Awakened

January 1, 2018

Actor/producer Murray joins with Wearmouth (Sixth Cycle) to connect New York with communities across the Hudson via a sparkling new subway. But the first train arrives in Manhattan empty and blood-soaked. With a 50,000-copy first printing.

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May 28, 2018
Aliens meets The Taking of Pelham 123 in this fast-moving science fiction thriller that mostly keeps the reader’s disbelief suspended. In the near future, N.Y.C. Mayor Tom Cafferty is about to inaugurate the Z line, a new subway route linking New Jersey and Manhattan. He hopes this multi-year effort will serve as his legacy. The luminaries on hand in the elaborate Visitors’ Pavilion, 300 feet under the Hudson River, include President Reynolds. But Cafferty’s big moment turns into a disaster when the first train scheduled to enter the pavilion—whose passengers include his wife, Ellen—pulls in empty. The shattered glass and abundant bloodstains lead the Secret Service to believe that terrorists have attacked, prompting them to take extreme measures to protect Reynolds. Before long, it becomes clear that something nonhuman is responsible for the carnage, and Cafferty must scramble to take care of the people in the pavilion while also doing whatever he can to rescue Ellen. Fans of horror that’s stronger on action than on character will find this an entertaining, if unmemorable, ride. Agent: Marc Gerald, United Talent Agency.

May 15, 2018
Everyone expects the grand opening of New York's newest subway line to be a festive occasion, but the arrival of an empty, blood-splattered train wrecks the party. Soon, the ceremony's attendees, including the mayor and his old rival, the president of the U.S., must withstand a series of threats, including a horde of ravenous subterranean monsters. Ordinarily, the arrival of a well-armed SWAT team might tip the odds, but the rising level of explosive methane in the tunnels makes gunfire and, possibly, survival, impossible. This first novel from Murray (of TV's Impractical Jokers) fits snugly into the horror genre, and fright fans will appreciate its ample bloodletting and clawful creatures. But the book should also appeal to readers of thrillers. Murray and coauthor Wearmouth (Critical Dawn, 2014) sculpt a briskly moving narrative that includes a plethora of short-burst action sequences and pacing fit for a Brad Meltzer novel. Along the way, they plant the seeds for sequels and craft a tight, pulse-pounding story that practically cries out for a film adaptation.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)