanding about the writing process and what it demands in terms of equally support and constructive criticism.

OMN: Tell us a little more about your writing process. And how did you go about researching some of the details?

CH: I gave myself a set of rules. At first, I just started writing. It quickly became clear that the book should have a chronology according to the natural phases, which the development of TV series goes through. I wanted to be loyal to the process and thought I had to write about every single day and every single person who set foot on the set of Borgen. But since it took six years to produce 30 episodes and almost 500 people were involved, I realised it would make it a very long, very boring book. I decided that every story, I told, should teach the reader something generic about creating TV fiction. I worked with inspiration from the storytelling of fiction in that I established a dramatic drive by posing a question in the prologue, which was to be answered in the conclusion. This question was: "How did a television series about Danish coalition politics manage to go global?" I disciplined myself to only include chapters and content, which aimed to answer that question. I made another rule for myself that I could criticise systems, not people. The hard part about writing a book of this kind where I name people involved in the process was the awareness that they should be able to read it and feel they were treated with respect. I often wished, I were writing fiction. It was never my intention to write a gossip book. It was my intention to write an entertaining book, which depicts the process behind a popular drama series. Borgen is just the case example.

When it comes to research I was lucky that I never delete my emails. That turned out to be an enormous help when writing the book. I used emails to recall specifics from the process and in order to reconstruct a sort of logbook. I didn't actually keep a diary when making Borgen. However, the book is written as a diary, which is also why I found it relevant to write it in the present tense. Borgen's researcher helped me to get the facts right because the book refers so many details. I was allowed to use original documents from the writer, director, composer and a variety of others. These are included in the book in their original form. The book features texts sent back and forth between the head writer and myself, where we argue about deadlines. It showcases deleted scenes from the script and details about the choice of the art works on the walls of the set. I wanted it to be a visual treat and have an abundance of photographs. Because I decided to write the book before wrapping the third season, I was able to hire a photographer to shoot behind the scene. I could show slices of life on set, you don't normally get to see.

OMN: What inspired you to begin working in television?

CH: When I was 15 I had a small part in a Danish TV drama classics Matador, where I played the sulking teenage daughter of a main character. I thought I wanted to be an actress. But I didn't like to be in front of the camera. I found it kind of embarrassing. On the other hand, I noticed how exciting jobs the people behind the cameras seemed to have. Intuitively, I knew I had to find a profession behind the camera and that I would probably want to be producer. I had no clue what a producer was, but had figured as much as the fact that they were the ones in charge! At 23 I got a trainee position as a producer's assistant at DR and I never left television again.

OMN: What advice would you give to anyone looking to follow in your footsteps?

CH: Find your own style. As a producer you need to put your own personality to good use. Don't imitate others. As for me, I'm not afraid of putting myself in the position of the audience and ask the so-called stupid questions. So, when you read scripts, listen to your intuition more than your intellect. If you cannot seem to focus on the content, it's probably not you. Probably, it's the script, which is boring.

OMN: What was the most memorable day you had on the set of Borgen?

CH: No doubt it's the day when we had to shoot a scene in an Afghan military camp. It was the opening of the first episode of season 2. Because we had spent way too much money on season one, we couldn't shoot it abroad. Instead we built a camp on an empty lot in Copenhagen ten minutes from the studio. We had spent months establishing a relation to the Danish army, which were to lend us equipment and military vehicles. The only thing was they could not completely guarantee us the vehicles on that particular day of shooting, because they might be needed for a drill. We had a huge number of actors and extras lined up. It was nerve-wracking. The director and the photographer had spent most of their preparation time planning this shoot in order for it to look like Afghanistan. Their only concern was the risk of rain. The evening before the shoot the army vehicles arrived, and everyone was relieved. On the morning of the shoot, the line producer wakes me up early. She says it's been pouring down all night, and it's still raining. Our lot is a pool of mud. The director wants to postpone but we are afraid we may never get the vehicles again. I need to make a fast producer's decision. I say: "If it rains in Afghanistan when Birgitte Nyborg visits, then it rains in Afghanistan. We shoot." I arrive at the lot and the cast and crew are in knee-high mud. Within an hour the production designer manages to get his hands on 10 tons of rubble. We use the rubble to cover the lot, you know, just to avoid falling into the mud. We shoot between showers and take care of the rest with visual effects in postproduction. When airing, the scene looks like a sunny, dry day in the Afghan desert.

OMN: How much influence did you have over the story direction that Borgen took?

CH: As producer I take part in the script development. I read and give notes to the different drafts. On Borgen we had up to 7 rewrites of each episode screenplay. If there is anything I don't like or if I have a good idea, I tell the writers. Sometimes they listen. Sometimes they don't. Adam Price was the series' creator and head writer. Jeppe Gjervig Gram and Tobias Lindholm were the primary episode writers and primary co-contributors to the story line. I was the only woman in the writer's room, so without taking credit for the writing, I like to think I have lent a woman's perspective to the story. Moreover, Adam Price and I decided who directed, photographed, edited, composed and so on. So yes, I have had quite a significant influence on the creative content of the series.

OMN: What do you think made the show so successful?

CH: The rise to power of a country's first female prime minister is fundamentally a good story. It launches a range of dilemmas. A woman makes her entrance in the centre of power and needs to work in an arena, which has only ever seen a man in the lead. This is fascinating material. The dilemma between the busy work life and the dream of the perfect private life is a story many people can identify with. And this mix of fascination and identification is balanced well in Borgen. However, when it became a global success, which none of us had seen coming, I think it was primarily because of the depiction of the Danish society. This is a country where top politicians ride their bikes to work without bodyguards and where professionals can bring their children to work when necessary. It's a country with a high degree of equality between the sexes. To many other nationalities Borgen represents a sort of dream vision for the future. Or at least, that's what people tell us, when we ask them, surprised about the sometimes crazy hype, the series has met. Another reason is the contemporary focus on the Nordic countries and the fact that Borgen came after The Killing, which obviously paved the way to the international arena for Danish TV drama.

OMN: Do you think if Borgen had been a novel rather than a TV drama, it would have touched a nerve in the same way, or is it very much about the visuals?

CH: We live in a golden era of drama series and I cannot imagine that Borgen would have had the same degree of attention if the story of Denmark's first female prime minister had come out as a novel. The story is created for television. We want to see, hear and feel Birgitte Nyborg.

OMN: Is that it now for Borgen? What is next for you?

CH: Borgen is over and done with. We have no plans to make more seasons. I know however that creator Adam Price and actor Sidse Babett Knudsen, who plays Birgitte Nyborg, joke about reuniting in 5 to 10 years in order to find out where Birgitte Nyborg will go, what she has done with her political life and what her place is in the circus arena of politics. But no concrete plans. However, I am producing a new DR series with Adam Price as head writer. It's called Rides Upon The Storm and deals with faith and religion and takes place in a Danish priest family. It premieres in Denmark in the Fall of 2017 and we start shooting in June. I'm ready to rewind the process I describe in The Borgen Experience and start all over again.

— ♦ —

The Borgen Experience by Camilla Hammerich

The Borgen Experience by Camilla Hammerich

Creating TV Drama the Danish Way

Publisher: Arrow Films

Amazon.com Print/Kindle Format(s)

How did an obscure Danish television series about coalition politics end up airing in 70 countries? In her book about the creating of Borgen, Executive Producer Camilla Hammerich gives us her answer to that question. For six years she had the overall responsibility of the production — and of the more than 500 people involved. The story describes the journey from the initial idea to accepting international awards for the completed series. Borgen was broadcast over three years and became so heated that the series came close to becoming a part of the political reality it sought to portray.

Camilla vividly communicates the many decisions on every level of the creative process that lie behind the big Nordic drama productions. How does one respond to becoming a topic of cultural debate even before the series premiere? React when the ceiling collapses into the studio? Deal with a lead actor turning up for work on the crutches? In many ways, The Borgen Experience may be regarded as a 'learning by doing' creative management textbook for working in a chaotic environment. It is like being there in person. I should know. I was there …

Adam Price, Head Writer, Borgen

The Borgen Experience by Camilla Hammerich

Today's Selection of Daily Deals for Tuesday, December 01, 2015

Omnimystery News is pleased to feature a selection of today's Daily Deals found on Tuesday, December 01, 2015 at 7:30 AM ET …

A Ghostly Undertaking by Tonya Kappes

A Ghostly Undertaking by Tonya Kappes

A Ghostly Southern Mystery (1st in series)

Publisher: Witness

Kindle Daily Deal Price: 99¢

A Ghostly Undertaking by Tonya Kappes, Amazon Kindle format

A funeral, a ghost, a murder … It's all in a day's work for Emma Lee Raines …

Bopped on the head from a falling plastic Santa, local undertaker Emma Lee Raines is told she's suffering from "funeral trauma." It's trauma all right, because the not-so-dearly departed keep talking to her. Take Ruthie Sue Payne — innkeeper, gossip queen, and arch-nemesis of Emma Lee's granny — she's adamant that she didn't just fall down those stairs. She was pushed.

Ruthie has no idea who wanted her pushing up daisies. All she knows is that she can't cross over until the matter is laid to eternal rest. In the land of the living, Emma Lee's high-school crush, Sheriff Jack Henry Ross, isn't ready to rule out foul play. Granny Raines, the widow of Ruthie's ex-husband and co-owner of the Sleepy Hollow Inn, is the prime suspect. Now Emma Lee is stuck playing detective or risk being haunted forever.

A Ghostly Undertaking by Tonya Kappes

Stolen by Rebecca Muddiman

Stolen by Rebecca Muddiman

A Novel of Suspense

Publisher: Moth Publishing

Kindle Daily Deal Price: $1.99

Stolen by Rebecca Muddiman, Amazon Kindle format

When Abby Henshaw is brutally attacked by two strangers in the countryside, her first thought is for the safety of her baby daughter, Beth. But what follows is a mother's worst nightmare: Beth is gone and Abby's world collapses around her.

As DI Michael Gardner begins to investigate Abby and her family, he discovers lives built on secrets and betrayals. Under pressure from his bosses to find the missing child and to unearth the truth, Gardner finds himself struggling to stay emotionally removed from the case, and from Abby herself.

After the authorities finally shelve their investigation, Abby receives a message telling her where she can find her daughter. But how can she convince those around her that the girl really is Beth when they are the very people she knows least?

Stolen by Rebecca Muddiman

For more deals that may have been found after this post was created, see our Daily Deals page on Omnimystery News for an updated list.

Important Note: Price(s) verified as of the date and time shown. Price(s) are subject to change at any time. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of the purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before purchasing it.

Today's Selection of Free MystereBooks for Tuesday, December 01, 2015

Omnimystery News is pleased to feature a selection of Free MystereBooks found on Tuesday, December 01, 2015 at 7:00 AM ET …

One More Chance by Simone Jaine

One More Chance by Simone Jaine

The Chance Series

Publisher: Simone Jaine

Price: FREE!

One More Chance by Simone Jaine, Amazon Kindle format

A Cold Day In Mosul by Isaac Hooke

A Cold Day In Mosul by Isaac Hooke

An Ethan Galaal Thriller

Publisher: Isaac Hooke

Price: FREE!

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Squall by Sean Costello

Squall by Sean Costello

A Novel of Suspense

Publisher: Red Tower Publications

Price: FREE!

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Shallow Waters by Rebecca Bradley

Shallow Waters by Rebecca Bradley

A Hannah Robbins Mystery

Publisher: Rebecca Bradley

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Cranberry Bluff by Deborah Garner

Cranberry Bluff by Deborah Garner

A Cozy Mystery

Publisher: Cranberry Cove Press

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The Starlight Club by Joe Corso

The Starlight Club by Joe Corso

The Starlight Club Series

Publisher: Wiseguy

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Three Arthur Beautyman Mysteries by Erik Hanberg

Three Arthur Beautyman Mysteries by Erik Hanberg

A Box Set

Publisher: Side x Side Publishing

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Stalking Silk by Kay Hadashi

Stalking Silk by Kay Hadashi

A June Kato Thriller

Publisher: Kay Hadashi

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Missing Rita by James Kipling

Missing Rita by James Kipling

A Murder Mystery

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Junkanoo by Phil Oleson

Junkanoo by Phil Oleson

A Maren Lofton Mystery

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Frasier Island by Susan Page Davis

Frasier Island by Susan Page Davis

The Frasier Island Series

Publisher: Susan Page Davis

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The Guarded Widow by K. M. Gaffney

The Guarded Widow by K. M. Gaffney

A Spangler Sisters Mystery

Publisher: K. M. Gaffney

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For a summary of all of today's titles, plus any that may have been added since this post was created, visit our Free MystereBooks page. This page is updated daily, typically by 8 AM ET.

Important Note: Price(s) verified as of the date and time shown. Price(s) are subject to change at any time. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of the purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before purchasing it.

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