Prospect High Grad Releases Audiobook Of Novel

Lindstrom Legacy Publishing has announced the audiobook release of "Silent Partners," a novel by former Mount Prospect resident Tom Blomquist.

Blomquist is an award-winning screenwriter, producer, and director who has been associated with some of the nation's most popular television dramas, including the Catherine Marshall's Christy, Walker Texas Ranger, The A-Team, Hunter, Riptide, Swamp Thing, Farscape, and Hardcastle & McCormick, among others. He was also staff producer on NBC's classic late-night talk show Tomorrow With Tom Snyder and served as creative executive on the Emmy-winning Hallmark Hall of Fame specials.

The storyline of "Silent Partners" follows Zack Raskin, a carefree medical student at UCLA who has a romantic encounter with beautiful pop music star Nicole Branson after her concert in Hollywood. It is a dramatic meeting that changes his life in ways that he could have never imagined. When tragedy suddenly strikes, Raskin is thrust into the center of an intense forensic and psychological mystery that not only threatens his personal safety, but his mental stability.

Tom Blomquist said of his publication: "'Silent Partners' was so much fun to write. It brought together various aspects of my life, from my years as a young rock musician with The Shandells in Mount Prospect and my time making training films at the Rush Medical Center, to my career writing and producing prime time network crime series, it felt natural to base my novel on what I learned from them."

In addition to his work in television, Blomquist was professor of Film and Electronic Arts at California State University, Long Beach. He also lectured at the American Film Institute, UCLA, and Chapman University and was visiting artist at the University of Applied Sciences in Hamburg Germany.

Blomquist previously co-authored the college textbook "Eye Of The Storm: Directing For Film, Television & Emerging Media." He is a 1968 graduate of Prospect High School and 1972 alumnus of Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.

The response from the literary world and media authorities has been strong. Roger Badesch of WGN Radio Chicago called the book: "A great first novel!! Great crime drama!!" His endorsement was echoed by former CNN anchor and TV host Bella Shaw: "The warm celebrity spotlight soon turns cold in Tom Blomquist's chilly thriller, "Silent Partners."

Set against the backdrop of a perfectly described LA, Blomquist takes us on a journey like no other: a kaleidoscopic work of celebrity, crime, and controversy swirling around pop culture, social media, and the way they intertwine."

J Buckner Ford, author of "River Of No Return," agreed: "Prose reminiscent of Dean Koontz. A plot to rival the best of Stephen King's. And a twist ending that you'd expect from Paula Hawkins. Put all this together between a cover and a backflap, and you have "Silent Partners" - a killer first novel."

Dennis Palumbo, author of "The Daniel Rinaldi Mysteries" also wrote: "Combine deft writing with an insider's knowledge of LA's media landscape and you have Silent Partners. A treat for mystery fans of all stripes."

Richard Vetere, author of "Champagne, The Writers Afterlife," and "The Third Miracle" said: "Silent Partners has at its core an intriguing combination of mortal danger and magical innocence only the young in this well-executed novel can experience equally at the same time. Blomquist knows LA well enough to reveal this odd tilted world where some worship fame like a god. He captures LA's ephemeral beauty as well as showing us the truth of the 'end of the world' where Santa Monica Boulevard leads west to the Pacific Ocean and nothing beyond."

Finally, Craig Smith, Ph.D., an educator and author of "Herod From Hell" and "Confessions of a Presidential Speechwriter" called "Silent Partners": "A masterpiece of a thriller with a rich fabric woven from many strands. There's the black thread of noir that is braided with silver thread of contemporary pop culture. There's the occult thread that can be traced back to exorcism. There's the Hitchcock thread with its Freudian filaments. There's the medical thread that displays Blomquist's knowledge of medical terms and procedures in incredible detail. Out of these threads Blomquist creates a tapestry punctuated with the sights and sounds of Los Angeles. Popping out of this tapestry are his carefully honed characters, each richly detailed and as authentic as their dialogue."

"Silent Partners" is available in print and kindle versions. The audiobook is available at Audible.com, iTunes, and Amazon, while the print and kindle formats are available at Amazon.

More information, including a promotional trailer, more reviews, and reader comments can be found at the author's website: www.tomblomquist.com.