Blame Jeffery Deaver. This is all his fault. A couple of years ago Jeff came up with the bright idea that a bunch of members at ITW could raise funds to keep the organisation going by writing an audio thriller. You know what that is, don't you? No. Nor did we. Jeff said, 'I’ll write chapter one and the closing chapter. You lot just produce the chapters in between. Audible can publish it. And we can get some great actor to read the lines.'

We indulged him of course. Jeff's such a nice guy you have to. So I wrote a second chapter taking Jeff's start in eastern Europe to Rome. Then a bunch of others -- too many to mention here -- came in and we wound up with a scary fast-moving thriller called <em>The Chopin Manuscript</em>. That great actor Alfred Molina came in and did a voiceover so astonishing it sent shivers down my spine. Then it went on to win the audio equivalent of an Oscar, Audiobook of the Year. Note that was <em>the</em> audiobook of the year -- not a genre thing. Amazing.

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So Jeff comes back a while later and says, 'Let's do it again!'

We won a prize. We broke new ground. Most of all we had <em>fun.</em> Who's going to say no?

The result is a sequel to <em>The Chopin Manuscript.</em> It's called <em>The Copper Bracelet.</em> It's different. Better. More focused I think -- we were really testing our feet the first time round. More scary and hellishly contemporary too, a global conspiracy thriller that is straight out of the headlines and with a compelling mystery at its heart: what is the secret of the Copper Bracelet? And yes Harold Middleton and his team of volunteers return to put their lives on the line to find out.

Once again it's an audio novel available only by download from Audible and iTunes. You'll be able to get it all on October 29. But if you can't wait you can download the first chapter for free now. If you're in the US head off over to <a href="http://www.audible.com/copper" target="_blank">www.audible.com/copper</a>. In the UK go to <a href="http://www.audible.co.uk/aduk/site/promo.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&amp;id=copper&amp;source_code=TITV0001WS030209UK" target="_blank">www.audible.co.uk</a>. You'll have to register but you won't need a credit card.

<a href="http://davidhewson.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/copperbracelet_verti14f17b1.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-1016" title="copperbracelet_verti#14F17B" src="http://www.davidhewson.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/copperbracelet_verti14F17B1-198x300.jpg" alt="copperbracelet_verti#14F17B" width="198" height="300" /></a>As before, Jeff wrote that first chapter, setting us up for a wild ride around the globe. Those who follow him are, in order of appearance, Gayle Lynds, me, Jim Fusilli, John Gilstrap, Joseph Finder, Lisa Scottoline, David Corbett, Linda Barnes, Jenny Siler, David Liss, P.J. Parrish, Brett Battles, Lee Child, Jon Land and James Phelan. Once again Alfred Molina narrates. Jim Fusilli held the whole thing together as editor too, and Jeff wraps up the project with a skill that still leaves me breathless.

It's worth pointing out that this is not a collaboration in a conventional sense. We didn't have plot meetings or storylines. This was a relay race in which the baton was simply passed from one runner to the next, with no one knowing where this would all end up. It's a great testament to Jim and Jeff that the two of them manage to keep an astonishingly tight rein on such a free-wheeling project. And as always I'm flattered to be part of a fundraiser for the excellent organisation that is ITW.

There will be some more freebies to do with <em>The Copper Bracelet</em> coming soon too so stay tuned.