Fred Van Lente

• Biography

  Fred Van Lente is a six-time New York Times bestselling comics writer, novelist, and playwright whose work ranges from mysteries, thrillers, and historical fiction to superheroes and comedy. His books have received awards from the Theodore Roosevelt Association and the American Library Association. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife, the playwright Crystal Skillman, and two mostly ungrateful cats.

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• Praise for Books

  “Lisa Flanagan’s exquisite performance amplifies Van Lente’s narrative…Flanagan’s performance and Van Lente’s narrative work in concert beautifully. Flanagan’s remarkable talent for embodying each character, keeping a pitch-perfect pace, and enhancing the narrative must be celebrated.” —AudioFile

  “Van Lente is especially good at building the relationship between veteran Kate and newcomer Hattie, who only applied to the agency to be a secretary. Well-developed characters match the fast-paced plot.” —Publishers Weekly

  “A pulse-pounding historical adventure that weaves through actual events while crafting a compelling, can’t-miss adventure. Fred Van Lente’s characters leap off the page and keep you reading this thriller unlike any other. Don’t miss it.” —Alex Segura, bestselling author of Secret Identity

  “In Never Sleep, Fred Van Lente has created a thrilling, absorbing period thriller with a pair of compelling characters at the center, giving us an invigorating take on both the genre and the period. This is historical fiction done right.” —David Liss, Edgar Award–winning author of A Conspiracy of Paper

  “Readers of Van Lente’s comics already know about his breakneck plots and witty dialogue, but in Never Sleep, he adds a cast of memorable characters—led by the indomitable Pinkerton agent Kate Warn—and a chilling peek into the dark secessionist conspiracies swirling through a fractured America on the brink of the Civil War. And as if that wasn’t enough, he also solves the mystery of Edgar Allan Poe’s final days. What more could a reader ask for?” —Alex Irvine, award-winning author of A Scattering of Jades

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  • Never Sleep

  • By Fred Van Lente

    Read by Lisa Flanagan

  • Release Date: 3/28/23

  • Formats: Retail CD Audiobook, MP3 CD, Digital Audiobook, Hardcover, eBook, Trade Paperback

  A Civil War–era historical novel featuring the first female agents in the Pinkerton National Police Agency, who work to foil an assassination attempt on President Lincoln’s life.

  The year is 1861, the eve of Abraham Lincoln’s inauguration. For Kate Warn, the first female private detective in American history, the only assignment tougher than exposing a conspiracy to assassinate the new president is training her new mentee, Hattie MacLaughlin, in the art of detection. The two women’s mission to save the president takes them from the granges of rural Maryland to the heart of secessionist high society, and sets them on a collision course that could alter the course of history. When Kate’s cover is blown, Hattie must choose between saving her new friend, and her country. Based on a true story.

  • Never Sleep

  • By Fred Van Lente

    Read by Lisa Flanagan

  • Release Date: 3/28/23

  • Formats: Retail CD Audiobook, MP3 CD, Digital Audiobook, Hardcover, eBook, Trade Paperback

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