Audible Releases 'The Jake Helman Files' in audio book format

I wouldn't normally release a bit of news via this website, but I received an email about a day ago with some really exciting information.

My favorite horror/crime series of books was just released in Audio book format by Audible.com!

That's right! You can now pick up Greg Lamberson's Personal Demons and Desperate Souls, both from the Jake Helman Files series, in Audio Book format for your listening pleasure.

Here's the release I received:

AUDIBLE.COM RELEASES AUDIO BOOKS BASED ON THE FIRST TWO VOLUMES OF AUTHOR GREGORY LAMBERSON'S
'THE JAKE HELMAN FILES' HARDBOILED HORROR SERIES.

Audible.com has simultaneously released two audio books based on author Gregory Lamberson’s hardboiled horror series, The Jake Helman Files: PERSONAL DEMONS and DESPERATE SOULS. Both audio books are narrated by Christopher Hurt, who narrated audio versions of THE FOUNTAINHEAD and FHARENHEIT 451.

The Jake Helman Files tells the story of ex-cop turned occult detective Helman, who finds himself embroiled in the supernatural at every turn. In the first book, PERSONAL DEMONS, Helman tangles with a serial killer who steals the souls of his victims, a reclusive billionaire, and the Biblical Cain and Abel. In DESPERATE SOULS, his foe is a voodoo priestess who uses a drug called Black Magic to create an army of zombies in New York City. Print and e-book editions of the novels are available from Medallion Press; PERSONAL DEMONS won the IPPY Gold Medal for Horror in 2010.

“I love crime drama and noir as much as I do horror,” says Lamberson, director of the cult horror film SLIME CITY and its new sequel, SLIME CITY MASSACRE, “and I love combining these genres. Jake Helman is as informed by THE MALTESE FALCON and the TV series WISEGUY as he is by the creations of Clive Barker and Stephen King. Action is the unifying thread, but the action Jake finds himself in tends to be a lot bloodier than that faced by other hardboiled heroes. Surprise is the real key.”

Lamberson is pleased to see his character debuting in other media. “The first book, PERSONAL DEMONS, was based on an unproduced screenplay I wrote back in the late 1980s, after I made SLIME CITY. I knew the script was too ambitious to do on the budgets I make movies on, so it went into a drawer until around 2000. After 9/11, I developed it as a novel, which took a few years. When it was published by a small press in 2004, I started fantasizing about the sequels. Before I knew it, I had a fairly intricate arc mapped out for the first six books. I love the idea of the audio books because they remind me of the old radio serials, and they still leave a lot to the imagination. I’d love to see Jake fighting for his life in comics, and of course in movies.”

The author has already completed two more novels in the series for Medallion: COSMIC FORCES, which will be published this October, and TORTURED SPIRITS, due in 2012. “I told Adam Mock, the president of Medallion Media Group, that I want to do at least 10 of these Jake Helman books. In truth, I’d like to write a lot more than that, as I’m a real fan of pulp novels and continuing characters. But I plan to write at least six, which will complete the story I set out to write. Jake suffers a lot more than most other heroes who battle the supernatural. I love subjecting him to physical and emotional torture, and as long as he can take what I dish out, we’ll keep going.”

Lamberson previously wrote JOHNNY GRUESOME, winner of the IPPY Gold Medal for Horror in 2009, and the critically acclaimed werewolf novel THE FRENZY WAY. SLIME CITY MASSACRE will be released by Media Blasters sometime this year.

Now, I don't know about you, but I'm hopping on this chance. For the Lamberson fan - and completist - you're not going to want to go without it.

For more information, check out the following links:

Lamberson’s website – www.slimeguy.com

Personal Demons Audio Book
http://www.amazon.com/Personal-Demons-Jake-Helman-Files/dp/B004INSSXQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1295209094&sr=8-2-catcorr

Desperate Souls Audio Book
http://www.amazon.com/Desperate-Souls-Jake-Helman-Files/dp/B004INR2R4/ref=sr_1_cc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1295209278&sr=1-1-catcorr

Medallion Press
http://medallionpress.com/authors/lamberson.html

PBH.

Desperate Souls by Gregory Lamberson

Usually, after I finish a book, I like to let it sit and stew in my brain so I can gather my thoughts, you know, really get a grip on how I felt about it. When it comes to The Jake Helman Files I find that impossible. Read on and see why.

They’re not breathing. That’s why they’re so still. But that’s not possible . . .

Eleven months after battling Nicholas Tower and the demon Cain, Jake Helman has set up shop as a private investigator in Lower Manhattan. When a woman hires Jake to prove that her dead grandson is dealing a deadly new drug called “Black Magic” on a Brooklyn street corner, Jake uncovers a vicious drug lord’s plot to use voodoo to seize control of the city.

While panic grips New York City, Jake Helman battles gun-wielding zombie assassins, hallucinations, and betrayal at every corner. But voodoo creates more terrors than zombies, and Jake finds himself poised on the edge of insanity as he fights to restore the soul of the one person he trusts.

The first chapter of this novel alone is worth every single moment of aguish that I experienced waiting for the follow up to Lamberson's first novel in The Jake Helman Files - Personal Demons. The following 27 chapters (plus epilogue) sealed the deal, leaving me utterly satisfied and yet still jonesing for the next installment. Lamberson has really outdone himself this time around, solidifying Jake Helman as one of my all-time favorite characters in horror today.

Seriously folks, cross genre fiction doesn't get better than this.

Like the previous book, it's go - go - go from the start, blending equal parts frenetic comic book style, and seasoned police procedural thriller. Lamberson delivers the goods early on, setting up characters that play beautifully against Helman, while hurrying the story along in a quick and dirty way. The way that the author blends the back story in is also remarkable, as it doesn't detract from the current read in the least. You'll feel like you already know what went down in the first book, making this one just as good as a stand alone novel. It would be my suggestion that you read the first though, as it has some incredible scenes that you really shouldn't miss.

Now, I've mentioned before that Lamberson has a way with giving the invested reader a severe emotional beat-down of sorts. That is also very much the case with this book. In fact, there was a point where I had to put the book down for a moment - the scene was so shocking and came out of nowhere. Like I said in the Frenzy Way review, when you fall in love with a character in a Lamberson story - something bad is going to happen to them. I'm going to leave it at that. If you're someone who loves Jake Helman, you're going to be in for some serious surprises here - but man is it satisfying.

The overall feel of the book is very much the same as the first. The only difference here is that Lamberson has really tweaked his story arcs, tightened up his dialogue, and really given his all to the development of every facet of the story. I wouldn't be wrong to say that this is the best piece that Lamberson has presented to his reading audience. In fact, the only bad part of the book was the blank page following the end of the story. I walked away from this book completely satisfied and ready to take on Cosmic Forces upon it's release in October 2011 - from Medallion Press.

You can read more about The Jake Helman Files at the Medallion Press website and on Lamberson's personal website. If you're looking to contact Lamberson, check him out on Facebook, Twitter, and on LiveJournal.

Lamberson and Medallion Press are hosting an interactive signing on Saturday, September 11th. The cost is $18 (the purchase of the book) and will include a chatroom and live webcam feed. He will personalize the book, and Medallion will ship it to you on Monday. Readers who take part will receive their copies of Desperate Souls 2 weeks in advance of the public. Register for the signing here.

Also, it should be noted that Audible.com has purchased the rights to both Personal Demons and Desperate Souls for audio books. As a fan of that medium, I really couldn't be more excited.

PBH.

The Frenzy Way by Gregory Lamberson

Greg Lamberson is back again with The Frenzy Way, another brutal thrill ride into the supernatural. This time, Lamberson is flipping the script on werewolves and upping the ante while he's at it. You won't walk away from this one unscathed.

They live among us in the shadows: a species unknown to man except in legend. Highly intelligent, with the ability to adapt their flesh to new forms, they are capable of great destruction and ruthless behavior but desire only to live in peace. In New York City, a rogue member of their underground society threatens to reveal their existence to mankind, which will provoke a terrifying war unlike any seen before. Anthony Mace, the heroic captain of an NYPD homicide unit, is a media darling because of his successful record in apprehending serial killers. But Mace faces the case of his career—a case no one else wants to touch—when a series of vicious and bloody murders sends the city reeling in panic. His only clue is a historic artifact discovered at one of the crime scenes: the hilt of a sword with a broken silver blade, bearing the likeness of a pious Inquisitor . . . and an angry wolf. Each horrifying murder leads Mace closer to an impossible truth that his superiors refuse to consider. In the midst of a national media firestorm, Mace must risk his career—and his very life—to stop this supernatural horror.

As with Personal Demons, Lamberson yet again proves his ability to enthrall the reader with his imagination and words. The story is incredibly complex, but goes down easy when coupled with Lambeson's trademark style. His storytelling ability is such that he can weave the most compelling characters that you actually care about. He then turns up the heat, eschewing every single expectation you can possibly have as to how things are going to end up.

That being said, one of the things that I love about Lamberson's writing is the fact that you never really know what's going to happen to any given character. You can bet that if you fall in love with someone in a Lamberson novel - something bad is probably going to happen to them. Lamberson makes it very apparent that he's in charge of the story, and that it doesn't merely evolve into something formulaic. Instead, the writer turns every convention on it's head and gives you something breathtakingly fresh and new.

It's also very apparent that this is a man who writes for the screen. Every single move in this book is filled with so much description, and the action is incredibly cinematic. You can't help but really see everything in your mind - very, very clearly. Hell, I wish someone would option this for a film. With Lamberson's powerful talent, I'm sure this would make for a wild cinematic experience.

Lamberson is ushering a whole new breed of werewolf tales, and I'm stoked to be here while it happens. And you should be too. check the Giveaways page in the next couple days, for info on how you can get your hands on a free copy of The Frenzy Way.

Also, keep your eyes open for Lamberson's follow up - The Frenzy War - coming from Medallion Press in 2012.

Get in contact with Greg at his website, on facebook, and on Twitter, MySpace, and LiveJournal.

PBH.