Halloween Marks the Return of John Pilate in ‘Pilate’s Ghost’
Cover by David A. Terrill
As John Pilate attempts to settle into a quiet life with his new wife and family, he is tormented by ghosts of past and present in Pilate’s Ghost, the much-anticipated third installment of the mystery thriller series by J. Alexander Greenwood.
Pilate’s Ghost joins John Pilate a few weeks after events of Pilate’s Key as he promotes a book about his near-fatal experiences at Cross College. A mystery man threatening to kill him and his family dogs Pilate, who is still dealing with the fallout of those events and the suspicious citizens of Cross Township.
Pilate’s Ghost (2012 Caroline Street Press) will be available to haunt readers on Halloween 2012 in paperback via Amazon.com, Lulu and local booksellers. In the Kansas City area, it will available at Mysteryscape Bookstore in Overland Park. It will be an Ebook exclusively in the Amazon.com Kindle Store.
“If you like Dennis LeHane, John D. MacDonald, Robert B. Parker and similarly rugged but charming guys in trouble, you may want to take a peek at this series.,” said Cheri LeBlond, owner of Mysteryscape Bookstore.
Book one in the John Pilate Mystery Series, Pilate’s Cross, was published in 2010. Inspired by a true-life murder at a small college in the American Midwest, Pilate’s Cross was nominated for several Global Ebook Awards. It will be re-released as an audiobook in 2013.
Pilate’s Ghost is the second novel Greenwood has released in 2012. Pilate’s Key was released in February and named a semi-finalist for Best Mystery/Thriller in the Kindle Book Review Awards.
Pilate fans may find this new book familiar–yet simultaneously a jarring departure from the first two books, including critical favorite Pilate’s Key, set in Key West, Florida.
“It’s an odd thing, writing the third book in a series,” Greenwood said. “I suddenly understand–in my own very small way–how the people behind (movies) Alien3, Return of the Jedi and even The Dark Knight Rises must feel: audiences want more of what they loved before, but in order to be an effective storyteller, you can’t root everything in the same place. I mean, Luke and the gang couldn’t hang around on Hoth; Batman had to move on from the Joker. In that vein, John Pilate can’t stay in Key West, either.”
Jason McIntyre, top-selling suspense author of On The Gathering Storm and Thalo Blue, likes Greenwood’s approach to his books.
“Greenwood offers a fresh take on the mystery thriller with his John Pilate Series. His novels are populated with flawed and neurotic—yet instantly likable—characters who find themselves thrown into maddeningly entertaining situations,” McIntyre said. “Greenwood writes fun, accessible fiction that leaves readers asking for more.”
Greenwood has an idea for a fourth book in the series, but hastened to add, “It’s up to the fans if I write it. If response to Pilate’s Ghost is strong, I’ll certainly bring Pilate and his pals back by fall of 2013. But for now, I’m working on some other projects, including What the Gardener Saw.”
What the Gardener Saw is a multi-media story created for tablets including the iPad, created by artist David A. Terrill. Greenwood collaborated with Terrill on the novella that is drawn from the characters and world Terrill created. It is slated for 2013 release. Terrill also created the cover art for Pilate’s Ghost and the previous covers in the series.
“What the Gardener Saw is about as far from the world of John Pilate you can get,” Greenwood said. “But it’s heaps of fun and I think it will set a new standard for storytelling in the electronic tablet format.”
To order Pilate’s Ghost or any of the John Pilate mystery series books, visit PilatesCross.com or Amazon.com. In the Kansas City area, visit Mysteryscape Bookstore at 7309 W. 80th in Overland Park.
Join the John Pilate Facebook community at Facebook.com/Pilates.Cross.Book.
Pilate’s Ghost
October 31, 2012
$14.99 / 220 pages/ 978-0-9883201-1-6/ Trade Paperback Original
$3.99 / 978-0-9883201-0-9/ ebook
Order Now:
Pilate’s Ghost (John Pilate Mysteries)
Pilate’s Cross (John Pilate Mysteries)
Pilate’s Key (John Pilate Mysteries)
Autographed paperbacks available directly from the publisher. Email here for details.
About J. Alexander Greenwood
J. Alexander Greenwood won the 2011 Shelf Unbound Short Story competition for his popular story Obsidian (available on Amazon.com). His debut novel Pilate’s Cross was nominated for several Global eBook Awards. His second book, Pilate’s Key was a semi-finalist for the Kindle Book Review’s Best Mystery/Thriller of 2012.
He is a former actor, director and radio show host. Greenwood has been interviewed by countless blogs in the United States and Canada, and appeared on radio and TV talking about the books and the burgeoning e-publishing movement. Greenwood is the grandson of acclaimed historical fiction novelist Robert E. Trevathan (Ballanger, Red River Angel).
He resides in Kansas City, Missouri with his wife and daughter.
