God Bless John Connolly
Thursday, October 23, 2008, 9:40 PM
I met John Connolly, the hugely successful author of the Charlie Parker series as well as such stand-alones as THE BOOK OF LOST THINGS, at the Dun Laoghaire crime writers' weekend last month. I was a bit cheeky and asked Mr. Connolly if he wouldn't mind giving THE GHOSTS OF BELFAST a quick once-over, and I was surprised when he graciously consented. My editor at Harvill Secker, Geoff Mulligan, promptly whisked a manuscript off, and a few weeks later I was shocked and delighted to receive this quote from John:
"Ghosts of Belfast is not only one of the finest thriller debuts of the last ten years, but is also one of the best Irish novels, in any genre, of recent times. It grips from the first page to the last, and heralds the arrival of a major new voice in Irish writing. I don't know how Stuart Neville is going to improve upon such an exceptional first novel, but I can't wait to find out..."
I am flabbergasted.
"Ghosts of Belfast is not only one of the finest thriller debuts of the last ten years, but is also one of the best Irish novels, in any genre, of recent times. It grips from the first page to the last, and heralds the arrival of a major new voice in Irish writing. I don't know how Stuart Neville is going to improve upon such an exceptional first novel, but I can't wait to find out..."
I am flabbergasted.
Labels: john connolly, quotes, the ghosts of belfast
posted by Stuart Neville at 9:40 PM
26 Comments:
Congratulations on such a glowing endorsement. I am looking forward to reading THE GHOSTS OF BELFAST.
I am not shocked, of course. Everyone who reads it, loves it, because it's so brilliant. I'll be doing a little promo of your book at my con this weekend myself. :)
WOW! and here's to more cheekiness and great blurbs / reviews!!!! hurrah!!!
What a gent - how fantastic!
How awesome! And what a lovely man to give you such a stirling puff for your book!
I'm sure you deserve it, but wow! Nice.
gb
That's fantastic Stuart, well done mate.
Holy-friggin-crap! That is one of the best endorsements I have ever read. What does the book come out?
Hey Stuart
Thought I'd spread the news a little. CSNI link.
Cheers
gb
Holy cow!!!! How cool is that! Hey, it pays to be cheeky!!!
Stuart, that's tremendous! Congratulations!
I am usually a silent voyeur on your blog, but this deserves and all-caps CONGRATULATIONS! What an amazing endorsement.
A blurb to die for -- congratulations!
Good job! This effort of yours is turning into an Eagerly Awaited Debut.
===================
Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
Getting the most reluctant beta reader on the planet to be your personal slave is far more an accomplishment than getting JC to give you a rave. lol
But, hey, cool blurb.
I see you have a new blog: BLOOD'S A ROVER - is that the sequel to GHOSTS?
That's got to be exciting...
Jamie - According to Amazon, it'll be 2nd July 2009 in the UK.
Christy - Thanks for saying hello.
Lindsray - You too.
Gerard - Thanks for the nod.
Josie - No, Blood's a Rover is the new James Ellroy novel, due next Fall. I just bagsied the name to keep it safe.
And thanks to everyone for your comments!
Congratulations, that's fantastic... though you're kind of killing me, because I can't wait to read it...
Very nice, squire. Nice, nice, nice ...
Wow!
And it makes me even MORE excited about reading your novel. Can’t wait!
Awesome!
Stuart, what a tremendous endorsement. From what I know about the publishing business, it takes both talent and luck to hit a home run. Your talent is undeniable, and it sounds like your luck is at high tide right now. I'm excited to be able to observe this process, from unknown to sensation. Soak it up, my friend. Can't wait to pick up my copy of Ghosts.
Squeeee! I just read the chapters linked form Declan's and I CANNOT wait to read the rest, well done Stuart, it fairly well bloody fizzes off the screen.
Arlene
That's a chilling first chapter. How long do I have to wait til I read the rest of the book?
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Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
Stuart that's so amazing! Utterly earned by your excellent writing, of course.
That is awesome. However, after reading some of your excerpts and the short story, I am not surprised.
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