Down And Out Books to publish Joe Hunter in the U.S.

Bestselling British author Matt Hilton and indie-publisher Down & Out Books have joined forces to publish books 7, 8 and 9 in his Joe Hunter thriller series for the first time in the United States.

“No Going Back, Rules of Honor and The Lawless Kind will be released in America this coming January, June and November simultaneously as trade paperbacks and ebooks,” said Eric Campbell, Down & Out Books publisher “Matt’s Joe Hunter series is an outstanding action/adventure ride and I couldn’t be more pleased to have this opportunity to work with him.”

No Going Back, the 7th book in the series, finds Joe Hunter helping Jameson Walker find his daughter and her friend who went missing at a gas station in the Arizona desert. As Joe picks up the girls’ trail, he discovers that other young women have also disappeared in the area, and comes across the brutish Logan family.

Rules of Honor finds Joe trying to prevent his pal Rink from seeking vengeance when his father is brutally murdered because his mother, Yukiko isn’t telling everything she knows. But when there are more vicious deaths — all of them elderly men known to Yukiko — it becomes a matter of honor to uncover the shameful secret that lies behind the murders. Since the killer isn’t playing by the rules, Joe doesn’t care what he breaks to ensure Rink gets his revenge.

In The Lawless Kind, Joe helps bring an end to a Mexican cartel that preys on the people they smuggle across the U.S. border. Once resolved, Joe’s mission leader and mentor admits the mission was not the real reason for Joe to be summoned. His mentor’s great-grandson has been abducted by the leader of one of Mexico’s largest drug cartels. Joe’s mentor, Walter, will do whatever it takes to get the boy back. And he knows Joe is the man for the job.

Matt Hilton, who was born in Scotland and was raised and lives in England, quit his career as a police officer to pursue writing as his full-time vocation. His first Joe Hunter thriller was published in 2009 and was short-listed for the ITW Debut Thriller Award. There are currently ten Joe Hunter books in the series and he sees no end in sight. “I enjoy cinematic American-style thrillers, and Joe Hunter fits the tradition of such strong, determined avengers as Lee Child’s Jack Reacher and Robert Crais’ Joe Pike.”

Down & Out Books, an indie-publisher based in Tampa, FL has been serving up the best crime fiction since 2011.

To obtain a galley version (PDF, mobi, epub) for review, or to coordinate an interview with Matt, contact Christy@DownAndOutBooks.com.

Visit Matt Hilton online at http://www.matthiltonbooks.com/.

Trailer: THE SHADOWS CALL by Matt Hilton

Check out this new book trailer for my horror book 'THE SHADOWS CALL' from ThirdActMontage and director Richard Gnosill,

The Shadows Call to You....

THE SHADOWS CALL is now available as a Kindle ebook (other formats coming soon)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00PCHT3FE/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_dp_byExub099EJPY

A Tale of Supernatural Menace based upon Terrifying Real Events. 

Jack Newman doesn't believe in ghosts, but after an acrimonious breakdown of his marriage he is forced to change his opinion. When he moves into his new home it soon becomes apparent that he is not alone. Shadow people, a crimson entity, and inexplicable and frightening paranormal phenomena challenge his beliefs, forcing him to face a horrifying event from his past before it destroys his future and all those close to him.

The story behind the book - The Shadows Call

Why I've written a 'ghost' story as a mystery novel...

When asked if I believe in an after-life or in ghosts, I usually dither in answering, but not through embarrassment, it's simply because I haven't come to a firm conclusion yet, and might never (until I'm dead and find out one way or the other - or don't if everything just turns black). But if anyone asks if I believe in paranormal phenomena, then I don't pause: I do.
That statement might sound contradictory to you.
Well either I believe or I don't right?
No. Not necessarily.
It's all a matter of opinion, in exactly what you refer to when mentioning a ghost or paranormal phenomena. You can have the latter without the presence of a ghost, but not the other way around. But then that statement is slightly contentious in what exactly you mean by a 'ghost'. If you mean a sentient, disembodied spirit of a deceased person, then I'm still sitting on the fence as to if they exist or not. I'm leaning towards not, but am in flux and my belief might change based on evidence I witness or record myself. 
To me there's a real problem in the 'paranormal' world where too much anomalous phenomena is all lumped together under one banner. Sadly, in this case, it only takes one of those sub-categories to be poo-poohed and it throws doubt on everything else. 
Taking ghosts in particular:
Remember a few years ago where every man and his dog was presenting out-of-focus dust, pollen, insects, water droplets and lens flare as proof of spirits, calling them orbs? It has got to a stage now where the subject of orbs makes me cringe. That's a shame, because free floating, seemingly intelligent orbs of light have been seen, witnessed and recorded, but buried beneath the deluge of other misidentified mundane artefacts, the subject has largely been dismissed by most people. 
Also, on too many occasions to count, I've seen videos purporting to show a ghost which is actually an out of focus insect, near to the camera lens, reflecting the light. These have all been dismissed, or derided, and it has only helped throw doubt on possibly genuine captures of 'something unexplained' on film. It doesn't help that - with the advent of Youtube and certain 'caught on camera' type movies - that every prankster out there has uploaded their own fake ghost video or photo to the internet. Again it has buried genuine evidence, and thrown disrepute on the subject matter. 
OK, I'm rambling, but it's just to make a point and it's this: I don't believe 95% of what I've seen presented as evidence of ghosts, but there is still that 5% that makes me consider the possibilities.
With such a small percentage, you'd wonder why I have any interest in the subject at all. Well, evidence is just that, but it isn't proof. And being an open-minded sceptic I demand proof before I'll accept something as real. The thing is, 5% of belief is far weightier than 95% of disbelief, and I admit to having a huge interest in paranormal phenomena in general (ghosts as dead people only being a very small part of it).
You might be confused, and I don't blame you. With 'ghosts' there are too many different kinds of spectral apparitions lumped under one banner, and it only takes one to be dismissed to eliminate any belief in the rest. In my opinion this shouldn't be the case. For instance you have 'replay ghost apparitions', 'sentient apparitions', 'crisis apparitions', 'poltergeists', 'shadow figures', 'negative energy', 'portent apparitions', and many many more, each with their individual and unique traits and mostly little to do with each other. Some I can accept, others I can easily dismiss.
I watch old movies. On the screen are images captured of (mostly) dead people. I listen to old records. On the record is the voices of (mostly) dead people. I look at old photos. On the photos are images of (mostly) dead people. In some respects all are 'ghosts' of the once living, breathing people, who are now (mostly) consigned to history. But they aren't sentient spirits, they're recordings. But is that to say that 'ghosts' aren't recordings either? Are the spectral apparitions, the disembodied voices, replays of moments from the past, perhaps trapped in the atmosphere or some medium like stone, wood or water, that under certain atmospheric or even mental conditions get released and witnessed by an observer? I can accept this. These are the 'ghosts' that seem to be caught in a loop, where they go about their own business, and are unaware of you or even a change in environment. Take the 'white lady' who walks through walls where there was once a door, or the Roman soldiers marching to war, their legs obscured because the road was much lower down in their day.
When a 'ghost' is apparently sentient, and interacts with its observer, this is obviously something else - but a wandering spirit? I'm not sure here.
Poltergeists have taken on some notoriety. But in most Poltergeist occurrences there are no reports of apparitions of 'ghosts', more usually are there loud noises, the movement of objects, spontaneous fires, and other 'playful' but frightening activity. It seems more akin to some kind of kinetic discharge of energy than it does the work of a spirit. Do I believe this possible? Yes, I do. Do I believe it's the work of a spirit? I'm not sure, but am open to the idea - with proof.
EVP - electronic voice phenomena - continues to bewilder and fascinate me. This is where voices are recorded on devices where the voice was not apparent to the listener at the time. It's real. I've recorded it myself. But is it the work of a 'spirit' or of some other unexplainable source? I'm yet to make up my mind on this subject, but I still find it fascinating and a good contender that something 'otherworldly' is going on around us.
I don't buy into Ouija boards and planchettes, (most) mediums or seances - they are too easily influenced through conscious or unconscious fraud. But other methods of contacting and recording plausible phenomena does make me wonder. I've witnessed interesting results while using detuned radio receivers, Infra-red cameras, Ultra-violet cameras, full spectrum cameras, digital recording devices, and still photos. I've yet to catch what I'd definitively call 'proof' but yes, I've found evidence that leans towards it and do intend continuing recording this evidence in the future.
Any way, I'm probably battering on too much, without getting to the actual point of this post. I just wanted you to understand where I stand on the subject before relating how I came to write my latest book: The Shadows Call.

The book has been sitting inside me for many years, demanding release and it's all because of a series of personal events back in the mid 1980's that got me interested in the subject in the first place.
Me and my soon-to-be wife decided to move in together, and being on a budget at the time, we had to take up lodgings in privately rented digs in an old Victorian house on Warwick Road, Carlisle. It wasn't the most salubrious of homes, but it was what it was, and what we could afford. From the outset it creeped me out and I can't quite put my finger on why, but I didn't enjoy being there alone. And while we lived there things only got worse. There was a sense of presence, as if we were being watched: constantly. There were unusual noises emanating from out of the ether. TV channels switched to and fro by themselves, and the TV would turn on and off at random. Doors became stuck and unstuck within seconds, usually thwarting us one moment before sliding open by themselves the next. Ornaments moved by themselves in the living room (witnessed by a number of different friends and family members). Our guard dog, Zeus, a tough German Shepherd was scared to go upstairs and would actually whine if we tried to coax it. My wife suffered a recurring nightmare of being chased by a faceless shadowman throughout the house nightly. On one occasion I'd to save my wife from drowning in the bath after she swore she was pushed under by unseen hands. Something eerie changed after we opened up a boarded up basement and found it to be untouched since the Victorian era, and it was as if we'd released a fresh number of 'entities' into our living quarters. Visitors used to be frightened to progress through the hall, after being certain they'd just witnessed a figure in red hanging from the ceiling (I never seen this myself but plenty others did). Lastly we were wakened one night by loud bangs and thumps emanating from inside a walk-in closet in our bedroom. When I checked, it was empty, but on banging on the back wall I recreated the bangs we'd been hearing. The closet backed on to the wall where numerous people swore they saw someone hanging, so you can probably imagine what went through our minds. This was very frightening and the last straw and we fled in fear of what was coming next. Now then, in hindsight, and with my sceptical head on, I can singly rationalise most of these events now, but when all are added together, over such a small space of time (a few months) it's hard to pass them all off as misidentified natural phenomena. There was something weird going on. For the record we had sole use of the property after business hours and at the weekend (there was a shop downstairs that closed early evening) and had no neighbours, and were on a corner lot. This was back in the old days where people didn't have mobile phones, and there was no such thing as Sunday shopping, and the traffic was lighter. With my sceptical head on I can try to put down some of the events to outside elements (radio signals affecting the Tv for instance, or subsidence or damp affecting the house's structure etc), but at the same time I know I'm being overly critical and don't really believe my own arguments. Also for the record, I didn't see an apparition, but yes, I felt something odd, and also caught fleeting shadow figures nipping just out of sight. Sceptics will say this was down to an over-active imagination (they might be right, I'm a creative person after all and write fiction) or the presence of high EMF or ultrasound, sleep paralysis or other such tripe that's usually dragged out, but that is their right, I guess. (Hey, I'm only having a gentle poke back at the cynics so don't get too het up - remember that I'm a sceptic too).
Any way, I believe we lived in what I'd term a 'haunted house'. It's just 'what' was haunting it that still eludes me. But everything that happened has stayed with me all these years and - like I said - has demanded to be put down on paper. Now, if I'd just written down my story, it might be mildly interesting, but it doesn't contain much drama for the reader in search of entertainment, so I have woven a fictional element into the narrative, telling the story of Jack Newman and how he comes to believe in ghosts and of shadow people in particular. Because I'm primarily a crime thriller writer, there was always going to be a murder at the heart of the story, and I've woven this in too. But the fictional elements are all backed up by real events, and also genuine examples of other paranormal events, as well as practices I've conducted while carrying out paranormal investigations (for want of a better term).
Do you need to believe in ghosts to enjoy the book? No. You just need to enjoy reading a mystery, and come to your own conclusions at the end. I'm not trying to convince anybody one way or another, it's down to you what you think. I just hope you enjoy the read.
The Shadows Call is now available as a Kindle ebook: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00PCHT3FE/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_dp_byExub099EJPY

Oh, one last thing. I'm not a total sceptic. I do believe in paranormal phenomena, but it is only para (outside) until it is explained, and I think that somewhere down the line some answers will become known to us and what we currently perceive to be weird will be accepted (like the world actually being round even though heretics were once burned at the stake for stating the obvious). Whether that is in proof of 'ghosts' as dead people's spirits is still debatable, but I'm confident that other phenomena like EVP and 'poltergeist/kinetic' activity will be scientifically explained in the future. But then again, what do I know....

Caveat: this is not a debate on individual beliefs, faith or religion. Please do not attack me with your arguments of demons, djinn and angels, or that I must be a loony, drunk or deluded. This is what I think, not what I think you should. Respect.

Matt

The Lawless Kind - Joe Hunter 9 - now available in paperback

Ex-counterterrorist soldier Joe Hunter has been called to Mexico to bring an end to a cartel that preys on the people they smuggle across the US border. Once the mission's ended, however, Joe's mission leader and mentor, CIA Black Ops director Walter Hayes Conrad, confesses that the bloody mission is not the real reason Joe has been summoned south of the border.

For years, Walter has kept the details of his private life - especially his family - secret from everyone, even his closest friends. But disaster has struck: his great-grandson Benjamin has been abducted, kidnapped by Walter's sworn enemy, the leader of one of Mexico's largest drug cartels. Walter will do whatever it takes to get the boy back. And he know Hunter is the man for the job.

But there's one complication -- the drug boss just happens to be Benjamin's father.

Available now in paperback: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1444728784/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_dp_Vlk4tb1V1704MBZ5

And Ebook/Kindle: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lawless-Kind-Hunter-Book-Nine-ebook/dp/B00DS9G2S4/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=

Oops! My bad.

I was just flicking through reviews of my books on Amazon.com (as needy authors are wont to do occasionally) and came across the quote below from a disgruntled reader (who actually did enjoy the book). I'm not grumbling, each to their own opinion. But I am surprised at how much killing off a character impacted on him. He jokingly mentioned almost throwing his Kindle across the room because I wasn't there to beat up.

"This is a great book, but I purely hate author's screwing up good books and stories by killing off characters just for the he'll of it. I was a fan of Matt Hilton's books, but I am through with anything with his name on it from this day forward. Unfortunately, if you are reading this review, you'll have to read the book to see what I'm so upset about."

I think he was referring to Kate Piers in Slash and Burn. If only he knew that it was an editorial decision and not originally mine to kill off Kate he might not be as upset with me. Any way, if he does go back and read the following books, he will see how Kate's death became an important motivator for Joe in the subsequent books, so it was not a worthless "just for the hell of it" death after all. sadly, he's decided he's through with anything with my name on it, so he'll likely never know.

Wow. The power of books, eh?

NEW for US readers only. Joe Hunter: Instant Justice

JOE HUNTER: INSTANT JUSTICE and other action-packed tales

Because two different publishers on the opposite sides of the Atlantic owned the rights to publish the Joe Hunter books, there has been a disparity in the way in which the books have been made available to US readers and the rest of the world. Because of this US readers have been behind in receiving access to the books as and when they have been made available to the rest of the world, but I hope to rectify this soon. Also, US readers have missed out on some of the short stories featuring Joe Hunter that have been published elsewhere, and with this collection I make those stories available, having collected them here in one volume for the first time.
To explain: Six of the Best, Homecoming, Sand Dance, Instant Justice, UV Ray, and The Other Side of the Street, were all previously published by Hodder and Stoughton as an ebook exclusive collection of short Joe Hunter stories (Joe Hunter: Six of the Best). Hot Property was originally published in print in The Strand Magazine (Summer 2013 edition). One-Eighty and The Holly and the I.V. have both been published on-line, but this is the first time they have appeared in a collection and available in ebook format. I present the stories here in the original UK English spelling, grammar and punctuation.
I hope readers enjoy these collected short tales, either as tasters between the entire novels, or as additions to the world of Joe Hunter and Rink to complete their collections.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KPU0DUC/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_dp_WBlJtb0W8WPN2

This collection is only available in The USA and the Philippines at this time.

Blood Bath

I'm an author, but I'm also a reader. I've mentioned before that both my writing and reading tastes span a few genres, and I'm never happier than when two genres collide. I love crime fiction with a slightly occult or supernatural tilt. Therefore I'm a huge fan of John Connolly's Charlie Parker series, and equally of Stephen Leather's Jack Nightingale series. I'm still a bit of a fan boy at heart, and recently I was approached by Stephen Leather and asked if I'd like to contribute to an anthology of short fiction he was putting together, featuring none other than his Jack Nightingale character. OK, so I jumped at the opportunity. Stephen showed me the cover image, and the title and let me loose to create my own story, which of course I did. The anthology is now available in ebook format (all major platforms), and alongside my story are others by Alex Shaw, Andrew Peters, Conrad Jones, Lynette Waterman, Robert Waterman, and of course Nightingale's creator himself, Stephen Leather. Check it out: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00JYHM36Y/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_dp_-6Ixtb166TMZE

THE DAY is coming soon.

http://youtu.be/XmQq8ON4buk

THE DAY - teaser trailer.

This is the teaser trailer for the upcoming movie from Third Act Montage based upon my short story 'The Day'. Check it out. I love it and can't wait to see the finished movie.

Guest Blog: Mason Cross

For fans of Lee Child and James Patterson, THE KILLING SEASON is a fast-paced American thriller with a central character who could give Jack Reacher, Alex Cross and Jason Bourne a run for their money.

The first thing you should know about me is that my name is not Carter Blake.

That name no more belongs to me than the hotel room I was occupying when the call came in.

When Caleb Wardell, the infamous 'Chicago Sniper', escapes from death row two weeks before his execution, the FBI calls on the services of Carter Blake, a man with certain specialised talents whose skills lie in finding those who don't want to be found. A man to whom Wardell is no stranger.

Along with Elaine Banner, an ambitious special agent juggling life as a single mother with her increasingly high-flying career, Blake must track Wardell down as he cuts a swathe across America, apparently killing at random.

But Blake and Banner soon find themselves sidelined from the case. And as they try desperately to second guess a man who kills purely for the thrill of it, they uncover a hornets' nest of lies and corruption. Now Blake must break the rules and go head to head with the FBI if he is to stop Wardell and expose a deadly conspiracy that will rock the country.

Slick, fast-paced and assured, THE KILLING SEASON is the first novel in the gripping new Carter Blake series.

Biographical Notes 

Mason Cross was born in Glasgow in 1979. He studied English at the University of Stirling and currently works in the voluntary sector. He has written a number of short stories, including 'A Living', which was shortlisted for the Quick Reads GET BRITAIN READING AWARD. He lives in Glasgow with his wife and three children.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00FLY3W7I/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_dp_0vowtb1JNSPZA

Mason Cross has created an enigmatic character in Carter Blake . . . The writing is taut, intelligent, oozes suspense . . . a highly impressive debut novel — Matt Hilton, author of the Joe Hunter thrillers

Update: PRETERNATURAL is now available.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00IR9XS4G/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_dp_JTUftb05QSNFS

PRETERNATURAL is now available in eBook on all Amazon/Kindle platforms.

Aside from the Norm

I know most of my readers here are Joe Hunter fans - and I appreciate you all - but I'm now calling out to those with a wider reading range who also enjoy a supernatural thriller when the fancy takes them. I'm about to make available one of my previously unpublished novels and would appreciate your help in spreading the word.

It's called PRETERNATURAL.

It's a crime/mystery story with supernatural elements, and the kind of action you've come to expect from a Matt Hilton book.

I hope you enjoy it.

I'm releasing it in ebook format first, with a view to a paperback soon.

(Interested publishers can of course get in touch)

Something a little different...

PRETERNATURAL: Carter Bailey Book 1

A supernatural thriller from Matt Hilton - the best-selling author of 'Dead Men's Dust'.

One man, two minds. One is a killer, but is the other insane?

On the remote Connor's Island in the North Atlantic, archeologists unearthing an ancient viking settlement have loosed a curse upon the land. People are dying, and everyone is in fear of the Haugbonde and his monstrous servant, the Skeklar.

To catch a monster you must think like a monster. Carter Bailey is the unfortunate vessel of two spirits: his own and that of his dead brother ‘Cash’, a serial killer who murdered Carter’s wife and unborn child. Most people think Carter delusional, and he suspects they are most likely correct. Only one man, horror writer Paul Broom, believes that Carter is blessed with abilities bordering on the supernatural.

Is the curse true, is a creature out of legend killing the people of Conn, or is the murderer firmly entrenched in the real world? Which begs another question: is Carter Bailey as crazy as he thinks, or is he a man with astonishing powers and the ability to sniff out evil? Mad or blessed with powers, it doesn’t matter, it’s down to Carter - both hindered and helped by Cash - to end the Skeklar’s hellish reign of terror.

Available in Ebook March 2014

The Lawless Kind - Joe Hunter 9

The Lawless Kind - Joe Hunter 9 - will be on general sale in hardback and ebook formats from 30th January 2014. Yep, less than a fortnight. Thanks to all my readers who have followed the series and are eagerly awaiting Hunter's latest outing. Hope you all enjoy it as much as I did writing it.