Portfolio Tag: Ian Ludlow

Control the media. Control the world. The only person who can save us from global catastrophe is thriller writer Ian Ludlow in #1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Goldberg’s exhilarating new novel.

Author Ian Ludlow writes great adventures…but after helping Chinese movie star Wang Mei defect to the United States, he becomes the accidental hero of a real-life espionage thriller. Now he’s stuck with the actress, and suffering a nasty case of writer’s block, when he stumbles into a secret Russian plot using “fake news” to outrage Americans into believing a terrifying lie.

It’s up to Ian and Margo French, his researcher-turned-spy, to discover the connection between a barbaric drug lord in Mexico, a homicidal rapist in California, a rogue citizens army in Texas, a raging TV pundit in New York, and two dead tourists in Portugal…before the President of the United States makes a catastrophic mistake that could resurrect the Soviet Union. The only weapon Ian has against the global conspiracy, and the assassins who are closing in on him, is his vivid imagination. If his story isn’t a killer thriller, he’s dead.

Read the deleted prologue from Fake Truth!

Praise for “Fake Truth”

“Hilariously surprising. The author’s juggling of truth and fiction is almost as dexterous as his hero’s” Kirkus Reviews

“Delightfully outrageous. There are shootouts, bombings, car chases, and plenty of almost slapstick—but still murderous—mayhem. There are hilarious lines, too. For readers who enjoy madcap action. And a good laugh” Booklist

“Goldberg continues to inject a welcome dose of levity into the thriller genre” Publishers Weekly

“Fake Truth promises to be the most over-the-top, electrifying book in the series so far—making it a no-brainer for readers looking for a fun and thrilling read.” The Real Book Spy

“A pedal-to-the-metal, full-on page turner.” Christopher Reich, New York Times bestselling author

In #1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Goldberg’s action-packed sequel to the Washington Post bestseller True Fiction, a hapless writer is pitted against an enemy nation mounting a treacherous plot lifted from one of his thrillers.

Everybody loves Ian Ludlow’s action novels—especially the CIA—because the spies know something the public doesn’t: his fictional plots have a frightening tendency to come true. Ian is in Hong Kong with his resourceful assistant Margo French to research his wildest story yet—a deadly global conspiracy by Chinese intelligence to topple the United States.

What Ian doesn’t know is that his horrifying scenario is happening and that the Chinese mistakenly believe he’s an undercover superspy assigned to foil their scheme. Now Ian is trapped in his own terrifying thriller, on the run from assassins, and racing against time to prevent an epic disaster. He’s written himself into a corner that could cost his life…and his country.

Read a deleted scene from Killer Thriller! Warning: Don’t read the deleted scene if you haven’t read the book first, because it contains major spoilers.

PRAISE FOR KILLER THRILLER

One of CrimeRead’s 10 Best Thrillers of 2019

“That irrepressible scamp Goldberg is at it again. The pleasure here is watching Goldberg mock the thriller form while creating a first-rate one, boiling with chases, fights, sweaty-palm tension, snappy dialogue, and glamorous, exotic locations. It’s really a sophisticated exercise in metafiction: commenting on narrative while creating it. The prankster lives!” —Booklist

“​It grabs you from page one with b​rilliant wit, sharply honed suspense, and a huge helping of pure originality​.” —Jeffery Deaver, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“Lee Goldberg has written an action-packed sequel to “True Fiction.” … Goldberg walks a fine line between satire and action with exciting and hilarious results. The story reflects current news cycles with the economy and America’s relations with China, and with Goldberg’s talent for telling fun stories, the end result is a blast. The ending also forecasts future adventures for both Ludlow and his fictional counterpart Straker, which will be eagerly anticipated.” Associated Press

“A delight from start-to-finish, a round-the-world, thrill-a-minute, laser-guided missile of a book.”​ —Joseph Finder, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“Killer Thriller is a laugh-out-loud thrill ride in which life imitates art imitating life.” Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine

“The book is a blast! Ian is a unique protagonist, an author forced to become the kind of hero he writes about. I loved it.” —Joel Goldman, author of Motion to Kill

“Killer Thriller by Lee Goldberg is an action-packed treasure filled with intrigue, engaging characters, and exciting, well-rendered locales. With Goldberg’s hyper-clever plotting, dialogue, and wit on every page, readers are in for a blast with this one!”—Mark Greaney, #1 New York Times bestselling author 

“Goldberg’s thrillers are some of the wittiest around, and his newest doesn’t disappoint…a meta-thriller that’s genuinely heart-pounding but also clever enough to keep you smiling and reading on.” —CrimeReads

“A solid thriller that moves fast and is tons of fun. It’s rare for a sequel to be better than the original, but Lee Goldberg’s Killer Thriller takes Ian Ludlow to new heights. Diehard fans of the genre should definitely check this one out.”- The Real Book Spy

 

#1 New York Times, Publishers Weekly and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Lee Goldberg hits the ground running in a breakneck thriller where truth and fiction collide for the unluckiest writer alive.

When a passenger jet crashes onto the beaches of Waikiki, bestselling thriller writer Ian Ludlow knows the horrific tragedy wasn’t an accident.

Years before, the CIA enlisted Ian to dream up terrorism scenarios to prepare the government for nightmares they couldn’t imagine. Now one of those schemes has come true, and Ian is the only person alive who knows how it was done… and who is behind the plot. That makes him too dangerous to live.

Ian goes on the run, sweeping up an innocent bystander in his plight—Margo French, a dog walker and aspiring singer. They are pursued by assassins and an all-seeing global-intelligence network that won’t stop until Ian and Margo are dead. Ian has written thrillers like this before, but this time he doesn’t know how it’s going to end—or if he will be alive to find out.

Praise for TRUE FICTION

“Thriller fiction at its absolute finest—and it could happen for real. But not to me, I hope.”  —Lee Child, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“Goldberg has crafted a clever, silly and exciting thriller that showcases a love for the genre and the world of writing.”—Washington Post

“A crackerjack thriller! Goldberg’s urge to tease is irresistible [and] is the right touch for a story of life imitating art.”—Booklist

“This is my life…. in a thriller! True Fiction is great fun.”  —Brad Meltzer, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“This may be the most fun you’ll ever have reading a thriller. It’s a breathtaking rush of suspense, intrigue and laughter that only Lee Goldberg could pull off. I loved it.”  —Janet Evanovich, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“Fans of parodic thrillers will enjoy the exhilarating ride… [in] this Elmore Leonard mashed with Get Smart romp.”—Publishers Weekly

“True Fiction is a conspiracy thriller of the first order, a magical blend of fact and it-could-happen scary fiction. Nail-biting, page-turning, and laced with Goldberg’s wry humor, True Fiction is a true delight, reminiscent of Three Days of the Condor and the best of Hitchcock’s innocent-man-in-peril films.”
—Paul Levine, #1 Amazon bestselling author of Bum Rap

“Imagine Three Days of the Condor on meth. That’s True Fiction. Nonstop action and a great main character, a thriller writer being chased by a super secret intelligence agency. Easy to see why this is a bestseller.” —Harry Hunsicker, author of The Devil’s Country

“Truly an enjoyable read. The chapters from the Straker novels are the Mona Lisa of parodies.”
—Christopher Reich, New York Times bestselling author

“I enjoyed the heck out of this,” Ian Rankin, New York Times bestselling author

“New York Times bestselling author Lee Goldberg’s new thriller, True Fiction, is a fast-moving adventure filled with his signature witty wordplay, twisty plots and mesmerizing characters.” –National Examiner

“I loved every word of this book. Ian Ludlow is an action hero I can relate to. If great pacing with awesome characters are what keep you up at night, then make a pot of coffee and open this book.” —Crimespree Magazine

“Great fun that moves as fast as a jet. Goldberg walks a tightrope between suspense and humor and never slips.” —Linwood Barclay, New York Times bestselling author of The Twenty Three

“I haven’t read anything this much fun since Donald E. Westlake’s comic-caper novels. Immensely entertaining, clever, and timely.”—David Morrell, New York Times bestselling author of Murder As a Fine Art and First Blood, the book that introduced Rambo

“Ian Ludlow is one of the coolest heroes to emerge in post-9/11 thrillers. A wonderful, classic yet modern, breakneck suspense novel. Lee Goldberg delivers a great story with a literary meta-fiction wink that makes its thrills resonate.” —James Grady, author of Six Days of the Condor

“The story of an innocent man caught in a deadly conspiracy has been told before—think Hitchcock’s ‘North by Northwest’ or ‘The Man Who Knew Too Much’ — but Lee Goldberg takes it a step further in this rollicking, sometimes humorous, always deadly True Fiction. In this novel, thriller writer Ian Ludlow fights to stay alive when he realizes his make-believe world of plots and assassins has suddenly become all too real.  Highly recommended.” —Brendan DuBois, Shamus Award-winning author of the Lewis Cole mysteries

“True Fiction jumps into Elmore Leonard territory as a witty send-up of spy novels and the book industry. Goldberg delivers a character who seems, well, very much like himself. This one promises to be the first in what should be a most amusing series to follow.” Mystery Scene Magazine

““Humorous, thrilling, and scary, True Fiction is a great caper story of the little guys taking on the all-encompassing secret state in a knock-down, drag-out fight to the finish.” Authorlink

“I had more fun reading your True Fiction than any book in months. Outstanding job. Wish I’d written it,” Reavis Z. Wortham, author of Hawke’s Prey and Gold Dust