Competition

This Sunday I'm going to pick a random member of my Readers Club to win a signed copy of Don't Look For Me.

This is open worldwide. Existing members and anyone who signs up before I make the draw on Sunday are eligible.

The Readers Club is completely free, you can unsubscribe at any time, and I promise not to spam you. I'll only email you when I have something to tell you about, like a new book, or a special members-only exclusive.

Of which there may be one in the next couple of weeks...

Join up here:

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Win books!

In the run up to the US publication of Don't Look For Me on January 2nd, I'm running some book giveaways over the festive season, so if you fancy entering to win, all you have to do is register to win below.

Remember, you can sign up to the readers club for more competitions and an exclusive free short story: Expiry Date.

These are all available worldwide, so good luck and Merry Christmas!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Time to Kill

by Mason Cross

Giveaway ends December 30, 2017.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Killing Season

by Mason Cross

Giveaway ends December 31, 2017.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Don't Look For Me

by Mason Cross

Giveaway ends January 02, 2018.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Win a signed book by me and a doodle by Ava

Competition time again.

This time, you can be in with a chance of winning a signed copy of the third Carter Blake book The Time to Kill (aka Winterlong). You'll also get some nice chocolate and an inspirational doodle that my more-famous-than-I'll-ever-be daughter Ava has kindly contributed.

To enter, all you have to do is make sure you're signed up to my Readers Club by midnight UK time on Friday 25th August. The lucky winner will be randomly picked from the whole list (so if you're already a member, you're automatically entered) and contacted by email.

Go here to sign up!

I'll happily dedicate the book if you desire, and post it with the other goodies to wherever you are. It's open to anyone, anywhere in the world. Good luck!

UK Giveway - Don't Look For Me

In the UK? Want to win a signed copy of Don't Look For Me?

Click to register for the Goodreads giveaway on the handy button below!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Don't Look For Me

by Mason Cross

Giveaway ends May 06, 2017.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Giveaway winners

The Goodreads giveaways to win signed copies of The Time to Kill and The Samaritan have closed, and they got a really amazing response.

The winners are Kristen from Staten Island, NY and Marion from Courtenay, British Columbia. Congratulations Kristen and Marion, and thanks to everyone who entered.

If you want to find out about future giveaways and exclusives, keep an eye on the blog or sign up to my Readers Club for occasional, non-spammy updates.

Book giveaway time

There are a pair of Goodreads giveaways running at the moment to win signed UK paperbacks of The Time to Kill (aka Winterlong in America) and (The Samaritan).

These giveaways are open worldwide, and it only takes a second to register to win by clicking on the handy links below, so what's stopping you?

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Time to Kill

by Mason Cross

Giveaway ends April 16, 2017.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Samaritan

by Mason Cross

Giveaway ends April 16, 2017.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

For more news, competitions and exclusives, you can sign up to my Readers Club with a couple of clicks. No spam, scout's honour.

Exclusive Readers Club competition

As the title subtly hints, I'm going to be running an exclusive competition for members of my readers club soon.

I'll be emailing members next Friday to tell them how to win the following goodies:

• A signed copy of The Time to Kill
• The original page proofs of the first two chapters of the next book: Don't Look For Me
• (By popular demand) A bar of Mrs. Tilly's Scottish tablet

The page proofs are one-of-a-kind. These are the final printers proofs the author uses to fix any remaining typos and to make any last minor changes to the text. The winner will be one of the first people outside of my publisher to read these two chapters, and the book isn't published in the UK until April 20.

The Scottish tablet is because I included one with a previous competition and it went nuts, so if it ain't broke...

For the uninitiated, tablet is "a medium-hard, sugary confection ... usually made from sugar, condensed milk, and butter, which is boiled to a soft-ball stage and allowed to crystallise." It's nicer than it sounds, kind of like hard fudge.

Anyway.

If you want to be in with a shot of winning, all you have to do is make sure you're signed up to the Readers Club. It's a good thing to do anyway - it's free, I won't constantly spam you, and you'll get a heads-up on news, exclusives and giveaways like this one.

It takes two seconds to sign up and confirm, you can unsubscribe any time with one click, and look - there's a handy form right here:

Sign up to the Mason Cross Readers Club

Email Address

First Name

Last Name

I'll be in touch next week with details of how to enter, and this will be open worldwide - if you're on the list and have an address, you're eligible to win.

Events coming up

A few dates for the next couple of months. It's likely I'll be adding some more in the lead-up to the publication of Don't Look For Me, but in the meantime here's where I'll be (click on the dates for more detail):

• Thursday 2 March - World Book Day talk at the Dick Institute, Kilmarnock
  
• Sunday 12 March - I'm delighted to be in conversation with Ian Rankin about 30 Years of Rebus at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
  
• Wednesday 12 April - I'm reading and giving a talk at East Kilbride Central Library

Keep an eye on my events page for more soon.

Excitingly, I'm also going to be in New York City in a week or so for the American release of Winterlong.  I'll be doing an informal signing or two, so will let you know where you can get signed copies if you're in the market.

Aside from that, I'm just looking forward to a trip to my favourite city in the world, and meeting my American publishers Pegasus for the first time. Last time I visited, I wasn't a published author yet, so I can't wait to see Winterlong in a real NYC bookstore.

Finally, there's still (just) time to win one of 10 paperback copies of The Time to Kill if you're in the UK - enter the Goodreads giveaway by midnight on Monday for a chance to win a copy pre-publication. Look - the lovely Laura from Orion has taken a nice photo of one in the wild:

The Time to Kill - UK giveaway

My publisher is giving away ten copies of the new paperback edition of The Time to Kill over at Goodreads. All you need to do is click on this link and register.

This one is open to UK only, but if you're in the USA you still have a couple of days to enter the American giveaway.

Good luck!

American Giveaway Extravaganza

Winterlong, the third book in the Carter Blake series (aka The Time to Kill in the UK) is being published in the USA on February 7 2017, and you can preorder it in gorgeous hardcover right now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Indiebound.

If you can't wait that long, you can enter the Goodreads giveaway right now to win a copy. My American publisher Pegasus is celebrating the new book by giving away copies of the first two books in the series at the same time. All you have to do is register for the giveaway before January 16th.

To enter, just click on the cover to go to the giveaway (enter individually for each book).
This is open to readers with a US address only, but I'll be running a UK giveaway very soon, so watch this space. If you want to kept in the loop for news and competitions, remember to join the Readers Club.

Good luck!

 

Win an exclusive advance copy of Winterlong

Win The Samaritan

Win The Killing Season

Winterlong - American Giveaway

If you're in the United States and would like to win an advance copy of Winterlong (aka The Time to Kill) my American publisher Pegasus Books is running a Goodreads giveaway to win one of three copies.


All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is click on this link and register for the giveaway by December 3.

Goodreads Giveaway - The Samaritan

Time for another giveaway - if you'd like to win a signed copy of UK paperback edition of Richard and Judy Book Club selection The Samaritan, all you have to do is register for the giveaway on Goodreads using the handy button below.

This is open to everyone in the world - all you have to lose is a couple of clicks.

Good luck!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Samaritan

by Mason Cross

Giveaway ends September 18, 2016.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

P.S. - watch this space for another giveaway soon.

This one is just going to be members of the Mason Cross Readers Club, which you can sign up for in a couple of clicks right here:

Join the Mason Cross Readers Club

Email Address

First Name

Last Name

Competition - win a signed first edition of The Killing Season

Want to win a signed first edition of the UK trade paperback version of The Killing Season?

It's the first novel in the Carter Blake series. Blake has to stop a lethal sniper rampaging across the Midwest. People who have said nice things about the book include Lee Child, Lisa Gardner and even one William Jefferson Clinton.

All you have to do to win a copy is sign up to my mailing list between today and midnight UK time (7pm EDT) on Sunday 28 August 2016.

It couldn't be easier - submit your name and email address below, then click on the confirmation email and you're on the list.

I only send an update when I have something interesting to report (like a new book coming out) so you don't have to worry about being bombarded with spam. That conjures up an interesting image, doesn't it?

Email Address

First Name

Last Name

The lucky winner will be selected at random and contacted by email to let them know they've won and to get a mailing address.

The competition is open to anyone, anywhere in the world.

I'll sign it (and personalise it if you want) and post it to you, wherever you may be.

And just while I have your attention, I'd like to draw your attention to some upcoming events:

11 August - Hillhouse Library, Hamilton
6:00pm | Hillhouse Road, Hamilton, ML3 9TX
Free event - contact the library on 01698 710400 for tickets.

16 August - The Ben Cleuch Centre, Tillicoultry
7:00pm | Park St, Tillicoultry, FK13 6AG
Contact Clackmannanshire Libraries on 01259 452262 for tickets.

11 September - Bloody Scotland, Stirling
1:30pm | The Golden Lion Hotel, 8-10 King Street, Stirling, FK8 1DQ
Tickets £7.50/£6.50, available from the festival website.

26 October - Encounters Festival, Coatbridge
7:00pm | Coatbridge Library, Buchanan Centre, 126 Main Street, Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, ML5 3BJ
Free event - visit the festival website for tickets.

Okay, good luck!

Publication day: The Time to Kill

The Time to Kill is published by Orion today in the UK and some other territories. It's out in the US on 7 February next year, published under its original name.

I think this is my favourite book yet, and I can't wait to see if readers agree! So far, the advance word is pretty great.

Here's where you can buy the new Carter Blake book in your preferred format:

Trade paperback

Waterstones 

Amazon

WHSmith

Hive

ebook

Kindle

Kobo

iBooks

Google Play

Audiobook

Audible

Or, if you'd like to win a free signed copy of the trade paperback, click through to the Goodreads giveaway and register before July 14 - open to readers in the UK, US, Canada and Australia.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Time to Kill

by Mason Cross

Giveaway ends July 14, 2016.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

I'm going to be out and about doing events over the next few months, so don't forget to sign up to the mailing list for the latest news. Happy reading!

Tweet and sign up to win!

I've just received a big box of the brand new Harlequin Worldwide Mystery book club edition of The Killing Season. No matter how often it happens, I still get a huge kick out of receiving a shipment of books with my name on it.

If you fancy winning a signed copy, all you need to do is retweet this and sign up to my mailing list before Friday:

  

Want to win 1 of 5 copies of new edition Killing Season? RT & sign up to my mailing list! https://t.co/jkjRJgXxVf pic.twitter.com/vbC6CWvy8t

— Mason Cross (@MasonCrossBooks) April 25, 2016

Goodreads giveaway - win a signed copy of The Killing Season

Do you like free books? Me too.

If you'd like to win a signed UK paperback copy of the first Carter Blake novel, all you have to do is click to enter at the link below before midnight on February 18.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Killing Season

by Mason Cross

Giveaway ends February 18, 2016.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Open to UK, US, Australia and Canada - please see t&cs for full details.

Win an advance copy of The Samaritan

Orion is running a Goodreads giveaway to win one of 20 advance copies of the sequel to The Killing Season: The Samaritan.

This one sees Carter Blake travel west to Los Angeles, where a methodical serial killer is abducting and murdering lone female drivers. Blake recognises the killer's work and realises that he is the only man who can track the killer down, even if it means bringing his own past crashing down on top of him...

All you have to do to win a free copy is go to this link before May 14th and register for the giveaway.

Good luck!

Audiobook winners

The winners of the audiobook giveaway have now been randomly selected and are...


*drumroll*


Carolyn Ferris and Karen (Euro Crime)



Both lucky winners receive an unabridged CD copy of The Killing Season on audiobook, narrated by the fantastic Eric Meyers.

Big thank you to everyone who entered or shared the competition!

Goodreads Giveaway

Quick update to say that Orion are running another Goodreads giveaway for UK readers in the run-up to paperback publication of The Killing Season - all you have to do is register to be in with a chance of winning one of ten free copies.

 

And if you prefer to listen to your books, you still have a few days to win the audiobook on CD right here on the blog.

 

13 days and counting to paperback publication...

 

 

Competitions and reviews and other stuff

Scottish Book Trust are running a competition to win a limited edition slipcase set of The Killing Season and The Samaritan - all you need to do is click here and tell them what your favourite crime book is (no extra points for it being one of mine).

As part of the competition, they also asked me to pick my top six forgotten crime classics, although weirdly only five are showing at the moment (number 6 is Geoffrey Household's awesome Rogue Male, if you're interested). I feel like I cheated a little including A Kiss Before Dying as it's not exactly forgotten, but it's much less well-known than it deserves to be. You'll need to go to the article to find out the rest of my picks.

Speaking of giveaways, there's still lots of time to enter to win a copy of The Killing Season on audiobook, and (not quite a giveaway, but damn near), the ebook is currently on sale at only £1.99 on Amazon.co.uk and Sainsburys in the UK.

Couple of nice reviews around the US hardcover and ahead of the UK paperback release. Book Addict Shaun gave it 4.5 out of 5 and said:

The Killing Season was an exhilarating roller coaster ride of a read and when I finished it I wanted to read it all over again. Brutally fast-paced and brilliantly addictive, I can't recommend this book enough.

Kingdom Books in Vermont liked the way Killing Season operated in the same field as Jack Reacher while changing the pattern somewhat, and said:

Cross provides plot twists that raise the ante, as well as the suspense. Hard to believe this one's a debut; I'll be watching for more of his books.

Simon McDonald thought it was a solid thriller and that:

While there’s nothing innovative on display, The Killing Season is finely crafted with a confidence that rarely radiates from debuts. It’s soundly constructed, and moves quickly, with plenty of action, and a deep-lying conspiracy that propels the novel above the genre’s riff-raff.

Other stuff

Whew, seems like there's a lot to catch up on.

Fiona at Author Interviews gives yours truly the third degree about who I am and how I came to be.

I've confirmed a few more events and will be announcing them as soon as I can, so check the events page next time you drop by.

I've been busy over at the Murder Room, with the latest of my and Steve Cavanagh's Bosch reviews, as well as blogs on three movie-inspiring noir classics: The Maltese Falcon, Cape Fear and Psycho.

And speaking of Steve Cavanagh, his debut novel The Defence is finally out - it starts with a head in a bag, a kidnapping, and a bomb strapped to the hero and gets more exciting from there. It's awesome, go buy it.