14 - J. T. Ellison [0]
ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS
“A taut, striking debut. Mystery fiction has a new name to watch.”
—John Connolly
“With this debut thriller, Ellison puts her mentoring by Lee Child to good use.”
—Library Journal
“Tennessee has a new dark poet. J.T. Ellison’s fast-paced, clever plotting yields a page-turner par excellence. A turbocharged thrill ride of a debut.”
—Julia Spencer-Fleming
“Ellison hits the ground running with an electrifying debut. All the Pretty Girls is a masterful thriller.”
—J. A. Konrath
“The book is taut, tense and suspenseful. The best part of All the Pretty Girls, though, is its breathless pace.”
—The Tennessean
“Southern readers will find All the Pretty Girls a thrilling ride through a well-known locale, and the rest of the country will get a closer view—and a different perspective—of Music City.”
—BookPage
“[A] first-rate, creepy, hold-your-breath story of suspense… J.T. Ellison knows her stuff.”
—Robert Fate
“Creepy thrills from start to finish.”
—James O. Born
“Fast-paced and creepily believable, Ellison’s novel proves that there is still room in the genre for new authors and new cops. There’s no novice showing in All the Pretty Girls. It’s all gritty, grisly and a great read.”
—M. J. Rose
“Relentlessly paced and intricately plotted—and it features a villain who will have readers looking over their shoulders, even in the daylight.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews
“Keep the lights on. With a masterful hand, Ellison delivers a villain to make you quail, pitted against the thriller world’s freshest new detective since Tess Gerritsen’s Jane Rizzoli. Complex and sharp-tongued, Taylor Jackson is destined to become an icon in crime fiction.”
—Kristy Kiernan
“A gripping ride into the seemingly nonsensical world of a serial killer and the passionate urgency of those who try to stop him. Ellison’s characters…will stay with you long after you close the book.”
—Pari Noskin Taichert
“A fantastic debut… All the Pretty Girls is a spine-tingling thriller you will not want to miss!”
—Romance Reviews Today
“Ellison’s talent is evident not only in her ability to create nail-biting suspense, but also in her vivid characters. Well-written and smart, All the Pretty Girls could well put Ellison and Taylor Jackson on the track to become to Nashville what Laura Lippman and Tess Monaghan are to Baltimore.”
—Tasha Alexander
“J.T. Ellison’s fast-moving debut is as smooth as fine Kentucky bourbon.”
—Romance Reader at Heart
14
J.T. ELLISON
For Jay and Jeff: my ribs
And as always, for my Randy
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
When you’re a writer, it never feels like enough to say thank-you to the people surrounding you day to day. We write the books, they make them into novels. I have several magicians I’d like to send my humble thanks:
My extraordinary editor Linda McFall and the entire MIRA team, especially Adam Wilson, Heather Foy, Margaret Marbury and Dianne Moggy, and the brilliant artists who create these fabulous covers!
My incredible agent Scott Miller, of Trident Media Group.
My independent publicist Tom Robinson, who is such a pleasure to work with and feeds me blueberry pie.
Detective David Achord of the Metro Nashville Homicide Department, a true friend and a great man.
Bob Trice, Response Coordinator/CERT program manager/ESU supervisor at the Nashville Office of Emergency Management, for giving me the tools to make the drowning scene work.
Laura McPherson, who taught me good journalism rules, which I in turn gleefully broke.
Vince Tranchida, for the medical expertise.
Pat Picciarelli, for giving me Long Island City and the bar across from the 108th precinct.
Tribe, for the Spanish bits.
The Bodacious Music City Wordsmiths—Janet, Mary, Rai, Cecelia, Peggy, Del Tinsley and my wonderful critique partner J.B. Thompson, who read, cheer, suggest, support and love.
First reader Joan Huston for making all the difference, as she always does.
My darling Linda Whaley for babysitting on the rainy nights.
My esteemed fellow authors Tasha Alexander, Brett Battles,