John Hutchinson of VJ Books regrets to report the passing of our old friend Stephen Cannell.

He died at his home in California September 30th after a long fight with cancer.  Hutchinson says,”Cannell was a true gentleman, and a longtime supporter of VJ Books.  We have worked with him for many years, promoting each of his new books.  He had a great sense of humor . . . I particularly enjoyed his cameo appearances on ABC TV’s Castle.  We will miss him.”

“We had already scheduled Cannell as our Favorite author for the month of October, and after careful consideration have gone ahead with that plan as a tribute to the author,” added Hutchinson.

Stephen J. Cannell has created over forty TV series. Among his hits are The Rockford Files, The A-Team, 21 Jump Street, Adam-12, Wiseguy, and The Commish. Cannell has also produced films such as The Poker House and horror thrillers such as Left in Darkness and The Garden.

Cannell was the bestselling author of sixteen novels, including the critically acclaimed Shane Scully series, which includes:  The Tin Collectors (2001), The Viking Funeral (2002), Hollywood Tough (2003), Vertical Coffin (2004), Cold Hit (2005), White Sister (2006), Three Shirt Deal (2007), On the Grind (2009), The Pallbearers (2010), and The Prostitute's Ball (October 2010).

In The Prostitute’s Ball -- the newest novel in the widely acclaimed Shane Scully series --

Detective Shane Scully responds to a call in the Hollywood hills at a once-immaculate mansion, the scene of an infamous murder twenty-five years prior. He discovers the remnants of a lavish pool party. The revelers have fled, leaving three dead bodies in their wake, all shot with the same gun. One is an acclaimed film producer. The other two, a pair of gorgeous women.

With his new partner, Sumner “Hitch” Hitchens, Scully begins to investigate what looks to be an open-and-shut case: The women were hired prostitutes, and there’s security video of an angry husband firing on all three. A simple case of brutal revenge. But nothing is ever as simple as it seems: There’s a single spent bullet casing that doesn’t match the rest.

From that single bullet emerges a story of love, murder, suicide, and one of the biggest financial frauds in L.A. history. Someone has gone to great lengths to cover up a decades-old crime, and as Scully and Hitch get closer to the answer, they find themselves in a killer’s crosshairs.

 “I’ve been a Stephen Cannell fan since reading his action-packed thriller The Tin Collectors”, said Lee of VJ Books.  “His newest novel, The Prostitute’s Ball, is a fast-paced thrill ride.”  First editions of The Prostitute’s Ball are at www.vjbooks.com  where you can also find many other collectible novels.

Publishers Weekly says “Cannell dishes out the action in forklift-sized servings”.

Stephen J. Cannell has also written these stand alone novels:  The Plan (1996), Final Victim (1997), King Con(1998), Riding the Snake (1999), The Devil's Workshop (2000), Runaway Heart (2003), At First Sight (2008).