NEW ON THE LIST AND IN PUBLISHING
Hot stuff: Joe Hill is sizzling. He has his highest ranking ever on USA TODAY’s Best-Selling Books list as he lands at No. 9 with the sci-fi/horror novel, The
Fireman. Hill’s previous peak was No. 28 in 2013 with NOS4A2. His horror chops are no surprise; he’s the son of Stephen King, and father and son have paired up on two Kindle singles, In the Tall Grass and Throttle, both of which made USA TODAY’s top 150. The Fireman, Hill’s fourth novel, is the tale of a contagious spore called Dragonscale that causes its victims to spontaneously combust. USA TODAY’s Brian Truitt called it a “superbly crackling ” thriller ( eeeg out of four). Hill still has a way to go to match dad’s success: Stephen King has had 19 No. 1 USA TODAY best sellers since the list began in 1993. Fresh ‘Life’:
Writer Steve Hamilton made waves last summer when he pulled the plug on his longtime publisher and withdrew his novel The Second Life of Nick Mason shortly before it was to be released. He told Publishers Weekly his publisher, Minotaur, was not doing enough to promote the thriller about an ex-con trying to go straight. The move paid off. Nick Mason, which launches a new mystery series, got a second life with a different publisher and now lands at No. 29. Hamilton’s new publisher, Putnam, picked up Nick Mason as part of a four-book deal. Movie rights have been optioned, too, by Lionsgate. And Hamilton has had the support of a powerhouse of fellow writers — Harlan Coben, Stephen King, Lee Child, Michael Connelly — who’ve been singing the book’s praises.