Available now in hardcover from Five Star Mysteries,
an imprint of Macmillan Library / ISBN-13: 978-1594146572
Novels
David Cole is the pyrotechnic supervisor on a Hollywood movie set. When he inadvertently crosses a ruthless film producer with mob ties, his world is blown apart. Literally.
The producer hires a hit man who tries to murder Cole by burning him alive with his own pyrotechnic devices. Cole survives the attack, but his beloved son dies horribly. Framed for the crime and pursued by police, a badly burned Cole must endure unspeakable agony while relying on his knowledge of F/X and urban warfare to hunt the men responsible for his son’s murder. But time is running out. As Cole’s ravaged body deteriorates, so does his grip on reality. It isn’t long before he becomes a threat to friend and foe alike, which is nothing compared the price he could ultimately pay.
Burned is just the beginning.
“Lean, mean and relentless. On the set and on the page, Paoletti is the real deal.”
—Marcus Sakey, author of THE BLADE ITSELF
“SCORCH is intense, gripping and non-stop. Paoletti has created a first-rate thriller.”
—Brett Battles, author of THE CLEANER
“SCORCH is a compulsive page-turner with true emotion rarely seen in the genre.”
—Mort Castle, Pulitzer Prize-nominated author of MOON ON THE WATER
“SCORCH blew me away. The characters burn as hot as naphthalene, and the action hits with the power and precision of a tactical nuke. When somebody wants to turn this book into a Hollywood blockbuster, I hope I’m the first guy they call.”
—Paul Staples, pyrotechnic supervisor on TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY
and David Mamet’s THE UNIT
“If his future efforts are as well written and exciting as this one, then Paoletti will become a well-known author in the genre.”
—HuntressReviews.com
“There are few writers who make you say, ‘Dammit, I wish I wrote that.’ Paoletti is one of those few.”
—Nathan Walpow, author of the JOE PORTUGAL MYSTERY SERIES
“SCORCH burns with tension and explodes with action. One of the best action-thrillers I’ve read.”
—Patricia Rosemoor, author of HOT CASE
“A thrill ride from page one. SCORCH combines action, suspense, and wonderful, true-to-life characters.”
—Crimespree Magazine
“SCORCH is an exciting and absorbing story that will make one consider the lengths a man will go to find solace and exact revenge.”
—A.C. Frieden, author of TRANQUILITY DENIED
“What Paoletti adds to the requisite talent for staging inventive action sequences is an exquisite sensitivity to physical pain and something of Elmore Leonard’s gift for cutting out the parts everybody skips anyway...razor-sharp...”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Fans who appreciate 200-proof action in their thrillers will relish Marc Paoletti’s full octane tale... SCORCH is an exciting cat-and-mouse tale of twisted revenge...5 out of 5 stars.”
—The Mystery Gazette
“[SCORCH has] enough violence for at least two Die Hard installments. But like that cinema franchise, the novel works because the good guy and villains are believable, realistically drawn, and emotionally scarred individuals working through their issues with guns, knives and bombs rather than conventional therapy. Hey, whatever gets you to a better place. Genuinely engaging escapist fiction with a bit of a surprise ending.”
—Booklist
“10 out of 10 stars”
—Bookcrossing.com
