Michael Balter's Blog
February 2, 2025
Chasing Money Wins Audio Book Reviewer's Award
In December, Audio Book Reviewers announced the winners of their 2024 awards.
Chasing Money: A Marty and Bo Thriller won the 2024 Best Mystery Award in the thriller genre!
This was quite an honor and speaks to the exceptional narration provided by Frits Zernike.
Frits has had a long career as a professional actor which helps him bring each of the varied characters in Chasing Money to life.
He did a masterful job with the Russian killer - check it out in the Audible sample on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/3ZHKNr4
Kudos to Frits for this award. I'm looking forward to having him narrate the next book in the Marty and Bo thriller series - coming in May 2025.
Chasing Money: A Marty and Bo Thriller won the 2024 Best Mystery Award in the thriller genre!
This was quite an honor and speaks to the exceptional narration provided by Frits Zernike.
Frits has had a long career as a professional actor which helps him bring each of the varied characters in Chasing Money to life.
He did a masterful job with the Russian killer - check it out in the Audible sample on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/3ZHKNr4
Kudos to Frits for this award. I'm looking forward to having him narrate the next book in the Marty and Bo thriller series - coming in May 2025.
February 6, 2024
2024 Feathered Quill Award Winner
Wow! I was surprised and honored to learn this week that my debut novel, Chasing Money: A Marty and Bo Thriller won the Feathered Quill Award for Mystery, Thriller, and Suspense novels. And - it earned second place in the overall competition for best debut author!
I can't tell you how much this means to me as a first-time author. I was thrilled when I won the Best Indie Book Award for Crime Thrillers last November - but part of me thought that might just be dumb luck. Learning that the professional judging panel at the Feathered Quill Awards also thought Chasing Money was worthy of their top honor is incredibly validating. Thank you!
I can't tell you how much this means to me as a first-time author. I was thrilled when I won the Best Indie Book Award for Crime Thrillers last November - but part of me thought that might just be dumb luck. Learning that the professional judging panel at the Feathered Quill Awards also thought Chasing Money was worthy of their top honor is incredibly validating. Thank you!
January 20, 2024
GoodReads Giveaway - Win the Crime Thriller of the Year!
GoodReads Fans,
To introduce my award-winning debut novel, Chasing Money: A Marty and Bo Thriller, to a larger group of readers, I’m giving 100 free copies of the Kindle book on GoodReads on President’s Day weekend in February. The deadline to enter is February 17th.
Enter now!
CHASING MONEY - WINNER 2023 BEST INDIE BOOK AWARD - CRIME THRILLERS
A missing masterpiece. A deadly threat. A desperate search. Marty and Bo were just trying to keep their struggling startup alive - but now they’ve got a bigger problem - keeping themselves alive.
"Exceptionally clever and compelling" - Midwest Book Review
"Packed with action. A strong voice paired with authentic dialogue… Witty and engaging.” The BookLife Prize
"A satisfying crime novel that will keep readers hooked." Kirkus Reviews
Available in hardcover, paperback, Kindle, and audiobook versions now on Amazon.
Or order the paperback or hardcover from your favorite independent bookstore
Note: If you’ve already read Chasing Money, please share this news with your friends, so they can enjoy it too!
Thanks,
Michael Balter
To introduce my award-winning debut novel, Chasing Money: A Marty and Bo Thriller, to a larger group of readers, I’m giving 100 free copies of the Kindle book on GoodReads on President’s Day weekend in February. The deadline to enter is February 17th.
Enter now!
CHASING MONEY - WINNER 2023 BEST INDIE BOOK AWARD - CRIME THRILLERS
A missing masterpiece. A deadly threat. A desperate search. Marty and Bo were just trying to keep their struggling startup alive - but now they’ve got a bigger problem - keeping themselves alive.
"Exceptionally clever and compelling" - Midwest Book Review
"Packed with action. A strong voice paired with authentic dialogue… Witty and engaging.” The BookLife Prize
"A satisfying crime novel that will keep readers hooked." Kirkus Reviews
Available in hardcover, paperback, Kindle, and audiobook versions now on Amazon.
Or order the paperback or hardcover from your favorite independent bookstore
Note: If you’ve already read Chasing Money, please share this news with your friends, so they can enjoy it too!
Thanks,
Michael Balter
December 29, 2023
Chasing Money Wins Best Indie Book Award for Crime Thrillers
I was surprised and delighted to learn last month that my debut novel, Chasing Money: A Marty and Bo Thriller, won the 2023 Best Indie Book Award in the Crime Thriller category.
This was an unexpected honor for me. I had entered my book in this international literary contest with no real expectation of winning. There are thousands of entries each year, so I was blown away when I found out that Chasing Money had made it through every round of judging and had come out on top.
From what I've learned, Chasing Money impressed the judges with a compelling story, engaging narrative, gripping hooks, and the "author's mastery of voice, character, and dialogue."
As a debut author, this kind of validation means a lot to me, as do reader comments and reviews. It's one thing to write a book, and to hear from family and friends that it is good, but you never know if they are just being kind.
If you haven't read Chasing Money, and you enjoy a good crime thriller, please check it out. It tells the story of two business partners in a struggling startup, Marty and Bo, who take money from the wrong person. When an angry Russian killer demands $10 million and a mysterious missing masterpiece, they find themselves in a desperate chase for survival.
You'll find it's a little different. I was tired of thrillers with traditional heroes - grizzled detectives, secret agents, special forces. It was more interesting to craft a story where ordinary people, people like you and me, find themselves in extraordinary circumstances. And that seems to be something readers like too.
It's not everyone's cup of tea. If you prefer a cozy mystery or a lots of gun battles, then Chasing Money probably won't be for you. But if you like dark humor, simmering threats and tightly paced action, then give it a try.
I'd love to hear what you think,
Michael Balter
This was an unexpected honor for me. I had entered my book in this international literary contest with no real expectation of winning. There are thousands of entries each year, so I was blown away when I found out that Chasing Money had made it through every round of judging and had come out on top.
From what I've learned, Chasing Money impressed the judges with a compelling story, engaging narrative, gripping hooks, and the "author's mastery of voice, character, and dialogue."
As a debut author, this kind of validation means a lot to me, as do reader comments and reviews. It's one thing to write a book, and to hear from family and friends that it is good, but you never know if they are just being kind.
If you haven't read Chasing Money, and you enjoy a good crime thriller, please check it out. It tells the story of two business partners in a struggling startup, Marty and Bo, who take money from the wrong person. When an angry Russian killer demands $10 million and a mysterious missing masterpiece, they find themselves in a desperate chase for survival.
You'll find it's a little different. I was tired of thrillers with traditional heroes - grizzled detectives, secret agents, special forces. It was more interesting to craft a story where ordinary people, people like you and me, find themselves in extraordinary circumstances. And that seems to be something readers like too.
It's not everyone's cup of tea. If you prefer a cozy mystery or a lots of gun battles, then Chasing Money probably won't be for you. But if you like dark humor, simmering threats and tightly paced action, then give it a try.
I'd love to hear what you think,
Michael Balter
November 2, 2023
Is Chasing Money on your Want To Read Shelf?
Hey Fans,
I was thrilled to see that over 1000 people have added my novel, Chasing Money, to their "Want To Read" shelf on Goodreads. That's fantastic for a book that just launched in September.
If you are one of those readers, or if you just want to settle down with a fast-paced thriller - now is the time to get Chasing Money.
From Nov 1-7, the Kindle version is on sale for only 99 cents as part of a Kindle Countdown Deal. The price goes back up to $9 on November 8th.
Chasing Money: A missing masterpiece. A deadly threat. A desperate search. Marty and Bo were just trying to keep their struggling startup alive - but now they’ve got a bigger problem - keeping themselves alive.
“Exceptionally clever and compelling” - Midwest Book Review
"Packed with action. A strong voice paired with authentic dialogue… Witty and engaging.” -The BookLife Prize
“A gritty, heart-pounding thriller that grabs you from the first page and won’t let you get away!”-Michael Lindley, author of the Amazon #1 Chasing Money: A Marty and Bo ThrillerHanna and Alex Low Country mystery series.
I was thrilled to see that over 1000 people have added my novel, Chasing Money, to their "Want To Read" shelf on Goodreads. That's fantastic for a book that just launched in September.
If you are one of those readers, or if you just want to settle down with a fast-paced thriller - now is the time to get Chasing Money.
From Nov 1-7, the Kindle version is on sale for only 99 cents as part of a Kindle Countdown Deal. The price goes back up to $9 on November 8th.
Chasing Money: A missing masterpiece. A deadly threat. A desperate search. Marty and Bo were just trying to keep their struggling startup alive - but now they’ve got a bigger problem - keeping themselves alive.
“Exceptionally clever and compelling” - Midwest Book Review
"Packed with action. A strong voice paired with authentic dialogue… Witty and engaging.” -The BookLife Prize
“A gritty, heart-pounding thriller that grabs you from the first page and won’t let you get away!”-Michael Lindley, author of the Amazon #1 Chasing Money: A Marty and Bo ThrillerHanna and Alex Low Country mystery series.
