Mount Sopris Publishing
January 12, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-943593-08-8
$14.99
Trade Paperback
495 pages
Thriller
About The Coalition
January 12, 2016 From the fiftieth floor of an office building in Denver, Colorado, a long-range assassin calmly watches a procession of black Lincolns. When the motorcade pulls to the curb in Civic Center Plaza, a prominent leader steps from one of the vehicles and takes the stage to make an important speech. Moments later, a loud BOOM echoes through the Plaza and the man slumps to the platform like a stringless marionette. The mysterious sniper, whose very existence is unknown to the international law enforcement community, has just assassinated U.S. President-elect William Ambrose Kieger. In the aftermath of the shocking political crime, the shooter escapes and a Task Force is swiftly assembled, headed up by Special Agent Kenneth Patton of the FBI’s Denver Field Office. A ten year vet in Domestic Terrorism, the unconventional Ken is driven to solve the crime by both professional and personal motives. His search leads him to a secret society whose diabolical and far-reaching plot threatens the very highest levels of the U.S. government. Yet the group’s motives, secret membership, and ambitious plans remain elusive. Can Ken and his team uncover the plot in time to save the day? Can they beat the countdown on the clock and catch the assassin and the shadowy group in the background pulling the strings? Or will time run out?
“The Coalition has a lot of good action and suspense, an unusual female assassin, and the potential to be another The Day After Tomorrow.”
– James Patterson, #1 New York Times bestselling author
#1 Bestselling Author Samuel Marquis Prepares to Launch Third Thriller in Planned Six-Book Publication Schedule
Bestselling author Samuel Marquis exploded onto the literary scene in 2015 when his two debut thrillers, The Slush Pile Brigade and Blind Thrust (which was named a 2015 USA Best Book Awards Finalist), both became #1 Denver Post bestsellers, amid glowing reviews from Kirkus, Foreword Reviews (5 Stars), and former Colorado Governor Roy Romer. Now Marquis is back and better than ever with a new political assassination thriller loaded with white-knuckle action, secrecy, and suspense,The Coalition (Mount Sopris Publishing, Trade Paperback, $14.99, 495 pages, January 12, 2016).
Marquis is redefining the word “prolific” as an author, with six novels scheduled for release in one year: he published two novels in the fall of 2015, with four more thrillers (including The Coalition) slated for publication in 2016. His first two novels were the debuts of their own respective series; his newest novel is a standalone political thriller that has already been hailed by #1 New York Times bestselling author James Patterson.
The Coalition: When a deadly assassin kills the U.S. president-elect in Denver, unconventional FBI special agent Kenneth Patton goes on the hunt—and his motives are personal as well as professional. Patton’s search leads him into the shadowy web of a secret society whose plot threatens the highest levels of the U.S. government. Ken and his team must beat the odds and the clock to catch the assassin and expose the Coalition’s plot—before they claim another presidential victim.
Packed with heart-pounding intrigue and exhilarating twists, this absorbing political thriller will leave you at the edge of your seat, begging for mercy—and begging for more. With four additional new thrillers scheduled for publication in 2016, Marquis will oblige even the most avid, page-hungry fans.
SAMUEL MARQUIS is the bestselling author of The Slush Pile Brigade, Blind Thrust, and The Coalition. He works by day as vice-president and hydrogeologist at an environmental consulting firm in Boulder, Colo., and by night as a writer of historical and modern suspense novels. He holds a Master of Science degree in geology, is a registered professional geologist in eleven states and is a recognized expert in groundwater contaminant hydrogeology, having served as an expert witness in several class action litigation cases.
He also has a deep and abiding interest in military history and intelligence, specifically related to the Golden Age of Piracy, Plains Indian Wars, World War II and the current War on Terror. His strong technical scientific background and deep passion for military history and intelligence has served Samuel Marquis well as a suspense writer. His first two thrillers, The Slush Pile Brigade and Blind Thrust, were both #1 Denver Post bestsellers for fiction and garnered four- and five-star reviews from professional reviewers.
Blind Thrust was also an award-winning finalist in the fiction: thriller/adventure category of the 2015 USA Best Book Awards. Former Colorado Governor Roy Romer said, “Blind Thrust kept me up until 1 a.m. two nights in a row. I could not put it down. An intriguing mystery that intertwined geology, fracking, and places in Colorado that I know well. Great fun.”
James Patterson has compared The Coalition to The Day After Tomorrow, the classic thriller by Allan Folsom.
Donald Maas, author of Writing 21st Century Fiction and two novels, has compared The Coalition to the legendary assassination thriller The Day of the Jackal.
Other book reviewers have compared Marquis’s WWII espionage novel, Bodyguard of Deception, to the spy novels of Daniel Silva, Ken Follett and Alan Furst.
In addition to his novels, Mr. Marquis has published over 25 articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals/books and has provided principal expert litigation support and senior technical oversight on a variety of remedial, hydrogeologic and sustainability projects.
Learn more at www.samuelmarquisbooks.com
Other Books by this author!
About Blind Thrust
#1 Denver Post Bestseller 2015 USA Book Awards: Finalist October 6, 2015 Horrific earthquakes are devastating the Front Range between Denver and Colorado Springs in an area long believed to be seismically quiescent. They are being generated by ruptures along cryptic, mysterious, deeply buried thrust faults (blind thrusts) that, unlike many faults, do not break the surface during large-scale seismic events. Somehow the cause of the unusual earthquakes must be unraveled and the cataclysms stopped before they result in more carnage and devastation. But are they the result of natural tectonic adjustments, hydro-fracking, conventional subsurface sequestering, or clandestine operations?
Environmental Geologist Joe Higheagle is on a mission to find out the answer. But he soon finds himself in a deadly duel of wits against powerful forces. With his team of techie sleuths, Higheagle goes toe to toe against his adversaries while grappling to collect, analyze, and leverage the scientific data needed to prove his case. But at every turn he is thwarted by his shadowy enemy and, with the cataclysms worsening, he may not have enough on his side to solve the mystery and save Colorado from more devastation. Can he solve the enigma of the earthquakes and gather enough evidence to stop those responsible?
Will the tremors continue to wreak death and mayhem across the Front Range? Or will Higheagle and his outgunned team be defeated and ultimately crushed by their adversaries? If the earthquakes are not stopped, thousands more will perish and more towns and homes will be destroyed, leaving countless injured and homeless as well as untold financial damage across the Front Range. But can the resourceful Higheagle and his team stop those responsible? In the end, all they can do is try.
About The Slush Pile Brigade
#1 Denver Post Bestseller
September 15, 2015
On his thirtieth birthday, Nick Lassiter has lost his girlfriend and his job, is wanted by the police, and has discovered that his unpublished thriller, “Blind Thrust,” has been stolen and turned into a blockbuster movie called Subterranean Storm. Even worse, the movie is based on a soon-to-be best-selling novel by Australian thriller writer Cameron Beckett, one of the world’s biggest brand name authors.
Rather than seek revenge through a financial settlement or public humiliation, Lassiter sets out for New York to obtain mea culpas from Beckett and his renowned literary agent, whom he is certain colluded with the Aussie in stealing his debut novel. Once in New York, Lassiter, and his three quirky fish-out-of-water friends who insist on accompanying him, instantly run afoul of the law and other powerful forces intent on thwarting them and their mission.
As they encounter one thorny obstacle after another, the scope of their inquiries expands and they are soon in way over their heads, battling toe-to-toe not only against the mega-best-selling author and his agent, but a formidable army of antagonists, including the NYPD, Beckett’s Big Five publishing house security squad, and the Russian mob. Collectively, these adversaries present Lassiter with the greatest—and deadliest—challenge of his life. Unexpectedly aided by his CIA father, Director of the Russian Counterintelligence Desk, and his former girlfriend turned CIA-informant, Lassiter and his comrades take to calling themselves the “Slush Pile Brigade.”
Outmatched and outgunned, they are foiled at virtually every turn but still they are determined to win. But will they find justice? Can they prove that Beckett and his crooked literary agent have stolen Lassiter’s blockbuster novel and are undeservedly reaping the success? And more importantly, will they solve one of the most important counterintelligence cases in CIA history and actually live to tell about it?
An Interview with Samuel Marquis
1. The Coalition is the third out of six novels that you plan to release in one year. That’s incredibly prolific—how do you stay disciplined and focused as a writer (especially while maintaining a career as a VP at an environmental consulting firm)?
It’s not easy to juggle everything, but I do it because I love to write compelling stories. I also happen to have a backlog of seven very good novels since I have been at this for a few years and have had two New York literary agents. But the main reason I do it is because my father died last spring and my new motto is “I Ain’t Wasting Time No More,” in honor of the legendary Allman Brothers’ song. In keeping with Greg Allman’s resolute mantra, I’m not going to wait around for the supposed industry gatekeepers to get their act together and realize that I have something important to say.
2. How was writing The Coalition different from writing your previous two novels?
The Coalition is a political assassination thriller that is heavy on FBI and Secret Service procedural elements so I had to interview these two agencies and review a large volume of information about them. I also had to learn a great deal about modern politics, long-range snipers, international assassins, and criminal behavioral psychology since these are critical themes in the book. These things all made The Coalition quite different from my two previous suspense novels.
3. Why do you find writing for the thriller-suspense genre so appealing?
I enjoy the whole concept of getting people to turn the pages frantically and not put a book down when they know they should go to bed. For example, here are two quotes from recent reviewers that symbolize why I love to write.
“The Slush Pile Brigade is a hilarious and exciting read filled with one crazy turn after another. The author slams on the accelerator early in the story and doesn’t let up, forcing the reader to flip the pages frantically. It’s hard not to think, ‘What’s he going to come up with next?’ And once it’s over, it’s still hard to catch one’s breath.” —Self-Publishing Review – 4.5-Star Review
“Blind Thrust kept me up until 1 a.m. two nights in a row. I could not put it down. An intriguing mystery that intertwined geology, fracking, and places in Colorado that I know well. Great fun.” —Roy R. Romer, 39th Governor of Colorado
4. You mentioned that you are especially interested in military history and intelligence, specifically related to the Golden Age of Piracy, Plains Indian Wars, World War II, and the War on Terror. What is it about those subjects that fascinate you, and does that fascination influence your work?
The short answer is that I’ve always loved history, especially the underdogs and iconoclasts of American history. Because of my passionate interest in the specific historical subjects listed above, I am always working them into my books. In Blind Thrust, my hero, Joe Higheagle, and his resourceful, curmudgeonly grandfather, John Higheagle, are both Northern Cheyenne Indians because I am a Plains Indian War aficionado. This stems largely from my legendary writer-ancestors who have served as two of my influences: Dr. Thomas B. Marquis, who chronicled the Cheyenne Indians, Custer, and the Battle of the Little Big Horn; and Marquis James, a two-time Pulitzer-prize-winning Western author. As a further example, my protagonist in The Coalition is FBI agent Ken Patton, a history buff, lead miniature collector and painter, and the great-grandson of legendary, controversial, cigarchomping World War II tank commander General George S. Patton.
5. Did The Coalition require any special research?
I conducted extensive law enforcement and sniper research to complete the novel. I received extensive assistance from the FBI Denver Field Office and the U.S. Secret Service in Washington, D.C. The staff at both of these agencies patiently answered my questions on agency protocols, firearms, DNA testing, ballistics, fingerprinting, long-distance shooting, and interagency task force procedures as well as described in detail what work day life is like for both senior-level staff and field agents. I spent an entire day at the FBI field office in Denver and the staff was incredibly helpful. The Coalition greatly benefitted from the expert advice given by the numerous professionals at both of these agencies as well as the information available on their websites.
6. Who are your greatest literary influences?
In terms of literature and literary fiction, I am a great admirer of Hawthorne, Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Steinbeck, A.B. Guthrie, Jr., Michael Shaara, Larry McMurtry, E.L. Doctorow, and Charles Frazier. For non-fiction my roster of greats includes Robert Utley, Stephen Ambrose, Kevin Duffus, Shelby Foote, Ben Macintyre, S.C. Gwynne, and Hampton Sides. My favorite commercial fiction writers are Frederick Forsyth, Gore Vidal, James Clavell, Dennis Lehane, Daniel Silva, Preston and Child, Ken Follett, Stephen Hunter, Richard North Patterson, Kyle Mills, Michael Crichton, and early Grisham. I tend to gravitate towards authors who tell stories in the same way I do and to subject matter dealing with my areas of research interest in pirates, the Plains Indian Wars, World War II, the War on Terror, and modern science with a geological, biological, or paleontological component
7. What is the number one thing you want readers to take away from your novel?
I want people to root for the underdog. All of my books feature underdogs, iconoclasts, and
sympathetic villains that are torn up inside on account of the havoc-causing decisions they
are forced to make.
