Author, Compulsively Readable Thrillers
Thought you might be interested in a video tour of some of the locations I’ve used in Jump Cut, which comes out next week. The settings range from Ellie Foreman’s hang-outs on the North Shore of Chicago, Lake Geneva, Wi, as well as some locations in downtown Chicago. Enjoy! … Read more
Hi, all. I was interviewed by Stephen Campbell recently about what I’ve been doing to launch JUMP CUT, the 5th installment of my Ellie Foreman mysteries (Thrillers really), and the first one in ten years. I hope you find it useful… maybe even entertaining. Listening to myself, I am reminded how exhausted I am. In … Read more
Remember the first commercial for the Mac? Called “1984,” it was directed by Ridley Scott and starred the English athlete Anya Major. The concept, ‘saving humanity from conformity’, alluded to George Orwell’s novel of the same name. This week, Apple CEO Tim Cook stoked the embers of the company’s erstwhile image by refusing FBI … Read more
A couple of weeks ago, an article came out in The Big Thrill about espionage thrillers. It featured Gayle Lynds, who is one of the best espionage authors around — and yes, I am flattered that she enjoyed and blurbed Jump Cut. But that’s not the point. The article touched on an issue close to … Read more
Few of us live in total isolation. Most of us love somebody, whether it’s a mother, father, children, relatives, or even a pet. I think when you write female characters as I do, love is a natural part of the plot. Which is why, in every book I’ve written, there is some allusion or reference to … Read more
What makes a genre a genre? It’s more than plot. And characters. Take thrillers. At the heart of every good thriller there are at least five key elements that should be present. If you’ve ever read a lackluster, “low-fat” thriller that left you unsatisfied, it might have been missing one of these ingredients. Put an … Read more
I thought you might like to read the first few chapters of Jump Cut… here you go. Chapter One Tiny clouds of dust exploded whenever the boy kicked the stone down the road. He’d found it two hundred yards back as he skirted the herd of cattle. Flat and round, it looked like a small … Read more
In early 2014 Mike Lofgren’s searing expose of the nation’s Deep State revealed a landscape where our officials, elected and otherwise, collude to protect and serve powerful, vested interests from government to commerce. Two years later, he’s expanded it into a book, which just came out a couple of weeks ago. It’s well worth reading. … Read more
JUMP CUT, the 5th installment of my Ellie Foreman Mystery Series will be published on March 1. In order to celebrate and get it into the hands of as many readers as possible, I’m aiming to be a guest at 50 Book Clubs via Skype. Will you join me? An Author at Your Book Group … Read more
I’m awestruck, honored, and humbled that Jump Cut received a Starred Review from Publishers Weekly today. Here’s the review: Jump Cut: An Ellie Foreman Mystery Libby Fischer Hellman. Poisoned Pen, $15.95 trade paper (286p) ISBN 978-1-4642-0519-4 Hellman’s exceptional fifth Ellie Foreman mystery (after 2005’s A Shot to Die For) offers no easy solutions to the various … Read more