Smart Bets: Jon Michael Riley

Posted on by Edwin Arnaudin

The 2009 hijacking of the MV Maersk Alabama — dramatized in Paul Greengrass’ 2013 film Captain Phillips and starring Tom Hanks — piqued Western North Carolina author Jon Michael Riley’s interest in 2010. His subsequent research of Somali pirates deepened that curiosity and provided the spark for Photo Shoot, the second installment in his Channey Moran action/thriller series. In it, the renowned New York photographer stages a fashion shoot in the Indian Ocean as a ruse to rescue two American couples taken hostage a day’s sail east of the Seychelles Islands. Riley, a career photographer before turning to fiction, will read from his new novel at Malaprop’s on Thursday, March 29, at 6 p.m. Free to attend. malaprops.com. Author photo courtesy of Riley

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About Edwin Arnaudin
Edwin Arnaudin is a staff writer for Mountain Xpress. He also reviews films for ashevillemovies.com and is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association (SEFCA) and North Carolina Film Critics Association (NCFCA). Follow me @EdwinArnaudin
View all posts by Edwin Arnaudin →

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