The Picture Kills — The Thrill Ride Begins

Running through the jungle, covered in mud and nearly naked, while fleeing men with guns … turns out to be a great way to turn enemies into lovers.

Steven Quintana was one of the Army's best reconnaissance photographers -- until a fatal mistake on a mission ended his military career. Now he's a paparazzo in Hollywood, where his photos can't hurt anyone … or so he thought.

When movie star Julia Travers is kidnapped, Steven discovers the criminals used the tabloid photos he took of her to cover their tracks. Now they're taking her to a remote Bahamian cay and forcing her to finish a movie she quit years ago. Realizing he's still hurting people with his camera, he swears to fix his mistake, and the former Army Ranger sets out to rescue her himself..

There's just one problem. He's the paparazzo who ruined her life — and the last person on Earth whom Julia would trust to save her.

From glittering Hollywood to the remote cays of the Bahamas, The Picture Kills is a fast-paced, funny, and sexy thriller about two people who can't stand each other — but need one another to survive.

Book 1 of The Quintana Adventures. Perfect for fans of Lee Child, Vince Flynn, and anyone who loves action with sharp wit and real heart.

Reviews for The Picture Kills

Writer’s Digest National Book Competition: 5 out of 5 stars

Settings are stellar and richly detailed. We’re gripped from start to finish ... pacing is spectacular, and story excels. Characters are multi-dimensional and settings gleam.

Sample Reviews from Amazon. Overall 4.6 out of 5 stars

A thrilling page-turner with real literary value… combines the international intrigue of Lee Child, the procedural know-how of Michael Connelly, and yes, the Hollywood insider's expertise of Jackie Collins, with a plot that takes the reader on a Bondian adventure across the globe.

The book comes together in a shocking hair-raising climax that only later will the reader realize had been set up by the author chapters in advance.

Steve Quintana is…a new thriller hero who's human, prone to mistakes, frailty and self-doubt, yet with Scot Harvath power, Angus MacGyver ingenuity and Ethan Hunt resilience that makes him ripe for a continuing literary series.

Six Passengers, Five Parachutes — A True Action Thriller

Someone shot him and left him for dead. Big mistake.

Army Ranger photographer Steven Quintana has uncovered a network of ultra-wealthy criminals who film convicted killers fighting to the death for paying audiences. Before he can expose them, they put a bullet in him and walk away.

They should have made sure he was dead.

Now Steven is going undercover — from Los Angeles to San Francisco to Hong Kong to Mexico — on a collision course with the most dangerous men he has ever faced. And this time, it is Julia Travers who has to save him.

A race across four continents that never lets you catch your breath.

Book 2 of The Quintana Adventures trilogy. Perfect for fans of Daniel Silva, Brad Thor, and action thrillers that keep you reading by flashlight at midnight.

Reviews for Six Passengers, Five Parachutes

From Writer’s Digest National Book Competition: 5 out of 5 stars

The author has a stellar instinct for crafting interactions between characters…fabulous foreboding and panic… an engaging read and, in Steven, a character who could live on the big screen.

Sample Reviews on Amazon Overall 4.9 out of 5 stars

The adventures of Steve Quintana are as compelling as ever … with the action moving at breakneck speed. Bull’s work is up there with Connelly, Cussler, and Patterson when it comes to creating an intense, exciting thrill ride, full of technical expertise, whether it’s Hollywood, espionage or travel. And he has the guts to take his lead character into situations that you will have to read to believe.

This book picks up where the first book left off, with Steven Quintana trying to track down the people who funded the kidnapping of Julia Travers in the first book. The twists are incredible. In the first book, Steven struggled to rescue Julia. In the sequel, it's Julia who must save Steven!

Awards

Six Passengers, Five Parachutes is a semi-finalist in the 2018 Los Angeles Book Pipeline Competition, which fast tracks novels to production companies for TV and film adaptation. There were ten semi-finalists out of 5,000 submissions. It also won Honorable Mention in the 2017 London Book Festival.

The Third Action-Packed Thriller

The Most Popular App in the World

The whole world is watching. That's exactly what their captors want.

Around the globe, millions are playing The Danger Game — the most addictive storytelling app ever created. World-famous actress Julia Travers and her fiancé Steven Quintana are its biggest stars, playing fictional versions of themselves in increasingly dangerous scenarios.

Except they're not acting anymore.

Julia and Steven are being held captive in a bunker, their every move broadcast live to an audience of millions — and their captors are making a fortune while Steven and Julia fight for their lives. To survive, they'll need the U.S. Army's best cyber specialists. And they'll have to trust each other completely — for the first time.

The explosive finale of The Quintana Adventures trilogy.

Book 3 of The Quintana Adventures trilogy. Perfect for fans of Gregg Hurwitz, Jason Bourne, and thrillers that rip the headlines straight from tomorrow's news.

Reviews for THE DANGER GAME

The Danger Game is the third installment in Ian Bull's Quintana trilogy, but my fingers are crossed for more. Like the first two, it really keeps you guessing at what could possibly happen next. The central premise is a frightening and imaginative look at what could happen when our app-based, on-demand entertainment culture is exploited by powerful, fast-buck types with a grudge. I can't recommend it highly enough for fans of tightly plotted, fast paced adventure stories. Hollywood needs to do make a series out of this!!

Sample Review from Amazon. 4.8 out of 5 stars overall.

Fans of teeth-gnashing action will enjoy The Danger Game, a perfectly plotted and twisty tale that has strong and resonant themes that contemporary readers will adore. Ian Bull’s novel is imaginative and brims with surprises. Each emotional burst, each nerve-jerking twist, and every action is delivered with breathtaking poignancy. This thrilling reality-meets-fantasy adventure moves briskly, with tense and evocative scenes, building a nuanced tale with sophisticated characters and sub-worlds. Throughout, Bull mesmerizes with his beautiful prose, keeping readers captivated with vivid descriptions and exciting dialogue, and creating characters that are lovable.

Christina Prescott, Reviewer for The Book Commentary. 5 stars.

awards

The Danger Game was named a Distinguished Favorite in the 2021 Independent Press Awards, and won the 2021 New York City Big Book Award for Best Action Adventure novel.