We’re in the thick of another hot Texas summer, which also means we’re in the middle of some great summer reads. To accompany you on your trip to the lake, Barton Springs, or perhaps a nice air conditioned spot right on your own couch, we, along with the Austin American-Statesman, are happy to recommend the new thriller from Austin’s own bestselling author Jeff Abbott, Downfall. Pick up the Statesman on Sunday, July 14 to read their review. Join us here at BookPeople when we welcome Abbott to speak about and sign Downfall on Tuesday, July 16 at 7pm, which is the same day the book hits (but you can pre-order now).
We’re big fans of Jeff Abbott’s Sam Capra series, which includes Adrenaline, The Last Minute, and now Downfall. As he mentioned in a Q&A with MysteryPeople last year, “…the classic story of Faust — of that deal with a devil where you sacrifice all your integrity for success — was a key inspiration” for Downfall. He also talked to us about what makes Sam Capra an interesting character to write about:
MYSTERYPEOPLE: What makes Sam Capra the kind of character you want to write several books about?
JEFF ABBOTT: Sam isn’t the typical hero we see in suspense novels: he’s only in his mid-twenties, he’s only been a CIA field agent for three years, but he’s already lost the career and the life he thought he was building for himself and his family. He’s still in the process of becoming the man he’s destined to be, and that fascinates me. As well, he has a foot in two worlds: the world of trying to live a normal life and and be an owner of bars around the globe, and this world of danger and intrigue he cannot stay away from. So I always feel I have something new to explore with Sam.
His events here are always a good time. Jeff’s a natural entertainer. Check him out chit chatting with Harlan Coben a couple of years back:
If it’s a Statesman Selects pick, you know it’s bound to be a good read! Pick up the paper on July 14 and meet Abbott right here July 16.
BookPeople 
These Sam Capra books by Jeff Abbott (Adrenaline, The Last Minute) are responsible for significant loss of sleep over the past couple of years. I’m looking forward to another long late night of breathless page turning, dammit.