Last Updated on December 11, 2019
If you like reading stories that follow the currently popular trend of psychological thrillers similar to Before I Go to Sleep, Girl on a Train, Gone Girl, and Woman in Cabin 10, this book will be right up your alley.
Currently, the author A J Finn, aka Daniel Mallory, has only one book written. The list will be updated with any new books published in the future.
AJ Finn Books
- The Woman in the Window, 2018
AJ Finn Biography
AJ Finn is a pseudonym for Daniel Mallory, who as a child loved to read crime fiction novels. He was in love with reading Agatha Christie and similar classic crime mystery books.
As he grew up, he started reading books by Ruth Rendell and Patricia Highsmith, which further deepened his love for crime mystery.
He graduated from New College, Oxford, and following his true calling, he even wrote his doctoral thesis on Patricia Highsmith.
Once he finished his studies, he went on to work for Little, Brown imprint Sphere in London, a major book publishing house, where his focus was on crime, mystery and thriller books. After a while, he moved to the US, where he is currently working as an executive editor at William Morrow, another big publishing house.
At the age of 21, AJ Finn fell into a deep depression which made him try every treatment available at the time. It was not until 15 years later when a Russian psychologist told him that he’s been misdiagnosed all those years earlier, and, in fact, he has a bipolar II disorder. This happened on his birthday in 2015. Now, at least, he could get the proper medication that would keep his highs and lows (especially lows) in check.
His goal is to become a full-time author and leave the publishing world for good. And the way his debut novel was released, this will be a dream fast realized. The Woman in the Window not only sold in over 40 countries worldwide and had translation rights into several languages, but it is also being made into a movie, a mystery drama to be released for TV in 2020, starring Amy Adams and Gary Oldman. Having a major publishing house (the same publishing house he is working at) behind his back is a big help as well. However, it is undeniable: A J Finn is a darn fine author.
The book sold in a two-book deal with a price tag of 2 million dollars. Daniel dedicated it to an ex-boyfriend. The story gained fast positive blurbs and reviews from authors like Steven King, and the author was featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, and The New Yorker.
A second AJ Finn book titled The Ways is set to release in early 20210, despite the huge scandal that shrouds the author in mystery. Apparently Daniel often mentioned he had cancer, which turned out to be wrong, and many publishing houses dropped from bidding on his first book when they’ve learned that AJ Finn is, in fact, Dan Mallory. The new book will be set in San Francisco. This time, it seems he will write the book under the pseudonym Simon Brown, and the book will be published by HarperCollins.
In the author’s first bookbook, we meet Anna Fox, 38, a psychologist and agoraphobic who sees the world passing by from the window of her apartment in uptown Manhattan, New York.
Due to her phobia, she has not left her home for over a year. To add to her problems, she is also a drug addict and has issues with alcohol.
Her husband left her and took their daughter with him, and Anna has a hard time coping with all this.
So when she one day notices something strange happening to one of her neighbors, Jane Russell, nobody actually believes her. This is, in fact, a recurring theme to the Girl on a Train type books: a woman who has an issue that makes her a less than credible witness.
In an interview, the author A J Finn mentioned that he likes writing about people who are secluded and confined, in books with a singular setting, the way Hitchcock used to do back in the day, and in the way noir mystery novels do it. In The Woman in the Window he pulled it off brilliantly.
Fox bought the movie rights before the book was even published, and paid a 7-figure amount for it, as they didn’t want to option it. The film will be produced by Scott Rudin, an Oscar-winning producer.
Praise for AJ Finn
A dark, twisty confection with an irresistible film noir premise. Hitchcock would have snapped the rights in a heartbeat (Ruth Ware)
One of those rare novels that really is unputdownable (Stephen King)
The Woman in the Window is the most riveting thriller I’ve read since Gone Girl. A. J. Finn is a bold new talent with the touch of a master (Tess Gerritsen)
A tour the force. A twisting, twisted odyssey inside one woman’s mind, her illusions, delusions, reality. An absolutely gripping thriller (Louise Penny)
Astounding. Thrilling. Lovely and amazing…Finn has created a noir for the new millennium, packed with mesmerizing characters, stunning twists, beautiful writing and a narrator with whom I’d love to split a bottle of Pinot. Maybe two bottles—I’ve got a lot of questions for her. (Gillian Flynn)
Twisted to the power of max. Hitchcockian suspense with a 21st-century twist. (Val McDermid)
Gripping, compelling, and utterly intriguing (Liz Nugent)
References
- AJ Finn official author website
- NYTimes article about AJ Finn
- New Yorker review of A Woman in the Window
AJ Finn Recommends
First it’s spooky. Then it’s scary. Then it’s terrifying. And then… well, dear reader, proceed at your own risk. An ambitious, deeply satisfying thriller―a seamless blend of Harlan Coben, Stephen King, and Thomas Harris. My flesh is still crawling.
Books Reading Order » Thriller Authors » AJ Finn Books in Order
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- 16Shares
You had me convinced Anna was the crazy one. Excellent read.
Love this book CANT wait for more
Loved The women in the window. Also my husband enjoyed it. Thank you looking forward to your next book. Joan Murphy