Press Kit: Roger Johns

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Roger Johns Headshot Dark River Rising Cover Art

Blog:
murderbooks.wordpress.com
Titles:
Dark River Rising (police procedural, female protagonist, southern setting, drug violence)
ISBN-10: 1250110092 ISBN-13: 978-1250110091
Release Date:
August 29, 2017
Publisher:
Minotaur Books (an imprint of St. Martin’s Press, which is a division of Macmillan Publishers 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010)
Agent:
Paula Munier (Talcott Notch Literary, 31 Cherry Street, Suite 104, Milford, CT 06460)
Publicist:
Hector DeJean (Minotaur Books)
Email:
[email protected] and [email protected]
Bio:
Roger Johns is a former corporate lawyer and retired college professor. He is a native of Louisiana,and a resident of Georgia since 2004.Dark River Rising is his debut novel.
Synopsis
Baton Rouge Police Detective Wallace Hartman is investigating the gruesome murder of a local drug kingpin when a DEA agent with his own interest in the homicide threatens Wallace’s control of her case.After a government scientist with ties to the victim goes missing, Wallace finds she needs the agent’s federal connections as much as he needs her local insight, so they form an uneasy alliance.Meanwhile, the killer lurks in the shadows with an agenda no one saw coming, and as Wallace closes in he proves ready, willing, and able to shatter her world––not once but twice––in order to get what he wants.
Author Blurbs:
“A finely crafted ensemble and a balanced grace makes this debut novel as hard to resist as blue ribbon gumbo.”
CRAIG JOHNSON, New York Times bestselling author of the Walt Longmire Mysteries, the basis for the Netflix hit drama Longmire
“Roger Johns paints a beautiful and dangerous picture of Baton Rouge. . . . Dark River Rising is crime fiction at its finest, a fascinating blend of atmosphere, a compelling mystery, and a protagonist you won’t soon forget.”
LINDA CASTILLO, NewYork Timesbestselling author of Among the Wicked
“Detective Wallace Hartman is irresistible―damaged, authentic and relentless. In thiscompelling ripped-from-the-headlines debut, a killer's grisly trademark pulls the Louisiana detective to the dangerous dark center of everything she fears.”
HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN, Anthony, Agatha, and Mary Higgins Clark award-winning author of Say No More
“Riveting detail and a clever detective duo make Dark River Risinga fast-paced and compelling read. Johns skillfully weaves police procedure, romantic tension, and unexpected twists into a plot that had me turning pages late into the night and checking to make sure I’d locked my doors. This is a debut you don’t want to miss!”
SUSAN CRAWFORD, bestselling author of The Pocket Wife and The Other Widow
“With a lead character that seems destined for an important place in detective fiction, Dark River Rising takes an extremelyfresh slant, first on murder, and then on the investigation. I couldn’t wait to find out ‘who done it!’”
TRUDY NAN BOYCE, 2017 Georgia Author of the Year,Atlanta Homicide Detective [retired], and author of Outof the Blues and Old Bones
Reviews:
“This debut novel is [a] . . . compelling fast-paced mystery" with "an impressive crime-solving duo with explosive chemistry”
RT Book Reviews (July 25, 2017)
“Johns’ first novel is an exciting police procedural rolled into a romantic thriller that hints of more to come.”
KIRKUS REVIEWS (July 1, 2017)
“Featuring a fine ensemble cast, this solid debut is strong on atmosphere and tension. Readers who enjoy Louisiana settings, tough but sensitive female detectives, and who can handle graphic violence will want more from this author.”
Library Journal (July 2017)
Media:

CriminalElement.com: Start With Setting [August 3, 2017]

WRITERS DIGEST: Breaking In [Vol. 97, No. 6,p.22, September 2017]

Atlanta Writers Club: eQuill[interview][July 2017]

LSU LAW: Alumni Class Notes [April 2017]

Appearances:
April 7, 2018
Dave Robicheaux’s Hometown Literary Festival: Main Street Book Fair
Main Street
New Iberia, LA 70560
February 24, 2018
Rose Glen Literary Festival
Sevierville Convention Center
202 Gists Creek Road
Sevierville, TN 37876
February 11, 2018
Murder on the Menu
Wetumpka Civic Center
410 S. Main Street
Wetumpka, AL 36092
February 10, 2018
Murder in the Magic City
Homewood Public Library
1721 Oxmoor Rd.
Homewood, AL 35209
November 18, 2017
Dog River Library
6100 Highway 5
Douglasville, GA 30135
November 4, 2017
Auburn Public Library
24 Fifth Street
Auburn, GA 30011
October 28, 2017
Louisiana Book Festival
Louisiana State Capitol and State Library
900 North Third Street
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
October 21, 2017
Atlanta Writers Club: Member Spotlight
Georgia State University–Dunwoody Campus
2101 Womack Road (Building NC, Room 1100)
Atlanta GA 30338
October 18, 2017
A Novel Idea
The Snug Gastro Pub
190 E. Main Street
Canton, GA 30114
October 11-15, 2017
Bouchercon 2017
Sheraton Hotel Toronto
123 Queen Street West
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5H 2M9
October 7th, 2017 – 3:00pm EDT
Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza
1475 Western Avenue
Albany,NY 12203
September 30, 2017
Briarcliff Manor Book Club
Briarcliff, NY 10510
September 24, 2017
Book Carnival
348 S. Tustin Street
Orange, CA 92866
September 23, 2017
Book Star
12136 Ventura Boulevard
Studio City, CA 91604
September 16, 2017
FoxTale Book Shoppe
105 E. Main Street
Woodstock, GA 30188
September 9, 2017
Fiction Addiction
1175 Woods Crossing Rd, No. 5
Greenville, SC 29607
September 1-3, 2017
Decatur Book Festival
101 E. Court Square
Decatur, GA 30030
June 10, 2017
The Business Side of Book Publishing
Decatur Library
215 Sycamore St
Decatur, GA 30030
November 12, 2016 – 3:00pm to 4:30pm EST
Milton Literary Festival: The Book Club Hookup
Crabapple Government Center
12624 Broadwell Road
Alpharetta, GA 30004
October 6, 2016 - 4:30pm to 6:00pm EDT
Georgia Library Association-Council of Media Organizations: Author Appreciation Reception
The Atrium at the Classic Center
300 N Thomas St
Athens, GA 30601
September 15-18, 2016
Bouchercon: The World Mystery Convention
New Orleans Marriot
555 Canal Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
April 23, 2016 - 2:00pm EDT
Romance Saturdays: Romantic Suspense
Auburn Public Library
24 Fifth Street
Auburn, GA 30011