All the news that’s fit to capsulize!

THROW ME THE WHIP!
Bestselling author James Rollins has won the gig to bring Indiana Jones back to life again – on the page, at least. While Steven Spielberg and crew are busy filming INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL for release next May, THE JUDAS STRAIN author Rollins will pen a new tie-in novel featuring America’s favorite adventurous archaeologist. A plea to Rollins: More Short Round!

B&N&HCC
Hard Case Crime has joined forces with Barnes & Noble to establish an online Crime Book Club. Debuting today, the club is a public message board for writers and readers of crime fiction, with participants including Jason Starr, Ken Bruen, Allan Guthrie, Duane Swierczynski, Charlie Huston and Megan Abbott. Speaking of Starr and Bruen, they’ll be following up their brand-new SLIDE with another sequel: THE MAX, coming in 2008. Also coming from Hard Case: THE FIRST QUARRY, a prequel thriller for Max Allan Collins’ beloved hitman.

A SECOND MOVEMENT OF ‘CHOPIN’
International Thriller Writers Inc. is hosting a roundtable interview of authors who collaborated for THE CHOPIN MANUSCRIPT, the first-ever serial audiobook thriller. Jeffery Deaver, Jim Fusilli, Peter Spiegelman, S.J. Rozan and Erica Spindler are among those who discuss the challenges of this unique project.

‘BELLY’ UP
Hey, like reading online, serialized mysteries involving semi-homeless Vietnam veterans? Then you’ll want to beg, pander and plead for Internet access to check out Gary Phillips’ THE UNDERBELLY. –Rod Lott