THRILLER AUTHOR
CHRIS BAUER
Newest Releases
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COBALT
Released
Feb. 2024
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CRADLE
Preorder!
(releases
Oct. 2024)
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KIND WORDS
I HEARD YOU PAINT COWBOYS (MAY '25):
“A smart, excellently written page-turner. Gritty, clever, intelligent, and shocking—all the elements a reader could wish for in both a mystery and a thriller.”
— Lisa Regan, WSJ and USA TODAY bestselling author
COBALT:
“A cinematic globe-trotting roller coaster of a tale…”
— Raymond Benson, NYT bestselling author, 007 Bond series
COBALT:
“Chris Bauer delivers a masterclass in thriller writing, weaving a complex tapestry of intrigue and action that's both sharp and compelling.” — Andrew Watts, USA TODAY bestselling author
COBALT:
“I was hooked from the first page. Take a look inside the world of Max Fend and how the need for precious resources sets up for a gripping thriller.”
— Mel Taylor, Emmy Award-winning reporter & novelist
COBALT:
“Full Tom Clancy mode. Bauer has become a master of the classic international thriller.”
— Don Swaim, author and former host of CBS Book Beat
HIDING AMONG THE DEAD:
“Couldn’t pry me away. Bauer writes with authenticity. A knockout original story, with a host of equally original characters. Certainly not your typical crime fiction, and that’s a good thing.”
— David Swinson, author, the Frank Marr series
ZERO ISLAND:
“The action and intrigue begins on page one and doesn’t let up until the end of Bauer's smartly constructed, white-knuckle thrill ride.”
—Steve Konkoly, WSJ and USA TODAY bestselling author
ZERO ISLAND:
“More than a page-turner, it's a high-speed burner.”
— J.J. Hensley, author, BOLT ACTION REMEDY and THE BETTER OF THE BAD
ZERO ISLAND:
“A multi-faceted thriller with a unique cast of characters, witty dialogue, and some serious dark humor that lightens up the world of crime-scene cleaners and mobsters.”
— J.D. Allen, Shamus-nominated author
2 STREET:
“Best Philly novel since Peter Decker's GOD'S POCKET.”
— Mark Bergin, author, APPREHENSION
2 STREET:
"Love letter to a gritty city.”
— William J. Donahue, author, ONLY MONSTERS REMAIN
HIDING AMONG THE DEAD:
“Punch you in your face action that warms your heart."
— LCW Allingham, author, MUSE
JANE'S BABY:
“Fresh and engaging page-turner in the tradition of Janet Evanovich and Carl Hiaasen, with a ‘Wish I'd thought of that’ premise. Such a clever book!”
— Karen Dionne, author of #1 international bestselling THE MARSH KING'S DAUGHTER and THE WICKED SISTER
JANE'S BABY:
“Packed with thrills and smart writing. A palpable sense of danger surrounding every action scene that these lives . . . are actually at risk. The plot is a tightly wound coil ready to spring at any second.”
— Logan Krum, Newspaper Media Group
JANE'S BABY:
“A stunning thriller, pitch-dark and filled with twists you never see coming. Pulled me in from the beginning and never let go. A novelist to watch.”
— Margaret Coel, NYT bestselling author
JANE'S BABY:
“Colorful characters, a high-octane plot, and relentless suspense. A smart, inventive thriller from start to finish.”
— Kelly Simmons, international bestselling author
JANE'S BABY:
“Chris Bauer came up with a doozy of a 'what if' question in JANE'S BABY. I just wish I had thought of it myself.”
— Alan Russell, bestselling author of BURNING MAN
JANE'S BABY:
“JANE’S BABY has it all—fresh and quirky characters, an ex-Marine bounty hunter with Tourette’s Syndrome and bomb-sniffing dogs, an alcoholic little person blogger sidekick, an angry bull, a female Native American Supreme Court Justice, an obsessive assassin—and a plot loaded with tricky twists and troubling timely issues. Wrenching seat of your pants suspense.”
— Merry Jones, award-winning author of CHILD’S PLAY and THE NANNY MURDERS
JANE'S BABY:
“(Bauer) can glide over quicksand. Had he straight-off picked—or rather picked on—the abortion debate, he could have smeared himself with it and been accused of overkill. But in JANE'S BABY he gets off scot-free while spinning a great yarn and morphing one of the most delicate and divisive issues of modern America into an enthralling read. The plot is sound and well-controlled, the story finishes but the characters remain . . .”
— Azam Gill, author & reporter for International Thriller Writers’ The Big Thrill Magazine
JANE'S BABY:
“Don’t expect subtlety. (Chris Bauer’s) novels dive headfirst into polarizing social issues, ranging from gun control to gender identity. (The novel) jumps into the middle of one of America’s most divisive topics: reproductive rights. Bauer’s quick-moving prose introduces readers to a cast of strong, richly drawn characters, including: a Native-American woman recently sworn in as a Supreme Court justice; an antagonist who believes it’s her divine duty to prevent the justice from serving on the court; and, standing between the two, a good-hearted bounty hunter from Philadelphia. (This novel) goes for the throat.”
— Suburban Life/Philadelphia Life Magazine
CRADLE
“Another whip-smart thriller from Chris Bauer. Fast paced and tightly plotted from the opening sequence until the last, Cradle will have you hanging on for dear life. I can’t recommend this book highly enough!”
—Bruce Robert Coffin, international bestselling coauthor of The Turner and Mosley Files
SCARS ON THE FACE
OF GOD:
“. . . a brilliant novel. Congratulations on hitting one out of the park.”
— Jonathan Maberry, NYT bestselling author and winner of multiple Bram Stoker Awards
SCARS ON THE FACE
OF GOD:
“Bauer writes with passion and intensity, tackling the mysteries of faith and fear. Hotter than the flames of hell.”
— Scott Nicholson, author of SCATTERED ASHES, THEY HUNGER, THE RED CHURCH, THE HARVEST and other horror thrillers
SCARS ON THE FACE
OF GOD:
“These characters are exquisitely-drawn, fully-fleshed beings that leap from the page to engage you in the plot. The writing is pitch-perfect, from the language used to the intricate weaving of plot threads.”
— Kelly Jenkins, SF Crowsnest Review
BIO
“The thing I write will be the thing I write.” Chris is a former corporate worker bee (Ford Motor, Exxon, Emery Air Freight, MetLife) who now authors thrillers and mysteries rooted in crime, politics, espionage, and horror. He’s a subject matter expert in none of the following, although his fictional protagonists and major characters are: firearms, aviation, NASA, geology, any law enforcement agency, fugitive recovery, the Navy SEALs, crime scene cleaning, or the US Supreme Court. Nor was he ever a church custodian, billionaire, Hawaiian mobster, a Philly mummer, or US senator, and he does not have six fingers on either hand. Chris wouldn’t trade his Northeast Philly upbringing of street sports played on blacktop and concrete, fistfights, brick and stone row houses, and twelve years of well-intentioned Catholic school discipline for a Philadelphia minute (think NY minute but more direct and less forgiving). He’s an award-winning member of International Thriller Writers. He likes the pie more than the turkey.
NEWS/EVENTS
2024 International Thriller Writers Thrillerfest
Winner, Best First Sentence Contest, Thrillerfest Masterclass
June 1, 2024 - 7PM
Commodore John Barry Arts & Cultural Center (The Irish Center)
Philadelphia, PA
13 Philly Crime Writers read from selected works​.
September 13-15, 2024
CREATURES, CRIMES & CREATIVITY (C3) CONFERENCE
DoubleTree Hilton, Columbia, MD
Author/publisher forums, book signings, fans, plus Noir at the Bar readings
​(I'm one of the Noir at the Bar readers!)
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October 22, 2024
Release date: CRADLE, Maximum Risk Book 2 (preorder now)
May 15, 2025
Release date: I HEARD YOU PAINT COWBOYS, A Counsel Fungo thriller