Michael Marshall...is one of those writers who can propel readers along with a rocketing, inventive plot, then stop them cold with a brilliant descriptive line that demands repeated reading....A compelling plot, characters who are completely believable and unforgettable, and sharp, smart insights into the nature of modern life.” — New Orleans Times-Picayune
“A spooky, mysterious, suspenseful thriller, the kind that keeps you on the edge throughout.” — Acadiana LifeStyle magazine (New Iberia, LA) on BAD THINGS
“Marshall builds up suspense slowly . . . Black Ridge – like the Maine towns populated by Stephen King’s characters – is not a place you want to visit.” — Booklist on BAD THINGS
“This spooky tale shows Marshall...has a knack not only for the frisson of dread but also the telling psychological insight.” — Publishers Weekly on BAD THINGS
“This is a psychological thriller guaranteed to keep you up at nights.” — Arcadian Lifestyle
“A jaw-dropping mystery that makes a hairpin turn on nearly every page.” — Entertainment Weekly, EW “pick”) on THE INTRUDERS
“A genuinely scary thriller with satisfyingly malevolent villains.” — The Sun Herald (Australia)
“[T]his book knows how to tighten your innards. Marshall anchors your sympathy with his characters, and then unravels them in subtle ways with every turn of the screw. ” — www.blogcritics.com
“[Marshall’s] plots lead straight into the dark woods and have a spooky and paranoid edge....The Intruders...never relents in its own, cold conviction that there is someone dangerous out there.” — Hobart Mercury (Australia)
“A well-told thriller... [that] has several unexpected curves along the way.” — Crimespree Magazine on THE INTRUDERS
“A well-constructed, terrifying story...The Intruders is so good, readers will be compelled to check out [Marshall’s] 2002 novel, The Straw Men, which Stephen King called ‘a masterpiece.’” — USA Today
“A nerve-wracking story full of bizarre twists....Mr. Marshall recalls Stephen King’s ability to set a story in the world of the commonplace, then suddenly jolt it into a more hellish realm. He also has some of Mr. King’s ability to rivet attention with eerie surprises.” — Janet Maslin, New York Times
“Fluid blend of crime and horror. . . . Pervasive creepiness.” — New York Daily News on THE INTRUDERS
“Fast-moving, sinister and highly accomplished…This is ferocious story-telling of the highest order, with corkscrew twists and turns that make it deliciously scary as the secrets unfold.” — Daily Mail (London) on BAD THINGS
“Fans of King, Koontz, and John Connelly’s supernatural-tinged crime novels should find much to enjoy here....[ Marshall ] infuses his mystery with elements of the fantastic that simmer, chill, and ultimately haunt the memory....Surprises to keep the pages turning right up until the last silky black paragraphs.” — Mystery Scene on THE INTRUDERS
“Devilishly clever. . . . For fans of Stephen King as well as those of, say, Robert Cras, The Intruders is a tautly crafted page-turner of the first order.” — BookPage
“Better keep your night-light on.” — Post-Tribune (Gary, Indiana) on THE INTRUDERS
“Marshall is a powerful writer who sprinkles bizarre twists....It’s easy to become attached to Marshall’s fully drawn characters.” — Olympian (Olympia, WA)
“Marshall is a master of the unpredictable; nothing is as it seems, and no event can be anticipated….This guy is a marvel.” — Bookreporter.com (generic quote)
“Marshall does an extraordinary job. . . . The Intruders captures a sense of the menacing inevitable” — Time Out London
“Keeps the reader off-kilter....Will have readers looking over their shoulders, feeling a bit paranoid themselves, as Marshall drives it home with a brilliant ending.” — South Florida Sun-Sentinel on THE INTRUDERS
“Fluid blend of crime and horror....Pervasive creepiness.” — New York Daily News
“Readers will find it very hard to put down this well-written and somewhat spooky novel.” — Library Journal
“Potent, character-driven thriller about personality manipulation and brainwashing. . . . Subtle, satisfying—and really scary.” — Kirkus Reviews on The Intruders
“Potent blend of suspense, paranoia and just plain creepiness. . . . A provocative and supremely intelligent thriller.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Michael Marshall is the new Stephen King, to the nth degree. He successfully complements Carol O’Connell’s tormented characters for roller-coaster-like psychological twists and thrills....BAD THINGS deserves six stars.” — www.BookReporter.com on BAD THINGS
“The pacing is excellent, the plotting brisk. . . . Scary brilliance.” — Baltimore Sun on THE INTRUDERS
“The ending of this thriller is complex and creepy, but the fun is in getting there....This guy is good. Marshall knows how to create real suspense, how to dole it out slowly and catch you off guard....A story that will not let you go.” — Arizona Republic on THE INTRUDERS
“taut action and appealing characters” — San Francisco Chronicle
“Seduce(s) the reader with its chilling momentum.” — Business Day (South Africa)
“Remarkable.” — Locus on THE INTRUDERS
“Well-crafted and intriguing. . . . The Intruders twists and turns its way through a wonderfully weird and frightening tale. The fights are bloody, the chills are sub-zero, and the finale is jaw-dropping. How can you go wrong?” — Ian Kern, Mysterious Bookshop, NYC
“Welcome to the truly twisted world of Michael Marshall. He plays with your head and appeals to your own deep and dark imagination.” — The Mirror on THE INTRUDERS
“The suspense kills....Marshall knows how to pull you into his net, hold you encased, and then throw a one-two punch when you’re looking the other way. The Intruders is fast, original, and thoroughly engrossing.” — Madison County Herald (Mississippi)
“The pacing is excellent, the plotting brisk.....Scary brilliance.” — Baltimore Sun
Keeps readers guessing with twisting plot...adrenaline-paced...addictive.” — Cleveland Plain Dealer
Keeps readers guessing with twisting plot . . . adrenaline-paced...addictive.” — Cleveland Plain Dealer on THE INTRUDERS
”Will have readers looking over their shoulders...as Marshall drives it home with a brilliant ending....The Intruders’ originality and suspense keeps the story fresh.” — Times Union (Albany, NY)
“What I love about Marshall’s work is his off-kilter view of like and death, which in The Intruders is at its most menacing.. . . . I just loved this book.” — Deadly Pleasures magazine
“A masterpiece . . . brilliantly written and scary as hell.” — Stephen King on STRAW MEN
“Marshall...offers a subtle and unnerving story of the little things that can tip the balance of one’s life and send it spiraling into choas...[he] skillfully spins interlocking plot lines as the agents out to ruin Moore and Hunter begin to collide in nightmarish fashion.” — Publishers Weekly on KILLER MOVE
“Marshal rachets up the stakes of his deftly written suspense novel by injecting telling, if somewhat paranoid, commentary on how regular people can be manipulated by those with the means and ways.” — Booklist on KILLER MOVE
“A mind-blowing combination of crime and horror, made all the more terrifying because the character doesn’t know why it’s all happening. Compelling and unnerving.” — Romantic Times BOOKclub
“It’s juicy reading, and the gasp-inducing ending will leave you wishing for more.” — Cascadia Weekly
“Marshall creates a noir feel to the narrative as he amps up the paranoia factor…a compelling read.” — Lisa Ko, author of The Leavers
“Michael Marshall’s new novel, Killer Move is a lip biting and suspenseful thriller to the end.” — Wired on KILLER MOVE
“Marshall’s thriller is the perfect summer read:a high concept page turner that is always rooted in character and the everyday… Killer Move is a forceful, well-crafted nightmare for the modern age. ” — Mystery Scene on KILLER MOVE
“Playing with expectations has always been Marshall’s forte. Here he takes a standard revenge thriller and whip-cracks it into something more satirical...this expertly constructed thriller exploits modern anxieties.” — Financial Times on KILLER MOVE
“Michael Marshall is a true master of the genre, and he will leave readers spellbound—and justifiably paranoid…” — Hartford Books Examiner on KILLER MOVE
“A psychological thriller that will mess with your mind and leave you more than a little perturbed.” — Oklahoma City Oklahoman on KILLER MOVE
“Stylish prose, credible characters, and clever plot...KILLER MOVE is a chilling read.” — The Advocate on KILLER MOVE
“This stand-alone thriller is as breathtaking as they get, and as the end approaches the reader is delighted to find that there’s probably more to come from Michael Marshal about the “modifiers” and their victims.” — SanFranciscoBookreview.com on KILLER MOVE
[T]his book knows how to tighten your innards. Marshall anchors your sympathy with his characters, and then unravels them in subtle ways with every turn of the screw.
Marshall builds up suspense slowly . . . Black Ridge – like the Maine towns populated by Stephen King’s characters – is not a place you want to visit.
A jaw-dropping mystery that makes a hairpin turn on nearly every page.
[Marshall’s] plots lead straight into the dark woods and have a spooky and paranoid edge....The Intruders...never relents in its own, cold conviction that there is someone dangerous out there.
Hobart Mercury (Australia)
A well-told thriller... [that] has several unexpected curves along the way.
Crimespree Magazine on THE INTRUDERS
Michael Marshall...is one of those writers who can propel readers along with a rocketing, inventive plot, then stop them cold with a brilliant descriptive line that demands repeated reading....A compelling plot, characters who are completely believable and unforgettable, and sharp, smart insights into the nature of modern life.
New Orleans Times-Picayune
A genuinely scary thriller with satisfyingly malevolent villains.
The Sun Herald (Australia)
A spooky, mysterious, suspenseful thriller, the kind that keeps you on the edge throughout.
Acadiana LifeStyle magazine (New Iberia
This is a psychological thriller guaranteed to keep you up at nights.
A masterpiece . . . brilliantly written and scary as hell.
Stephen King on STRAW MEN
A mind-blowing combination of crime and horror, made all the more terrifying because the character doesn’t know why it’s all happening. Compelling and unnerving.
The pacing is excellent, the plotting brisk. . . . Scary brilliance.
Baltimore Sun on THE INTRUDERS
Marshal rachets up the stakes of his deftly written suspense novel by injecting telling, if somewhat paranoid, commentary on how regular people can be manipulated by those with the means and ways.
Fans of King, Koontz, and John Connelly’s supernatural-tinged crime novels should find much to enjoy here....[ Marshall ] infuses his mystery with elements of the fantastic that simmer, chill, and ultimately haunt the memory....Surprises to keep the pages turning right up until the last silky black paragraphs.
Mystery Scene on THE INTRUDERS
Devilishly clever. . . . For fans of Stephen King as well as those of, say, Robert Cras, The Intruders is a tautly crafted page-turner of the first order.
Marshall is a powerful writer who sprinkles bizarre twists....It’s easy to become attached to Marshall’s fully drawn characters.
Fast-moving, sinister and highly accomplished…This is ferocious story-telling of the highest order, with corkscrew twists and turns that make it deliciously scary as the secrets unfold.
Daily Mail (London) on BAD THINGS
Playing with expectations has always been Marshall’s forte. Here he takes a standard revenge thriller and whip-cracks it into something more satirical...this expertly constructed thriller exploits modern anxieties.
Financial Times on KILLER MOVE
Seduce(s) the reader with its chilling momentum.
Business Day (South Africa)
Michael Marshall is a true master of the genre, and he will leave readers spellbound—and justifiably paranoid…
Hartford Books Examiner on KILLER MOVE
Fluid blend of crime and horror. . . . Pervasive creepiness.
New York Daily News on THE INTRUDERS
Marshall does an extraordinary job. . . . The Intruders captures a sense of the menacing inevitable
Marshall’s thriller is the perfect summer read:a high concept page turner that is always rooted in character and the everyday… Killer Move is a forceful, well-crafted nightmare for the modern age.
Mystery Scene on KILLER MOVE
taut action and appealing characters
It’s juicy reading, and the gasp-inducing ending will leave you wishing for more.
This stand-alone thriller is as breathtaking as they get, and as the end approaches the reader is delighted to find that there’s probably more to come from Michael Marshal about the “modifiers” and their victims.
SanFranciscoBookreview.com on KILLER MOVE
Michael Marshall is the new Stephen King, to the nth degree. He successfully complements Carol O’Connell’s tormented characters for roller-coaster-like psychological twists and thrills....BAD THINGS deserves six stars.
www.BookReporter.com on BAD THINGS
A psychological thriller that will mess with your mind and leave you more than a little perturbed.
Oklahoma City Oklahoman on KILLER MOVE
Keeps readers guessing with twisting plot . . . adrenaline-paced...addictive.
Cleveland Plain Dealer on THE INTRUDERS
Michael Marshall’s new novel, Killer Move is a lip biting and suspenseful thriller to the end.
The suspense kills....Marshall knows how to pull you into his net, hold you encased, and then throw a one-two punch when you’re looking the other way. The Intruders is fast, original, and thoroughly engrossing.
Madison County Herald (Mississippi)
Fluid blend of crime and horror....Pervasive creepiness.
Keeps readers guessing with twisting plot...adrenaline-paced...addictive.
The pacing is excellent, the plotting brisk.....Scary brilliance.
A well-constructed, terrifying story...The Intruders is so good, readers will be compelled to check out [Marshall’s] 2002 novel, The Straw Men, which Stephen King called ‘a masterpiece.’
”Will have readers looking over their shoulders...as Marshall drives it home with a brilliant ending....The Intruders’ originality and suspense keeps the story fresh.
Well-crafted and intriguing. . . . The Intruders twists and turns its way through a wonderfully weird and frightening tale. The fights are bloody, the chills are sub-zero, and the finale is jaw-dropping. How can you go wrong?
Welcome to the truly twisted world of Michael Marshall. He plays with your head and appeals to your own deep and dark imagination.
The Mirror on THE INTRUDERS
Remarkable.
A nerve-wracking story full of bizarre twists....Mr. Marshall recalls Stephen King’s ability to set a story in the world of the commonplace, then suddenly jolt it into a more hellish realm. He also has some of Mr. King’s ability to rivet attention with eerie surprises.
Marshall is a master of the unpredictable; nothing is as it seems, and no event can be anticipated….This guy is a marvel.
Bookreporter.com (generic quote)
Keeps the reader off-kilter....Will have readers looking over their shoulders, feeling a bit paranoid themselves, as Marshall drives it home with a brilliant ending.
South Florida Sun-Sentinel on THE INTRUDERS
Better keep your night-light on.
Marshall creates a noir feel to the narrative as he amps up the paranoia factor…a compelling read.
What I love about Marshall’s work is his off-kilter view of like and death, which in The Intruders is at its most menacing.. . . . I just loved this book.
Deadly Pleasures magazine
Stylish prose, credible characters, and clever plot...KILLER MOVE is a chilling read.
The Advocate on KILLER MOVE
The ending of this thriller is complex and creepy, but the fun is in getting there....This guy is good. Marshall knows how to create real suspense, how to dole it out slowly and catch you off guard....A story that will not let you go.
Arizona Republic on THE INTRUDERS
A well-constructed, terrifying story...The Intruders is so good, readers will be compelled to check out [Marshall’s] 2002 novel, The Straw Men, which Stephen King called ‘a masterpiece.’
taut action and appealing characters
Marshall creates a noir feel to the narrative as he amps up the paranoia factor…a compelling read.
Fluid blend of crime and horror....Pervasive creepiness.
"A mind-blowing combination of crime and horror, made all the more terrifying because the character doesn’t know why it’s all happening. Compelling and unnerving."
"What I love about Marshall’s work is his off-kilter view of like and death, which in The Intruders is at its most menacing.. . . . I just loved this book."
Deadly Pleasures Magazine
"Will have readers looking over their shoulders...as Marshall drives it home with a brilliant ending....The Intruders’ originality and suspense keeps the story fresh."
Time Magazines Union (Albany)
"Marshall is a master of the unpredictable; nothing is as it seems, and no event can be anticipated….This guy is a marvel."
(generic quote) - Bookreporter.com
"Marshall is a powerful writer who sprinkles bizarre twists....It’s easy to become attached to Marshall’s fully drawn characters."
"Better keep your night-light on."
"A spooky, mysterious, suspenseful thriller, the kind that keeps you on the edge throughout."
(New Iberia) - Acadiana LifeStyle Magazine
"Will have readers looking over their shoulders...as Marshall drives it home with a brilliant ending....The Intruders’ originality and suspense keeps the story fresh."
Time Magazines Union (Albany))
"Marshall is a powerful writer who sprinkles bizarre twists....It’s easy to become attached to Marshall’s fully drawn characters."
Better keep your night-light on.
A spooky, mysterious, suspenseful thriller, the kind that keeps you on the edge throughout.
Acadiana LifeStyle magazine (New Iberia)
Michael Marshall is the new Stephen King, to the nth degree. He successfully complements Carol O’Connell’s tormented characters for roller-coaster-like psychological twists and thrills....BAD THINGS deserves six stars.
BookReporter.com on BAD THINGS
Marshall, author of the Straw Men trilogy (The Straw Men, The Upright Man, and Blood of Angels), offers a subtle and unnerving story of the little things that can tip the balance of one's life and send it spiraling into chaos. Everything is going well for Bill Moore, a successful, ambitious, happily married realtor in Sarasota, Fla., until the day he finds a card on his desk with a single word on the front: modified printed in white letters and bold type against a black background. In a sort of malicious, Kafkaesque "butterfly effect," a reservation Moore didn't make, a book he didn't order, and an e-mail he didn't send lead to increasing trouble. Meanwhile, a convicted murderer released on parole, John Hunter, sets out on a course of deadly vengeance. Marshall skillfully spins interlocking plot lines as the agents out to ruin Moore and Hunter begin to collide in nightmarish fashion. (May)
A jaw-dropping mystery that makes a hairpin turn on nearly every page.
Entertainment Weekly (Grade A
[T]his book knows how to tighten your innards. Marshall anchors your sympathy with his characters, and then unravels them in subtle ways with every turn of the screw.
Marshal rachets up the stakes of his deftly written suspense novel by injecting telling, if somewhat paranoid, commentary on how regular people can be manipulated by those with the means and ways.
A well-told thriller... [that] has several unexpected curves along the way.
Keeps the reader off-kilter....Will have readers looking over their shoulders, feeling a bit paranoid themselves, as Marshall drives it home with a brilliant ending.
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
The ending of this thriller is complex and creepy, but the fun is in getting there....This guy is good. Marshall knows how to create real suspense, how to dole it out slowly and catch you off guard....A story that will not let you go.
Fast-moving, sinister and highly accomplished…This is ferocious story-telling of the highest order, with corkscrew twists and turns that make it deliciously scary as the secrets unfold.
Fans of King, Koontz, and John Connelly’s supernatural-tinged crime novels should find much to enjoy here....[ Marshall ] infuses his mystery with elements of the fantastic that simmer, chill, and ultimately haunt the memory....Surprises to keep the pages turning right up until the last silky black paragraphs.
Michael Marshall is a true master of the genre, and he will leave readers spellbound—and justifiably paranoid…
Stylish prose, credible characters, and clever plot...KILLER MOVE is a chilling read.
Remarkable.
Michael Marshall is the new Stephen King, to the nth degree. He successfully complements Carol O’Connell’s tormented characters for roller-coaster-like psychological twists and thrills....BAD THINGS deserves six stars.
Michael Marshall’s new novel, Killer Move is a lip biting and suspenseful thriller to the end.
Welcome to the truly twisted world of Michael Marshall. He plays with your head and appeals to your own deep and dark imagination.
A psychological thriller that will mess with your mind and leave you more than a little perturbed.
Playing with expectations has always been Marshall’s forte. Here he takes a standard revenge thriller and whip-cracks it into something more satirical...this expertly constructed thriller exploits modern anxieties.
Michael Marshall is the new Stephen King, to the nth degree. He successfully complements Carol O’Connell’s tormented characters for roller-coaster-like psychological twists and thrills....BAD THINGS deserves six stars.
A Florida realtor targeted by unknown antagonists is suspected of assorted crimes while a parolee returns to his old stomping grounds to avenge the death of the woman he was convicted of murdering.
Bill Moore makes a good living selling units for a condo chain in the Keys off the coast of Sarasota, Fla., and he's happily married to a magazine editor, Stephanie. But he wants to become super-rich. While pursuing the big deal that will enable him to start his own business, he starts receiving mysterious messages and getting packages he didn't order, all tagged with the word "Modified." When his wife walks out on him after discovering convincingly faked photos of him in a tryst with a co-worker, he becomes an odd man out desperate to prove his innocence. Meanwhile, the convict, John Hunter, is carrying out a cold-blooded plan that involves abducting the man whose $8 million house Bill is hoping to make a killing on. When people around him start dying, Bill begins questioning everyone: Is it possible his wife has set him up for a fall? A solid, workmanlike writer, Marshall (The Intruders ,2007, etc.) evokes the Florida setting quite well. Atmosphere is his strong suit. But much of novel seems forced and secondhand. Moore is not particularly likable, and Hunter is one of the less memorable killers in recent crime fiction.
A mildly enjoyable thriller that sets up a sequel on which only committed fans of the author may want to take a flyer.
