Truth Be Told - Tor/Forge Blog

Truth Be Told eBook is Now on Sale for $2.99

August 31, 2016May 13, 2024torforge

Say No More, the next book in Hank Phillippi Ryan’s Jane Ryland series, is due out November 1st. This month, we’re making it easy to get started with the series by releasing the first ebook, Truth Be Told, for only $2.99!*

About Truth Be Told: Truth Be Told, part of the bestselling Jane Ryland and Jake Brogan series by Agatha, Anthony, Mary Higgins Clark, and Macavity Award-winning author Hank Phillippi Ryan, begins with tragedy: a middle-class family evicted from their suburban home. In digging up the facts on this heartbreaking story–and on other foreclosures– reporter Ryland soon learns the truth behind a big-bucks scheme and the surprising players who will stop at nothing, including murder, to keep their goal a secret. Turns out, there’s more than one way to rob a bank.

Boston police detective Jake Brogan has a liar on his hands. A man has just confessed to the famous twenty-year-old Lilac Sunday killing, and while Jake’s colleagues take him at his word, Jake is not so sure. But he has personal reasons for hoping they’ve finally solved the cold case.

Financial manipulation, the terror of foreclosures, the power of numbers, the primal need for home and family and love. What happens when what you believe is true turns out to be a lie?

Buy Truth Be Told here:

Sale ends September 30th

Excerpts

Paperback Spotlight: Truth Be Told by Hank Phillippi Ryan

August 24, 2015May 10, 2024torforge

Once a month, we’re spotlighting a Tor book that’s about to become available in paperback. Today, we’re featuring Truth Be Told, by Hank Phillippi Ryan, publishing September 1.

Truth Be Told begins with tragedy: a middle-class family evicted from their suburban home. In digging up the facts on this heartbreaking story-and on other foreclosures- reporter Ryland soon learns the truth behind a big-bucks scheme and the surprising players who will stop at nothing, including murder, to keep their goal a secret. Turns out, there’s more than one way to rob a bank. We hope you enjoy this excerpt.

Chapter 1

“I know it’s legal. But it’s terrible.” Jane Ryland winced as the Sandovals’ wooden bed frame hit the tall grass in the overgrown front yard and shattered into three jagged pieces. “The cops throwing someone’s stuff out the window. Might as well be Dickens, you know? Eviction? There’s got to be a better way.”

Terrible facts. Great pictures. A perfect newspaper story. She turned to TJ. “You getting this?”

TJ didn’t take his eye from the viewfinder. “Rolling and recording,” he said.

A blue-shirted Suffolk County sheriff’s deputy—sleeves rolled up, buzz cut—appeared at the open window, took a swig from a plastic bottle. He shaded his eyes with one hand.

“First floor, all clear,” he called. Two uniforms comparing paperwork on the gravel driveway gave him a thumbs-up. The Boston cops were detailed in, they’d explained to Jane, in case there were protesters. But no pickets or housing activists had appeared. Not even a curious neighbor. The deputy twisted the cap on the bottle, tossed away the empty with a flip of his gloved hand. The clear plastic bounced on top of a brittle hedge, then disappeared into the browning grass.

(more…)

What's New

Truth Be Told Wins Agatha Award

May 5, 2015May 10, 2024torforge

At Malice Domestic this weekend, Hank Phillippi Ryan won the Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel for Truth Be Told!

This is the second year in a row Ryan has won Best Contemporary Novel. She also won for another Agatha for a non-fiction anthology she edited for Sisters in Crime. It was also announced that she will be Toastmaster at next year’s conference.

Here she is celebrating with her proud editor Kristin Sevick:

Congratulations, Hank!

Events / What's New

On the Road: Tor/Forge Author Events in March

March 1, 2015May 10, 2024torforge

Tor/Forge authors are on the road in March! Once a month, we’re collecting info about all of our upcoming author events. Check and see who’ll be coming to a city near you:

Ellen Datlow, The Doll Collection

Tuesday, March 10
Morbid Anatomy Museum
Books provided by WORD Bookstore.
Brooklyn, NY
7:00 PM

Monday, March 16
Jean Cocteau Cinema
Santa Fe, NM
6:30 PM

Saturday, March 21
Functionally Literate
Lowndes Shakespeare Center
Also with Pat Rushin and Teege Braune.
Orlando, FL
7:00 PM

James Grady, Last Days of the Condor

Wednesday, March 11
Barnes & Noble at The Catholic University of America
Washington, DC
6:00 PM

Randy Henderson, Finn Fancy Necromancy

Tuesday, March 3
Third Place Books
Lake Forest Park, WA
7:00 PM

Thursday, March 5
Village Books
Bellingham, WA
7:00 PM

Leanna Renee Hieber, The Eterna Files

Tuesday, March 3
Barnes & Noble
West Chester, OH
7:00 PM

Mary Pat Kelly, Of Irish Blood

Friday, March 6
Hackney’s On Lake
Songs and Stories with Catherine O’Connell
Glenview, IL
12:00 PM

Orland Park Public Library
Irish Tales and Tunes with Catherine O’Connell
Orland Park, IL
7:00 PM

Saturday, March 7
Irish American Heritage Center
Songs and Stories with Catherine O’Connell
Chicago, IL
1:00 PM

Monday, March 9
Evergreen Park Public Library
Evergreen Park, IL
6:30 PM

Wednesday, March 11
Anderson’s Bookshop
Naperville, IL
7:00 PM

Hank Phillippi Ryan, Truth Be Told

Thursday, March 26
West Boynton Branch Library
Boynton Beach, FL
2:00 PM

Kristen Simmons, The Glass Arrow

Saturday, March 7
NoVa Teen Book Festival
Washington-Lee High School
Books provided by One More Page Books.
Arlington, VA
2:00 PM

Wednesday, March 18
Inkwood Books
Tampa, FL
7:00 PM

Thursday, March 26
Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Crestview Hills, KY
7:00 PM

Jo Walton, The Just City

Monday, March 16
57th Street Books
Chicago, IL
6:30 PM

Events / What's New

On the Road: Tor/Forge Author Events in February

February 5, 2015May 10, 2024torforge

Tor/Forge authors are on the road in February! Once a month, we’re collecting info about all of our upcoming author events. Check and see who’ll be coming to a city near you:

Elizabeth Bear, Karen Memory

Thursday, February 12
Pandemonium Books and Games
Also with Scott Lynch
Cambridge, MA
7:00 PM

James Grady, Last Days of the Condor

Wednesday, February 18
Politics and Prose
Washington, D.C.
7:00 PM

Thursday, February 19
Mysterious Bookshop
New York, NY
6:30 PM

Randy Henderson, Finn Fancy Necromancy

Tuesday, February 10
University Bookstore
Seattle, WA
7:00 PM

Wednesday, February 11
Liberty Bay Books
Poulsbo, WA
6:30 PM

Thursday, February 12
Eagle Harbor Book Co.
Bainbridge Island, WA
7:30 PM

Tuesday, February 17
The Wilde Rover
Also with Mark Teppo and Scott James Magner. Books provided by University Bookstore.
Kirkland, WA
7:00 PM

Wednesday, February 18
McMenamins Kennedy School
Also with Mark Teppo and Scott James Magner.
Portland, OR
7:00 PM

Thursday, February 19
Powell’s Books
Beaverton, OR
7:00 PM

Saturday, February 21
Avid Reader
Sacramento, CA
7:30 PM

Monday, February 23
Books Inc.
Mountain View, CA
7:00 PM

Wednesday, February 25
Mysterious Galaxy
San Diego, CA
7:30 PM

Friday, February 27
The Last Bookstore
Los Angeles, CA
7:00 PM

Leanna Renee Hieber, The Eterna Files

Wednesday, February 11
Word Brooklyn
Brooklyn, NY
7:00 PM

Friday, February 13
Barnes & Noble
Also with Alethea Kontis.
West Melbourne, FL
7:00 PM

Monday, February 16
Barnes & Noble
Also with Alethea Kontis.
Tampa, FL
6:00 PM

Tuesday, February 17
Barnes & Noble
Also with Alethea Kontis.
Orlando, FL
7:00 PM

Saturday, February 21
Barnes & Noble
Also with Alethea Kontis.
Tallahassee, FL
1:00 PM

Mary Pat Kelly, Of Irish Blood

Wednesday, February 4
Barnes & Noble
Upper West Side
New York, NY
7:00 PM

Saturday, February 7
Neil Shanahan Educators Seminar: Irish and Irish American Women in the Development of the Modern World
Panel Discussion with Irish Consul General Barbara Jones
991 5th Ave
New York, NY
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Wednesday, February 11
Brookline Booksmith
Boston, MA
7:00 PM

Saturday, February 14
Titcomb’s Bookshop
East Sandwich, MA
2:00 PM

Sunday, February 15
South Yarmouth Library
South Yarmouth, MA
2:00 PM

Monday, February 16
Blue Bunny Books
Dedham, MA
3:00 PM

Thursday, February 19
Chester County Books
West Chester, PA
7:00 PM

Saturday, February 21
Books & Co.
Beavercreek, OH
2:00 PM

Sunday, February 22
Irish Heritage Center of Greater Cincinnati
Cincinnati, OH
1:30 PM

Hank Phillippi Ryan, Truth Be Told

Wednesday, February 18
Marlborough Public Library
Marlborough, MA
7:00 PM

Katie Schickel, Housewitch

Tuesday, February 17
The Harvard Coop
Cambridge, MA
7:00 PM

Monday, February 23
Books-A-Million
South Portland, ME
7:00 PM

Friday, February 27
Jabberwocky Bookshop
Newburyport, MA
7:00 PM

Kristen Simmons, The Glass Arrow

Tuesday, February 10
Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Cincinnati, OH
7:00 PM

Wednesday, February 11
Carmichael’s Bookstore
Louisville, KY
6:00 PM

Saturday, February 14
Barnes & Noble
Happy Valentine’s Day! Also with Jules Bennett, Lori Foster, Toni Blake, Jessica Lemmon, Jennifer McGowan, Donna MacMeans, and Patricia Sargeant.
West Chester, OH
1:00 PM

Tuesday, February 17
Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Lexington, KY
7:00 PM

Saturday, February 21
Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Crestview Hills, KY
2:00 PM

Carrie Vaughn, Low Midnight

Thursday, February 5
The Book Bin
Salem, OR
7:00 PM

Thursday, February 12
The Harvard Coop
Cambridge, MA
7:00 PM

What's New

Starred Review: Truth Be Told by Hank Phillippi Ryan

October 1, 2014May 15, 2024torforge

“In the third entry in this award-winning series, investigative reporter Ryan again takes on a social issue—the harm to individuals caused by bank foreclosures—and puts it at the center of a fast-moving procedural with a strong journalistic bent. In Ryan’s adroit hands, with her brisk prose, appealing protagonists, and well-limned characters, even foreclosures can be sexy.”

Hank Phillippi Ryan’s Truth Be Told got a starred review in Booklist!

Here’s the full review, from the September 1 issue:

A prominent cold case is back in play. Women are being murdered in empty houses that have been foreclosed, and reporter Jane Ryland and Boston PD detective Jake Brogan are wondering if their relationship, “right at the edge of ethical,” in his view, can ever work. When a recent parolee confesses to a 20-year-old unsolved murder that bedevils Brogan as it haunted his late police-commissioner grandfather, Brogan’s colleagues accept the confession as valid, but Brogan is dubious. Working both old and new cases, Brogan continually runs into Ryland, who’s on assignment with Peter Hardesty, a widowed lawyer who’s attracted to Ryland and arousing Brogan’s jealousy. At the heart of it all are foreclosures, which are being manipulated by a cabal of bank employees for personal gain as well as by new customer-services bank officer Liz McDivitt, who’s playing Robin Hood. In the third entry in this award-winning series, investigative reporter Ryan again takes on a social issue—the harm to individuals caused by bank foreclosures—and puts it at the center of a fast-moving procedural with a strong journalistic bent. In Ryan’s adroit hands, with her brisk prose, appealing protagonists, and well-limned characters, even foreclosures can be sexy.

Truth Be Told will be published on October 7.

Events / What's New

On the Road: Tor/Forge Author Events in October

October 1, 2014May 10, 2024torforge

Tor/Forge authors are on the road in October! Once a month, we’re collecting info about all of our upcoming author events. Check and see who’ll be coming to a city near you:

R. S. Belcher, The Shotgun Arcana

October 16
Copperfield’s Books
Santa Rosa, California
7:00 PM

October 18
Borderlands Books
San Francisco, California
8:00 PM

October 31
Barnes & Noble at Vanderbilt
Nashville, Tennessee
7:00 PM

Kendare Blake, Mortal Gods

October 13
Books of Wonder
New York, NY
6:00 PM

October 19
Anderson’s Bookshop
Naperville, IL
2:00 PM

October 21
Red Balloon Book Shop
St. Paul, MN
6:30 PM

October 22
Schuler Books and Music
Lansing, MI
7:00 PM

October 25
Linden Tree Books
Palo Alto, CA
4:00 PM

October 26
Powell’s Cedar Hill
Beaverton, OR
4:00 PM

October 28
Third Place Books
Lake Forest, IL
7:00 PM

W. Bruce Cameron, The Midnight Plan of the Repo Man

October 28
Rainy Day Books
Fairway, KS
6:30 PM

October 29
Anderson’s Bookshop
Naperville, IL
7:00 PM

October 30
Highland Park Public Library
Highland Park, IL
7:00 PM

Tina Connolly, Silverblind

October 7
Powell’s Cedar Hill
Beaverton, OR
7:00 PM

Matt Cook, Sabotage

October 5
Barnes & Noble at The Grove
Los Angeles, CA
4:00 PM

October 7
Mysterious Galaxy
San Diego, CA
7:30 PM

October 11
Clive Cussler Convention
Scottsdale, AZ

October 14
Poisoned Pen
Scottsdale, AZ
7:00 PM

October 31
Noircon, “Three Minutes of Terror”
Society Hill Playhouse
Philadelphia, PA

A.M. Dellamonica, Child of a Hidden Sea

October 28
University Bookstore
Bellevue, WA
6:00 PM

Steven Gould, Exo

October 19
Barnes & Noble
New York, NY
7:00 PM

Alan Gratz, The League of Seven

October 1
Booksellers at Laurelwood
Memphis, TN
6:30 PM

October 3
Square Books
Oxford, MS
4:00 PM

October 8
The Fountainhead Bookstore
Hendersonville, NC
5:00 PM

October 11
Books by the Banks Festival
Cincinnati, OH

October 13
Blue Marble Books
Fort Thomas, KY
4:00 PM

October 14
The Book Stall at Chestnut Court
Winnetka, IL
4:30 PM

October 16
Anderson’s Bookshop
Naperville, IL
7:00 PM

Dan Krokos, The Black Stars

October 11
Books of Wonder
Fantastic Middle Grade Reads
New York, NY
1:00 PM

David Lubar, The Bully Bug

October 11
Books of Wonder
Fantastic Middle Grade Reads
New York, NY
1:00 PM

Jon McGoran, Deadout

October 2-5
Iowa City Book Festival
Iowa City, IA

October 11
Collingswood Book Festival
Collingswood, NJ

October 29
Noir at the Bar
Misconduct Tavern
Philadelphia, PA
(Time TBD)

Hank Phillippi Ryan, Truth Be Told

October 7
Brookline Booksmith Launch Party
Brookline, MA
7:00 PM

October 8
Gibson’s Bookstore
Concord, NH
7:00 PM

October 9
Aunt Agatha’s
Ann Arbor, MI
7:00 PM

October 10
Seattle Mystery Bookshop
Seattle, WA
12:00 PM

October 11
Copperfield’s
San Rafael, CA
6:00 PM

October 12
Investigating Mystery
Oakland Public Library
Oakland, CA
2:00 PM

October 15
Murder on the Beach
Delray Beach, FL
7:00 PM

October 16
Atlanta Eagle Eye Bookstore
Decatur, GA
7:00 PM

October 20
Vero Beach Book Center
Vero Beach, FL
4:00 PM

October 23
Posioned Pen
Scottsdale, AZ
7:00 PM

October 24
Vroman’s
Pasadena, CA
7:00 PM

October 25
Book Carnival
Orange, CA
3:00 PM

October 26
Mysterious Galaxy
San Diego, CA
7:00 PM

October 27
Porter Square Books
Cambridge, MA
7:00 PM

October 28
Ann Katz Festival of Books and Arts
Indianapolis, IN
7:00 PM

October 29
Rockport Public Library
Hosted by Toad Hall Books
Rockport, MA
7:00 PM

October 30
Writing Across Gender Panel
Boston Women’s National Book Association, Brookline Booksmith
Brookline, MA
7:00 PM

John Scalzi, Lock In

October 7
The Bell House
Shipwreck, NY
8:00 PM

October 10
Barnes & Noble Union Square
NYCC: SciFi vs Fantasy
Amber Benson, Peter V. Brett, Pierce Brown, Richard Kadrey, Caitlin Kittredge, and C.L. Wilson will participate with John Scalzi moderating.
8:00 PM

October 11
Books by the Banks Festival
Cincinnati, OH

October 21
Seminary Coop Bookstore
Chicago, IL
6:00 PM

Ben Tripp, The Accidental Highwayman

October 12
Books of Wonder
New York, NY
1:00 PM

What's New

Starred Review: Truth Be Told by Hank Phillippi Ryan

September 30, 2014May 15, 2024torforge

“The third entry in the ‘Jane Ryland & Jake Brogan’ series packs a powerful punch, and offers a clever mix of mystery, corruption, and romance. Mystery enthusiasts will want to drop everything and binge-read until the mind-boggling conclusion.”

Hank Phillippi Ryan’s Truth Be Told got a starred review in Library Journal!

Here’s the full review, from the September 1 issue:

Boston’s Register news reporter Jane Ryland is covering a human interest foreclosure story when she stumbles onto several murders committed in recently foreclosed homes. Investigating further, Jane becomes entangled in one dangerous situation after another. In the meantime, the reporter’s clandestine love interest, Boston police detective Jake Brogan, is actively pursuing answers to a 20-year-old unsolved murder. The cold case turns personal as Jake consults case files written by his deceased grandfather, a former police commissioner, to determine if the individual confessing to the crime is truly the killer. As Jane and Jake each gets closer to the truth, they find their lives and their romantic connection precariously hanging in the balance. Danger and intrigue surround them both as they desperately seek closure. VERDICT The third entry in the “Jane Ryland & Jake Brogan” series (The Other Woman; The Wrong Girl) packs a powerful punch, and offers a clever mix of mystery, corruption, and romance. Mystery enthusiasts will want to drop everything and binge-read until the mind-boggling conclusion.

Truth Be Told will be published on October 7.

What's New

Tor and Forge at BEA

May 8, 2014May 10, 2024torforge

Book Expo America 2014 takes place in New York City from May 28th to May 31st and we’ll be there! Take a look below to see which Tor authors, editors, and more will be appearing. Meet Douglas Preston, John Scalzi, Jo Walton, and more!

Tor Books will also be present in the Macmillan section at booth #1738 for the entirety of the conference. Stop by and say hello!

WEDNESDAY, MAY 28TH

Tom Doherty – IDPF Digital Conference – Keynote Speaker (Ticket Required), 3:35pm-4pm

Ben Tripp Blogger Celebration (Invitation Only), 3:45pm-5:00pm

THURSDAY, MAY 29TH

Where Near-future Techno-thrillers and Sci-fi Meet: Douglas Preston and John Scalzi in conversation, 1:00 – 1:30pm, Uptown Stage

Every day, our present begins to look more and more like science fiction. We converse with AIs on our phones, communicate by digital avatars, and maintain entire social presences online. Movies like HER demonstrate how familiar – and how close – a world could be where AI’s become completely essential to our personal lives. Join bestselling authors Douglas Preston and John Scalzi as they discuss the implications of current technologies, the blurred lines between sci-fi and techno-thrillers, and near-future possibilities in a rapidly changing world.

Signings at Tor Table #13
Jon Land (Strong Darkness), 9:30-10:30am
Hank Phillipi Ryan (Truth Be Told), 10:30-11:30am
Doug Preston (The Kraken Project), 2-3pm
John Scalzi (Lock In), 3-4pm
Jo Walton (My Real Children), 4-5pm

Macmillan Booth Signings #1738/39
Ben Tripp (The Accidental Highwayman) 11:30am-12pm

Mystery Writers of America Booth Signings @ MWA Booth #2557
Hilary Davidson (Blood Always Tells) 1:00pm – 1:30pm
Hank Philippi Ryan (The Wrong Girl), 2:30pm – 3pm

Macmillan Booth Giveaways #1738/39 (No author participation)
The Midnight Plan of the Repo Man, by Bruce Cameron, 9:00am – 9:30am

FRIDAY, MAY 30TH

John Scalzi The Worst Social Media Advice Ever, 11:00am – 11:50am, Special Panel E: Hallway

Macmillan Booth Signings #1738/39
John Scalzi (Lock In), 2pm-2:30pm

Mystery Writers of America Booth Signings @ MWA Booth #2557
Bruce DeSilva (Providence Rag), 1:45pm – 2:15pm

Macmillan Booth Giveaways # 1738/39 (No author participation)
My Real Children, by Jo Walton, 10:30am – 11:00am