In the Press
The Prettiest One by James Hankins
Contemporary Thrillers, Latest Books
By Terry DiDomenico
When Caitlin Summers becomes aware of her surroundings, she finds she has blood on her clothes and is carrying a duffle bag that contains six prosthetic hands and a gun, and the beat-up sedan in the deserted parking lot apparently goes with the key she found in her pocket. She realizes she not only has no idea where she is, she has no memory of anything that transpired over the past seven months. What the hell has happened to her?
The last thing she remembers is leaving her safe suburban home and husband one night seven months ago.
Determined to learn the truth, Caitlin begins a journey that is rife with pitfalls and problems and with each hard-won bit of knowledge come even more questions. Read More
A thrill along the way: Interview with Novelist James Hankins
By Paul Mills
Marblehead Reporter sat down and had an interesting conversation with novelist James Hankins, whose crime suspense thriller, "Shady Cross" was recently reviewed in these pages.
Mr. Hankins spoke by telephone from his home in Swampscott, just across the border from Marblehead, down Atlantic Avenue, and not far from Phillips Beach. The interview had to wait an hour from 3 to 4 p.m. while Mr. Hankins collected his children from school. Read More
Swampscott author's thriller becomes bestseller on Amazon
By Katrina Powell
Charlie Beckham, a rising star among federal prosecutors, seemed to have the world at his feet. But one day, a deranged homeless man calls Charlie by a nickname known only by Charlie's brother - who disappeared without a trace 13 years ago - and Charlie's life is turned upside down.
He embarks on a search for answers, but after encountering some of Boston's darkest places and getting involved with the city's most dangerous people, Charlie realizes he might not like what he has to find. Read more
Alumni Profile: James Hankins (TSOA ’87)
James Hankins’ career path has involved quite a few swerves. After growing up in New Jersey, and earning his BFA in filmmaking from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Hankins moved to Los Angeles with plans “to make it huge (not just big, but huge)” as a screenwriter and director.
When his Hollywood plans didn’t pan out as hoped, he attended law school, then worked at the Connecticut Supreme Court and later, a large, independent law firm in Boston. However, his new career left little time to indulge his life-long love of writing. When his twins were born in 2003, Hankins jumped at the opportunity to stay at home and devote more time to his craft. Ten years and three books later, Hankins is relishing his career as a full-time writer and will share his expertise on the paranormal at NYU Alumni Day on October 19. Read More
As someone who grew up in New Jersey and wanted to be a filmmaker, NYU was by far the best place for me. The film program at Tisch School of the Arts could very well be the best such program on the planet.
- James Hankins
(TSOA '87)
James Hankins: Swampscott Author With Three Amazon Bestsellers
The fiction writer answers questions about his books and writing and Swampscott.
Meet local author James Hankins. James writes fiction — thrillers — and has three Amazon bestsellers. They are Brothers and Bones, Drawn and Jack of Spades.
Brothers and Bones has gotten him the most notice including a starred review from Kirkus Reviews. In addition, some 25,000 people have bought copies of the book. Here is our Q&A interview: Read more.
In the Studio: The Canon of James Hankins
By Gabrielle In Featured, In the Studio
It may only be a canon of three, but to say that these books by James Hankins have made an impression is perhaps the understatement of our recording quarter. BOOM. (That was the cannon. Sorry.) Watch video.
Between DRAWN, an eerie paranormal tale in which a seemingly disconnected group of characters are mysteriously drawn toward each other; BROTHERS AND BONES, a tense and mysterious story set in the dark streets of Boston; and JACK OF SPADES, a gritty, noir-ish crime thriller in which a detective must catch a terrifying killer, well, let’s just say that things were getting a little creepy around the studio over the past few months. In a good way, of course. Hankins himself says that he wants to write books that “make you want to read one more page before turning out the light,” and trust us when we say that he has absolutely succeeded at that.
But even though these novels were written by the same author, each requires a different approach in terms of recording. For BROTHERS AND BONES, we cast Tony Award-winning John Rubinstein as narrator for his ability to simply make words sing. In addition, John’s been narrating Jonathan Kellerman’s Alex Delaware series since its inception, so we knew he was more than capable of creating a little suspense.
For JACK OF SPADES, we cast the incredible Arthur Morey for that natural and passionate grit we know only his voice can bring. Get a sneak peek of Arthur hard at work in the video below. We chose the lovely and talented Claire Bloom to direct these two vocal superstars. Watch Video
