If you’re not reading Rob Hart’s series, this is the perfect book to jump in and meet Ash McKenna. With nonstop action and thrills, The Woman from Prague is a fun, hard-to-put-down novel that’ll have you flipping pages like a madman.
See the Q&A that we did with Hart below, then make sure to order yourself a copy of his brand new thriller!
TRBS: Where did you get the idea for this book?
Hart: “I got the idea years ago—an expat on vacation gets blackmailed into a one-off mission that goes sideways. When I visited Prague and Krakow a couple of years ago, I knew I wanted to set a story there. And when I realized I could make it all work as an entry in the Ash series, it came together. It seemed like the right time to put him in a situation where he was outgunned and completely alone.”
TRBS: What makes The Woman From Prague different from the other books in your Ash McKenna series?
Hart: “This is more of a thriller. The first three are a spiritual trilogy, in that Ash is coming to terms with personal issues. A lot of the conflict is internal. For this, it’s almost all external—I wanted to write something where I could just turn him loose. You can read any of the books individually, but I think this one works best as a standalone.”
TRBS: What is your writing process like? Do you outline ahead of time or just sit and crank pages out, and how much research did this book require?
Hart: “I need an outline. I might not stick to it exactly, but I do need a rough sense of where I’m going. Usually, what I do is write the outline, then junk it. I re-write it from memory a few days later, then junk that. I do that as many times as it takes to nail the story. It’s a trick I learned from a buddy—you remember all the good stuff, forget all the bad stuff, and you have time to mull over everything that isn’t working. In terms of research: I spent a lot of time in Google Maps for this one. Having been to Prague and Krakow I knew the gist of the path Ash was going to take, but I had to spend a lot of time making sure those pathways made sense.”
TRBS: Who are your favorite authors working today, and what books are currently on your nightstand?
Hart: “I could do this all the live-long day. Some of my favorites: Chelsea Cain, Chuck Wendig, Lidia Yuknavitch, Ben Winters, Todd Robinson. I just read my first Don Winslow with The Force, and I’m very excited to dig into his backlist. Currently on my nightstand: The Late Show by Michael Connelly, The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, and The Beauty Queen of Leenane and Other Plays by Martin McDonagh.
TRBS: Lastly, now that your book is out, what’s next for you–another Ash McKenna novel or something else?
I’m writing one more Ash book—the fifth and final entry. It’s called Potter’s Field and it should be out next summer. After that, I’ve got an idea for a standalone I’m very excited about, because it’s unlike anything I’ve written before.
We’ve done a lot of these Q&As and, honestly, Hart’s answers are some of the most thoughtful and detailed that we’ve ever received. Readers may be shocked to find out that the next book, Potter’s Field, is actually going to be the final installment in his Ash series. I’m sure we’ll find out a lot more about that in the near future, and you can bet we’ll be covering it right up until it hits bookstores next summer.
In the meantime, thriller fans should definitely get The Woman from Prague, which is now officially in bookstores. Hart told us that he wanted to write something where he could turn Ash loose and, well, he did just that. This explosive, action-packed thriller is a ton of fun and impossible to put down. Run and get your copy today, or stay in and order here!