Archive for James Bond

New Bond Omnibus and More!

The year 2024 kicks off with a bang!

“Kiss kiss bang bang,” that is.

James Bond: The Raymond Benson Years is a new e-book anthology, available February 26, 2024, that contains all six of Raymond’s original James Bond novels. These books were originally published between 1997 and 2002 and are now collected together in digital form for the first time and at a nice price.

You get: ZERO MINUS TEN, THE FACTS OF DEATH, HIGH TIME TO KILL, DOUBLESHOT, NEVER DREAM OF DYING, and THE MAN WITH THE RED TATTOO.

Published by Ian Fleming Publications, the e-book can be found at most retail outlets, but you can order it here from the James Bond Books page! (And you can read about Ian Fleming Publications’ recent publication news here.

Also available are the recent publications:

Zero Minus Ten New Edition cover
Zero Minus Ten, Raymond’s first James Bond novel (originally published in 1997), was reprinted in the UK in October 2023 from Ian Fleming Publications, with a new Introduction by Raymond himself and a new cover.

Mad Mad Murders of Marigold Way cover
The Mad, Mad Murders of Marigold Way, published in October 2022 from Beaufort Books. It won the IPPY Gold (1st Place) Award in the Mystery Category from the Independent Publisher Book Awards, it was a Traditional Fiction finalist in Chicago Writers Association’s Book of the Year Awards, and it was a SHELF UNBOUND 2022 Best Indie Book Finalist and Notable Indie! The e-book edition is occasionally on sale at a nice price.

Brutal and Strange Cover
Raymond is a contributor to Brutal & Strange: Stories Inspired by the Songs of Elvis Costello, an anthology published by Down and Out Books in December 2023. The collection, edited by Jim Fusilli, features a track listing of many outstanding crime writers. Raymond’s tale, “The Beat,” is a meditation on Costello’s tune of the same name from his 1978 album, This Year’s Model.

Order “Zero Minus Ten” from the James Bond Books page!

Order “The Mad, Mad Murders of Marigold Way,” and “Brutal & Strange” from the Fiction/Non-Fiction page (scroll to the bottom of the page for the short story collections)!

Subscribe to Raymond’s YouTube Channel to see and hear his eclectic repertoire of 100+ classic rock, movie music, and original compositions on piano!

Raymond Benson Plays Piano

Raymond Benson plays piano at home.

OF COURSE, many of Raymond’s previous books go on sale as e-books at various times. It’s always best to follow Raymond’s Facebook and Twitter posts to take advantage of these sales. In the meantime, his recent novels like BLUES IN THE DARK, IN THE HUSH OF THE NIGHT, THE SECRETS ON CHICORY LANE, HOTEL DESTINY: A GHOST NOIR, and the five-book serial, THE BLACK STILETTO, are all still available. Find them on the Books pages (James Bond; The Black Stiletto; Fiction & Non-Fiction; Tie-Ins)!

RAYMOND SENDS HUGS TO EVERYONE AND SAYS, “BE SAFE AND HEALTHY!”

2023: That’s a Wrap!

The year 2023 has come to a close!

Two of Raymond’s books have dominated the news of the past year.

First, The Mad, Mad Murders of Marigold Way, published in October 2022 from Beaufort Books, has been earning acclaim. It won the IPPY Gold (1st Place) Award in the Mystery Category from the Independent Publisher Book Awards, it was a Traditional Fiction finalist in Chicago Writers Association’s Book of the Year Awards, and it was a SHELF UNBOUND 2022 Best Indie Book Finalist and Notable Indie!

Second, Zero Minus Ten, Raymond’s first James Bond novel (originally published in 1997), was reprinted in the UK in October 2023 from Ian Fleming Publications, with a new Introduction by Raymond himself and a new cover.

Third, Raymond is a contributor to Brutal & Strange: Stories Inspired by the Songs of Elvis Costello, an anthology published by Down and Out Books in December 2023. The collection, edited by Jim Fusilli, features a track listing of many outstanding crime writers. Raymond’s tale, “The Beat,” is a meditation on Costello’s tune of the same name from his 1978 album, This Year’s Model.

Brutal and Strange Cover

Fourth, Raymond appears in the anthology, Thrilling Adventure Yarns 2022, an anthology of pulp, fantasy, sci-fi, adventure, horror, and plain ol’ awesome short stories by 28 fantastic authors (plus illustrations!). It contains Raymond’s tale, “Sea People.” Edited by Robert Greenberger, the book was published in January 2023 by Crazy 8 Publishing.

Thrilling Adventure Yarns cover

Order “Zero Minus Ten” from the James Bond Books page!

Order “The Mad, Mad Murders of Marigold Way,” “Brutal & Strange,” and “Thrilling Adventure Yarns 2022” from the Fiction/Non-Fiction page (scroll to the bottom of the page for the short story collections)!

Subscribe to Raymond’s YouTube Channel to see and hear his eclectic repertoire of 100+ classic rock, movie music, and original compositions on piano!

Raymond Benson Plays Piano

Raymond Benson plays piano at home.

OF COURSE, many of Raymond’s previous books go on sale as e-books at various times. It’s always best to follow Raymond’s Facebook and Twitter posts to take advantage of these sales. In the meantime, his recent novels like BLUES IN THE DARK, IN THE HUSH OF THE NIGHT, THE SECRETS ON CHICORY LANE, HOTEL DESTINY: A GHOST NOIR, and the five-book serial, THE BLACK STILETTO, are all still available. Find them on the Books pages (James Bond; The Black Stiletto; Fiction & Non-Fiction; Tie-Ins)!

RAYMOND SENDS HUGS TO EVERYONE AND SAYS, “HAPPY NEW YEAR 2024!”

James Bond Is Back In Action!

Raymond’s first James Bond novel, ZERO MINUS TEN, returns in print in the UK!

On August 12, 2023, Ian Fleming Publications Ltd. announced the publication of new editions of three classic James Bond continuation novels, including Raymond’s 1997 debut 007 adventure, ZERO MINUS TEN (the others being Kingsley Amis’ COLONEL SUN and John Pearson’s JAMES BOND: THE AUTHORIZED BIOGRAPHY).

The new edition, to be published October 5, will feature a new cover and a new Introduction by Raymond.

Copies may be pre-ordered from Ian Fleming Publications. Go to the James Bond Books Page for links to order a SIGNED edition or the Standard edition.

Raymond Benson Plays Piano

Raymond Benson plays piano at home.

Subscribe to Raymond’s YouTube Channel to see and hear his eclectic repertoire of 100+ classic rock, movie music, and original compositions on piano!

OF COURSE, many of Raymond’s previous books go on sale as e-books at various times. It’s always best to follow Raymond’s Facebook and Twitter posts to take advantage of these sales. In the meantime, his recent novels like THE MAD, MAD MURDERS OF MARIGOLD WAY (winner of the IPPY Gold Medal in Mystery from the Independent Publisher Book Awards!), BLUES IN THE DARK, IN THE HUSH OF THE NIGHT, THE SECRETS ON CHICORY LANE, HOTEL DESTINY: A GHOST NOIR, and the five-book serial, THE BLACK STILETTO, are all still available. Find them on the Books pages (James Bond; The Black Stiletto; Fiction & Non-Fiction; Tie-Ins)!

RAYMOND SENDS HUGS TO EVERYONE AND SAYS, “BE SAFE AND BE HEALTHY!”

It’s 2023: Time to Read!

As 2023 rolls onward, Raymond has some NEWS!

Thrilling Adventure Yarns cover

FIRST, Raymond appears in the anthology, THRILLING ADVENTURE YARNS 2022, an anthology of pulp, fantasy, sci-fi, adventure, horror, and plain ol’ awesome short stories by 28 fantastic authors (plus illustrations!). It contains Raymond’s tale, “SEA PEOPLE.” Robert Greenberger is the editor and producer/overseer, and the authors include Raymond plus Lester Dent, David Gerrold, Aaron Rosenberg, Bart Sears & Michelle Sears, Geoffrey Thorne, Glenn Hauman, Greg Cox, Hildy Silverman, Jean Rabe. Jenifer Rosenberg, Jody Lynn Nye, Kathleen David, Peter David, Keith R.A. DeCandido, Lucienne Diver, Mark Verheiden, Mary Fan, Michael Jan Friedman, Paul Kupperberg, Caitlin Rozakis, Russ Colchamiro, and Will Murray.

You can order the book in the Short Stories section at the bottom of the Fiction/Non-Fiction Page!

The Mad, Mad Murders of Marigold Way promo ad

SECOND, Raymond’s latest novel, THE MAD, MAD MURDERS OF MARIGOLD WAY, is garnering wonderful reviews and attention.

Publisher’s Weekly gave the book a STARRED review, saying: “This stellar mystery set in May 2020… focuses on TV writer turned novelist Scott Hatcher and Rachel Bergman, Scott’s dutiful housewife neighbor, who live in Lincoln Grove, a quiet Chicago suburb. When their respective spouses turn out to have gone missing on the same day, Lt. Pat Dante, of the Lincoln Grove PD, investigates. The stakes rise with the discovery of the remains of the missing spouses in a house destroyed by arson. Curiously, large amounts of personal protective equipment, apparently stolen, were burned in the fire. Scott and Rachel fall under suspicion, and they grow closer as Dante tries to untangle a spiraling web of crime. Though all the characters are painted with convincing brushstrokes, it’s the narrator, not identified until the end, who steals the show. “I’m the storyteller here, and I can tell the tale any way I choose!” he declares, and he freely editorializes and speculates about others, himself, and the troubled times following the lockdown caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. This wild roller coaster of a novel is an attention-grabber from first page to last.”

See other early reviews on the Fiction Reviews page!

Fans of Thornton Wilder’s classic Our Town and films by the sardonic Coen Brothers will be captivated by the warped Americana of The Mad, Mad Murders of Marigold Way.

Order now from the Fiction/Non-Fiction Page! Available in hardcover, e-book, and audiobook.

SHELF UNBOUND 2022 Best Indie Book Finalist and Notable Indie!

Shelf Unbound Best Indie Book Finalist 2022

Shelf Unbound Best Indie Book Notable 2022

 
 
 
 
 
 

FINALLY, Subscribe to Raymond’s YouTube Channel to see and hear his eclectic repertoire of 100+ classic rock, movie music, and original compositions on piano!

Raymond Benson Plays Piano

Raymond Benson plays piano at home.

OF COURSE, many of Raymond’s previous books go on sale as e-books at various times. It’s always best to follow Raymond’s Facebook and Twitter posts to take advantage of these sales. In the meantime, his recent novels like BLUES IN THE DARK, IN THE HUSH OF THE NIGHT, THE SECRETS ON CHICORY LANE, HOTEL DESTINY: A GHOST NOIR, and the five-book serial, THE BLACK STILETTO, are all still available. Find them on the Books pages (James Bond; The Black Stiletto; Fiction & Non-Fiction; Tie-Ins)!

RAYMOND SENDS HUGS TO EVERYONE AND SAYS, “BE SAFE AND BE HEALTHY!”

2019 and The Decade–That’s a Wrap!

As the entire decade of the 2010s comes to a close, Raymond humbly shares with you what an amazing and busy ten years it has been.

Blues in the Dark Cover

In 2010, HUNT THROUGH NAPOLEON’S WEB was published, along with CHOICE OF WEAPONS, an anthology containing three of Raymond’s earlier James Bond novels.

2011 saw the publication of the first entry in a five-book serial that Raymond calls his “magnum opus”–THE BLACK STILETTO (from Oceanview Publishing). Additionally, two other novels were published as e-books (and subsequently became available in print and audiobook)–ARTIFACT OF EVIL and TORMENT–A LOVE STORY. Finally, Raymond’s tie-in, co-authored with filmmaker John Milius, HOMEFRONT–THE VOICE OF FREEDOM, was published. Crossroad Press also began publishing Raymond’s BACK LIST of original novels as e-books and audiobooks.

In 2012, THE BLACK STILETTO–BLACK & WHITE and HITMAN: DAMNATION were published. Additionally, all six of Raymond’s JAMES BOND NOVELS (originally published between 1997 and 2002) were made available as e-books.

James Bond Ebooks

In 2013, THE BLACK STILETTO–STARS & STRIPES made its debut from Oceanview Publishing.

The year 2014 was a busy one. THE BLACK STILETTO–SECRETS & LIES premiered, followed by Raymond’s collaboration with fellow 007 author Jeffery Deaver as co-editors of the annual Mystery Writers of America anthology, entitled ICE COLD–TALES OF INTRIGUE FROM THE COLD WAR. The collection contained short stories by both Raymond and Jeff, along with many other terrific authors and members of MWA. The year closed with the publication of the final book in the serial, THE BLACK STILETTO–ENDINGS & BEGINNINGS.

In 2015, Crossroad Press published an anthology of Raymond’s unpublished and previously published short stories, along with a stage play, entitled 12+1–TWELVE SHORT THRILLERS AND A PLAY. Raymond’s tie-in to the popular videogame, DYING LIGHT–NIGHTMARE ROW, was published in Poland. Finally, Oceanview published as an e-book anthology, THE BLACK STILETTO–THE COMPLETE SAGA.

12 + 1 by Raymond Benson

2016: DYING LIGHT–NIGHTMARE ROW was published in English.

In 2017, Raymond began a relationship with Skyhorse Publishing with the appearance of THE SECRETS ON CHICORY LANE. His short story, THE MacGUFFIN, was published as an e-book after appearing as “The Purple Bag” in the online magazine, HOP Media, in 2016.

2018 saw the publication of IN THE HUSH OF THE NIGHT.

In 2019, Raymond’s latest suspense novel, BLUES IN THE DARK, was published by Skyhorse’s new imprint, Arcade CrimeWise, and his musical score for the short film, GHOSTS IN THE INK, won the award for Best Score at the Vegas Movie Awards.

All of these works, as well as Raymond’s back list from the 80s, 90s, and 00s, are available for purchase on the various Books pages:
Fiction and Non-Fiction
The Black Stiletto Serial
James Bond Novels
Media Tie-Ins

RAYMOND WOULD LIKE TO WISH EVERYONE A MERRY AND SAFE HOLIDAY SEASON AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

ONWARD TO THE 2020s!

“In the Hush of the Night” May 15, 2018!

Raymond’s new thriller, IN THE HUSH OF THE NIGHT, will be published by Skyhorse Publishing on May 15, 2018!

From the New York Times bestselling author and former James Bond novelist comes a gritty, riveting tale of modern crime, featuring a female FBI agent embroiled in a Russian human trafficking case.

Chicago Special Agent Annie Marino examines the case of a dead young woman who possesses a tattoo Annie has come across before―that of bloody bear claws. Several deceased women with the tattoo have turned up over the past few years, all suspected of being involved in a vast human trafficking operation.

Annie’s neighborhood friend, Jason Ward, is a young writer engaged to be married into an upper-class family from a posh Chicago suburb. Jason believes his future brother-in-law, a war veteran, is definitely a bully―but does he also have ties to the Russian mob?

Yana Kravec, a woman from St. Petersburg, Russia, has been fraudulently lured into a trafficking scheme and thrown into a horrid and seemingly hopeless situation. She is, however, determined to fight back and escape her captors.

Annie’s investigation eventually uncovers a sordid plot of procuring slaves overseas and marketing them in the US. Her interests soon coincide with those of Jason and Yana, bringing the trio together to fight against a deadly network of criminals. As the separate lives of these characters collide, their paths ultimately converge in a night of terror and survival in a Michigan forest, where they become the prey of evil men who will stop at nothing to protect their secrets.

*

“Bringing to light the often-hidden underbelly of human trafficking crimes, Benson spins a riveting, suspenseful narrative that is as much a cat-and-mouse procedural as it is an exploration of the victim’s humanity. The FBI detail is impressively realistic and the dynamic Special Agent, Annie Marino, is terrific!”
―John Douglas, former Chief of FBI’s National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime and co-author of Mindhunter, the basis for the Netflix television series

“With can’t-stop-reading suspense, In the Hush of the Night splits open an ugly international criminal underworld that includes Russia’s vicious FSB. Rich with details, this insider thriller has far-reaching tentacles that FBI Special Agent Annie Marino pulls together through a joint operation of the FBI, ICE, local police, and sheriff organizations across six states. Turn on your reading light and settle in for an exciting ride.”
―Gayle Lynds, New York Times-bestselling author of The Assassins

“Chilling and laced with menace, In the Hush of the Night deftly tackles a horrifying, timely, and too-often-overlooked crime of our day. Annie Marino is a great character, and the author’s knowledge of the underworld is more than a little frightening. If you’re not reading Raymond Benson, you’re missing out.”
―Marcus Sakey, author of the bestselling Brilliance Trilogy and Afterlife

“A gritty, realistic story of human trafficking that introduces Annie Marino, an FBI agent unafraid to work the toughest cases. Benson’s stellar novel In the Hush of the Night twists and turns to the explosive and satisfying ending. You’ll want to hear more from Annie Marino.”
―Jamie Freveletti, internationally bestselling author of Blood Run

“In the Hush of the Night sucked me in and kept me glued to the page. Raymond Benson’s book is an intense and frighteningly authentic portrayal of the harrowing experiences inflicted on human trafficking victims by the depraved men who prey upon them for profit and twisted pleasure. FBI Special Agent Annie Marino’s compassion, strength, and dedication to the pursuit of justice for these women makes her exactly the kind of realistic hero readers crave. A captivating story that will stay with you long after you reach the end.”
―Diane Capri, New York Times- and USA Today-bestselling author of The Hunt for Jack Reacher series

You can pre-order the hardcover, e-book, and audiobook from the link on the Fiction page.

20 Year Anniversary of “Zero Minus Ten”!

It was twenty years ago this month (April 1997) that Raymond’s first James Bond novel was published in the UK by Hodder & Stoughton. ZERO MINUS TEN marked the first time an American author assumed the mantle of penning original adult 007 books. It was published in the US in May ’97 by Putnam, and was serialized in Playboy magazine (April and May ’97). The locations include Hong Kong/Kowloon, Macau, China, Australia, England, and Jamaica.

From the jacket flap: “In ten days, Hong Kong will pass into the hands of the Chinese–and 007 is on his way there to undertake his most dangerous and thrilling mission yet. In the Australian desert, a nuclear bomb explodes. There are no survivors, and no clues about who has made it or detonated it. In England, two police officers are shot dead when they apprehend a cargo vessel in Portsmouth dock. Vast quantities of heroin are later found on board. And in Hong Kong, an explosion rips through one of the colony’s famous floating restaurants, killing the entire Board of Directors of EurAsia Enterprises Ltd, a multi-billion dollar shipping corporation. The People’s Republic of China is about to resume control after a century and a half of British rule–and the colony is a powder keg waiting to explode. The tension reaches breaking point when a solicitor from one of Britain’s most prestigious law firms is killed in a car bomb at Government House. These apparently random events are connected–and Bond must find out how and why. From the seedy strip clubs of Kowloon, 007’s investigations bring him into conflict with ruthless Triad gangs, a power-hungry Chinese general–and a beautiful night club hostess called Sunni Pei. All enquiries seem to lead to EurAsia Enterprises Ltd–and its assassinated owner. James Bond is about to come up against one of the most formidable adversaries of his career. A new era of high adventure, intrigue and danger begins for James Bond with Raymond Benson’s eagerly awaited 007 thriller–a story of sensuality and nonstop excitement.”

The novel is currently in print in the trade paperback anthology, CHOICE OF WEAPONS, as an e-book on Amazon Kindle, and as an audiobook. Original print copies of the UK or US hardcover or paperback are often available on Amazon Marketplace and eBay. You can find Amazon links here.