Walking the Bones

Ready those summer reading lists with offerings from area authors like Randall Silvis.

The Mercer County resident is one of the most accomplished local authors with 16 books to his name.

Released in January, “Walking the Bones,” his 16th, continues the literary mystery series about Sergeant Ryan DeMarco of the Pennsylvania State Police, the troubled protagonist introduced in 2017's “Two Days Gone.”

Published by Sourcebooks Landmark, “Walking the Bones” received a starred review from Publishers Weekly.

“Two Days Gone,” the first novel in the series, was an Amazon #1 Bestseller and was named to Strand Magazine's list of the Top 12 Mystery Novels of the Year.

Now in its eighth printing, “Two Days Gone” is shortlisted for the Hammett Prize, awarded annually for literary excellence in crime writing from the North American branch of the International Association of Crime Writers.

Also published in January, and another Amazon #1 Bestseller, was Silvis's psychological suspense novel “Only the Rain” from Thomas & Mercer Publishers.

From the same publisher, a second suspense novel, “First the Thunder,” to be released in November, began as the prize-winning story “The Indian,” from the Best American Mystery Stories anthology of the 20 best stories of the year, published annually by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.Silvis plans to tour in support of his new novels starting in New York City in July, then moving through the Midwest to culminate in Denver.In the meantime, Silvis is working on the third novel in the Ryan DeMarco series, and is contracted to write at least one more after that.Silvis's first book, “The Luckiest Man in the World” (1984), made him the first Pennsylvanian to win the prestigious Drue Heinz Literature Prize.Other literary awards include two NEA Literature Fellowships, a Fulbright Senior Scholar Research Award, and six fellowships for his fiction, drama, and screenwriting from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.A prize-winning playwright, produced screenwriter, and prolific essayist, Silvis has won Distinguished Alumni awards from both Clarion University and Indiana University of Pennsylvania, plus an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from IUP for “distinguished literary achievement.”A story about more local authors will run in next week's entertainment section.

Randall Silvis has released “Walking the Bones,” his second book about Sergeant Ryan DeMarco of the Pennsylvania State Police, the troubled protagonist introduced in the 2017 novel “Two Days Gone.” Silvis also released another book in January and has a third for this year slated for November.