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564 ratings | 15 reviews | avg rating:4.36

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John Thompson

Goodreads Author

Born

in Toledo, Ohio, The United States

Website

http://www.BooksByJohnThompson.com

Twitter

JEThompson49

Genre

Thriller, Children's, Young Adult

Member Since

May 2009

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/booksbyjohnthompson

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I have always had stories in my head, and these days I get to write them. I like to get up early, make a cup of coffee, then sit down and start putting words on the page. When I do that, I’m usually writing thrillers for adults or mysteries for Middle Grade readers. I write thrillers because that’s one of the genres I particularly love to read, and I write Middle Grade mysteries because my daughter was 12 when I wrote my first one, and I wrote it for her.
My first book, a thriller called ARMAGEDDON CONSPIRACY, about Wall Street, terrorism and religious fanaticism ended up being a finalist for Best Fiction by the SIBA (The Southern Independent Booksellers), and it won the IPPY Gold Medal for Best Thriller of the Year. The second book in that I have always had stories in my head, and these days I get to write them. I like to get up early, make a cup of coffee, then sit down and start putting words on the page. When I do that, I’m usually writing thrillers for adults or mysteries for Middle Grade readers. I write thrillers because that’s one of the genres I particularly love to read, and I write Middle Grade mysteries because my daughter was 12 when I wrote my first one, and I wrote it for her.
My first book, a thriller called ARMAGEDDON CONSPIRACY, about Wall Street, terrorism and religious fanaticism ended up being a finalist for Best Fiction by the SIBA (The Southern Independent Booksellers), and it won the IPPY Gold Medal for Best Thriller of the Year. The second book in that series is THE HONG KONG DECEPTION.
I have also co-written two occult thrillers with Jack Heath. In spite of the fact that Jack’s ancestor, Rebecca Nurse, was hung as a witch in Salem, MA in 1692, he is a normal guy and a lot of fun as a co-writer. The two books, and there will be a third next year, involve all kinds of exciting stuff like modern day Devil worship, human sacrifice and spirits. The first book, SALEM VI: REBECCA’S RISING has gotten great reviews and been optioned for a movie by a major producer. The second book CHAIN OF SOULS was released in 2013.
My Middle Grade mystery, also released in 2013 is THE GIRL FROM FELONY BAY. I wrote it under the name J. E. Thompson to keep readers from getting confused. THE GIRL FROM FELONY BAY has gotten great reviews, and The Junior Library Guild named it a Monthly Selection. It is the story of two girls, Abby and Bee, who live on a plantation located on an island outside of Charleston, South Carolina. Together they solve a couple of mysteries, tangle with a bully as well as some alligators and poisonous snakes, learn a lot about themselves and their intertwined family histories, right an enduring social wrong, and nearly lose their lives in the process. The sequel will be released in Fall 2014.
A little bit about me—I was born in the Midwest, went to Middlebury College where my fascination with writing started to grow, worked for a long time in New York City, and now reside in Charleston, SC, where I write every day and live with my wife and my daughter, my Boykin Spaniel, Lulu, and a horribly behaved Jack Russell named Mr. Bean.
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John Thompson's Blog

Andre Dubus

Just heard him speak last night at the Ashley Hall School Writers Series. Dubus was brilliant, articulate, personable and energetic. If you haven't read his books, do. (I must admit I haven't read them yet myself, but hearing him read from Townie and discuss it, makes me a very eager reader of his work going forward.)

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Published on December 12, 2012 03:22 • Tags: dubus, speaking

Combine Editions
John Thompson’s books

Average rating: 3.87 · 279 ratings · 59 reviews · 4 distinct works

	Rebecca's Rising (Salem VI, #1) by Jack Heath (Goodreads Author), John Thompson (Goodreads Author) 3.86 avg rating — 214 ratings — published 2012 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Chain of Souls (Salem VI #2) by Jack Heath (Goodreads Author), John Thompson (Goodreads Author) 3.97 avg rating — 89 ratings — published 2013 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Armageddon Conspiracy 3.97 avg rating — 30 ratings — published 2008 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Hong Kong Deception 4.17 avg rating — 18 ratings — published 2009 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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John is Currently Reading

John Thompson is currently reading

The Ashtrays Are Full and the Glasses Are Empty

by Kirsten Mickelwait (Goodreads Author)

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Oct 18, 2026 07:42AM

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Red Harvest (Continental Op, #1)

by Dashiell Hammett

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Strangers in Time

by David Baldacci (Goodreads Author)

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Aug 10, 2025 12:25PM

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John Thompson is currently reading The Ashtrays Are Full and the Glasses Are Empty by Kirsten Mickelwait (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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John Thompson rated a book it was amazing The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire that Saved America by Timothy Egan (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 05, 2026 07:52PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Big Burn by Timothy Egan. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Big Burn by Timothy Egan <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
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John Thompson rated a book it was amazing The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth, #1) by N.K. Jemisin (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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John Thompson rated a book it was amazing The Space Between Worlds (The Space Between Worlds #1) by Micaiah Johnson	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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John Thompson is currently reading Red Harvest (Continental Op, #1) by Dashiell Hammett	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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John Thompson rated a book it was amazing Anxious People by Fredrik Backman (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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John Thompson is currently reading The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire that Saved America by Timothy Egan (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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John Thompson rated a book it was amazing Columbus Day (Expeditionary Force, #1) by Craig Alanson (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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John Thompson rated a book it was amazing Ceephay Queen (The Spiral Wars, #8) by Joel Shepherd (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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John’s Quotes

“Drink today, and drown all sorrow;
You shall perhaps not do it tomorrow;
Best, while you have it, use your breath;
There is no drinking after death.”
― Ben Jonson

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“The farther you go...the harder it is to return. The world has many edges and it's easy to fall off.”
― Anderson Cooper, Dispatches from the Edge: A Memoir of War, Disasters, and Survival

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“And thus the heart will break, yet brokenly live on.”
― George Gordon Byron

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“Here is a lesson in creative writing. First rule: Do not use semicolons. They are transvestite hermaphrodites representing absolutely nothing. All they do is show you've been to college.”
― Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without a Country

tags: college, semicolons, writing

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“Do not read, as children do, to amuse yourself, or like the ambitious, for the purpose of instruction. No, read in order to live.”
― Gustave Flaubert

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