Early Packages

I've received reports that Severance Package is oozing into bookstores a few days early. I'm headed out this afternoon to see if any of my local chains have copies ahead of time. Because... well, I just have to. It'd be like having a kid, and not going to check it out in the nursery, from behind the glass.

Anyway, if you see any early copies, let me know in the comments section. Just curious.

I forgot to mention two amazingly kind reviews that appeared earlier this week. First, Rod Lott weighed in over at Bookgasm, which is a huge thrill. No lie: it's the one book review site that's always uncannily tuned in to my strange tastes in reading material. It's a rare week that goes by without me ordering something they've mentioned. (And Bruce Grossman's "Bullets, Broads, Blackmail & Bombs" column is a weekly treat.)

And my pal Tim Haas gives Severance the 60-second treatment over at PhillyMag.com, the website of Philadelphia Magazine (where I've worked twice, back in the early 90s, and again in the early 00s). Tim hints at a little insider stuff in the novel: I did kinda sorta base the layout of "Murphy, Knox & Associates" on the Philly Mag offices, but mostly because that's where I was working on 9/11, and... we'll, you'll see.

Update (Memorial Day, 1:30 p.m.): Robert Thompson at Fantasy Book Critic weighs in on Severance. I was extremely flattered by the comparisons to Dean Koontz, and happy he mentioned the Kevlar-reinforced pantyhose. I had almost forgotten about that!