Deal News: Lullaby For The Nameless

Mystery/Crime - Sandra Ruttan’s, Lullaby for the Nameless, set in the Greater Vancouver Area, in which a murder victim forces three constables to face their past mistakes, to Don D’Auria at Dorchester, in a nice deal, by Allan Guthrie of Jenny Brown Associates (world English).

The Latest News!
Foreign rights: Fiction  
 
Japanese rights to Sandra Ruttan's WHAT BURNS WITHIN and THE FRAILTY OF FLESH, to SHUEISHA, in a nice deal, by Kiyoshi Asano of The Asano Agency, on behalf of Curtis Russell at the P.S. Literary Agency.

New Interview!

Patrick Shawn Bagley asks about the new book, my current writing projects, and whether I'm pressured to Americanize my books.

Out Now:
THE FRAILTY OF FLESH

The personal and professional collide as Nolan, Hart and Tain face their toughest challenges yet.
Amazon.Com.....Amazon.Ca.....Amazon Kindle.....Barnes & Noble.....Chapters Indigo


Contests!

Ever wanted to be a fictional character? Dorchester is running a contest, and the winner will be a character in LULLABY FOR THE NAMELESS, the third Nolan, Hart and Tain book, due out next year. I will be putting up a newsletter in the next two weeks, and in the newsletter I'll have the answer to the trivia question for the contest, so for anyone in doubt, check back mid-November.

Congratulations!

Noralyn Smith of Lompoc, California has won a personalized copy of THE FRAILTY OF FLESH. My thanks to Patrick Shawn Bagley for running the contest.


Praise for THE FRAILTY OF FLESH

"Sandra Ruttan's sequel to What Burns Within... is better than the first. A four-year-old is beaten to death in a park. The child's brother, hiding in the nearby brush, claims that his older sister killed the boy. Furthermore, the sister is missing.

"Criminous kids are bad enough, but Ruttan, a disciple of the Val McDermid school, takes things a bit further. To say more is to give away a terrific plot."
- Margaret Cannon, THE GLOBE AND MAIL


"Ruttan’s splintered style and her three-pronged central cast create an unusually vivid crime story, with vividly rounded central characters who interact with a realism of partial truths, undisclosed agendas, poor communications, and emotional reticence: in other words, with behavior that we recognize from our own lives… What they discover about the crimes and criminals slowly emerges in patterns of abuse and distorted power relations within the family that are not grasped by those among the cops who are unwilling to struggle for understanding, leading to the tragic conclusions of the intersecting stories."
- Glenn Harper, International Noir Fiction


"The complexity of the relationships among the players as well as the cases, past and present, are riveting.  Whatever one might guess as to where the author is taking you, nothing can prepare the reader for the shocking resolution... 

"The three protagonists are each skillfully drawn and certain to have Ms. Ruttan's readers anxious to know them better."
- Mystery Morgue

"The fallout from the last time their cases intersected still haunts the three major protagonists in this stark procedural. Each is haunted by major baggage that can't help but affect current cases. The talented Ruttan turns a spotlight on the gritty reality of law enforcement for these Canadian constables, and the result is truly convoluted and disturbing."
- Romantic Times Book Reviews

"The Frailty of Flesh is not only one of the best procedural thrillers I've read in a long time... but the ending knocked me right out of my seat."
- Crime Scene Scotland

"The Frailty of Flesh raises difficult questions and shuns easy answers. Sandra Ruttan writes with passion and honesty about every parent’s worst nightmare and the result is an emotionally wrenching experience."
- Sean Chercover, Shamus Award-Winning author of TRIGGER CITY

"(Tain) has ghosts the murdered child case brings to the surface and when it all comes together at the end … well, no spoilers here, but the novel leaves off with yet another hook to what will become the next highly anticipated installment to the series."
- Charlie Stella

"[Ruttan] is talented in the way that a natural musician is talented, making all the notes seem effortless. Characters that feel very real, and a wonderful sense of timing, Ruttan brings it all and leaves it on the page."
- Jon Jordan, Crimespree Magazine

"Brave, dark and utterly convincing, THE FRAILTY OF FLESH is guaranteed to break the hardest of hearts."
- Allan Guthrie, Edgar Award-Nominated author of KISS HER GOODBYE

Read more reviews here

Praise for WHAT BURNS WITHIN

“Ruttan manages to keep multiple leads and seconds on the same page admirably: she doesn't drop too many clues in their laps or allow the tension to flag. ...the straight proceduralism from Ruttan serves the story well through the rewarding climax."
- Publishers Weekly

"This story features a triple mystery and three main characters, who are interesting not only for their tangled group dynamic but also as individuals. The subject matter obviously is very grim, but the occasional banter between the constables helps to take the edge off. This is a good start to a new series I think will appeal to a variety of mystery lovers."
- Fresh Fiction

"The novel is a classic police procedural, with detailed descriptions of each step along the way. The interactions of the protagonists and human emotions are finely told. The dialogue and writing are excellently presented and the story gripping. Further efforts in the series are greatly anticipated, and the book is highly recommended."
- Midwest Book Review

"Promising talent Ruttan sets her gritty new detective series in Vancouver. It has a hard-edged feel and intriguing characters. ...this is a good start to an intriguing series."
- Romantic Times Book Reviews

What Burns Within is a vividly told story with a propulsive forward motion and a very distinctive addition to the procedural wing of contemporary crime fiction. There turns out to be an advantage in my having been slow to get it to the top of my reading pile--now I don't have to wait impatiently for the publication date of The Frailty of Flesh, the second Hart/Nolan/Tain book."
- Glenn Harper, International Noir Fiction

"What Burns Within is doubly rewarding. Once, as a first-class mystery to be read on its own. And secondly as an exciting debut for a promising series from an obviously talented writer."
- M. Wayne Cunningham, Mysterious Reviews

"Short and snappy chapters, terse dialogue, staccato delivery of minimalist descriptions -- Ruttan's style harks back to the classic hardboiled era....Ruttan is very much a shower rather than a teller: there are very few internal monologues to be heard in WHAT BURNS WITHIN, the subtleties of the characters' complex psychologies being drawn out through their interactions with their colleagues. That's a difficult skill to make invisible, but it's one of Ruttan's most effective weapons."
- Declan Burke, Crime Always Pays

"Vancouver, B.C., constables Hart and Tain team up to investigate a series of arsons and the disappearances of young girls. Constable Nolan is working on a string of rapes. The three young police officers a year earlier had investigated a high-profile case and soon find that their current cases may have a connection. This is the first in a new series of police procedurals by Ruttan (Suspicious Circumstances), the cofounder of Spinetingler Magazine, a popular e-zine. Well worth adding to any mystery collection.
- Jo Ann Vicarel, Library Journal

"This should be labeled as a Friday evening start ­ since you will likely read all night. Three RCMP “that’s Mounties” once worked a case that left bitter memories with each one. Although they are still in British Columbia they are now working in separate areas. Constable Tain is focused on a series of child abductions, Constable Ashlyn Hart is working arson, and Constable Craig Nolan is handling sex crimes. But when the body of one of the missing girls is found in a building that had been set fire by an arsonist and the wife of a police officer becomes a rape victim ­ it seems that all three are working a common thread. Ruttan captures the intensity of the streets and daily police work while vividly pointing out that it’s not just the victims that get damaged by criminal acts. Those who uphold the law also pay a price. Very well done ­ and when’s the next one?"
- Jack Quick, Bookbitch

"The idea that Canadian culture or literature is anything other than an pastel imitation of Americana (soft-boiled at that) can be laid to rest. Sandra Ruttan demonstrates with her novel "What Burns Within" that Canadian crime fiction deserves to be taken seriously. As gritty as the best American crime writers working today, [Ruttan] presents fiction that deals with horrendous crimes without exploiting the victims for cheap thrills. If you prefer cozies, she's not for you, but if you're a fan of tough crime fiction with well-developed characters, climb aboard. But bring along a fire extinguisher."
- Patrick Balester, Picks By Pat

“Ruttan combines devilishly clever plots with genuinely empathic characters..." -Russel D. McLean, Crime Scene Scotland

"One absolute wallop of a novel. Not only does it make you want to know when Sandra Ruttan's next book is due, but when's the next flight to Canada… A totally mesmerizing narrative and a plot that burns off the page."
- Ken Bruen, Shamus Award-Winning Author of THE GUARDS

"A sizzling story by one of crime fiction's hot new voices."
- Rick Mofina, internationally best-selling author of A PERFECT GRAVE

"Sandra Ruttan writes with utter ferocity. Twists and turns that stun and dialog that absolutely crackles with wit and authenticity. With each page, Ruttan delivers the goods. WHAT BURNS WITHIN is a nonstop chiller of a mystery that keeps you turning the pages."
- Gregg Olsen, New York Times Bestselling Author of A WICKED SNOW

"Ruttan effortlessly brings to life a varied cast of complex characters. She writes with tremendous passion, honesty and skill. This is a story you will care about."
- Allan Guthrie, Edgar Nominated Author of KISS HER GOODBYE

"When we talk of the next generation of great crime fiction writers Sandra Ruttan's name is near the top of the list. WHAT BURNS WITHIN has a compelling clockwork plot that comes together with Swiss precision but it's the real, sympathetic and utterly human characters that infuse it with depth and power. WHAT BURNS WITHIN is a stunning book. Not only is this the start of a great series but more importantly it's the start of a long and successful career. Sandra Ruttan is one to watch."
- Mysterybookspot

“WHAT BURNS WITHIN reads like a favorite television series. A large cast, lots of dialogue to advance the plot, a great setting, and well-drawn characters make for a compelling police procedural.”
- Anne Frasier, USA Today Bestselling Author of HUSH, SLEEP TIGHT & PLAY DEAD